Boula Church — Clonfert Diocesan Archives ©

Newsletter No 11 Autumn 2012

Lectures - Autumn/Winter 2012 THE CONNAUGHT JOURNAL Galway, Monday, March 8, 1824 Tuesday October 30th. Lecture by Jim Madden MA, entitled; John Fahy: TO BE LET, Orchard in full bearing; the Ground is in good heart, with some Radical Republican and Agrarian Activist. In Do- Winter Graze. Application to be made (if by letter, post paid) nie O’Mearas, at 8.30pm. to George May O'Malley, Esq. Prospect-House, ; or to Charles O'Malley, Esq. Hawthorne Lodge, Castlebar. Jim will share with us a critical insight into the life From the first of November last, or the 25th of March and times of this rather colourful priest. The story instant, the HOUSE, OFFICES and WELL WOODED DE- MESNE of PROSPECT HOUSE, Situate in a Sporting Coun- of Fr Fahy is treated of in a fuller and well written try, within half a mile of the Shannon, distant from Eyrecourt account in Jim’s recently published book Fr John one mile; , five; and Portumna, six; - the Offices are Fahy: Radical Republican & Agrarian Activist in good repair, and all slated. Attached to the House is an ex- (1893-1969), published by the Columba Press (see cellent Garden and an extensive ar. The Furniture and Stock to book review by Declan Kelly in this newsletter). be Sold by Auction, if not taken by the Tenant at a valuation. James Scully will offer congratulations on behalf March 8, 1824. of the society in celebration of Jim’s work. Copies Lawrence Arms at Meelick of the book will be available for purchase on the Shown here are the arms depicted on the tomb of Anthony night. Larkin and his wife Elisabeth McDermott at Meelick abbey, the ancestral burial place of the Larkin clan. The particular Coat of Arms used are those of the Lawrence family of nearby Tuesday November 27th. Lawrencetown. The Larkin and Lecture by Michael John Kilgannon (Retired NT), Lawrence families were con- entitled; The Sinking of the Titanic; One Hundred nected through marriage. NB: The next Larkin clan gath- Years on. In Donie O’Mearas, Portumna at ering will take place in July 8.30pm. 2014. www.larkinclan.eu

Michael John will discuss in depth how the sinking Rubbing courtesy of Patrick Larkin of the Titanic in April 1912 on her maiden voyage New Members: If you know someone that might like to be- affected the lives of several Galway families. As come a member of SEGAHS, or is visiting the area and may wish to attend our events, please invite them along. part of his story Michael John will share with us a Membership Fee: The annual society membership fee is €20. This can be paid to the society treasurer Michael Ward or as- very personal account of his own uncle who was sistant treasurer Philip Treacy. tragically lost on that fateful night. He will also Articles: If you have a short article, note, or query of heritage interest that you would like to share with members of the soci- deal with a number of popular beliefs and miscon- ety, we will be happy to publish it here in our newsletter. If ceptions that have survived down to the present you wish to have your article included you can do so by emailing it to the editor [email protected]

AN EVOCATIVE MURAL PLAQUE AT PORTUMNA PRIORY

By Patrick Larkin

The foundation of Portumna Priory was recorded somewhat curtly in a list of the Dominican Houses in 16471 as Conventus Portumnensis fundatus a Domino Ó Madin et partim a Comite de Clanrickard [Burke] et donatus: founded by the O’Mad- den with the assistance and endowment of the Earl of Clanricard. Accurate as this may be, it ignores several centuries of the monuments earlier history, since it was originally a Cistercian chapel attached to the monastery of Dunbrody, Co. Wexford. The initial phase of the building comprising of the choir was built c.1254 as a Cistercian house by William de Cogan. How- ever this foundation clearly did not prosper, and following some decades of disuse, it was taken over by the Dominicans very early in the fifteenth century when a papal indulgence was granted for its completion. The Priory was suppressed during the Reformation and came into the ownership of the Earl of Clanricarde around 1582.2 It was abandoned by the Friars c.1712 when they moved to Boula. The following two extracts from Clonfert in the Papal Registers3 are the very first notes on the Dominican establishment in the Papal records, and make it clear that the foundation was already in existence by 1414.

- Lateran Regesta, Vol. CLXXV 5 John XXIII De Diversis Formis

1414. 10 Kal. Dec. Constance. (f. 176.) Relaxation as above, f. 172, omitting the feasts of the Invention and Exaltation of Holy Cross, for the Friars Preachers’ church of the Annunciation of St. Mary, Portomna, in the diocese of Clonfert. Universis etc. Licet is etc.

