Moylagh Historical Society

CALLING ALL PAST PUPILS!!

Did you, or someone you know, go to school in the old Gilson school? We'd love to see past pupils at our event on Saturday 7th Sept, when we will be commemorating the 200th anniversary of classes starting in Oldcastle under Laurence Gilson's bequest and also exploring ways we can best honour his legacy in the future. As part of that we will be showcasing local community activities and groups. More details over the next few weeks! In the meantime, share this with any past pupils you might know, and save the date for Gilson 200!

We are holding a special event to celebrate the 200th anniversary of classes starting in Oldcastle under Laurence Gilson’s bequest. As well as marking this bicentenary, we will be exploring ways to honour Gilson’s legacy into the next hundred years.

Full details over the next few weeks 😊

For our annual excursion this year we are keeping it local and visiting Tullynally Castle on Sat 8th June. Guided tour of castle followed by lunch and the option of a guided tour of the gardens in the afternoon.

Price for both tours is €22
Price for tour of castle only is €15

Lunch is not included in the price.

For booking please contact Maireád Fanning on ‪087 744 7212‬ or Tracey Holsgrove on 086 194 6429.

For our annual excursion this year we are keeping it local and visiting Tullynally Castle on Sat 8th June. Guided tour of castle followed by lunch and the option of a guided tour of the gardens in the afternoon.

Price for both tours is €22
Price for tour of castle only is €15

Lunch is not included in the price.

More details to follow

Virginia and District Historical Society will host a talk on "Wandering Scribes and Scholars - A Legacy of Early Irish Monks" by Alf Monaghan, at Virginia Library on Friday 17th May at 7.30 pm. All are welcome. Booking essential at [email protected] or 0498548456.

Cnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann/ The National Folklore Collection is a wonderful resource, and there are audio clips you can listen to. Read more here:

The start of the Audio Archive at the National Folklore Collection In the Sound Archive of the National Folklore Collection, we have a wide range of audio material and carriers, from wax cylinders, acetate discs, open reels, to more recent carriers such as MP3s, D…

Some more information about our annual talk next week:

The Moylagh Historical Society announce their annual history talk on Thursday 7 th March in Moylagh Community Centre at 8pm: An Epic in 42 Instalments - Fr. Robert Callary’s Retelling of Táin Bó Cúailnge in The Meath Chronicle 1957-58.
Between August 1957 and June 1958, Fr. Robert Callary (1886-1961), founder member and later President of the Meath Archaeological and Historical Society, published a re-telling of
the famous medieval tale, Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley). Told in 42 parts the tale was published at the time in various newspapers including The Meath Chronicle and Westmeath Examiner.
Paul Gosling, archaeologist and member of the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland will explore the story of Queen Medbh's epic winter-raid to steal a prize bull from Cooley, Co. Louth as well as assessing Fr. Callary’s unique and detailed re-telling of it for modern times.
A former lecturer in GMIT, Gosling is currently researching the placenames and route aspects of Táin Bó Cúailnge and will share his latest findings.
The Moylagh Historical society is always keen to ‘keep it local’ - Fr. Callery himself was from Oldcastle where his father was a shopkeeper - and the talk will emphasise various locations
around Oldcastle and North Meath featured in the story.
As always all are very welcome to attend and light refreshments will be available after the talk. Entry is free – however donations are welcome to assist in the running of the event.

We are delighted to announce details of our next public talk, to be held in Moylagh Community Centre Club Ltd. on March 7th. The talk will be given by Paul Gosling and looks at Fr. Robert Callary's retelling of the Táin epic in local newspapers in the late 1950's. All welcome, full details in the poster attached. We look forward to seeing you then.

Do you have any special memories of Christmas time in years gone by? Any funny stories you'd like to share? Maybe you see huge changes in Christmas time now compared to 20, 30, 40 years ago.... or even further back?

We are putting together a collection of Christmas memories and we'd love it if any of you had stories or memories to share. PLEASE do not reply to this post with them, as we are aiming to bring them out for Christmas next year. You can private message us or email [email protected]

It doesn't matter if you have a paragraph or two or a few hundred words, all contributions will be very gratefully accepted. it doesn't need to be about Christmas in Moylagh or Oldcastle either (although those memories would be great), any interesting, moving or funny memories of Christmas time from anywhere will be great.

Many thanks and get writing!

Our next social dance is on the 16th Sept.

Barbara J. Williams' grandmother, Mary Sullivan, lived in Milltown in the latter half of the 19th century. She has published a memoir of her grandmother and her relationship with her. Barbara will be speaking at Oldcastle library on Thursday Sept 7th at 7pm. All welcome.

The theme of Heritage Week 2023 is 'Living Heritage' and one of our committee members, Sue Russell, has put together a Virtual Trail of some of the lives and livelihoods of people in Oldcastle over the years. This is a project Sue has been working on for some time, and we are both delighted to see it and proud of what she has done. Hope you enjoy it too!

Oldcastle Lives: People & Places - Google My Maps ‘Living Heritage’ is the theme of Heritage Week 2023 and this virtual trail around Oldcastle, Co. Meath celebrates some of the lives and livelihoods of the people of the town. It explores the places they worked, the work they did and the enterprises that were carried on over the years in Oldcast...

Labour and women in Meath in revolutionary decade: remembering the social revolution

The Meath Council of Trade Unions is hosting a labour history seminar to mark the end of the Decade of Centenaries on Saturday 6th May, SIPTU Dan Shaw Centre, Navan, 10.00 – 13.30.
The seminar will focus on the much neglected class and gender dimensions of the revolutionary dynamic driving the struggle for national independence. Distinguished local historians will present on:
'Writing and erasing labour in the Irish revolution: an historiographical overview'
Dr. Martin Maguire has published extensively on religion, labour and class in Ireland. His most recent publication is 'Fighting for the Clerical Grades A History of the Civil, Public and Services Union 1922-2017 (IPA, 2022). He is currently finalising a multi-volume history of trade union organisation in the Irish civil and public service since the foundation of the state. He is co-editor of County Louth and the Irish Revolution 1912-1923 (Irish Academic Press, 2017) to which he contributed a chapter on Labour in County Louth in the period of revolution.

