The Old Athlone Society

The Athlone Little Theatre on Wednesday, 20^th January, at 8pm

– Talk by Fred Carney

Saint Columbanus: stained glass window from the crypt at Bobbio Abbey (Wikimedia Commons)

Summary – “Island of saints and scholars” – fact or fancy? Who were these Irish monks? Why are they often better known outside of Ireland? How did a pagan country on the edge of the known world develop its own brand of Christianity? How and why did they share it so extensively throughout Europe? How relevant is their message today?”

This lecture will concentrate on the life and work of Columbanus as November 2015 was the 1400th anniversary of his death in Bobbio. A postage stamp was issued by An Post in October 2015 to commemorate this event.

Speaker – Fred Carney is a tour Guide at Clonmacnoise. He is a co-founder of the Clonmacnoise Summer School in 2013 and principal organiser of the event in subsequent years. He was educated at Cistercian College, Roscrea and All Hallows College, Dublin.

Tuesday, 8 December, at 8.00 pm in Prince of Wales Hotel (with special dinner in honour of Dr Patrick Murray, at 6pm – see below)

– Talk by Paula Lalor

British monarch, Queen Victoria (US Library of Congress)

Summary – Queen Victoria visited Ireland three times in the early part of her reign: firstly in 1849 during the Great Famine; again in 1853 when she attended the Exhibition of Art and Art Industry at Leinster Lawn, Dublin, and the third time in 1861 when the royal family stayed at Killarney. Carton House, the home of the FitzGeralds, premier Dukes of Ireland, was among the select few Irish Country Houses visited by Victoria on her first three visits to these shores. The extravagant preparations and renovations, the lavish spending and frenzied excitement surrounding these visits was unlike anything ever seen in Ireland before and would never again be repeated.

Speaker – The speaker, Paula Lalor, recently conferred with an MA (Hons) in Historic House Studies from the History Department at NUI Maynooth. Paula is now indulging her life-long interest in history, with particular emphasis on Ireland’s built heritage.

Dinner – Before Paula Lalor’s lecture, Dr Patrick Murray the distinguished historian, editor, and author of numerous highly regarded works, such as Oracles of God, has been elected an honorary member of the society. Prior to the talk he will be presented with his scroll of election. All members are invited to dinner in his honour at 6.00pm in the Left Bank Bistro: price €20 for two & €25 for three courses. Bookings: 090 649 4446.

Wednesday, 11 November, at 8.00 pm in Lough Ree Yacht Club

– Talk by Eamonn Leonard

The Lusitania, seen at New York on its maiden voyage in 1907 (New York Public Library).

Summary – It is a story of grandeur, efficiency, and intrigue which later turned into a sad and unprecedented disaster, with speculation about cover-ups and questions as to whether it was ‘a warship or a civilian passenger ship’. RMS Lusitania and her sister ship RMS Mauritania were built to restore former British superiority over German ships in the Atlantic passenger trade. The Cunard Line which owned these ships described them as the ‘ Monarchs of the Sea ‘ and boasted that they were ‘ the largest, fastest and most magnificent steamships in the world’. Both came into service in 1907 to provide a weekly service between Liverpool and New York. On September 7th of that year more than 200,000 people lined the banks of the Mersey to see the Lusitania off on her maiden voyage to New York.

Almost eight years later, on May 7th 1915, the Lusitania, or ‘Lucy’ as she was referred to by the shipyard workers who worked on her construction on the Clyde, was hit by a German torpedo about 11 miles due south of the Old Head of Kinsale as she sailed to Liverpool on her 202nd sailing between the two ports, Liverpool and New York.  She sank rapidly with the loss of about 1,200 lives. This talk is focused on the human accounts of passengers and crew who were on board the Lusitania on the afternoon of May 7th 1915 when disaster struck.

The talk finishes with an account of a low key commemoration hosted by local people at the Old Head of Kinsale on the evening before the official commemorations held on the actual centenary date, May 7th. 2015. It was a short informal roadside gathering of local people overlooking the final resting place of the Lusitania and many of her crew and passengers who did not survive her sinking.  The purpose of meeting at that particular place was to remember the generation of local people from the Old Head of Kinsale and along the Cork coastline who played their part in in the search and rescue effort mounted when “farmers and fishermen on nearby shores were soon alerted to the Lusitania’s plight when they heard a series of explosions rumbling in from the sea”.  The talk will include illustrations on the significance of inquests held in Kinsale on five Lusitania victims whose bodies were brought ashore there. It  will also include 15 original photographs taken by the speaker during the commemorations in Kinsale, which illustrate the dignified welcome that local people had for a small number of people, each of whom were present because of being related to somebody who was on board the Lusitania when it went down  not far from Kinsale.

Speaker – Eamon Leonard is a native of Kiltoom, who has a long-standing interest in social history, which has developed into a particular interest in the local history of South Roscommon. He has an MA in Local History from University College Cork, for which he completed a thesis entitled: A Study of the Changing Landscape and Social Evolution of a townland in South Roscommon from 1650 to 1950. He is a member of Drum Heritage Group, Saint John’s Parish Heritage Group, Co. Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society, and The Old Athlone Society. In May of this year, as a representative of The Old Athlone Society he was been elected to the executive committee of the Federation of Local Historical Societies.