Title: Queen Victoria’s Visit to Killarney – August 1861 Speaker: Frank Tracy Time: 7:45pm Location: Iona Pastoral Institute
Via Aoife O’Tierney KPresenter: Frank has presented talks our society previously and produced the book on the Massay Woods some years ago.
Outing: this year’s outing will be on Saturday the 7th June. We hope to visit the Cistercian Monastery, Mount Saint Joseph, Damer House and the old Castle, then visit the Black Mills, which now houses the Celtic Cross from Saint Cronán’s monastery ruins nearby. Evening meal at the Céidin Hotel. More to follow.
————— Editor: limited post due to computer broadband issues. Sent by phone. —————
Title: Cornelius Ryan Speaker: Philip Lecane, Historian. Time: @ 7:45 PM Location:Iona Pastoral Centre
Presenter: Philip Lecane, Historian. This evening Philip takes us on a whirlwind tour of the life and times of Cornelius Ryan, but as Aoife O’Tierney recounts many members may recall Philip giving a ‘great talk’ on the sinking of the RMS Leinster in a previous talk.
Philip Lecane Historian
Philip moved to to Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin (known as Kingstown at the time of the RMS Leinster sinking) in 1984. He first became aware of the sinking when a number of references were made to it at local history society meetings. Surprised that so little was known about the event, he was drawn to research the story. In 2005, his book Torpedoed! The RMS Leinster Disaster was published. In 2003 and 2008 he chaired committees which planned very successful RMS Leinster commemorative events. He worked with Canadian Will Lockhart to create the website http://www.rmsleinster.com. In 2015, his book Beneath a Turkish Sky: The Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Assault on Gallipoli was published. In 2018, on the centenary of the sinking, his book Women and Children of the RMS Leinster: Restored to History was published. A committee member of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association and Foxrock (County Dublin) Local History Club. He has also worked on a biography of Irish First World fighter ace George McElroy.
Cornelius Ryan (5 June 1920 – 23 November 1974) was an Irish journalist and author known mainly for writing popular military history.
Cornelius Ryan
Ryan was the son of a British soldier and an Irish-nationalist mother. His grandfather had been an irascible journalist in Ireland and young Connie soon determined journalism for his own career. Still in his early 20s, he was sent by a London newspaper to cover American G.I.s in Britain. At first he found it difficult, but later admitted that, “Among those brash, irreverent, confident [American] soldiers, I found my spiritual home.” He viewed D-Day from a ship in the invasion fleet.
He became one of the preeminent war correspondents of his time, flying fourteen bombing missions with the Eighth and Ninth US Air Forces and covering the D-Day landings and the advance of General Patton’s Third Army across France and Germany. After the end of hostilities in Europe, he covered the Pacific War.
Below a British Paté news reel of the ‘Longest Day’ – the D-Day landings on June 6th 1944.
After the war, he covered the establishment of Israel. He immigrated to the United States in 1947 to work for Time. He left Time in 1949, served briefly with Newsweek, and joined the Collier’s staff as an associate editor in 1950. During that same year he also married Kathryn Morgan and became a naturalized citizen of the United states. During Ryan’s association with Collier’s, he achieved international recognition for his journalistic reporting of the United States space program and introduced Wernher von Braun to the American public. In 1956, two of his articles, “One Minute to Ditch” and “Five Desperate Hours in Cabin 56″ gained him three national awards for distinguished magazine writing: the Benjamin Franklin award, the Overseas Press Club award, and the University of Illinois award.
He was awarded the Christopher Award for the best book on foreign affairs in 1959 and the Bancarella Prize (Italy) in 1962. Pursuing journalism in the United States after the war, he finally persuaded Reader’s Digest to underwrite his effort to write a book for the 15th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. He flung himself into the work, interviewing not only Americans, Canadians and British, but also French and Germans. He joined the staff of Reader’s Digest immediately following the publication of The Longest Day, continuing his career in journalism while beginning research on his second World War II battle book, The Last Battle, which was published in 1965.
