Talks-now | Balbriggan Historical Society

READ ALL ABOUT IT. The Taylors, Temperance Pledges and Terrier Racing. Balbriggan and District News Reports 1779-1979

Sunday October 13, 2024 at 2pm To book your place email eventardgillan@fingal.ie

Were you ever curious to discover what the rest of the world heard and read about Balbriggan in the years gone by? Join us for this fascinating talk where you will hear about what was reported about Balbriggan from 1779 until 1979 in the Irish, British and American journals and newspapers. Hear also about what was reported about Ardgillan Castle, the Taylors, their staff and visitors. Social, political, industrial and religious events happening around Balbriggan were reported on a regular basis and local historian Dr. Cora Mc Donagh will illustrate these and will also discuss how they were connected to contemporary events. Hear about celebrations, fireworks and intoxicating liquor in the 18th century. During the 19th century we learn about repeal meetings, temperance pledges and the curious tale of the steward at Ardgillan Castle who fired a shot at an earthquake! The stocking industry at Balbriggan flourished during this time so we see lots of reporting about their success at the national and international exhibitions. The beginning of the 20th century was a time of revolution and there were frequent reports about how local citizens were involved in National events and of course the devastation of the Sack of Balbriggan was widely reported. Throughout the talk we will also learn about the horticultural and agricultural successes from Balbriggan especially the prizes won by the Ardgillan gardeners and the prizewinning Ayrshire heifer Twinkle belonging to the Taylors.

About the presenter: Dr. Cora Mc Donagh was recently awarded a PhD for her thesis ‘Irish country house collections, display and dispersal: A social study of Irish art loan exhibitions and auctions, 1798-1916’ at Maynooth University where she was under the supervision of Professor Terence Dooley and Dr Alison FitzGerald. In 2019 she was awarded a four-year John and Pat Hume Doctoral scholarship. Her other scholarships and bursaries include the 2019 Desmond Guinness Scholarship from The Irish Georgian Society, the 2019 Kevin B Nowlan Bursary from The Castletown Foundation and in 2021 the Sir Alfred Beit Research Bursary for research on the art collection at Russborough House. Last year she completed a post-doctoral research project for the RDS Library and Archives where she conducted research on the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1853.

October Talk: ‘History of O’Dwyers GAA – Pauline O’Hare

We are delighted to be able to reschedule our postponed September talk on the History of O’Dwyers by Pauline O’Hare to this month on the 30th October.

Balbriggan & District Historical Society are delighted to welcome Pauline O’Hare for a talk on the History of O’Dwyers GAA – From Football on the Sand to New Beginnings
Pauline has had a long association with our Society and has done extensive research on O’Dwyers GAA club which is such an integral part of our town.
Join us in the Bracken Court Hotel at 8pm on Wednesday 25th September. Admission €5, Members free All Welcome
Pauline O’Hare was born in Glenavy, Co Antrim and graduated in history at QUB 1973. Her career has included working as a Research Assistant BBC London 1974-5 and as a Teacher of History, English and French.and she is a published writer.

An accomplished local historian Pauline has been very active in the Balbriggan community, she served as Chairman and Secretary of Balbriggan & District Historical Society and Secretary of O’Dwyers GAA 1999-2001 and 2010-2012 and Chairperson of O’Dwyers 2001-04. She is also a long time member & Treasurer of St Patrick’s Brass & Reed Band. O’Dwyer’s GAA club has been an integral part of Balbriggan for 100 years and I am sure you all have memories of the Club down the years. They have over 700 registered members and field around 50 teams in football, hurling and camogie at both juvenile and adult levels. It is an exciting time for the club as the new development nears completion and Pauline’s talk will be of huge interest to anyone interested in the history of the club and the town.

