Shannon Fortifications Lecture
Mr. Paul Kerrigan the leading authority on the military fortifications erected during the Napoleonic War 1793-1815 will give an illustrated talk on the Shannon Fortifications from Portumna to Athlone 1793 to 1815 at Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society, Bury Quay on Thursday the 16th of October at 8.15p.m. Paul Kerrigan is the leading authority on this subject and his lecture will touch on the fortifications at Banagher, Meelick, Keelogue and the Barracks at Clononey. This promises to be an interesting talk and we hope to see as many as possible at it. The lecture is open to the public and is free of charge.

Bog Enigmas
The current issue of Archaeology Ireland which is in the library of Society (Autumn 2003) carries a short article on the recent excavations at Cloncreen Co. Offaly by Eoin Corcoran and is based on the Bord Na Mona funded excavation. We have also received Bennett, Archaeological Excavations 2001, which has several pages listing Offaly reports.

Ernest Shackleton Autumn School
Please note that we have received information on this Autumn School which will held at Athy over the period 23 to 27th October 2003. If you are interest in attending you can call Athy Heritage Centre at 059/863075 or email athyheritage@eircom.net .

Huguenot Military Offices in Ireland
This is the subject of a seminar being held in Dublin on the 18th and 19th of October 2003. It includes an outing to Portarlington on Sunday the 19th of October 2003. Details are available from Vivienne Costello 01/ 6099424.

The Roscrea Autumn Conference 31st October to 2nd November 2003
The Roscrea Autumn Conference is given over to farming in Ireland which is the subject of a new book by John Feehan for which a pre publication offer has already been announced in the earlier newsletters. Pre publication orders can be made to George Cunningham Parkmore, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. Details are available from Mount St. Joseph 0505/21711.

The Church at Pollagh
This is the subject of a two page article in the recent issue of Inland Waterways news volume 30 number 3 Autumn 2003 by Dr. Maeve O'Regan which includes attractive colour photographs. A copy of the article is available in the Society's library.

Ursula's Story of her Hiberno - German Ancestry
An article on the above which appeared in the Irish Times on Tuesday the 9th of January 2001 is re-produced in the current of the Irish Sword ,Volume 22 ,Winter 2001 number 90, pp 456 - 57. It concerns Ann Mills, a farmer's daughter born in Tullamore in 1778 and who married a Hanoverian soldier in Ireland and based at Tullamore, Wilhelm Muller. He came to Ireland in 1806 and the marriage took place in Middleton Co. Cork on the 16th of November 1806. We hope to publish a follow up to this in the next newsletter. The author, Richard Roche ,wondered did anybody remember Ann Mills who was a native of Tullamore.

November Lecture
Details to be announced shortly.


December
Christmas Dinner, Venue Bridge House Hotel at 1p.m. on Sunday 7th December, after dinner speaker will be Dr. Peter Harbison who will lecture on images of Clonmacnoise on architectural drawings and so forth in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Further details in later newsletters.

Administrative
We are currently re-organising our data on our computer systems with a view to having a P.C. available with the Library catalogue and the local history data base for members when they call on Thursday evenings or by appointment. The library is open from 7.30p.m. to 10.30p.m. and about 5,600 entries have now been made in the catalogue. Thanks to Peter Burke who has continued to up date the entries.

Noel Guerin is working on the transfer as is our manager John Kearney and we are hoping to have it completed by the time of the commencement of the new FAS Scheme in mid November.

There are a substantial number of articles available for proof reading including the following:-

1. The book of survey and distribution of 1660s for Offaly
2. Extract from Hayes Manuscript Sources for Offaly
3. The Civil Survey of the 1650s
4. Numerous archaeological articles
5. The Craig Diaries of the 1870s to the 1880s.

Thanks to all who come in on Thursday night to help with the proof reading. Once the articles are proof read they will be put into the Society data base and where suitable on the internet site. We are currently re-vamping the site to make it more attractive and to put on it an index so as to help to find articles more easily.

The Journal 2004
This is now almost ready to go to the printers and we expect to have it available in late November for purchase at e15 per copy. Please be sure to get your copy in due course.

Newspaper Articles 2003-2004
We are now producing in both the Tullamore Tribune and the Offaly Independent each week on a local history subject. The series on Offaly Place names is about to come to an end in the Offaly Independent and we will be starting a new series of Local History articles shortly. We are also involved 100 years ago series in the Tullamore Tribune.