In addition to his classic works He was especially known for his histories of World War II events: The Longest Day: 6 June 1944 D-Day (1959), The Last Battle (1966), and A Bridge Too Far (1974), he is the author of numerous other books, which have appeared throughout the world in nineteen languages. Awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1973, Mr. Ryan was hailed at that time by Malcolm Muggeridge as “perhaps the most brilliant reporter now alive.”
Cornelius Ryan Photo Gallery: click image to enlarge. Click on the (i) Information icon, bottom right of gallery for further information on some images.
Source: Cornelius Ryan Last Battle Promotional Film via mrb6812 on YouTube
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1970 at age 54, and he began a program of chemotherapy. Meanwhile, he continued his research and writing on the third of his battle books, A Bridge Too Far. In July of 1973 he was awarded the French Legion of Honor in recognition of his contributions to the fields of journalism and historical writing. The following year A Bridge Too Far was published and he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from Ohio University. During the publicity tour for his last book he re-entered the hospital and died of cancer on November 23, 1974.
The notes and tapes he made during his bout with cancer were compiled and edited along with his wife’s diaries and published in 1976 as A Private Battle.
Title: Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins in Contrast Speaker: by Catherine Scuffil and Liz Gillis Time: @ 7:45 PM Location:Iona Pastoral Centre
Catherine Scuffil has an MA in Local History from Maynooth University. She is currently the Historian in Residence for Dublin’s South Central area which includes the historic Liberties and some of the city’s oldest suburbs. Catherine has written a number of local history books and an abridged version of her MA thesis was awarded the Old Dublin Society’s silver medal in 2018. Source: History on Your Doorstep.
Liz Gillis is an author and historian from the Liberties. She has a Diploma in Classical Animation Studies and a Degree in Irish History. Liz currently works as a Researcher for the History Show on RTE Radio and has lectured at Champlain College since 2018. She was a Curatorial Assistant in RTE, specialising in researching the Easter Rising and a tour guide for many years in Kilmainham Gaol. Liz is the author of six books about the Irish Revolution. In 2018 Liz was a recipient of the Lord Mayor’s Award for her contribution to history. Source: Champlain College.
Michael Collins Photo Gallery: click image to enlarge. Click on the (i) Information icon for further information on some images.
Arthur Griffith Photo Gallery: click image to enlarge. Click on the (i) Information icon for further information on some images.
Arthur Joseph Griffith (Irish: Art Seosamh Ó Gríobhtha or Art Ó Gríofa; 31 March 1871 – 12 August 1922) was an Irish writer, newspaper editor and politician who founded the political party Sinn Féin. He led the Irish delegation at the negotiations that produced the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, and served as the president of Dáil Éireann from January 1922 until his death later in August.
Commentary While both men were instrumental in the struggle for Irish independence, their visions for Ireland’s future differed. Griffith’s approach was more moderate and sought to find a compromise with Britain, while Collins was more radical and focused on achieving full independence. Despite their differences, they worked together during the negotiations of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and both died within ten days of each other in 1922, during the Irish Civil War.
Other references: Jock McPeake was the last person to speak with Michael Collins before he was shot during the ambush. Jock was the Vickers machine gunner in the armoured car in which Collins was travelling in and recounts those last moments when it came under fire on “its return journey from Collins’ home in Woodfield near Clonakilty. More details: independent.ie
Sliabh na mBan – The Jewel in the crown. By Bob Webster & Sister Veronica Treacy History of the famous armoured car used by Michael Collins, with further images.
Memorabilia from the 1916 Easter Rising. Photo Gallery: click image to enlarge. Click on the (i) Information icon for further information on some images.
Title: ‘Seamus Heaney Poems’. Speaker: KHS members Time: @ 7:45 PM Location:Iona Pastoral Centre
Reminder from Aoife O’Tierney Our Christmas Celebrations and the reading by members of a selection of Seamus Heaney Poems takes place Wed. Dec. 11th at 7:45pm, followed by the Christmas Raffle and Mince Pies etc.
Promises to be a GREAT NIGHT
Click on the first image to open the slideshow. Image source acknowledged within the slideshow below the image in a description.
Click on image below to run video: Duration 50 mins.
