Exploring our heritage and history in Offaly during Heritage Week, 13–21 August 2022. Something for the Polish community too, so take a look, subscribe and share.

~ Offaly History

This weekend sees the start of Heritage Week 2022 and a very welcome return to exploring the county in person with some great material coming on-line too from Offaly History. We are launching six new videos via Offaly History YouTube and Heritage Week 2022. Our thanks to Amanda Pedlow, county heritage officer for all who work in coordinating the programme. She writes:

‘Hopefully everyone signed up for this email has by now received the pdf / hard copy Offaly Heritage Week brochure  however you can still check in on www.heritageweek.ie for updates in Offaly, download the Offaly pdf here https://www.offaly.ie/eng/Services/Heritage/News-Events/Heritage-Week-Brochure-2022.pdf   or pick up a copy in the library.  Do please note that a number of events do require booking!

With over 30 events here is a reminder for Saturday’s events as a starter’…@offalyheritage @HeritageHubIRE Our thanks to Fergal MacCabe for the use of three of his wonderful watercolours of Srah Castle (1588), Ballycowan (1626) and Bury Bridge (1801).

Ballycowan Castle, Tullamore. Courtesy Fergal MacCabe

First up this weekend are the wonderful tours of Carrigeen Farmhouse at Five Alley – Heritage Hero national award winners in 2019 and featured on Nationwide – They have tours on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th at 1pm and 3.30 pm.  On the Sunday at 8pm they are hosting a Tradition Music Night – both options will be special!!   Please email annemaria.egan@gmail.com to book your place.

Walking Through the Heritage of Banagher Town – anyone who has been on a tour with James Scully and Kieran Keenaghan will know that this Offaly History walking tour will be a joy – no need to book – meet at Banagher Library at 4pm on Saturday 13th

Women, the Arts and the Country House at Corolanty House hosted by Siobhan Bulfin-Webb is very close to full so you might be lucky with one last place! Email clareenhouse@hotmail.com

OFFALY ARCHIVES EVENTS

Tuesday, 16 August, 8pm: Lecture (via Zoom) by Dr Arnold Horner ‘New light on Irish county map-
making in the early 19th century – tracings from William Larkin’s map of King’s County/Offaly, c.

1808’.
https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/lecture-by-dr-arnold-horner-on-mapmaking-in-offaly
Friday, 19 August, 10am – 4pm: Display of William Larkin sketch maps at Offaly Archives
https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/display-of-william-larkin-sketch-maps

The full programme is available as a PDF and we can send it to you if you have any trouble locating it. Info@offalyhistory.com

Bury Bridge, Whitehall, Tullamore with the boys’ classical school, the old canal warehouse and the church of 1906. The canal is dated to 1798.

Offaly History has uploaded six latest videos to Offaly History on YouTube and to the Heritage Week 2022 website

Access is free at Offaly History on YouTube and via Twitter and Facebook.

A great story and his collected poems in October with thanks to editors and to Offaly County Council and Creative Ireland.
  1. A presentation on Offaly History Society, 1969 – 2022.  This is a new 20-minute video recording on the history of the Society with lots of interesting Photos especially recorded for Heritage week.
  2. A presentation of the Birr poet John Frazer (J de Jean) to promote the first edition of the collected poems, edited by Terry Moylan and Pádraig Turley. Publication in October. Thanks to the editors, Offaly County Council and Creative Ireland for support for this important work. (The talk will be posted online for Heritage Week)
  3. Recording of the Pattern 9th June 2022 at Durrow. This will be launched as part of Heritage week to mark the 1500 anniversary of the Birth of St. Colm Cille
  4. Exploring Castle Street, Birr: the buildings, business and people. This is a project undertaken to find out more about the distinct identities of our towns and villages and thereby to come to know and appreciate our distinctive town centres. Thanks to the Heritage Council and Offaly County Council for supporting this initiative.
  5. The Making of O’Connor Square, Tullamore since the 1700s: buildings, business and people. Thanks to the Heritage Council and Offaly County Council for supporting this initiative.
  6. On December 3rd 2021 Dr. Christopher O’C Fitz-Simon presented an album of Leinster regiment photographs to Offaly Archives to mark the centenary of the Leinsters’ disbandment. The regiment had its home at Birr Barracks until February 1922. In this video we explore the Leinsters’ peace keeping mission to Silesia and the Polish connection through a series of old photographs with commentary in Polish and English. We would welcome your comments and assistance with the Polish material.

Our thanks to all who have helped with the work of uploading, especially Padraic Seery, Breda Kenny, Natalia, Dorotha and Elisabeth and Helen Bracken. There should be something there for everyone and you can enjoy them anytime as we will be leaving them up. This brings to over forty the number of video talks on our YouTube channel. They should also be very useful for schools.

Photographs from Silesia now part of Poland in early 1920s. Narrated in Polish and English
The story of one street in Birr narrated with pictures. From the oldest town in Offaly dating to 1620. Thanks to the Heritage Council for its support for Living in towns initiative

Finally, an overview of Offaly History since 1969.

Why not try out the Tullamore Town App, the Birr Fan Trial birrfantrail.ie   and the Edenderry Town App. There are shortcuts to these on our website, www.offalyhistory.com at Visiting Offaly

This can be bought for €2.99 or downloaded for free from http://www.offalyhistory.com