Category Archives: Lectures

Future Lectures

Posted on October 5, 2020 by

All forthcoming lectures have been cancelled, including: ‘Ireland during the Renaissance’ by Prof Patricia Palmer and ‘Margaret Thatcher and Ireland: the story of the negotiation of the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement’ by Frank Sheridan. We hope to reschedule some of these … Continue reading →

Posted in Lectures

‘Ancient Ireland and the Roman Empire’

Posted on February 15, 2020 by

Wednesday, 19 February, at 8.15pm in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone Talk by Dr Raoul McLaughlin Summary At its zenith, the Roman Empire incorporated lands on three continents and ruled almost a fifth of the world’s ancient population. On every frontier the Roman Empire expanded until it reached … Continue reading →

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Fake News, Forgery and Dirty Tricks: the British Secret Service, Parnell and Ireland, 1885 to 1892

Posted on January 14, 2020 by

Wednesday, 15 January, at 8.15pm in the Officers’ Mess, Custume Barracks Talk by Mr Justice John MacMenamin, Supreme Court Summary Under the leadership of Charles Stewart Parnell, the Irish Parliamentary Party achieved unprecedented success in the mid-1880’s. The Party held the balance of power at … Continue reading →

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The Late Prehistoric royal site of Rathcroghan – a centre of cult, kingship and cosmos

Posted on December 1, 2019 by

Wednesday, 4 December, at 8.15pm in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone Talk by Joseph Fenwick Summary Rathcroghan, ancient Crúachu, like the other ‘royal’ sites, features prominently in the literary imagination of early medieval Ireland. These places are presented as royal strongholds, distinguished cemeteries, and the backdrop for … Continue reading →

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Casement’s Irish Brigade and U-boats around Ireland

Posted on November 9, 2019 by

Wednesday, 13 November, at 8.00pm in the Officers’ Mess, Custume Barracks Talks by Dr Pat McCarthy and Guy Warner Summary In October 1914, after the outbreak of the First World War, Roger Casement travelled to Germany with two objectives: to obtain an agreement that, in the … Continue reading →

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From the epic poems of Ossian to Athlone’s new statue: over 250 years of cultural misappropriation

Posted on September 22, 2019 by

Wednesday, 2 October, at 8.15pm in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone Talk by Prof Ralph Kenna Summary Cultural misappropriation is a major issue in Athlone right now, as an 11ft neo-classical statue has been selected by the council to represent the town – a decision that has … Continue reading →

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The Billy English Memorial Lecture, 2019 – ‘Unlocking the Myths of the 1970 Arms Crisis’

Posted on April 11, 2019 by

Tuesday, 30 April, at 8.30pm in the Wineport Lodge, Athlone Talk by Dr Michael Heney Summary The lecture will explain how new research on the 1970 Arms Crisis challenges the conventional view of events in 1969-70. In a revisionist approach, … Continue reading →

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The Deserted Anglo-Norman Town and Castle of Rindoon

Posted on March 20, 2019 by

Wednesday, 27 March, at 8.15pm in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone Talk by Dr Kieran O’Conor Summary The elements that make up the archaeological complex at Rindoon, Co. Roscommon, consist of a hospital, town wall, house platforms, church, castle, quays, windmill, fishponds and a possible deer-park, all mostly … Continue reading →

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Uisneach – from cult centre to royal centre

Posted on February 23, 2019 by

Wednesday, 6 March, at 8.15pm in Lough Ree Yacht Club Talk by Dr Roseanne Schot Summary The Hill of Uisneach, Co. Westmeath, is celebrated as the sacred ‘centre’ of Ireland and meeting place of the ancient provinces and is often ranked in early Irish … Continue reading →

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Irish Revolutionary Women and the Wider World

Posted on February 11, 2019 by

Tuesday, 12 February, at 8.15pm in the Officers’ Mess, Custume Barracks Talk by Dr Kate O’Malley Summary In the aftermath of the Easter Rising and the Irish Revolution, the Irish struggle for independence was watched closely by nationalists in other parts of the British Empire, most notably … Continue reading →

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