Heaney was born in the townland of Tamniaran between Castledawson and Toomebridge, Northern Ireland. His family moved to nearby Bellaghy when he was a boy. He became a lecturer at St. Joseph’s College in Belfast in the early 1960s, after attending Queen’s University and began to publish poetry. He lived in Sandymount, Dublin, from 1976 until his death.[7] He lived part-time in the United States from 1981 to 2006. He was a professor at Harvard from 1981 to 1997, and their Poet in Residence from 1988 to 2006. From 1989 to 1994, he was also the Professor of Poetry at Oxford. In 1996 he was made a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 1998 was bestowed the title Saoi of Aosdána. He received numerous prestigious awards.
Heaney is buried at St. Mary’s Church, Bellaghy, Northern Ireland. The headstone bears the epitaph “Walk on air against your better judgement”, from his poem “The Gravel Walks”.[8]
Catherine Scuffil has an MA in Local History from Maynooth University. She is currently the Historian in Residence for Dublin’s South Central area which includes the historic Liberties and some of the city’s oldest suburbs. Catherine has written a number of local history books and an abridged version of her MA thesis was awarded the Old Dublin Society’s silver medal in 2018. Source: History on Your Doorstep.
Title: ‘The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland’ Speaker: Dr. Ronan Kelly Time: @ 7:45 PM Location:Iona Pastoral Centre
Dr. Ronan Kelly
Dr. Ronan Kelly is the author of ‘Every Branch of the Healing Art’: A History of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, which “traces the evolution and impact of the institution since its foundation in 1784 when a small group of Irish surgeons broke ranks with the Guild of Barber-Surgeons to form the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland”.
“It explores the institution’s national and international impact as a trailblazer in surgical and health sciences education, its legacy of driving global improvements in human health and maps its journey to becoming Ireland’s first health sciences university”.
“The book also sheds new light on periods of huge social change and unrest, exploring RCSI’s journey through two World Wars, the 1916 Rising, right up to its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the second that the institution has endured”
“Speaking of his process when compiling an almost 250-year history, Dr Ronan Kelly said, “RCSI’s story is a gift to a writer – it already pulses with dramatic life. It’s an extraordinary privilege for me to get to share this story with others now.” “
“Dr Maurice Manning, Chancellor, National University of Ireland, is the chair of the book’s editorial board. He said: “From nineteenth-century body snatchers to the 1916 Rising, through two pandemics and two world wars, with a vivid cast of characters, and reaching right to the present day, this book is a fast-moving narrative of a great Irish – and, in recent times, global – institution.” “
Title: Raising Dublin, Raising Ireland: A Friar’s Campaigns Speaker: Fergus A. D’Arcy (U.C.D.) Time: @ 7:45 PM Location:Iona Pastoral Centre
Celebrating 50 years since the founding of Knocklyon Parish.
Professor Fergus D’Arcy, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.Hist.S., is Professor Emeritus in modern history of University College Dublin (UCD).
He lectured in UCD from 1970, was Dean of the UCD Faculty of Arts through 1992 to 2004.
His publications include Terenure College, 1860-2010 (Dublin, 2010), Horses, Lords and Racing Men: the Turf Club, 1790-1990 (Kildare, 1991) and the award winning Remembering the War Dead: British Commonwealth and International War Graves in Ireland Since 1914 (Dublin, 2007).
John Spratt, Carmelite and Dubliner, (1796-1871) was one of the foremost campaigners in a host of social, religious and political causes in nineteenth century Ireland.
Above all else in his public life, he was a champion of the poor and dispossessed of Dublin and of Ireland. A member of the Catholic Association from 1824 and of the Repeal Association from its foundation in 1840, he led the efforts to achieve a reconciliation of the Repealers and Young Irelanders and was also a leading figure in the nineteenth-century temperance cause. He was the founder-member of the movement for the amnesty of Fenian prisoners.
His work for famine relief brought him to national eminence. The builder of Whitefriar Street Church and its associated schools for boys and girls, he was a leading figure in the revival of the fortunes of the Carmelite Order in Ireland in his age.
