January Lecture

Our first lecture of the new year will be held on Thursday January the 23rd at 8.15p.m. at the Research Centre Bury Tullamore. The lecture will be given by Mr. Barry O'Reilly who was lately commissioned by Offaly County Council to carry out a study of the thatched houses of County Offaly. A summary of his findings has already been given to the Heritage Seminar held at Tullamore in early December. This lecture will give a full opportunity to Mr. O'Reilly to outline his findings in relation to Offaly's thatched houses. We are hoping that Mr. O'Reilly will publish his findings in a book. Your support for his lecture, which will be fully illustrated, would be appreciated.

2002 Christmas Draw

We want to thank all our members and friends who participated in our Christmas Draw of 2002. We want to thank Mrs. Bay Clarke Tyrrellspass for donating the Christmas cake and below are the winners of the draw which yielded a sum of circa €750 euros profit to the Society which will be used to help defray the cost of our first journal.

1. Turkey - Jim & Teresa Kenny
2. Ham - Paddy Owens
3. Bt. Whiskey - J. Longworth
4. Cake - Vera Dunne
5. Pudding - Ron Bibby
6. Chocs - Bernard Roche
7. Journal - Richard Jack
8. Journal - Susan Owens

Offaly Historical Journal 2003

The first issue of this Journal was published in December and is available from the Society for €10 plus €3 in the case of postage in Ireland. It cost about €8,000 euros to produce and your support in purchasing the journal, which is being kept to a very low charge of €10, would be greatly appreciated. This is the first issue and is an important land mark for us. We want to thank the County Manager Mr. Niall Sweeney for his support at the launching of the Journal and also to our editor Dr. Rory Masterson.

March Lecture

20th of March Lecture on glassmaking in seventeenth century Offaly will be given by Caimin O'Brien and promises to be an extremely interesting subject. This will be at 8.15 p.m. at OHAS Bury Quay.

The Parish in Medieval and early Modern Ireland Community Settlement and Pastoral Care

This conference the second organised by the Group for the Study of Irish Historic Settlement will take place at All Hallows College Dublin from 28th February to 2 March 2003. Further information on the conference can be had from elizabeth.fitzpatrick@nuigalway.ie

Wetlands Archaeology

We lately received a copy of Archaeology Ireland Volume 16 no. 4 which has a Report on the Wetlands Unit Survey 2002.

The Survey took place in Bord na Mona's Derrygreenagh Works and was a continuation of a campaign begun in 2000 (Archaeology Ireland number 59) this year attention was focus on peat land at Ballycon, Cloncreen, Derryarkin and Mountlucas Bogs. More then 250 previously unknown sites and archives were identified during the course of the survey of which a four page report appears in Archaeology Ireland Winter 2002.

Beranger and Bigari at Clonmacoise

In a recently published book by Peter Harbison, Our Treasures of Antiquities there is a section on the visit of the Beranger and Bigari to Clonmacnois. This is part of the Antiquarians sketching tour of Connaught in 1779.

The material in this book is useful and a copy of it can be seen in the Society's library.

Subscriptions now due

Your 2003 subscription is now due. The membership fee is €25 and should be sent to The Treasurer, Peter Burke, OHAS, Bury Quay, Tullamore with your name and address.

Sincere Sympathy

The Society and staff wish to express their sincere sympathy to Marie Smith Kenny on the death of her husband, Michael Kenny