Meeting, re: Durrow High Cross

Please note a meeting in Durrow Community Hall on Sunday the 15th September at 12.15p.m. This is an important opportunity to avail of the up date information on the position at Durrow relative to the proposed variation of the County Development Plan and the protection of the archaeological remains of the site. We have communicated on several occasions with Mr. Dave Fadden of Duchas in connection with the condition of Durrow High Cross who is promising safety works for the church and high cross.

October November December

October the 17th illustrated presentation on the Story of Shinrone by Noel McMahon

Noel is currently compiling a photographic record of Shinrone. It should be great benefit to the County because it will be a detailed work with an ample selection of pictures on all aspects of the social history of the area.

November Lecture

November Lecture is an illustrated lecture on the History of Charleville Demesne from the 1600s to 1950s. It will be held at the OHAS Bury on 21 November at 8.30p.m.

Meeting for History at Primary and Second Level

Please note that a presentation of the work of the Society with special reference to the internet and to the historical database will be made available to history teachers both primary and secondary on Thursday the 10th of October at 8 p.m. Please feel free to invite teachers along to the meeting and in addition the Society will be sending invitations and publishing details of the meeting in the local press.

On Sunday the 8th of December

By way of our after dinner speaker, Mr. Joe Kenny will give an illustrated talk on his reminiscences of Tullamore over fifty years. This should be of great interest and follows on lunch at the Bridge House at 1p.m. on Sunday the 8th of December. Bookings can be made for that lunch any time from now on by ringing 0506/21421.

Committee meeting on 19th September

Please note that a committee meeting will be held at 7.30p.m. at the OHAS on 19th September and a meeting with the committee of Meath Archaeological Society at 6.30p.m. on 3 October.

Website

Currently work is underway on making improvements and additions to the websites offalyhistory.com & irishmidlandsancestry.com.

History of Midland Methodists

This publication by the Reverend Dudley Levistone Cooney is now at an advanced stage and we have invited assistance from local Methodists in making available or taking pictures of churches in the Midlands to include in the publication. It has been read now on one occasion by way of proofing and further readers are required. If you would like help please contact Michael Byrne.

Publications Available
P.J. Goode, History of Cloneygown €26 ,
Sr. B. Brennan, Mother Mary Anne DoyleThe Founders of Tullamore Convent - €20.
Jipcat Pigs, Pigs Head, Petticoats and Combinations - €10
Michael Dalton, History of Tullamore & District Gardai - €15
Offaly History and Society - €57

Library

We have now obtained microfilm of the 1911 Census for the Counties of Laois, Offaly and Westmeath. Microfilm copies of the Leinster Leader from the period 1965 to 1985 are currently an order.

Journal 2002 First Volume

The Journal work is now almost complete and amounts to circa 200 pages. Proof reading is currently in progress and it is intended to have the journal published in mid November 2002. Our thanks to Rory Masterson for his help on this.

Biddulphs of Birr - My life - the first thirty years by Ann Fitzgerald (nee Biddulph born 19th July 1875) We wish to thank Dr. Peter Colquhoun for giving us a transcript of the diary of his grandmother which is informative on the social history of Birr in the 1880s to the 1900s.

Alfie Lambe

We want to thank Mr. Larry Dunne for presenting the Society with a copy of the lately produced video on Alfie Lambe the well known Legion of Mary Envoy to Argentina.

Census 2002

We now have in the library extracts from the preliminary report in the census of 2002 which is interesting material for the County of Offaly.

Newsletters received

Military History of Ireland re Autumn on 29th September to Faughart.

Galway Archaeological Society

Lecture programme for Autumn of 2002.

Royal Society of Antiquaries

Visit to Carlingford on 21 Sept 2002.

Curriculum for Diploma Course on Family History and Local History;

A training course for Genealogy Researchers. This programme which is Maynooth Accredited is to commence at Tullamore with the support of the Irish Family Histroy Foundation, Dr. Chris O'Mahony is the principal instructor shortly. The first session will be held at the OHAS Bury Quay on 24th September. Information regarding the course can be had from Dr. Chris O'Mahony of Limerick. One member of our family history staff will participate.

Heritage Week

The recent heritage week proved reasonably successful for the Society. Attendance was low at some of the events due to insufficient publicity but overall we would have had about 150 participants in the various events which is satisfactory. Our thanks to all who supported the programme and who assisted with lectures walks etc.

Tullamore Balloon Festival and Heritage Week

Our thanks to Steve McNeill for his work on the Radio Programmes which the Society members participated in and also to John Butterfield who organise the number of programmes which were of interest in recording members of Tullamore People. Some of these have been taped for the Historical Society Library.

Tullamore Dew Mirror

Our thanks for our member Declan O'Connor for sourcing our Tullamore Dew Mirror which we have presented to the Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre.

Heritage Officer for County Offaly

We wish to express our thanks and congratulations to the Offaly County Council on the decision to employ a fulltime Heritage Officer solely for the County of Offaly. Up to now Amanda Pedlow has been working with both Counties Offaly and Laois. It is our understanding that this arrangement is to terminate at the year end and that thereafter Amanda will be solely devoted to our own county. This is good news for Offaly Heritage and will mean continued hands on approach for heritage in Offaly.