OFFALY HISTORICAL and ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly Telephone: 057-9321421
Opening hours 9 a.m-4.30 p.m Mon-Friday Office and Family History
Library openings 2pm-4.30pm Mon-Fri by appointment only
Email: info@offalyhistory.com
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Offaly History and Archaeology Complete List of Books For Sale
New Publications 2017
Rare and Old Books For Sale at Offaly History
Upcoming Events
Monday 23 October, Darrell Hooper, on 1880s in Ireland.
Monday 20 November, Stephen Egan, on the Dáil Courts in County
Offaly
Thursday 7 December, Rachel McKenna, architect on Flights of Fancy,
Offaly Follies and their Demesnes, her latest publication
Book of the Month – Tullamore Show 25th Anniversary -€20
Tullamore Show 25th Anniversary
AN AMAZING STORY
This is a book that epitomises community spirit at its best. It is a book that gives some insight into the creation and development of the great Tullamorc Show, an insight that will entertain and maybe even amuse you. It will take you from the lows to the highs, from 30 trade stands to 700 trade stands, from a voluntary group of can-do people from all walks of life, from humble beginnings to Ireland’s Premier Show. The amazing extravaganza attracts up to 60,000 spectators and exhibitors from every corner of Ireland and Countries around the world to view the creme de le creme of Irish produce and Livestock, at the National Livestock Show.
The Tullamore Show has been innovative in bringing a new dimension to Irish Shows, not only have they created a wonderful unique day out for all the family, they also introduced the gold medal awards, which is now the ultimate accolade in the Livestock industry. We have all had amazing experiences along this wonderful journey.
From the manicured, pedicured and blow-dried animals to the tailored pristine models in the Fashion arenas,
there is a competition for every boy, girl, man, woman, bullock and heifer, just to name a few. Even the prize fund has come from very small beginnings to the now €175,000.
This book focuses on the reality of Show life, from two consecutive cancellations which left grown hulks of men shedding tears to the outstanding success of recent years, centring on the last 25 years of a community intertwining to stage a spectacular extravaganza. Along with our volunteers, great sponsors have stuck with us through thick and thin, some from the very beginning and some who have joined along the way.
The show has evolved so much over the last 25 years in so many areas, including the chairmanship, as on our 26th year we welcomed our first Lady Chairperson, Brenda Kiernan.
`Celebrates 25 years’ is a remarkable book about the remarkable people behind Ireland’s Premier Show.
Blog
Eamon de Valera made his first visit to Tullamore on 29 July 1917
‘England will give nothing to Ireland out of justice or righteousness. They will concede you your liberties when they must.’ T.M. Russell quoting C.S. Parnell
by Cosney Molloy
Tullamore Town Historical Tour App is Live
Almost 40 years ago, A Walk through Tullamore by Michael Byrne was published with a map of the town and a numbered commentary on the history of the streets and buildings. This was updated some years ago with Exploring Tullamore, a short printed guide along the same lines and richly illustrated by Fergal MacCabe. Now with thanks to the Rotary Club and Tullamore Credit Union, the walking guide enters the 21st century in the form of a downloadable app for smartphones and tablets. Now you will be able to take a walk through Tullamore and listen to the history of the town at your leisure. Great for locals and visitors alike.
New Media
We have added several new PDF’s in the Researching Offaly Section on the site and will continue to do so in the future.
We have also added new files to the Audio section on our SoundCloud account.
Online Archives Catalogue
We launched an online catalogue for archives in August 2016 which is available at www.offalyhistoryarchives.com. It is a work in progress and many more archival descriptions will be added to the database as soon as collections have been catalogued.
It also hosts, in conjunction with Offaly County Council Heritage Office and with the kind permission of Lord Digby of Minterne, Dorset, digitised images from the Digby Irish Estates Papers, the originals of which remain in Dorset. This is a marvellous resource for researching 19th and early 20th century Offaly, and over 1000 images of rental accounts for the Geashill Estate 1857-1872 are already online, with many more to come in the months ahead.
Offaly History and Offaly Heritage Office would like to acknowledge the support of the Heritage Council for sponsoring both the initial digitisation of the rental volumes and the ongoing archives work in Offaly History.
Family History
Offaly Historical Society is the designated research centre for the counties of Offaly (formerly called King’s County) and Laois (formerly called Queen’s County). The Centre offers a full research service. All initial enquiries are answered promptly within 2 – 3 working days and you will be advised how much information is located within all the Church Records, Civil Records, census records, some graveyard records and all other sources that are available at our centre. Our head research officer Margaret has sixteen years experience working in family history. She also has a wealth of local knowledge and is on hand to advise on the local area.
Enquirers can write to us with their request to Offaly History. Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly Ireland or fill in an application form on our website here or why don’t you email Margaret your family history request- The name of the family, the location, the dates or any information you know and she will search all records available and let you know how much information she may uncover on your ancestors. The fee for this initial assessment is €35.
She will advise if there is enough information uncovered to compile a family history report and put together in a book form, to include a map of the parish where your family came from, also photos of the area long ago. if you require baptismal certificates, she will furnish you with the name of the Parish Priest.
Offaly History Books for Sale Catalogue (PDF Format, Downloadable)
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