Author: Séan Ó Duibhir

The contributions of women religious in Galway city and county are areas of increasing interest, with historians and the public eager to engage with the longstanding histories of religious orders. Groups whose names are familiar to Galwegians, such as the Poor Clare, Dominican, Augustinian and Carmelite foundations, all trace their origins to the seventeenth century. In this lecture, Dr. Bronagh McShane will explore the numbers and identities of women who joined these orders and elucidate where possible their family connections. Situating the experiences of these women within the broader context of conflict and upheaval that characterised seventeenth century Ireland, and within the wider context of European monasticism, new light shall be shed on this important but often overlooked dimension of local Galway history and heritage. Dr. Bronagh Ann McShane is a historian specialising in the history of women, religion and confessionalisation in early modern Ireland and Europe. Her research has been funded by the Irish Research Council, the National University of Ireland and the Royal Irish Academy. She has published widely in leading peer-reviewed journals including, British Catholic History, Archivium Hibernicum and the Journal of Historical Network Research. Her monograph, Irish Women in Religious Orders, 1530-1700: Suppression, Migration and Reintegration… Read the rest
Read more
What can fiction tell us about everyday life in Ireland and Northern Ireland during the 1930s, 40s and 50s? And perhaps just as importantly, what does it not tell us? Did male authors differ from female authors? Did the works of Catholics differ from those of Protestants? These, and other questions, will be explored by Dr. Caitriona Clear in this lecture. Novelists such as Patrick Purcell, Sheila Pim, John D. Sheridan, and Patricia O’Connor, are just a sample of those whose books will be considered. This presentation shall seek to ignite memories of, or stimulate curiosity about, these vivid and accomplished story-tellers; some of whom remain fondly remembered, whilst others are undeservedly forgotten. Dr. Caitriona Clear is a member of the Galway Archaeological & Historical Society, and lectures in history at the University of Galway. She has published widely on various aspects of Irish history, ranging from Women Religious in the nineteenth century, to women’s magazines in the twentieth. Dr. Clear was an invited contributor to the Irish President’s Machnamh 100 Seminar Series on Irish history in 2021, and is currently engaged with a number of projects, of which research on the contribution of Irish fiction to the analysis of… Read the rest
Read more
For many decades, historians and commentators avoided examination of the Civil War, regarding it almost with embarrassment. So it was within families and communities too, where the ‘War of the Brothers’ was often discussed only in hushed tones, if at all. However, since the arrival of Michael Hopkinson’s ground-breaking Green against Green in 1988 things have changed, and authorities such as Tom Garvin, Bill Kissane and – most recently – Diarmaid Ferriter have published books on the subject. In this lecture, Professor Michael Laffan, will examine how our views of this conflict have evolved in recent years. A graduate of University College Dublin and Trinity Hall Cambridge, Professor Laffan lectured at the School of History and Archives at UCD for over three decades. A former president of the Irish Historical Society, and a sought-after contributor on matters historical for the national media, he has also published extensively on Ireland’s Revolutionary Period. His seminal work on the original Sinn Féin organisation, The Resurrection of Ireland: the Sinn Féin Party, 1916-1923, remains the definitive text on that subject; whilst his more recent biography of W. T. Cosgrave successfully addressed a previous dearth in academic examination of the first leader of the independent… Read the rest
Read more
Léacht (Luan 14ú Márta: Harbour Hotel ag 20:00/8i.n.) Léargas ar an bpobal a mhair sa gceantar seo sa naoú haois déag ó thaobh cén uair ar tháinig siad ann, cé leis a raibh siad ag íoc cíosa, cén chaoi ar mhair siad ar muir is tír agus na hathruithe a bhí ag tarlú de réir mar a bhí an tréimhse sin ag dul ar aghaidh.  As Tír an Fhia sna hOileáin í Áine Ní Chonghaile. Thosaigh sí a saol oibre ag teagasc agus ansin chuaigh siad leis an aistriúchán, ceird ar chaith sí an chuid ba mhó dá saol oibre.… Read the rest
Read more
Some Town Castles of Galway by Patrick Larkin The first GAHS lecture of the new 2019/20 season will take place on Monday 9th September at the Harbour Hotel. In medieval times, the saying that ‘a man’s home is his castle’ was a reasonable reflection of reality. This was entirely apposite in the case of the aristocracy and merchant classes whose warrior culture would identify with the defence possibilities offered by castles as residences. Over time, such castles evolved with changes in culture, and the way they were used changed too. Galway’s town castles were no different, and this illustrated talk will explore the evolution of the town castle as demonstrated in the city of the tribes.   Harbour Hotel, Galway, Monday, September 9th at 8pm.… Read the rest
