OHAS

OFFALY HISTORICAL & ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

Web site: www.offalyhistory.com Email: info@offalyhistory.com Telephone: 057-9321421

NEWSLETTER September 2009

21 September 2009

Our September lecture marks the publication of P.J. Goode’s new book and is in two parts – starting at 8.00 pm on Monday 21 September at OHAS Bury Quay, Tullamore

Title     'The O'Dempsey sept in East Offaly' by   P.J. Goode

Summary : 

The O'Dempsey sept were located in the tuath of Clanmalier on both sides of the present border of Offaly and Laois. The family emerged as sub chiefs to O'Conor Faly sharing a common ancestor. By the strategic use of political cunning, loyalty and pseudo loyalty to the crown, they managed to hold on to a greater part of their ancestral territory right up to the Cromwellian period. Geashill, Raheen, Ballykean,Walsh Island, Cloneygowan, Cloneyhurk.. all these places in Offaly have strong O'Dempsey connections. The talk deals with these members of the old Gaelic nobility who were petty kings and lords of their own nation and often times loyal captains of the Dublin administration.  Illustrated with photographs of castle sites,  church ruins, documents and maps.

 

Title:  Introduction to Portarlington history by Ronnie Mathews.

Summary: The roots of the town and its beginnings. The hinterland and the O'Dempsey, Huguenot and Anglo-Irish connections.The street layout, building design and historical structures. Stories and tales from the Offaly side. Early 20th century street photographs.

 

Clonmacnoise 3 October 2009

Please note that there is a valuable seminar being at held at Clonmacnoise on Saturday 3 October starting at 9 am and details are attached. The registration fee inclusive of lunch is €8 and you will be treated to a day of excellence and scholarship.

Some of the leading researchers in Ireland in Early Christian Ireland will be speaking and if you wish to reserve a place you should do so before 28 September.

Discover Tullamore Sunday 4 October 2009

This is a free event being organised by the Tullamore Chamber, Waterways Ireland and other parties and includes a number of events about the town including the following:-

1. Tullamore Dew Heritage Tour 2.30p.m.

2. Walking Tour of Tullamore starting at Days Hotel 2.15p.m.

3. Charleville Caste tour at 12 noon

4. Monastic site tour 10.45a.m.

5. Open day at OHAS Bury Quay 2p.m. to 6p.m.

6. Slieve Bloom walk guided trail

7. Lough Boora guides

8. Publicity in the local press and leaflets are being published and you should watch out for these.

We will also email members with an up date on the event for those who have email. If you are not receiving our newsletter on email you should send your email address to OHAS as above and mark it urgent for amendment to newsletter addresses.

19 October 2009 A.P. W. Malcomson - ‘The Rosse papers and other big house archives’. This lecture is from the standpoint of someone who has spent a lifetime exploring the big house archives.

30 November 2009 Philip McConway, ‘The Free State army in County Offaly, 1922-24’. Please note the revised date.

Friday 11 December 2009 Annual Christmas party at OHAS Bury Quay. Speaker to be confirmed in Shortly. Please note change of date from 4 to 11 December.

Local History Course on County Offaly Autumn 2009

A Local History Course on aspects of Sources for County Offaly History will be given by local historians over four Thursday nights in October 2009. The cost of this course for participants is €20 which will include tea/coffee on the four nights. The number of participants is limited to twenty-five so please book early at info@offalyhistory.com or 05793 21421.

Thursday 1st October : Land Records and title deeds for County Offaly - Michael Byrne

Thursday 8th October: Old Newspapers relating to Offaly History – Stephen McNeill

Thursday 15th October:- Books and periodicals published on Offaly History – Michael Byrne

Thursday 22nd October : Maps for County Offaly history – Niall Sweeney

In January 2010 we will again hold a European History Course to widen the study of local history and to appreciate that of other parts of Europe and the World. For 2010 we have taken the subject of Russian History and the Russian Cinema and the series of four films and discussion classes will commence on Thursday the 14 of January. Details of films and readings to be advised and continue on 21 January, 28 January and 4 February.

Family History Course Spring 2010

After a very successful course last year we propose to have a second family history course this year to commence on Thursday the 11^th of February 2010 with the subject matters to be as follows:-

11 February at 8p.m. Photographs for family history

18 February at 8p.m. Directories of trades and occupations for family history

25 February 2010 The wonderful world of wills

30 February 2010 Newspapers in Offaly Family History

11 March 2010 Maps for family historians

COMMUNICATION SKILLS COURSE OCT/NOV 2009

Details already advised. If you are interested contact Maura Nolan or the Research Centre.

OFFALY NATURALIST FIELD CLUB EVENTS

Friday 18^th September National Moth Night

8.30pm till late! Meet at Teach Lea, Boora for an introductory talk followed by moth trapping at the Pavilion in the Sculpture in the Parklands area. This will be led by Alex Copland. While many of us are familiar with moths coming in through windows on a summer’s night – this is also the extent of our knowledge too! This night will provide an introduction and an opportunity to understand more about Offaly’s moths.