August Talk: Balbriggan and District News in the National and International press’ Speaker Cora McDonagh

Speaker Cora McDonagh Title: ‘Read all about it: Parades, Perambulations and Pigeons.’ Balbriggan and District News in the National and International press 1779 to 1979 August 28th, 8pm Bracken Court Hotel

Were you ever curious to discover what the rest of the world heard and read about Balbriggan and the surrounding district in years gone by? Join us for this fascinating talk where you will hear about what was reported about Balbriggan from 1779 until 1979 in the Irish and British newspapers and also the American journals .Social, political, industrial and religious events happening in Balbriggan were reported on a regular basis and local historian Dr Cora Mc Donagh will illustrate these and will also discuss how they were connected to contemporary events. Hear about celebrations, fireworks and intoxicating liquor in the 18th century. During the 19th century we learn about repeal meetings, temperance pledges and the publican who took the police to court as he accused them of trespassing on his premises after closing time. The stocking industry flourished during this time with regular reports about their success at the national and international exhibitions.The beginning of the 20th century was a time of revolution and there were frequent newspaper articles about how the local citizens were involved in National events and of course the devastation of the Sack of Balbriggan was widely reported. From the 1930s, reports on the horticultural and flower shows held in Balbriggan (and countrywide), listed all the green fingered gardeners of Balbriggan and what they produced. Finally, from 1947 onwards we see regular updates in the press about the Balbriggan Racing Pigeon Club and we finish the evening with their racing results from the 1979 newspapers..
Bio: Cora Mc Donagh was recently awarded a PhD for her thesis ‘Irish country house collections, display and dispersal: A social study of Irish art loan exhibitions and auctions, 1798- 1916.’ at Maynooth University where she was under the supervision of Professor Terence Dooley and Dr Alison FitzGerald.
In 2019 she was awarded a four-year John and Pat Hume Doctoral scholarship. Her other scholarships and bursaries include the 2019 Desmond Guinness Scholarship (The Irish Georgian Society), the 2019 Kevin B Nowlan Bursary (The Castletown Foundation) and in 2021 the Sir Alfred Beit Research Bursary for research on the art collection at Russborough House. Last year she completed a post-doctoral research project for the RDS Library and Archives where she conducted research on the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1853. She co-curated two exhibitions on the role of the RDS in the organisation of the 1853 exhibition and these were on display at the RDS Library and the Royal Irish Academy Library from October to December 2023.

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.

May 1st Talk : A Balbriggan Tragedy, 1930- Jim Walsh

Title: A Balbriggan Tragedy, 1930, Speaker: Jim Walsh

Thanks to our own Jim Walsh for a really interesting and moving talk on A Balbriggan Tragedy – the Bolingbroke children earlier this month. The huge crowd was a reflection of Jim’s standing in the town where everyone knows his talks are not to be missed. Thank you all for attending – and thanks to Brian Kavanagh for his assistance with the presentation.

His talk told the story of the tragedy of the Bolingbroke children in 1930, their death in a fire in Balbriggan, and the impact on the Bolingbroke family and the community of a tragedy remembered in Balbriggan almost a century later.

Bio – Jim Walsh is a local historian and retired librarian. He is a current committee member, former chairman and founder member of Balbriggan & District Historical Society since 1981. Jim has given numerous talks on a range of Balbriggan topics and is an expert on the history of Balbriggan. You can access some of his talks, most notably on the Sack of Balbriggan on our Youtube channel.

All our talks take place in the Bracken Court Hotel at 8pm on the last Wednesday of the month, and all are welcome. Membership is €15 individual, €20 family or €10 for seniors or you can pay €5 for any individual talk.

March Talk:To Declare a Republic: The life of Liam Lynch, IRA Chief of Staff, 1892-1923- Gerard Shannon

Balbriggan & District Historical Society is looking forward to a new year of activities and we would be delighted if you can join us. For our first talk on March 27th at 8pm in the Bracken Court Hotel we welcome Skerries native Gerard Shannon for a talk on Liam Lynch titled – To Declare a Republic: The life of Liam Lynch, IRA Chief of Staff, 1892-1923.

General Liam Lynch was one of the most important republican leaders of the Irish revolutionary period. Hailing from rural Limerick, Lynch proved himself an accomplished guerrilla commander of the IRA’s Cork No. 2 Brigade in north Cork, masterminding important operations against British forces during the War of Independence. Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Lynch soon established him as a chief opponent to the settlement, seeing it as a betrayal of the Irish republican cause. On becoming leader of the anti-Treaty IRA at the outset of the Irish Civil War, Lynch was a major driving of republican resistance to the emerging Irish Free State, with his death in April 1923 ultimately signalling an end to the military fighting of the conflict. This talk from Gerard Shannon, author of the most recent biography of Lynch, explores the life of this fascinating figure.

