Did you know that there was once a bloody battle in the streets of Kilbeggan? In the 1798 Rebellion many Irish people, inspired by revolutions in France and America, rose up against landlords and British rule. While the major fighting took place in Wexford, Mayo, Antrim and Down, there was plenty of drama in these […]
On the 9th of May 2023 we celebrated 50 years of Ireland in the EU with a number of events, including a get together of the European Reading Group for "Understanding our European Family through history". The Mullingar European History Reading Group has been meeting for over 5 years now, getting together to read about […]
In an earlier edition (see article by Dr Ann Marie O’Brien) and podcast, we discussed the life and career of Alice King who was born near Mullingar in 1882 to James and Georgina King. On 30 January 1902 she married Laurence Ginnell (whose career we followed in these podcasts and in the following article by […]
Marking 50 years of Ireland in the EU Ireland’s 50 years of EU membership has coincided with a radical economic and social transformation of our country. Westmeath Libraries and Westmeath Heritage present three public events to mark this anniversary. These are free events, but please register in advance using the links below Understanding our European […]
To mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Laurence Ginnell we are sharing part of the Laurence Ginnell Commemorative Committee exhibition from 2016. Find out more about Laurence Ginnell by reading one of our posts below, or search our catalogue for a book to borrow from your local library
As part of the Westmeath County Council Decade of Centenaries programme, applications are invited for the Historian in Residence Grant Scheme 2023. The Residency is supported by the Decade of Centenaries Programme, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media in partnership with Westmeath County Council. Two Residencies will run in 2023, each for […]
Previous articles traced the course of the conflict as it moved from conventional to guerrilla warfare. Here, we discuss one example of such guerrilla warfare: a fatal ambush carried out by the anti-Treaty IRA in Glasson, near Athlone, in late August 1922. The Irish Independent was the first to carry the news. On Saturday 26 […]
Over many decades in Westmeath, precious memories of times gone by have been recorded by groups and individuals in an effort to document what are often fading memories of our past. Now, Westmeath County Council, with funding from Creative Ireland, are undertaking a major audit of these collections, to compile a list for the first […]
Diarmaid Ferriter’s new history of the Irish Civil War seeks to get at the human experience and day-to-day texture of the war and its aftermath. In Between Two Hells, combat itself is skimmed over quickly. Other books have dealt with the strictly military side of things, but Ferriter has other interests. He has delved into […]
Do you enjoy reading non-fiction books? Is history your favourite topic to delve into? In that case maybe the shortlist of this year's Wolfson History Prize will provide you with some new and engaging reading. This prize has been awarded annually for more than 40 years and recognises and celebrates books which combine excellence in […]