- Lateran Regesta, Vol. CCLXXIV (fn. 1) 10 Martin V (cont.) De Diversis Formis

1427. 5 Kal. Feb. SS. Apostoli, Rome. (f. 279.) Richard Gower, Friar Preacher of the house of Portumna (de Portompna) in the diocese of Clonfert.

Mural plaques within churches, abbeys and priories are something of a feature from the seventeenth century, which generally consist of rectangular limestone slabs. These can be either framed by an ornate moulding or simply plain. They bear an in- scription more usually in Latin carved in raised or relief lettering. They are high status monuments which often bear some very interesting genealogical material which usually refers to local Gaelic families. One such mural plaque is located in the small chapel north of the main church structures in the priory. It is a classic example of the high quality achieved in the art of stone lettering by East Galway masons in the 17th century, and is pictured below:

The well-defined inscription in Latin lettering reads as follows: Orate pro Patribus Christopher O'Wealsh, Ambrose O'Madden, Petr O'Lurcan et Thadae O'Lurcan Ord. Praed. qui hunc lapidem erigifecerunt in memoriam suae sepulturae et aliorum fratrum, anno dni 1670 May.

Thus translates into current English as follows: Pray for Fathers Christopher Walsh, Ambrose Madden, Peter Larkin and Timothy Larkin, Dominicans, who had this stone erected in memory of their burial place and those of their brothers, 1670 A.D.

These four mentioned priests clearly fulfilled their duties at Portumna through some difficult times, in the af- termath of the Reformation and the increasingly strict Penal Laws which followed. They were quite long- serving too, since three of them were recorded in a list of priests in Ireland in 1657.4 This list was complied by William Burke, O.P., provincial of the order, for Mario Alberizzi, secretary of Propaganda Fide, in Louvain on 15th September 1657. The three recorded were Frs. Ambrose Madden, Peter Larkin and Timothy Larkin. This indicates that these three were already serving priests by 1657, and as the history of the times indicates, the Ireland of 1657 was no good place for any priest to be. Fr. Walsh is not on this list, so he may have been younger than the other three or joined the Portumna community later on. These four priests numbered amongst only 74 Dominican priests in all of Ireland at the time; down from the 400 recorded twelve years earlier for 1645. The record lists:

Nomina fratrum Hybernorum ordinis praedicatorum qui praesenti anno 1657 degunt in Hybernia:

Names of the Irish Dominican brothers active in Ireland in 1657:

47. R.P. fr. Petrus Lorcan. 48. R.P. fr. Ambrosius Maddin. 49. R.P. fr. Thadaeus Lorcan.

In reading through various lists of Irish Dominicans in a variety of locations in the 17th century,5 a footnote to the presence of the O’Maddens prior emerged. This man also appeared on the 1657 list as follows:

Sequentes sunt missionarii a Sacra Congregatione de Propaganda Fide nominate

The following are nominated as missionaries of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith:

67. R.P. fr. Ricardus Maddin sacrae theologiae professor.

Although probably not a reference to the same man despite being a prior at Portumna in the same year as Ambrose Madden above, the location and the circumstances in the latter years of the priory make compelling reading:

O'Maddin, Richard, STM. Also Madden. Born 1620ca; a son of Portumna who studied at Avila but could not return to Ireland because of the Cromwellian wars; came instead to Belgium and taught at Utrecht. Left Lou- vain via London for Ireland where prior of Portumna by 1654. (Hib. Dom., 437; 'Miscellaneous documents IIP, p. 35). Listed as 's. theol. professor' among those on the mission, 1657. O'Heyne said he was the best preacher of any nation he had ever heard. Thought worthy of the episcopate 166l; 'a lecturer in theology, of the diocese of Clonfert.' (Collect. Hib., xli (1999), p. 21). Signed the Dominican remonstrance of Oct. 1662 in connection with Peter Walsh. Applied from Ireland for faculties, 1669. (Collect. Hib., vi and vii (1963-64), p.104). De- scribed in 1675 as STP and prior of Portumna. Spicil Ossor., ii, 217. Named STM by the general chapter, 1677. Prior of Limerick, Roscommon, Lorrha, Dublin and Portumna. Being close to Aughrim at the time of the bat- tle, he hid for two weeks in a bog, dying of exposure soon after in his 70th year, Aug. 1691 (O'Heyne, p. 211).

