Peadar O’Dowd Commemorative Lecture: The History of the Galway Salmon Fishery under the Ownership of the Ashworth Family, 1852-1954.
This commemorative lecture will be in honour of the late Peadar O’Dowd, who had a long connection with the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society. Entitled “The History of the Galway Salmon Fishery under the Ownership of the Ashworth Family, 1852-1954”, it will examine the ownership of the Galway Fishery by three generations of the Ashworth family from Bolton, England, who were instrumental in the development of aquaculture in Ireland, but in the process fell foul of local anglers, landlords (and poachers!) when they enforced their exclusive fishing rights to the Corrib in the courts.
Dr. Jackie Uí Chionna teaches History at the University of Galway. Her many publications on Irish History include three books: He was Galway: Máirtín Mór McDonogh (2016); An Oral History of University College Galway (2019); and, most recently, a biography of Galwegian entitled The Queen of Codes: the secret life of Emily Anderson: Britain’s greatest female code breaker (2023). The latter was shortlisted for the prestigious Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography in 2024.
Date: Monday, 18 May 2026
Time: 20:00/8pm
Venue: Harbour Hotel, Galway