Researching Offaly - Offaly History

Who are we?

Offaly History (short for Offaly Historical & Archaeological) was first formed in 1938 and re-established in 1969 and is located at Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly since 1993(next to the new Tullamore D.E.W Visitor Centre).

We are about collecting and sharing memories. We do this in an organised way though exhibitions, supporting the publication of local interest books, our website Offalyhistory.com , Facebook, open evenings, our library and offices at Bury Quay.

Our Mission

Our Mission
To promote Offaly History including community and family history

What we do:

Promote all aspects of history in Co. Offaly.
Genealogy service for counties Laois and Offaly.
Co. Offaly photographic records for study and sale in addition to a limited number of publications on Laois and Irish general historical interest.
Purchase and sale of Offaly interest books though the Society’s book store and website.
Publication of books under the Society’s publishing arm Esker Press.
The Society subscribes to almost all the premier historical journals in Ireland.

Our Society covers a diverse range of Offaly Heritage:

Architectural heritage, historic monuments such as monastic and castle buildings.
Industrial and urban development of towns and villages.
Archaeological objects and artifacts.
Flora, fauna and bogs, wildlife habitats, geology and Natural History.
Landscapes, heritage gardens and parks, farming and inland waterways.
Local literary, social, economic, military, political, scientific and sports history.

Structure

Offaly History is a non-profit community group with a growing membership of some 150 individuals.

The Society focuses on enhancing educational opportunities, understanding and knowledge of the county heritage while fostering an inclusive approach and civic pride in local identity. We promote these objectives through:

The holding of monthly lectures, occasional seminars, exhibitions and film screenings.
Organising tours during the summer months to places of shared historical interest.
The publication of an annual journal Offaly Heritage – to date nine issues.
We play a unique role collecting and digitising original primary source materials especially photographs and oral history recordings
Offaly History is the centre for Family History research in Counties Laois and Offaly.
The Society is linked to the renowned Irish Family Foundation website and Roots Ireland where some 900,000 records of Offaly/Laois interest can be accessed on a pay-per-view basis worldwide. Currently these websites have an estimated 20 million records of all Ireland interest.
A burgeoning library of books, CD-ROMs, videos, DVDs, oral and folklore recordings, manuscripts, newspapers and journals, maps, photographs and various artifacts.
OHAS Collections
OHAS Centre Facilities

The financial activities of the Society are operated under the aegis of Offaly Heritage Centre Limited, a charitable company whose directors also serve on the Society’s elected committee. None of the Society’s directors receive remuneration or any kind. All the company’s assets are held in trust to promote the voluntary activities of the Society. Our facilities are largely free to the public or run purely on a costs-recovery basis.

Acting as a policy advisory body – Offaly History endeavors to ensure all government departments, local authorities, tourism agencies and key opinion formers prioritise heritage matters.

Meet the current committee:

Our Committee represents a broad range of backgrounds and interests. All share a common interest in collecting and promoting the heritage of the county and making it available to the wider community.

2017 Committee

Helen Bracken (President)
Pat Wynne (Vice President and Joint Treasurer)
Niall Sweeney (Vice President)
Michael Byrne (Secretary)
Lisa Shortall (Deputy Secretary)
Dorothee Bibby (Record Secretary)
Charlie Finlay (Joint Treasurer)
Darrell Hooper
Brian Pey
Fred Geoghegan
Noel Guerin
Henry Edgill
Peter Burke
Angella Kelly
Rory Masterson
Shaun Wrafter
Ronnie Matthews
Oliver Dunne
Ciara Molloy
Stephen Callaghan (Heritage Items)

If you would like to help with the work of the Society by coming on a sub-committee or in some other way please email us or let an existing member know.

+353-5793-21421 [email protected] Open 9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri

Researching Offaly

A resource for researching Offaly and the surrounding areas

Offaly Heritage Journal

A complete listing of the contents and covers for our own Journals

Archives

The archives contain material from the county’s landed estates, solicitors’ firms, industries and private individuals

Before / After Offaly

Depicts various places around Offaly via archive images and recreates those images in contemporary times

Library

View our entire online Library.
12,000 entries and growing!

Audio Sources
(SoundCloud)

Our page on Soundcloud has Lectures, presentations and Interviews from around Offaly.

Articles

Various articles from around Offaly

Video Sources (YouTube)

Our YouTube Channel hosts content shot at our centre in Tullamore.

Mercy Nuns, Tullamore: pragmatic women in a time of change. By Declan McSweeney
The role of religious orders in Irish society is a subject which frequently arouses passionate debate and, like many other debates, often generates more heat than light as extreme positions are taken, with members of orders seen as either saints or demons. The sisters of the Tullamore Mercy Convent are held in high esteem for … Continue reading Mercy Nuns, Tullamore: pragmatic women in a time […]
Crannógs in County Offaly. By John Dolan
While Offaly has a huge range of Early Christian church and monastic sites it would not have been noted for crannogs, unlike its neighbour in Co. Westmeath. Surprisingly, Offaly has 13 crannog sites recorded in the National Monuments database, however they are in many ways different from the usual picture of the small, man-made island … Continue reading Crannógs in County Offaly. By […]

touring offaly

Offaly History Store