Bio – Gerard Shannon is a public historian of the Irish revolutionary period from Skerries and has a MA in History from the DCU School of History and Geography. His first book, ‘Liam Lynch: To Declare a Republic’, was published in March 2023 from Merrion Press and featured on the non-fiction best seller lists. He is currently developing a biography of IRA leader Rory O’Connor, to see publication in early 2025.

For our April talk on the 24th we welcome local historian and Committee member our own Jim Walsh for a talk on the tragedy of the Bolingbroke children in 1930. His talk will focus on their death in a fire in Balbriggan, and the impact on the Bolingbroke family and the community of a tragedy remembered in Balbriggan almost a century later.

On May 29th we welcome Aiden Arnold for a talk based on his recent book Barnewall de Berneval – 800 years of a Norman Irish family. As we all know the Barnewall family were associated with Bremore Castle in Balbriggan so this will be of huge interest.

All our talks take place in the Bracken Court Hotel at 8pm on the last Wednesday of the month, and all are welcome. Membership is €15, €20 family or €10 for seniors or you can pay €5 for any individual talk.

October Talk: ‘World War 1 – the Irish Context’ – Eithne MacDermott

Join us next week for our Historical Society Talk on October 25th at 8pm in the Bracken Court Hotel when we will be focusing on World War 1. We are delighted to present short talks by students of Loreto Secondary School each focusing on the individual story of one young man from Balbriggan who served in World War 1. It is poignant that the students speaking are not much younger than the young men who enlisted in this great war, many of whom never came home. Along with these presentations Eithne MacDermott will speak about the social and political context of World War 1 in Ireland. Eithne has previously given a talk for the Society on the Interparty Government 1948-1951. Not to be miseed. Adm €5, Members free. All Welcome

The Local History Students were the winners of the Western Front Association Malcolm Doolin Award for their World War 1 Projects read more

Eithne MacDermott has taught Modern European History in TCD, and, earlier, Modern European and Irish History and Politics in NUIG, and is the author of Clann na Poblachta, (Cork University Press 1998).
Moreover, she has served as an Interntional Election Observer, (nominated by Ireland), observing almost 30 elections across three continents since 1997, and has also worked as a Political Adviser with EU Missions in Georgia, Afghanistan and Somalia

September Talk: ‘Balbriggan Stockings, Old Masters and the Bells of Howth: North County Dublin contributions to the 19th century Art & Industry Exhibitions.’ Cora McDonagh

Balbriggan & District Historical Society presents Cora Mc Donagh’s talk on ‘Balbriggan Stockings, Old Masters and the Bells of Howth: North County Dublin contributions to the nineteenth century Art & Industry Exhibitions.’ 27^th September 2023 at 8pm Bracken Court Hotel. Admission €5, Members free. All Welcome

Cora is a local resident and PhD student at Maynooth University and her research involves some of the exhibitions and loans that she will be discussing at her talk. She will explore Balbriggan’s involvement with the exhibitions that took place in the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century. She will look at the contributions from the stocking manufacturers especially those at the 1853 Great Industrial Exhibition held in Dublin where Smyth & Co, Glennys, Appleyard and others had stands and over one million people visited this exhibition. Later exhibitions saw other industries at the exhibitions including The Balbriggan Salt Works Co. and the Drogheda Linen Company, Balbriggan.

Other districts in North County Dublin also provided generous loans to the exhibitions especially the Old Masters exhibitions and later the Art & Industry exhibitions. There were contributions from the Cobbes of Newbridge House, Donabate, the Lord Talbots de Malahide, the Viscount Gormanston (the address for Gormanston Castle during this time was given as Balbriggan, Co. Dublin) and many more. Cora will also explain how these loans were of benefit to the artists, the artisans and others during the nineteenth century.

During the final part of the talk Cora will have a brief look at the other exhibitions including the Flower Shows and Horticultural Exhibitions during the early twentieth century that took place at Balbriggan, Malahide, Skerries and Rush. Who knows, you might see the name of an ancestor listed amongst the prizewinners!

Cora Mc Donagh is a PhD candidate at Maynooth University under the supervision of Professor Terence Dooley and Dr Alison FitzGerald. Her thesis ‘Irish Country House art collections, display and dispersal: A social study of Irish loan exhibitions and auctions, 1798-1916’ combines both Irish social history with history of art. Cora has recently been appointed project researcher for the RDS Library & Archives for a stand-alone project in partnership with The Historical Studies Committee of the Royal Irish Academy to mark the 170th anniversary of the Dublin Great Industrial Exhibition of 1853.