'Did "motherhood overtake revolution"? The political activity and legacy of Meath women in the revolutionary period.'
Tracey Holsgrove is an independent researcher living in Oldcastle, Co. Meath. Her main research interest is women's history, currently focusing on women's political activity in Meath in the period 1912-1923. Tracey is a member of the Meath History Workshop, the Meath Archaeological and Historical Society and the Moylagh Historical Society. She has published articles in Ríocht na Midhe in 2019 and 2023 on aspects of women's history in the revolutionary period.

'Arrant bolshevism'? The ITGWU in Meath, 1918- to 1923’
Aidan Gilsenan is a native of County Meath and is currently PhD candidate in Maynooth University researching the social history of evicted tenants of the Land War, 1879-to 1939. This research is facilitated by his receipt the Maynooth University John & Pat Hume Doctoral Scholarship. His research interests include evicted tenants, landlord-tenant relations, agrarianism, land redistribution, and agricultural labourers. His most recent article, ‘Back to the Land': agrarian agitation and activism for land redistribution in County Meath, 1918 – 1923’ was published in the 2022 volume of Ríocht na Midhe.

Remembering the Social Revolution – Panel Discussion
Dr Terry Dunne will host the Panel Discussion. Terry is a distinguished sociologist and historian who has published widely on the many agrarian social movements in Ireland and has recently co-edited a collection of essays with Dr John Cunningham of NUI Galway, entitled ‘Spirit of Revolution’ (Four Courts Press). Terry has researched the mobilisation of agricultural labourers in Meath and surrounding counties in the revolutionary period, illuminating wider class conflicts in Irish society during this dramatic period.

All welcome! For further information, contact Secretary to Meath Council of Trade Unions, Moira Leydon, ASTI at [email protected], 087 9630817

There are a small number of places still available on our tour this coming Saturday, May 6th. We will be visiting Strokestown Park House in Co. Roscommon for a guided visit to the house, museum and access to the woodland and gardens. We will then visit Rathcroghan for an outdoor guided tour exploring the rich archaeology and history of this ancient royal site. The outdoor tour lasts 2.5 hours and is across grassland so suitable clothing and footwear is recommended.

For bookings please phone or text: Sean Craughan on 087 768 0189, Paula Clarke on 087 291 7901 or Mairead Fanning on 087 744 7212.

Cost is €45 per person which includes bus and entry to both sites.

MOYLAGH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL TRIP

SATURDAY 6TH MAY 2023

STROKESTOWN PARK HOUSE
Gardens & National Famine Museum,
Co. Roscommon.
Guided visit to the House, Museum and access to the Woodland and Gardens.

RATHCROGHAN MUSEUM & VISITOR CENTRE Located in the Medieval town of Tulsk, also known as the Ancient Capital of Connaught

(The outdoor tour lasts 2.5 hours and is across grassland, so suitable clothing & footwear is recommended.)

COST €45 PER PERSON (includes bus & Entry to both sites)

For Bookings, phone or text: Sean Craughan, 087 7680189,
Paula Clarke, 087 2917901, Mairead Fanning, 087 7447212

In 1915, two German POW's interned in Oldcastle escaped from the camp. They were eventually arrested in Cavan. This radio documentary, originally broadcast on Northern Sound, tells the story:

Escape to Denn Made with Clipchamp The story of an ill-fated escape from the POW Camp at Oldcastle, Co. Meath in 1915. Two German prisoners make their way on foot via a hostelry in Denn throug...

Some of you will have possibly heard this when it was first broadcast in April 2015, but its a very good short piece about the Oldcastle internment camp. Produced by the BBC, it features Ruth Fleischmann whose grandfather was one of those interned, and it also features our own Gerry Boylan who did invaluable research on the camp over the years.

World War One At Home - Oldcastle, Co. Meath: Enemy Aliens - BBC Sounds In Oldcastle, Co. Meath, an internment camp was set up to house foreign nationals.

Post from Navan historical society. Did anyone here work in Navan Carpets?

Anyone interested in the history of cricket might like this - launch of a new book on the history of the game in south Meath. Launch is on Wed Feb 1st in Baconstown NS.

A book launch "Wielding the Willow: Cricket in South Meath, 1860 - 1950" by Adam Burke in Baconstown N. S. (A83 F863) on Wednesday the first of February at 7:30 pm.

We also have some copies of our reproduction of an Oldcastle newspaper available. This was produced in Oldcastle in 1902-3 and gives a sense of what the town was like at the turn of the twentieth century. The newspaper was called 'Sinn Fein - the Oldcastle Monthly Review' and we have reproduced the surviving copies we could find. There are also short pieces looking at the men who produced this newspaper, and the part they played in the move for independence.

Copies of this are also available for €5 each, so please get in touch if you'd like one.

Moylagh Historical Society has always been keen to share our interests and research with as many people as possible, and over the years we have published a number of books to help us do this. We have some stocks still available which we are selling at a reduced price.

First up is our most recent publication, 'Dromone - Drumone: a brief history of the village' which we published in December 2019.
This book gives glimpses into the history of the village, looking at how it was shown on old maps of the area, how the Famine impacted on the community and other aspects of the history. There is also an extensive photo gallery with many faces from years gone by.

This is now available for €5. If you'd like a copy, please message us.