Friday 16^th and Saturday 17^th October

Mushroom Hunt – The Lives of Fungi: Some awesome and gruesome details.

Friday 8.00pm Meet at Kinnitty Community Centre for a preparation talk by John Feehan

There is always a great interest in mushroom hunts and this offers a great 24 hours starting off with a talk all about fungi on the Friday evening and a trip to collect and identify fungi on the Saturday.

Sunday 1^st November

Winter Migrant Birds

11.30am – Meet at Turraun, part of Lough Boora parklands adjacent to Pullough. Alex Copland of BirdWatch Ireland will lead the trip to see what birds have arrived to over winter in Offaly.

Launch of Wildflowers of Offaly.

November / December 2009

John Feehan has a lifetime experience of examining flowers and explaining how they work and why they are structured as they are. He is using this to write a unique book detailing every flowering plant in the county. This is the first time such a flora of a county in Ireland has ever been written. It will be large and fully illustrated – a book to read and learn more about the flowers after the day out exploring with a pocket guide. It is being published by Offaly County Council. John has a number of publications which are now out of print – so don’t miss your opportunity to get this book – email apedlow@offalycoco.ie or phone 057 -9346839 to be put on the mailing list.

Launch of Monasticon Hibernicum Database

Thursday 23 July saw the launch at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies of Early Christian Ecclesiastical Settlement in Ireland, 5^th to 12^th centuries – the database of the Monasticon Hibernicum Project’. Compiled by Aibhe MacShamhrain with Nora White and Aidan Breen, the database represents the output of a study carried out from 2003 to 2007 under the general direction of Professor Kim McCone, Scoil an Leinn Cheiltigh, NUI Maynooth, and funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Revised and updated 2007-2008, with introduction, help files and bibliography, and prepared for the WEB by Andrew McCarthy, the database was formally launched by Professor Fergus Kelly Director of the School of Celtic Studies, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. It is available at http//monasticon.celt.dias.ie

New books for sale at 0HAS

The Landscape of the Slieve Bloom

by John Feehan

copies can be ordered from the Society at €30. This is a welcome reprint. The original of the late 1970s was scarce and making €150.

P.J. Goode’s history of the O’Dempseys is now available at the OHAS centre.

TULLABEG COLLEGE HISTORY vols 1 and 2 now available at the centre for €40 for the two vols.

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Membership Renewal

If you would like to become a member or renew your membership, you can find the relevant form here.

OCTOBER 2009

Monday 19th October. Grand Hotel, Moate at 8.15pm

The second lecture of the winter season is an illustrated lecture entitled “ The Big Houses of East Galway & Their Association with Westmeath.” This lecture, containing a number of very interesting photographs of the Anglo-Irish “Big Houses” will be given by John Joe Conwell.

School teacher and local historian, John Joe Conwell has written a number of publications on the Portumna area. Including 'Lickmolassy by the Shannon', 'A Galway Landlord during the Great Famine' and his most recent one 'Hearts of Oak - The Rise to Glory of Portumna GAA Club'.

NOVEMBER 2009

Monday, Nov 16th . Grand Hotel, Moate at 8.15pm

The Third lecture of the winter season will be given by Donal J. O'Sullivan. This lecture entitled “The Life and Times of Dist. Inspector John A. Kearney . R.I.C. “ tells of the life of John Andrew Kearney, born in Moyvoughley, Co. Westmeath who was head of the RIC Barracks in Tralee from 1912-1920 and was there at the time of the arrest of Erskine Childers at Banna Strand on Good Friday 1916.

Donal J. O'Sullivan, of Tralee, Co. Kerry, retired from the Garda Síochána in 1996 with the rank of Chief Superintendent. For the past forty years he has studied and collected material on the Irish and Royal Irish Constabularies and An Garda Siochana. He has been a regular contributor to historical journals and has published books on "The Irish Constabularies - 1822 to 1922," "The History of Corn Flour Milling in Ireland," "The History of St. John's Church, Tralee," and "A History of Caheragh Parish."

EDENDERRYPhotos

Images of Edenderry is a unique compilation of photographs that documents Edenderry and its people over the last century. It also records some of the significant events that have marked the town’s history over the years. This captivating collection was compiled by the Edenderry Historical Society who have combined their expert historical knowledge of the town with a large number of images gleaned from the community to create this engaging and nostalgic publication.

With an introduction by Ciarán J. Reilly, author of Edenderry 1820-1920: popular politics and Downshire rule, Images of Edenderry contains a number of articles relating to the town that appeared in national newspapers over the years. This book is a celebration of Edenderry which will delight and engage all those familiar with the town.

The Edenderry Historical Society is a well-established organisation, which has been running for over thirty years, archiving and charting the history of the town.

The book is available here at the Research Centre at €16.50