August Talk: The rise & fall of John Spicer’s model bakery & shop Balbriggan (1904-1999): an overview of parts 1 & 2′ – Frank Whearity

Balbriggan & District Historical Society presents Frank Whearity-The rise & fall of John Spicer’s model bakery & shop Balbriggan (1904-1999): an overview of parts 1 & 2′ August 30th 8pm Bracken Court Hotel

Admission €5, Members free. All Welcome

Frank Whearity’s story is about the bakery branch opened by John Spicer (a Navan based miller and baker, b.1853-d.1922) in April, 1904, at Drogheda Street Balbriggan. In 1902, Spicer had two flour mills, known as the Boyne and Blackwater Mills, a bakery, and a coal-yard, all at Navan, Co. Meath. When an opportunity arose to expand into the area of north Co. Dublin, by buying out the Cumisky family’s bakery at Drogheda St. Balbriggan, he jumped at the chance. His new bakery revolutionised the breadmaking process in N. Co. Dublin, because he brought up-to-the-minute production methods to an area still making bread by the largely handmade processes of yesteryear. An example of such an establishment was the Old Mill bakery in Skerries, which was owned by Balbriggan man William Ennis of Clonard. Of the seven branch managers at Balbriggan, all came from elsewhere, though a few never left the town being interred there after their time on earth was over. One man, Richard Webster & his wife Dorothy (formerly a daughter of John Spicer), came via Milan, Italy where they had lived from 1911 to 1932. Spicers bread & confectionery were much appreciated by Balbriggan people who relished the loaves & sliced ‘Champion’ & Nutbrown’ sliced pans. When it came to pastries, the most popular was probably the ‘Chocolate eclairs’ made with fresh cream. The culinary highlight of the year was surely the Spicers Christmas cake selection with exotic sounding names like ‘Gala’ ‘Festival’ & ‘Dundee yule’ which whet the appetite simply by thinking about them even at this remove in time. When it came to home baking, the discerning housewive, in 1916, was encouraged to use Spicers flour as it was made the ‘Connoisseur’s bread’. As time went along, the bakery ceased production in 1993, while the shop carried on until 1999 when it too closed down. While it was a sad loss to Balbriggan when it went, there nevertheless remains to this day a fondness for the bakery still felt among a cohort, albeit an older one, of those halcyon days when one could splurge on an eclair and dodge the cream which inevitably came oozing out the sides when eating it. While the Balbriggan branch was the first to go, the end came in 2012 when the whole firm of Spicers in its Navan headquarters went into liquidation. Frank would like to mention his granduncle Eugene ‘Bay’ Melia who became a baker in Spicers, Balbriggan branch in the period 1934 to 1938, when his indenture document was signed by John Spicer’s daughter, Madeleine.

Dublin to Drogheda Railway

On June 24th at 2pm we have an interesting talk by Renowned Author Rail Historian Jonathan Beaumont titled ‘The Dublin to Drogheda Railway’ in an exciting new venue for us, the beautiful setting of Ardgillan Castle.

You could combine the talk with a visit to the superb gardens of Ardgillan Demesne or a stroll in the grounds.

Entrance free All Welcome.

May Talk: ‘Balscadden Past and Present’ – Jim Walsh

Wednesday May 31st at 8pm, Bracken Court Hotel Balbriggan & District Historical Society presents our own Jim Walsh with a talk titled ‘Balscadden Past and Present’ Jim Walsh has been a constant presence in Balbriggan & District Historical Society since our foundation in 1981 and is a fantastic resource on all things Balbriggan and District related. This talk promises to be really interesting for Balbriggan and District residents old and new. As always admission €5 Members free

April Talk: ‘TITANIC – Search, Discovery and Diving to the world’s most famous shipwreck – Rory Golden

For our talk on April 26th in the Bracken Court Hotel we were delighted to have a very special visiting speaker of note, Rory Golden, Diver, Speaker, Explorer with a talk titled ‘TITANIC – Search, Discovery and Diving to the world’s most famous shipwreck.’