Footnote

1 Hugh Fenning ‘Founders of Irish Friaries: An unpublished List c.1647’, Collectanea Hibernica, No 44/45 (2002/2003), pp 56-62. 2 Peter Harbison A Thousand Years of Church Heritage in East Galway, (Dublin, 2005). 3 Patrick Larkin ‘Calendar of Papal Letters Relating to Clonfert Diocese 1296-1485’ (Unpublished typescript). 4 Hugh Fenning ‘A List of Dominicans in Ireland, 1657’, Collectanea Hibernica, No. 25 (1983), pp 24-25. 5 Hugh Fenning (ed.) ‘Irish Dominicans at Louvain before 1700: A biographical Register’, Collectanea Hibernica, No. 43 (2001), pp 112- 160.

Knowing Your Monuments (A Slieve Aughty theme) — Christy Cunniffe

Souterrain Internal view of a well preserved souterrain in the Slieve Aughty region. The structure consists of an oval-shaped chamber of cor- belled dry-stone construction supporting a roof made from large sandstone slabs. These monuments were used as storage places and also as places of refuge during times of stress. This particular example has a large chamber, big enough to stand up in, that is accessed via a narrow entrance tunnel. The chamber is situated higher than the entrance tunnel forming an obstacle to potential attackers. The defensive nature of the monument therefore sug- gests that this particular example was meant to be used as a hiding place rather than a storage room. This particular souterrain is located within a large univallate (i.e. single banked) ringfort.

Standing Stone This standing stone in the townland of Knockroe in the Ballinakill area of the Slieve Aughty Mountains is one of the many monuments that attest to a strong prehistoric presence in the region. Standing stones are viewed as territorial markers. Some may mark burial. This particular example is fin shaped and is situated on high ground with a good view of the land- scape in the background. It is annotated on the Ord- nance Survey 6” : 1 mile map (Sheet 125) as ‘Carrickbreaga’.

Stone Circle Woodford Stone Circle situated in Commons East is located in an area of blanket bog. It comprises of a ring of seven set stones. A well defined opening marked by a pair of upright portals of c.1 metre in height is located in its south-eastern quadrant. The remainder of the stones consist of a mix of small uprights boulders and well defined slabs set on edge. Stone circles are ritual in nature. Sometimes burial can be associated with them but not always. The heavy growth of peat and heather obscures the centre of this example making it difficult to ascertain if it had any other feature associated with it such as an internal cairn. Good views of the surround- ing landscape can be had from the site.

Weavers Loom Not a monument as such this interesting portrayal of a weav- ers loom on a headstone in St Thomas’ graveyard near Peter- swell is a reminder of the trades and crafts undertaken by peo- ple in the past. The recording of vocational or trade symbols is of great importance as it provides information about the deceased often not available in any other form. This can be of genealogical and cultural importance to our understanding of the past. The St Thomas graveyard contains quite an amazing array of memorial types. Many of the names recorded in this graveyard appear to be those of the ‘Oultach’ people who migrated from the north of Ireland into the Slieve Aughty region following their expulsion after the Diamond Fight of 1795. The Rutherford Monument By Christy Cunniffe

An ornate monument consisting of a carved limestone drinking fountain erected to the memory of Dr William Rutherford is one of the many interesting pieces of street furniture to be seen in . It is located at the top of Matt Harris Road close to the Brackernagh junction. The monument was erected in 1913 through public subscriptions made by the townspeo- ple of Ballinasloe. Present on the platform at the dedication ceremony were Lord Clancarty and Dr Mills of the Connaught Branch. Both gave moving orations outlining the merits of Dr Rutherford. William Rutherford was born in Cookstown, Co Tyrone in 1846 to a Presbyterian family. He entered the medical pro- fession as a pupil of a Dr Henry R. Charles of Cookstown in 1865. His early medical education was undertaken very much along the lines of an apprenticeship. Following that he entered the Queens University of Ireland securing many prizes and scholarships in both Queens College Belfast and Queens College Galway.1 Having finished college he came to Ballinasloe in 1872. He spent three years in Ballinasloe then decided to leave. However, he was convinced to stay by the people who hav- ing heard of his departure made an address to him and presented him with a gold watch and chain and a drawing room cabi- net as a token of their esteem. Having decided to stay he served as their doctor for a further 36 years until his rather sudden death in 1911. During his life in Ballinasloe he was visiting physician to the Ballinasloe District Asylum and Medical Officer to the R.I.C. and the military where he acted as examiner of recruits to the War Office. A trust was set up in Ballinasloe to collect funds to provide for the education of Dr Rutherford’s two younger children and to erect a suitable monument in his memory.2 It was decided to erect a drinking fountain as it was seen as a suitably symbolic monument seeing as how ‘he was one of the first and strongest advocates of procuring for the town the excellent waterworks they now enjoyed. Therefore this fountain was fittingly erected to commemorate his connexion (sic) with it.’ 3