Read more
A History of Irish Dance by Hubert Jennings A first for GAHS! Despite it being one of the most popular forms of entertainment for many centuries, in our 119 year existence it looks like we have never looked at the history of dancing. Hubert Jennings will guide us on a whistle-stop tour through the ages on the subject of Irish Dance – its changes and development. It will cover the dance masters of the 19th century, their flamboyant demeanour  and modus operandi. The talk will sketch the main social, cultural, economic, religious, political, legal and technological influences brought to bear on the development of our traditional dance and the reciprocal impact on those characteristics of society from the first ceilí in London in 1898 to Riverdance 1994. There will be an outline on traditional dance development in Galway City from the 1930s and some of the main players who promoted this part of our cultural heritage for recreation and competition. The lecture will take place at the Harbour Hotel, New Docks, Galway on Monday 8th of April at 8pm. Admission is free of charge and all are welcome to attend.  … Read the rest
Read more
The First Dáil by Dr. Séan O Duibhir January 2019 marked the centenary of the inaugural meeting of the first Dáil Éireann. Dr. Séan Ó Duibhir, will discuss the practical, and symbolic, features of the Irish State’s ‘foundation moment’. This lecture will also consider aspects often overlooked within popular history: such as the preparations for the Dáil’s first meeting in the Mansion House on 21 January 1919; the nature and importance of the four documents adopted by the (limited number of) delegates present; and the rationale behind the decision to largely model Ireland’s ‘revolutionary’ parliament on that of the ‘old enemy’ at Westminster. The lecture will take place at the Harbour Hotel, New Docks, Galway on Monday 11th of March at 8pm.… Read the rest
Read more
Roscommon Castle, the Otherworld and the True Cross Prof. Tadgh O’Keeffe Roscommon Castle’s site and situation have long been a puzzle, as they seem somewhat inconsistent with the evidence that the castle was a fortress intended to keep the native Irish at bay. This lecture offers a new perspective on the context of the castle’s construction and suggests that the explanation for its location involves both the Táin Bó Cúailnge and the relic of the True Cross. Prof. Tadhg O’Keeffe is Head of UCD School of Archaeology. One of Ireland’s best-known medievalists, he has published five books and over 150 papers on aspects of medieval archaeology and history. Monday 11th February 2019 at 8 pm Harbour Hotel, New Docks, Galway… Read the rest
Read more
Galway and the Spanish Armada The first GAHS lecture of 2019 will be given by Peadar O’Dowd who takes a look at the sorry events surrounding the fate of the men and boys of the Spanish Armada in Galway. Around 300 Spanish sailors were murdered by the English authorities and buried in a mass grave at Forthill Cemetery. It is now marked by a plaque unveiled by the Spanish Ambassador to Ireland in 1988 on the 400th anniversary of the atrocity. The lecture will be followed by the society’s Annual General Meeting. The event is free of charge and all are welcome. We hope to see you there. Extract from Hardiman’s History of Galway. In order the more effectually to satiate his thirst for their blood, and to seize their rumoured treasures, the lord deputy himself [Sir William Fitz-Williams] made a journey into Connaught, where this sanguinary man arrived in June, 1589, and on the 20th of that month he came to Galway. Sir Murrough O’Flaherty, William Burke, the blind Abbot, and several others of the principal inhabitants of Mayo and Iar Connaught, came in and submitted; but were put under conditions to give hostages, disperse their forces, deliver up… Read the rest
Read more
The Galway Archaeological and Historical Society (GAHS) was founded on the 21st March 1900 at the Railway Hotel to promote the study of the archaeology and history of the west of Ireland. Since 1900 the Society has published 73 volumes of its Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society. See our Journal menu links for more details. Most of our back catalogue of journals are now available through the online academic database JSTOR. The Society runs a lecture series in Galway City, as well as outings to various sites of interest during the summer. It is also involved in liaison with national and local authorities in relation to heritage matters concerning the City and County of Galway. We invite you to become a member, overseas members are also welcome. All members get a free copy of the GAHS Journal normally issued towards the end of the calendar year.… Read the rest
Read more