On his website www.RoryGolden.com Rory states ‘I have memories to last a lifetime that I can share with many’ More people have been to outer space than to the depths of the ocean that Rory has dived to and he shared these memories with us in an unmissable talk. Rory spoke first of the story of the building of the Titanic and its ill fated maiden voyage and the story of some of the many who lost their lives on it. He then introduced us to fantastic images of his dives to the wreck

https://youtu.be/UCwg2h7i4Ac

Some further background:

Member International of the Explorers Club of New York, Vice Chair of the Great Britain and Ireland Chapter of the Explorers Club, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society Rory Golden became the first Irish diver to visit the site of RMS TITANIC, in August 2000.
This expedition recovered 800 artifacts from nearly 4,000 metres deep. His dive was in a Russian submersible, and he left a memorial plaque on the wreck on behalf of the people of Ireland from Cobh. He also spotted the main ship’s wheel which was recovered on the dive.
He returned in August 2005, leaving two more memorial plaques from Belfast on the ship. This expedition was broadcast as a documentary, “A Journey to Remember”, on BBC with Mike
McKimm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGoJMc7hXDA.
In July 2021 he was contracted by OceanGate Expeditions to be on the 2021 Titanic Survey Expedition as the on board content expert. Other duties included assisting in the surface support dive ops and preparation of the revolutionary 5 person carbon fibre TITAN submersible.
In June and July 2022 he was again a team member for the second OceanGate expedition to the wreck site as a content expert and surface dive support co-ordinato – see link above. He made his third dive to the ship during this trip in the 5 person submersible TITAN. https://oceangateexpeditions.com/titanic

March Talk: The Story of Cricket in Fingal – James Bennett

Balbriggan and District Historical Society were delighted to welcome you to another year of activities from the Society with our first talk on Wednesday March 29th in the Bracken Court Hotel. We were delighted to welcome Jim Bennett for a talk titled ‘The Story of Cricket in Fingal’, the subject of his recent book. Cricket is hugely popular in the North County and this tradition goes back to the 1820’s when it was played for entertainment at great houses, such as Ardgillan. Clubs including Balbriggan began to be founded later in the 19th century and Jim’s talk told this fascinating story with particular emphasis on Balbriggan. Jim’s talk was highly entertaining with an emphasis on Balbriggan and many past and present Cricket players and their families were in attendance. He brought to life not just the games themselves but the rivalries and the entertainment and food and drink after the games, which were almost more important!

James Bennett is a native of Portlaoise and was educated at St Mary’s CBS Portlaoise and then attended St. Patrick’s Training College Drumcondra. His first teaching post was in Balbriggan but he spent the rest of his teaching career at St Colmcilles BNS Swords. He became Principal of the school in 1980 and retired in 2015. For many years he has been involved in cricket administration in The Hills CC. Cricket Leinster, Cricket Ireland and in 2022 he was elected President of Cricket Leinster.

October Talk: Celebrating 75 years of Balbriggan Dramatic Society – Grainne Maguire

Our October talk was by Grainne Maguire titled ‘Celebrating 75 years of Balbriggan Dramatic Society ‘ in the Bracken Court Hotel Balbriggan Wednesday October 26th. Grainne spoke about the fascinating history of Balbriggan Dramatic Society which is celebrating an amazing 75 years this year.

She began her presentation with a video recording of May McKeon chatting to founding member Eoghan O’Callaghan about the early years of the Society. It was fantastic to have members from the first production in 1947 joining us on the night and Grainne presented Eoghan O’Callaghan and Dermot Reynolds with framed programmes from the historic event. She also had an exhibition of old photographs.
Grainne Maguire is very well known to you all in Balbriggan from her work as a Councillor and in the community particularly with the Balbriggan Summerfest and the Dramatic Society and she has been a familiar face in their productions for many years.
We also enjoyed short presentations from the local history students from Loreto Secondary school who were winners in a competition the Society is proud to sponsor. We were delighted to welcome Noshien Aktar, Deborah Emeh and Rebecca Lawrence to share presentations on The Grand Palace Thailand and Balbriggan Harbour and Lighthouse

