10th March Lecture on Rahan Abbey to be given by Caimin O'Brien

Mr. O'Brien is the co-author of the archaeological inventory of Co. Offaly and churches of Co. Offaly. He is currently working on a new book on monastic sites in Co. Offaly. Rahan Abbey is an important site in the County and probably one of the greatest Romanesque sites in the country. It is deserving of a full lecture and we hope to have your attendance.


21 April a Lecture on the Story of Kilmainham Jail by Freida Kelly
Further details to follow.

Volunteering for Local History

Currently some of our members are working on Local History projects including the following:-

  1. Preparing a publication on the Poet Egan of the Meelaghans who died circa 1940.
  2. Computerising extracts from the vestry and parish registers for Kilbeggan and Ballyboy.
  3. Indexing main events in the local newspapers from 1970 to 2000.

King's County War Dead
We lately purchased a CD being an index to the eight volumes of the war dead published after the First World War. It includes circa 310 names from County Offaly (some of which are in fact from County Laois and elsewhere) we have now extracted these records from the CD and would hope that some of our members would compile a study of the Great War and the participation of Offaly people in it and its impact on local history.

Among those who are featured on the CD are Christopher Hensey of Tullamore who died in Gillipoly, Martin Hensey who died in France, John Gorman who died in France, Thomas Lahane, of Birr, Michael Kirshaw of Kilcormac, Edward Joyce of Kilbride Tullamore, Robert Longworth of Kilcormac, Patrick Loughnane of Co. Offaly, James Matthews of Tullamore who died in East Africa among many others.

We have put aside a record case for material from County Offaly on the First War and to this can now be added the recent contribution to the 2005 journal on John Williams of Tullamore who luckily survived the war. In both the Offaly Independent 1914-1918 and the King's County Chronicle for the same years considerable material can be found. All of this could make for a useful publication on Offaly / King's County and the Great War.

Riocht na Midhe 2005

Volume 16 of Riocht na Midhe for the year 2005 and includes an entertaining review of the recent book on Bishop Cantwell by Patrick Fagan. In addition there is an interesting article on IRA activity in Westmeath during the War of Independence, 1918-21 by Russell Shortt which has some Offaly references including the burning of Clara Barracks.

For those interested in Norman Offaly and to the early modern period an article has lately been published on Monasteroris entitled 'From Angle Norman to Manor to 'Plantation Estate an Archaeological Survey of Monasteroris'. The author is Sinead Armstrong - Anthony and the article is in The manor in medieval and early modern Ireland and a copy of the book is in the Society's library.

Roscrea Spring Conference 2005. In Deserto; influences from the near East on the early Irish and Scottish Church.

Details can be had from Reverend Fr. Nivard Kinsella, Mount St. Joseph 0505/21711 and from the Society.

Quaker meeting houses of Ireland by David Butler and published by the Historical Committee of Friends in Ireland

This can be viewed in the Society's library or can be ordered directly at €32.50c including postage. The book is a handsome publication and is of interest to Offaly people for the description of the meeting houses at Tullamore, Birr, Moate, Edenderry and Mountmellick.