Title: Tales from a Wicklow Tea Room 1898-1960 Speaker: Michael Fewer Time: @ 7:45 PM Location:Iona Pastoral Centre
Tales from a Wicklow Tea Room, 1898–1960 tells the story of a tiny cottage in Glencree in the Wicklow Mountains and the tea room run there by the McGuirk family from the 1880s to the 1960s. It is about those who met and took tea at McGuirk’s during the most momentous years of Ireland’s history, and the world they inhabited.
McGuirk’s Visitors books were a unique collection that offered insights into the social, political, and cultural landscape of early twentieth-century Ireland. These books, contained over 13,000 signatures along with comments, poetry, and artwork left by the diverse array of guests.
The tea room served as a gathering place for a wide range of individuals, including poets, artists, writers, scientists, politicians, lawyers, and other influential figures of Irish society. Notable visitors included Arthur Griffith, J.M. Synge, William Beckett, Denis Devlin, Oliver St. John Gogarty, and many more. The entries in these books reflected the rising popularity of the Irish language and culture during that period, with an increasing number of notes written in Gaelic script. The books also shed light on the status of women, the backgrounds of various signatories, and the surprising number of Anglo-Irish individuals who later perished in World War I. McGuirk’s meticulous exploration of these entries revealed fascinating stories and connections, making the Visitors books a valuable historical and cultural resource.
The artist Harry Kernoff was a regular, often in the company of teacher and lexicographer Seán Óg OCaomhánaigh, of whom he left a pencil portrait. On another occasion, he is accompanied by the artist Sean O’Sullivan and Shamrock Trench, the first woman to qualify for a pilot’s licence in Ireland. On this occasion, O’Sullivan left a beautiful sketch of Trench. Among the many poetic offerings in the books are verses by Mervyn Wall, Anthony Cronin and Denis Devlin.
Over this most formative period in Irish history, the cottage became a meeting place for poets, artists, writers, scientists, politicians, lawyers and, indeed, representatives of every aspect of Irish society, including some of early-twentieth-century Ireland’s most influential people. Among the host of visitors were Ellen Duncan, Arthur Griffith, Hugh Lane, J.B. Malone, Constantia Maxwell, Robert Lloyd Praeger, J.M. Synge, Mervyn Wall and Ella Webb.
Gallery: Please click any image below to run slideshow.
On the edge of Carlingford Lough and at the base of the Cooley Mountains is picturesque Carlingford. Explore the medieval streets, try the famous local oysters and have a drink in a 16th century castle.
OutingUpdate Departure time 9.30 a.m. sharp Bus capacity 33
11a.m.tea/coffee/scone at Four Season’s Hotel
12 noon visit to Heritage Centre nearby
1p.m.-3p.m. Free time to visit this medieval town, the seaside, greenway or priory ruins.
3p.m.- 5p.m. in 2 groups guided tour of King John’s Castle. Earlier group finishing at 4p.m. are asked to be at the Bay Tree Restaurant at 4.50p.m. This is to enable us get started smartly as Restaurant has another booking later. Division of the 2 groups will take place on the bus.
6.30 – 6.45 Leave restaurant and depart for bus to leave sharp at 7.00p.m.arriving Dublin shortly after 8 p.m.
This trip is for members only. All in cost: €80 Deposit: €20 at meeting May 8 meeting
Breakdown of costs per person Bus €20, meal (2courses) €40, T/C/Scone €6.50, Entry to Heritage Centre €3 Guided tour of King John’s Castle €8.50 = €78 Tips borne mainly by the society.
Gerard Lovett is a retired member of An Garda Síochána and retired as a detective inspector in the Garda Special Branch in 2004. Since then, he was general secretary of the Garda Síochána Retired Members’ Association for seven years and was editor of their quarterly magazine Síocháin. He has written numerous articles on police history and has regularly given lectures to historical societies on both garda and RIC history, as well as famous historical murder cases.
Spike Island’s strategic location within the harbour meant it was used at times for defence and as a prison. Since the early 21st century the island has been developed as a heritage tourist attraction,[4] with €5.5 million investment in exhibition and visitor spaces[5] and accompanying tourism marketing.[6] There were in excess of 81,000 visitors to the island during 2019, a 21% increase on 2018 numbers.[7][8] Spike Island was named top European tourist attraction at the 2017 World Travel Awards.[9] Source: wikipedia
Knocklyon History Society 