September Talk: Policing Ireland in 1922 – Jim Herlihy

Balbriggan & District Historical Society presented our September talk by Jim Herlihy titled ‘Policing Ireland in 1922’ in the Bracken Court Hotel Balbriggan Wednesday September 28th. 2022 marks the centenary of An Garda Síochána and Jim’s talk focussed on policing in the early years of the State as well as focussing on Balbriggan. It was a fascinating talk and also we remembered the members of An Garda Síochána who served in Balbriggan including Scott Medal winners Laurence O’Neill, Timothy Mahony and Patrick Quinn. We were delighted to have retired Gardai from Balbriggan in the audience including Dick Burke. Thanks to Kathleen O’Neill for her photos. Jim Herlihy is a retired member of An Garda Síochána and co-founder of the Garda Historical Society. He has written three books on the Royal Irish Constabulary, two books on the Dublin Metropolitan Police and one on the Irish Revenue Police.
Admission €5, Members free

August Talk: Genealogy & Balbriggan – how to trace your own family– Colm Timmins

Balbriggan & District Historical Society presented our August talk by Colm Timmins on Genealogy and Balbriggan – how to trace your own family Wednesday August 24th Bracken Court Hotel, Balbriggan. Colm is a long time member of our Society and a local genealogist with years of experience. In this talk he spoke about Balbriggan and shared his extensive knowledge to help you begin the journey of tracing your own family.

Colm gave a very interesting and informative talk with great insight into the records to check and there was some very interesting feedback from the large crowd also. Some sites are https://registers.nli.ie/www.buriedinfingal.ie www.genealogy.ie www.irelandcemetaryrecords.com Thoms Directory http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/ See Colm’s summary slide image below.

May Talk: The Building of Balbriggan Harbour – Rory McKenna

Balbriggan & District Historical Society presented The Building of Balbriggan Harbour by Rory McKenna, Wednesday May 25th Bracken Court Hotel. With all the changes taking place at the Harbour these days it was appropriate to look back at its history. We were delighted to welcome someone well known for his many talks for the Society our own Rory McKenna to present this talk. There were lots of questions and we could’ve been there for hours. We were delighted to welcome back some more old friends to our live talks following the Covid restrictions.

See link to a Fingal County Council Heritage from Above video on Balbriggan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQbdtv9oxi8

April Talk: Frank Lawless, 1870-1922: Fingal’s Revolutionary Politician – Declan Brady

We enjoyed an excellent presentation from Declan Brady on Frank Lawless, 1870-1922: Fingal’s Revolutionary Politician. We were delighted to see such a big crowd and welcome back some of our friends for the first time since 2019. It was particularly nice to welcome members of the Lawless family including Frank Lawless grandson as we heard all about his amazing life.

Frank Lawless is well known for his involvement with the Fingal Battalion and the Battle of Ashbourne in 1916, but he had a long and influential career in local politics, which reflected his journey from a supporter of Parnell to the revolutionary who fought in 1916 and in The War of Independence. Like his father he served as a poor law guardian in Balrothery, and his brothers and children were involved in the political and cultural movements that helped shape Irish Independence and the early years of the Irish Free State. This talk revisits Frank’s journey and the key role he played as a local political leader in Fingal.

March Talk: Irish National Foresters – St Molaga Branch, No.315 (Balbriggan) 1897-1942 – Jim Walsh

Balbriggan and District Historical Society back live

After a difficult two years Balbriggan & District Historical Society were delighted to welcome back old friends to an in-person talk in the Bracken Court Hotel on Wednesday March 30th, 2022.

The talk Irish National Foresters – St Molaga Branch, No.315 (Balbriggan) 1897-1942 ” was presented by Jim Walsh who is very well known as a founding member of the Society and an expert on Balbriggan history who has given many talks on a variety of subjects.

The Irish National Foresters Benefit Society was founded in 1877 embracing the dictum of Unity, Benevolence and Nationality. Offering much needed financial and medical assistance to its members this social movement spread rapidly throughout the entire island of Ireland. When the Balbriggan branch was formed in 1897, there were already 300 branches already established in Ireland. In the year 1911, Balbriggan Branch numbered 111 members. A female branch named the Molly Bawn was founded in the following year 1912. Payments garnered from branch membership funds were disbursed to families for sickness, death, widows and orphans and sundry “distress”. Having met in the Balbriggan Band Rooms for the members erected their own edifice in Hampton Street in the year 1913.