The fountain When one encounters an interesting feature such as this, many questions arise. Generally questions like who erected it, who did they erect it to and why was it erected? In this instance nearly all of the most obvious questions are answered by the in- formation contained in the inscription on the front of the monument which reads:

Erected by the People of Ballinasloe and Neighbourhood in memory of William Rutherford M.D. F.R.C.P.E. He laboured unselfishly in Their midst for 40 years. A Sincerest Friend An Eminent Physician Public Spirited and Upright Citizen OBIIT July 22 1911

The death of Dr Rutherford was widely publicised. It appears in various newspapers and medical journals. An interesting piece carried in the ‘East Galway Democrat’ describes the ‘Death and Funeral of Dr. Wm. Rutherford, Ballinasloe’.4 The article is quite long so only the initial part is quoted here. Not included here in this extract is the list of mourners, the clergy of various denominations that were present and other details of that nature.

The inscription reads: ‘Not within the present generation has there passed away from our midst in Ballinasloe one whose death has been more universally and deeply deplored that that of Dr. Wm. Rutherford which occurred at his residence Dunlo St. after only one day's illness, on last Saturday morning. When the news spread that Dr. Rutherford lay seriously ill and un conscious on Friday evening, the deepest anxiety was shown in the town, and up till late at night numerous were the inquiries as to his condition. When the sad tidings of his death became known on Saturday morning men found it difficult to realize that he who had been apparently in the vigor of health and stringent during the week, ministering to those who required his professional assistance, lay still and cold in death. It was while actually in attendance on a case that the fatal illness seized him, and in a short time he lapsed into unconsciousness from which he never recov ered until he passed away early on Saturday morning. Of Dr. Rutherford's life in Ballinasloe, the town of his adoption, where he lived for over 40 years, whether as a profes sional man or a citizen, it is difficult to speak adequately. Naturally of a happy and cheery disposition, charitable in the extreme, of high mental culture and brilliant attainments, his whole life was a record of success, nobly won. His skill and ability were everywhere recognized and brought him into the first rank of the profession in which he enjoyed so large and extensive a practice. His services were as readily given to the very poor, whose only fee was gratitude, as to his large and influential clientele most favored with the world's possessions. In the void created by his death, which will be difficult to fill, by none will he be more missed than by the poor. He was visiting Physician to the Ballinasloe District Asylum and Medical Officer to the R.I.C. and Military. Notwithstanding his busy professional life, he made time to interest himself in local matters, to such an extent that in every movement for the good of the town he was found taking a prominent part. From no committee formed for the advancement of any project for the welfare of the town, or the benefit or amusement of the people was he missed, generally being chosen as chairman or vice—chairman. Wherever a compliment was to be paid to a popular resident on his departure he was always to be found taking a lead ing part. As he was foremost in every practical work, so was his purse ever the first open on all such occasions. For a number of years he was a member and vice—chairman of the Ballinasloe Urban Council until an ever increasing pressure of professional work forced him to retire from the position. In private life those who enjoyed the pleasure of his acquaintance found in him a man of rare kindliness and winning disposition, endearing himself to them in no ordinary manner. He was truly one of nature's gentlemen. The welfare and education of his family was to him a sacred duty, and two of his sons, one of whom, Dr. James Ruth erford, is, as we understand, to take up the practice here, have already given proof that they inherit their father's talents. Today, whether as a professional man, a good citizen, or a private friend, his loss is looked on in Ballinasloe as a public and irreparable one. Amidst every manifestation of regret and sympathy the remains were interred in Creagh Cemetery on Monday. All the business houses in the town were shuttered, and everywhere were the blinds drawn, as the immense cor- tege, following the remains to their last resting place, passed on. The prayers in the house and at the graveside, were read by the Rev. Wm. Elliot, Ballinasloe, the other clergymen officiating being the Most Rev. Dr. Clarge, Galway; the Most Rev. Dr. Osborne, Dublin, and the Rev. Mr. Watson, Ath lone.’

