1918 IRELAND IRELAND POLITICAL & SOCIAL CHANGE CONFERENCE Loughrea Hotel & Spa, Loughrea, Co. Galway Thursday 15th November 2018 EVENT COST: €10 INCLUDES TEA/ COFFEE & LUNCH POLITICAL & SOCIAL CHANGE 1918 IRELAND POLITICAL & SOCIAL CHANGECONFERENCE 9.30am ~ 10.00am Registration &Tea/Coffee 10.00am ~ 10.15am Welcome by Cllr Seán Ó Tuairisg, Cathaoirleach, Galway County Council 10.15am ~ 11.00am “Shoneens, Strawmen and Suckling Pigs”: The 1918 General Election Campaign in Galway by Conor McNamara 11.00am ~ 11.15am Tea/Coffee 11.15am ~ 11.30am ‘Ballinasloe and District Remembers 1914-1918’ by Ballinasloe World War 1 Heritage Group 11.30am ~ 12.30pm ‘The Beginning of the End: the Connaught Rangers 1918’ by Joe Loughnane 12.30pm ~ 1.30pm Lunch 1.30pm ~ 2.15pm ‘Hanna and Francis Sheehy Skeffington’s Role in Early 20th Century Irish Activism’ by Micheline Sheehy Skeffington 2.15pm ~ 3.00pm ‘Political Rights & Social Change: The Ideas & Influence of Public Women’ by Mary Clancy 3.00pm ~ 3.15pm Tea/Coffee 3.15pm ~ 4.00pm ‘Processed Foods, Drugs Proliferation, Social Media, Fake News & the Battle for Global Communications Supremacy’- Hidden Stories of World War One by Brendan Smith 4.00pm ~ 4.45pm ‘What it Said in the Papers a Century Ago – Loughrea & County Galway in 1918’ by Steve Dolan 4.45pm ~ 5.00pm ‘Seumas O’Kelly: A Gentle Revolutionary’ by Aisling Mitchell Exhibition There will be an exhibition on display relating to Ballinasloe World War 1 Heritage Group, Irish Workhouse Centre and NUIG exhibition ‘Food, Drink & Love Letters from the Trenches’. 1918 IRELAND CONFERENCE Biographies Ballinasloe World War 1 Conor McNamara Heritage Group Dr Conor McNamara teaches for the University of The aim of Ballinasloe World War 1 Heritage Minnesota, Ireland Program, and is the author of Group is to commemorate the men and women a number of studies of the West of Ireland. from the Ballinasloe and District that participated in the Great War. If your relations participated Colman Shaughnessy and you have stories or photographs of them, Colman is a founding member of Loughrea then email to [email protected] or see Memorial Group. He is a former Merchant Navy website https://ballinasloeww1.wordpress.com/ Radio Officer. He has a passionate interest in the culture and heritage of Loughrea and its Mary Clancy surrounding area. Colman gives guided walking Mary Clancy lectures at NUI, Galway, and has a heritage tours of the town of Loughrea and research background in women’s history. She provides assistance to Clonfert Museum during has co-edited Saothar, journal of the Irish Labour Heritage Week. History Society, contributes to documentaries and is involved in suffrage centenary activities. She Micheline Sheehy Skeffington has a chapter on the West of Ireland in Louise Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington took early Ryan and Margaret Ward, Irish Women &The Vote: retirement as a plant ecology lecturer in NUI Becoming Citizens, (re-issued 2018). Galway and is Hanna and Francis Sheehy Skeffington’s granddaughter. Micheline has Steve Dolan given countless talks about her grandparents Steve Dolan is a historian based in East Galway. and in 2017 toured the US following in her He holds an MBA from NUIG and an MA in History grandmother’s footsteps who spent 18 months from UL. He is manager of the Irish Workhouse in 1917-18 delivering speeches advocating Centre, contributor to various publications, Irish independence. Micheline toured the US in and editor of the SEGAHS Journal (http://www. 2017 following in her grandmother’s footsteps, clonfert.org/download.htm). a century later, giving talks and filming for a documentary on her discoveries there about Joe Loughnane Hanna’s visit. Joe is a member of the Loughrea Memorial Group, and has an MA in military history. He is a Brendan Smith military history enthusiast and has an in-depth Brendan Smith is Education and Public knowledge of the Connaugh Rangers, WW1 Engagement Officer at NUI Galway where he and the locals who were involved.Joe presents works on delivering new science and technology lectures to various groups on the subject of World projects particularly in the area of computer War 1 and the 1916 Rising in County Galway. coding not only in Irish schools but across Africa and the Middle East. Brendan is co-founder of Aisling Mitchell Ireland’s only computer and communications Aisling Mitchell B.A., MPHIL., DILS., has museum (at NUI Galway) and has won many responsibility for Local Studies at Galway Public accolades for his scientific, educational, Libraries, based in Nun’s Island, Galway. She environmental, community and volunteerism has always had an passion for local history and activities. His abiding love of Irish rural traditions is delighted to be able to indulge her interests has ensured that many of his technology in her professional capacity. Aisling completed programmes in Ireland have a heritage ethos. He her thesis on “Landlordism in Ireland 1845-1922: co-founded Galway city’s first Men’s Shed, and The Blakes of Menlo & Vermount” as part of her promotes organic gardening and traditional old Masters of Philospohy in Irish Studies in NUIG style farming in Terryland Forest Park. in 2001. POLITICAL & SOCIAL CHANGE 1918 IRELAND CONFERENCE POLITICAL & SOCIAL CHANGE Reserve a Place... ...for this event, please contact one of the following: Marie Mannion, Heritage Officer, Galway County Council. Phone 091 509198/087 9088387 or email [email protected] or Colman Shaughnessy, Loughrea Memorial Group Tel: 00353 862489319 or email [email protected] or Joe Loughnane, Loughrea Memorial Group Tel: 00353 876754328 or email [email protected] or Michael Maher, Clostoken, Loughrea, Co Galway Tel: 00353 86 8109185 or email [email protected] This conference has been organised by Loughrea Memorial Group in partnership with Galway County Council.This conference is partfunded by Creative Ireland under Galway County Council Cultural and Creativity Strategy 2018-2022 It is an action of Galway County Council’s Decade of Commemoration Strategy 2013-2023 2013-2023 Deich mBliana Cuimhneachán Chontae na Gaillimhe The County of Galway Decade of Commemorations .