The Foresters Hall on Hampton Street found a new role when it was purchased by Dan O’Shea. Dan bought the house from the Foresters in 1947 and ran his school, St. Brendan’s College there from his family home until he closed it in 1957 to take up a teaching role elsewhere. Dan helped the Society with research into the building and in appreciation a photo of Dan O’Shea was presented to Dan’s daughter, Marian Connolly née O’Shea and her daughter, Tara

The talk was filmed and is available above

Balbriggan & District Historical Society’s October 2021 Zoom talk

Balbriggan & District Historical Society presented:
“Voters and politicians – elections and local government in North Dublin during the lifetime of the Rural Balrothery District Council, 1898-1930.” By Declan Brady via Zoom at 8pm on Wednesday October 27th

This talk examined the progressive changes in voter franchise and local government representation from the Local Government Act in 1898, through the Irish Revolution, to the abolition of the RDC’s in 1930. The Home Rule and independence movements used these elections to harness support but also counted on the support of these local bodies as an integral part of the challenging of British rule in Ireland. The early years of independence brought new challenges in the relationship between local and national government which will also be explored.

Declan Brady is a professional genealogist and historian based in Swords. He is currently completing a History PhD on the evolution of local politics in Fingal from 1870 to 1948, at Maynooth University, where he has been a John Hume scholar.

“From the Liffey to The Boyne” Songs and Lore from Fingal and East Meath

Speaker: David O’Connor

Time and Date: Wednesday May 26th 8pm via Zoom
Balbriggan & District Historical Society were delighted to present our first talk via Zoom. For this we welcomed back a fond friend of the Society David O’Connor for a talk that we hope was entertaining and informative.

David O Connor is a retired ESB man from Ballyboughal who has a lifelong interest in History Folklore and Song, in particular relating to the Fingal/East Meath area. He has collected,and sings approx 40 songs of varying quality from this area. You will also be familiar with him as a former Councillor and Mayor of Fingal and for his lifelong involvement with Irish cricket. The presentation features a mix of story and songs about Bellewstown Races, The Gladstone Gaels of Balbriggan Town, Hampton Hall Green, Rachel the Ruby of Rush, Michaels Wake, and plenty more of the same ilk.

You can enjoy a recording of the presentation below

Sack of Balbriggan Commemorative Seminar

The Sack of Balbriggan Commemorative Seminar, featuring six speakers giving a broad perspective on the events of September, 20 1920 and also including a new digital version of a video from 1992 of three eyewitness accounts of this tragic night, was recorded in the Bracken Court Hotel on Friday September 18, 2020.

The evolution of the Balbriggan & District Historical Society Sack of Balbriggan Commemorative Seminar is of historical note in itself. Originally planned as a major public event where we hoped to welcome an enthusiastic local and visiting audience, by August 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions it was clear that this wouldn’t be possible. We decided rather than cancel to go ahead and record the lectures and make them available via Youtube. There was one final twist as the date of the Seminar – September 19, 2020 – loomed and due to a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases, particularly in Dublin, on Thursday 17th it became increasingly clear that no indoor gatherings would be possible from Saturday 19th. A frantic evening of phone calls and quick decisions from our Committee, and a very cooperative venue The Bracken Court, videographer Eric Campbell and our fantastic speakers ensured that the Seminar could go ahead a day earlier on Friday 18th. Please now enjoy the six talks giving a broad and varied perspective on the tragic events of September 20, 1920.

But first……..

Eyewitness Accounts of the Sack of Balbriggan

It is a particular honour for the present Committee to bring to you remastered in digital format on Youtube a Video made in 1992 by the Jim Walsh and Tom Coughlan from Balbriggan & District Historical Society where we interviewed local people about their experiences of the Sack of Balbriggan. The video features Michael Hammond, Mrs Kathleen McGillivary and Mrs Bridget Daly

Diarmaid Ferriter: The War of Independence in Ireland in 1920

Diarmaid Ferriter is one of Ireland’s best-known historians. A Professor of Modern Irish History at University College Dublin, his main research interest is the social, political and cultural history of 20th century Ireland. He has written a number of books, including the critically acclaimed biography, Judging Dev, an insight into one of Ireland’s most influential leaders, Éamon de Valera. He also contributes widely on radio, television and to the print media.

Jim Walsh: The Sack of Balbriggan, September 1920

Born in 1948, Jim attended Balrothery N.S. and Skerries De La Salle College. He served as librarian with Dublin City and County Library Services from 1966 to 2010. He completed a thesis on printed sources relating to North County Dublin, and was awarded a fellowship of the Library Association of Ireland in 1979. He was a co-founder of our Society in July 1981. His passion for, and in-depth knowledge of, local history is legendary.

