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.