As we can see from the East Galway Democratic Dr Rutherford was well respected and his funeral well attended. His popularity led to the erection of the monument that we see today. It was initially located at the junction of Dunlo Street, Main Street and Society Street where it functioned as a highly ornate drinking fountain providing fresh potable water. It still provides a public use to the people of Ballinasloe albeit now functioning as an ornamental flower planter rather than as a public water supply. The art- work consists of a rich mix of Celtic Revival work that includes the use of interlace, strap-work, crocketing and a number of other medieval decorative devices. The inspiration for this is based very much on late Romanesque art. The sculptor was a Wil- liam Kennedy (Tullamore & Ballinasloe). Rope mouldings and simple chevron devices adorn the outer frame while a carved head very much in keeping with what was used inn the early thirteenth century forms a centre piece. As well as the fountain, a stained glass window was installed in the Whigham Hall adjoining the Presbyterian Church in Balli- nasloe. It is rich in symbolism depicting St George Slaying the Dragon possibly a reference to Dr Rutherford’s own struggle in trying to defeat illness and death among the poor of the community.

I wish to dedicate this short note to the memory of the late Professor Etienne Rynne who throughout his professional career as an archaeologist and university lecturer was a great authority on all aspects of Celtic art. It was he who first drew my attention to this interesting fountain and aroused my curiosity and interest in the art of the Celtic Revival - Ar deis Dé go raibh a anam.

Rutherford Monument - Photo: Christy Cunniffe. St George Slaying the Dragon - Photo: Damian McCullagh.

Footnotes 1 Memorial to the late William Rutherford The British Journal of Medicine Special Correspondence (Sept. 13, 1913), p.702. 2 The Late Dr William Rutherford. The British Journal of Medicine Special Correspondence (Sept. 16, 1911), p.641. 3 Memorial to the late William Rutherford, (1913), p.703. 4 East Galway Democrat, Saturday, July 29, 1911.

Review: Fr John Fahy Radical Republican & Agrarian Activist (1893-1969) Declan Kelly

Some years ago the late and lamented Archdeacon Patrick Lee of Galway diocese regaled me with the tale of how as a young priest he was ensconced in a chair in the dining room of Garbally house when Fr John Fahy made a dramatic entrance and announced in stentorian tones “This country badly needs to be Drumcathised!” This was undoubtedly a reference to the great convention at Drumceat, Co Meath, and at which St Columba attended fol- lowing the fall of Tara. Fahy obviously felt it was time to go back to basics and it would have softened his ire in no way on that occasion to have beheld the image of the large portrait of George IV smiling benignly down on him from the dining-room wall. Though I knew little or nothing of Fr Fahy at the time Paddy Lee told me this, I was to grow more than familiar with his life over the ten years I spent as diocesan archivist in Clonfert. That the work under consideration is a labour of love comes out on every page as Jim Madden weaves the complex threads of Fr John Fahy’s life into an eminently viewable tapestry. The reproduction of many of the ac- tual letters and memoranda of the protagonists in Fahy`s biography is a clever device as it brings them to fuller life on the printed page and imbues the tale with some of the urgency that Fahy`s actions occasioned at the time. That his was no ordinary life is apparent from his willingness to square off against some of the most notable per- sonalities within the diocese of Clonfert itself. John Gormally, who had spent a comfortable ministry in New Inn parish, would find himself dashing from the sacristy at Fahy`s strong-toned denunciation of land annuities; Martin Leahy, the P.P. of Eyrecourt (and as single-minded as a battleship) would find himself at wits-end in dealing with an equally strong-willed curate and one can only wonder at the reaction of Pat O`Farrell, the venerable but prag- matic P.P. of Carrabane, at the jailing of his associate pastor. I can think of no one better-placed to pen Fr John`s biography than Jim Madden as he both knew and un- derstood his subject and he marries a good factual approach with a fine storyteller`s manner. The ironies in the attitude of some of Fahy`s contemporaries is stark. Bishop Fogarty of Killaloe is quick to denounce nationalists, unmindful of the plot by the Black and Tans some short years before to put him in a sack and drown him in the Shannon. Bishop Dignan (despite his raising of episcopal hackles at his own consecration) comes across as anx- ious to preserve his own authority to the point of trying to invoke a point of Brehon law, which had been out- lawed some three hundred years prior. Still, Dignan`s grudging admiration of Fahy`s ardour shines through his sabre-rattling memoranda to the latter. Did Dignan envy Fahy`s convictions? Perhaps it is unfair to ask. This book is filled with fascinating little historical nuggets and I was struck myself by the poignant irony in the late Cardinal O`Fiach`s fear that Fahy would die abroad whilst on pilgrimage given that it was the very fate that would befall himself. If anything we are reminded that Fahy, like all men of note, was full of contradictions. He could physically barge at a gun-toting bailiff and denounce attorneys as `legal looters`, yet he could produce a well-regarded work on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. His litany, which Jim reproduces on page 122, is a classic. A supplication to the Heavens to save us from `Big Arses` must have caused more than mild horror for the schol- arly Dr Philbin. Yet despite his passion for blunt politics Fahy was a deeply spiritual man who like MacHale of Tuam in his learning of Moore`s melodies late-in-life on the piano, never forgot the importance of reflection in his daily toils. I believe that Fr John Fahy would greatly enjoy the work that Jim has done in bringing his fascinating life`s pilgrimage to a new audience. The use of dynamite to open his grave seems apt, as he had an explosive impact on the life of the diocese he was called to serve. Jim`s book makes for excellent reading and if you are to give your- self one literary treat this coming Christmas, let this be it. Declan Kelly is the former archivist for the diocese of Clonfert.

