Month: May 2024

POP UP MUSEUM 25/26 May 1/2 June

We are delighted to announce we will hold a Pop Up Museum on the two weekends 25th and 26th May and 1st & 2nd June during Summerfest to display a small sample of the significant number of our historical Artefacts and photographs and videos which are of huge local and national interest. The exhibition will feature The People, Places and Textile Industry of Balbriggan and topics featured will include the Linen & textile industry including Smyco, Harry Reynolds, The Sack of Balbriggan, Bremore Castle,  and some of our extensive 1893 local Balbriggan photo collection.

The exhibition will take place in the Pop Up Museum space on the corner of Clonard St and Bridge St, beside Central Pub from 12 to 5pm each day. All are welcome and admission is free.
HISTORICAL WALK & Bremore Castle Tours

On June 1st at 2pm we will lead our Historical Walk as part of Summerfest and we will also be arranging tours of Bremore Castle on Sunday 2nd (bookings made on the day). 

May Talk: 800 years of the Barnewall family (inc Bremore Castle) – Aidan Arnold

Balbriggan & District Historical Society presents ‘800 years of the Barnewall family ( with particular emphasis on their association with Bremore Castle) May 29th at 8pm Bracken Court Hotel. €5 Members free.

The story of Barnewalls is a long, complicated and often tangled web, spanning Irish history for 800 years. They held vast tracts of land in Ireland, built castles and great houses, including Bremore Castle in Balbriggan and Turvey House near Swords. The Round Tower in Lusk is home to Sir Christopher Barnewall’s 1589 ancestral tomb. This talk based on Aidan Arnold’s book recounts the important but almost forgotten history of this Catholic Norman family dynasty.

Speaker: Aidan Arnold grew up on his family farm in Corduff, Lusk. He has been chairman of Lusk Heritage Group since it’s establishment 35 years ago in 1989. Books written by Aidan include Lusk through the Ages, The life and times of Rover McCann, Lusk School, the Schools Collection (part of the National Folklore Collection,)Barnewall de Berneval, 800 years a Norman-Irish family, and Forgotten Evidence on the Sack of Balbriggan.