Jim Herlihy: The Black & Tans in context

Jim Herlihy is a retired member of An Garda Síochána and co-founder of the Garda Historical Society. He has written three books on the Royal Irish Constabulary, two books on the Dublin Metropolitan Police and one on the Irish Revenue Police.

Brendan Matthews: Balbriggan 1920,the Rise & Fall of a Thriving Community

Brendan Matthews is an independent historian, with his speciality focusing on community history research and all that it entails – settlement, transport, industry, health, education, justice, crime, etc., and the establishment, progression and/or decline of communities over periods of time.

Frank Whearity: Aspects of the life and times of Ellen Costello and her family in Clonard St., Balbriggan, in September 1920, now 100 years ago.

Frank Whearity is a local historian and member of Balbriggan & District Historical Society. He holds an M.A. in Local History from Maynooth University. Frank’s book Balbriggan a History in Maps 1655-1900 was published by Balbriggan & District Historical Society in 2016.

Jim Glennon: The Sack: A family’s reflections

Jim Glennon is a former TD, Senator, and member of the British & Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body. A company director and chairman, he is currently Chairman of the Fingal Age Friendly Alliance. He is also a former Irish international rugby player and coach of Leinster Rugby

Sack of Balbriggan Commemoration Lecture

Balbriggan & District Historical Society have embraced technology to present their Heritage Week talk on The Sack of Balbriggan 1920 by local historian Jim Walsh via Youtube.

Jim a retired Librarian and founding member of the Society draws on a lifetime of research and some newly available material to present a fascinating talk which will be of huge interest to history enthusiasts as well as being very accessible to the general public.

The talk begins with an introduction giving the local and historical context of the time and continues with the aid of many images, to give a comprehensive account of the Sack of Balbriggan, based on contemporary accounts, military and RIC archives, newspaper coverage, other publications and interviews with family members.

The Youtube presentation is interspersed with many images from the time as well as contemporary images from Balbriggan provided by Society Secretary Kilian Harford to give context.

The centenary of the Sack of Balbriggan by the Black and Tans in 1920 takes place on September 20th and as part of the Covid-19 restricted Commemoration the Society has a full seminar on the subject planned including a lecture from Diarmaid Ferriter, which will also be made available online.

Speaking about this new venture into virtual content a spokesperson for the Society said “While we are very disappointed like everyone else that we haven’t been able to present our usual programme of talks to our loyal members and supporters in Balbriggan arguably these new challenges have presented an opportunity to reach a much bigger audience. We are delighted to be able to connect again with our friends in Balbriggan who we have missed this year and we think the availability of this lecture online will be of huge interest to Balbriggan people abroad as well as locally and nationally.”

We would like to thank Eric Campbell for producing the video in such a fantastic professional manner.

October Talk: Clann na Poblachta & the Interparty Government Speaker: Eithne MacDermott

“A brief overview of Clann na Poblachta, and the Inter-Party Government 1948-51” by Eithne MacDermott. This also featured talks by Loreto Secordary School Students on various aspects of the Sack of Balbriggan, including newspaper articles from the time, and Black and Tan attacks elsewhere.
Eithne’s talk covered some of the interesting features of Clann na Poblachta who included Sean McBride and Dr Noel Browne, a different political generation, the first time an inter-party or coalition government, which is now the norm, was formed and took office – and some comments on the inter party government itself. In light of Brexit she will also looked at Ireland, the Commonwealth and the Declaration of the Republic, and what leaving a major international organisation, the Commonwealth entailed. She spoke without notes and had a huge knowledge of the subject including talking about when she met with the main people involved while researching her book on the subject. She brought us back to the awful poverty of the 1940’s, the emergence of a new radical political movement, the fight against TB and the church, and the new concept of Coalition government

Eithne MacDermott has studied and taught in NUIG (Irish Politics; EU Studies; Comparative Politics: Western European Political Systems; and Eastern European History) and TCD (Modern History – Russian and Eastern European History), and has written a book on Clann na Poblachta which was published by Cork University Press in 1998.
She has served as an international election observer – nominated by the Irish Government for the past 22 years and has observed and reported on more than 25 elections across three continents in that time. She has also served as with a number of EU civilian missions – seconded by Ireland – in Georgia, Afghanistan, and Somalia as a political adviser or analyst.