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Waddell Award for Excellence in the MA in Landscape Dissertation

SEGAHS wishes to offer congratulations to society member Declan Kelly who has successfully completed the MA in Landscape Archaeology at NUI Galway. Declan has been awarded the prestigious and coveted John Waddell Award for excellence in the MA in Landscape dissertation. The focus of Declan’s fieldwork was the Children’s Burial Grounds of the South East Galway parishes of Killeenadeema/Aille and Ballinakill/Derrybrien. In his research Declan has looked at the setting of these monuments in the landscape with a view to shed- ding light on how they were regarded in the community. During fieldwork work he interviewed older members of the community to collect their memories of the many hidden sites that occur. He has surveyed in detail all of the sites in the study area adding greatly to the wider body of research that is now taking place on the South East Gal- way area. CC

Fr John Fahy Radical Republican & Agrarian Activist (1893-1969) Fr John Fahy was ordained a priest of the diocese of Clonfert in St 's, , in 1919. He very quickly earned himself the reputation of being a 'rebel priest'. His close affilia- tion with Sinn Fein throughout the war of independence stayed with him all his life and led to many a confrontation with the authorities of both church and state. He also took a vigourous and uncompromising interest in the various agrarian disputes of his time. He was a man of very strong opinions, opinions which he was not at all slow to voice, as forcefully and publicly as occasion permitted. The string of letters between himself and state authorities, and also with his bishop, add a depth of colour and credibility to this lively and convincing review of his life, his mission and his times. Fr Fahy was included in Gerard Moran’s famous book, Radical Irish Priests, which gave accounts of many of the most radical priests in the history of the Irish church. This volume is the first full length biography of Fahy and is a labour of love for its author, Jim Madden, who knew and still knows and associates with many of the men and women who are named in the work, both as friends and critics of this fascinating character.

Jim Madden is a native of Banagher, Co. Offaly. He graduated with a BA and Higher Diploma in Education from Univer- sity College Dublin where he also completed a Diploma in Career Guidance. He was awarded an M. Litt. by Trinity Col- lege Dublin. Jim has worked as a teacher, guidance counsellor and school principal. He has published widely on aspects of education and local history and has had a lifelong involvement in community affairs. Jim is a long time member of SE- GAHS. The society wishes to congratulate the author on his important contribution to our understanding of a unique aspect of the history of South East Galway and West Offaly. The book is available nationwide in Easons & Veritas. It is available locally in South East Galway in Salmons Ballinasloe, Salmons Portumna, News and Choose Loughrea, Hoolahans Abbey, Aughrim Interpretative Centre and Woodford Heritage Centre. It can also be bought online from www.columba.ie & www.bookdepository.com It is retailing at €19.99.

Heritage Week 2012 “Spirit of Lough Derg” SEGAHS Fieldtrip to the Woodford/Ballinakill Area

A group of participants enjoying an evening visit to the Stone Circle at Commons East, near Woodford. This event was organised as part of the society’s contribution to the celebration of Heritage Week 2012. The event which run under the interesting title of ‘Spirit of Lough Derg’ was undertaken in conjunction with the Heritage Office of Galway County Council. It was one of a number of similarly themed events that took place around Lough Derg during Heritage Week. Heritage providers and voluntary groups witnessed a large turnout to events throughout the South East Galway region. SEGAHS wishes to thank sincerely the various landowners who allowed access to monuments on their lands. (Photo: Michael Maxwell).