Galway Centenary Conversations: War & Revolution Roadshow

The Old Tuam Society is delighted to announce its participation in a county wide initiative remembering the independence struggle in Co. Galway.

This summer will see a series of free public history events around the County organised by NUI Galway, GMIT, local history societies and Galway County Council as part of its Decade of Commemoration strategy (2013-23). Galway Centenary Conversations: War & Revolution Roadshow will take place in Tuam, Craughwell, Clifden, Portumna, Skehana and Athenry throughout June and July. Each event is free and all are welcome.

The talks will feature an array of local and national historians discussing key events, personalities and developments during the independence struggle in Galway. Topics to be examined include the aftermath of the 1916 Rebellion; the conscription crisis; the 1918 General Election; the War of Independence; Cumann na mBan and the Galway Volunteers.

Family history and memorabilia

The series is also a chance for the public to offer their family reminiscences of the period and discuss the involvement of local communities and families. National experts will be available to offer advice or support to budding researchers and encourage people to bring along material from their own family’s involvement or any relevant letters, memorabilia.

Tuam Library

The series kicks off in Tuam Library on Wednesday 14 June where the Old Tuam Society will host an event focusing on the 1918 General Election in North Galway. The event begins at 8 pm and features Dr Conor McNamara and Dr Martin O’Donoghue of NUI Galway.

Where and When:

·         Wednesday 14 June 8pm Tuam Library

·         Tuesday 20 June 8pm Craughwell Hall

·         Wednesday 28 June 8pm Clifden Station House Theatre

·         Wednesday 5 July 8pm Portumna Workhouse Centre

·         Wednesday 12 July 8pm Screene’s Lounge, Skehana

·         Wednesday 19 July 8pm Athenry Community Centre

Further details: Contact Conor McNamara, NUI Galway: conor.mcnamara@nuigalway.ie

May Lecture 2017

Our lecture season for 2016-17 draws to a close Thursday, 25 May at 8 pm in Tuam Library. It is our great pleasure to welcome our guest lecturer Seamus Bellew. A native of Castleblakeney and who now lives and teaches in Dundalk. He is Honorary Secretary of the County Louth Archaeological & Historical Society and has been a frequent and welcome contributor to JOTS as well as numerous other publications. This lecture will highlight some aspects of heraldry around the town and show the connections between families and institutions which have shaped the history of the town.

Time: 8 pm

Date: 25 May, 2017

Venue: Tuam Library

All Welcome

Free 6 week Publishing and Archiving course

The Old Tuam Society has great pleasure in announcing a free upcoming 6 week workshop dealing with all aspects of publishing and archiving methods. This course will be of interest to individuals and groups. We are pleased to partner with Galway County Council and the Heritage Council in running this course.

March Lecture 2017

Tom Glynn (1881-1934) is notable as one of the ’Sydney Twelve’ charged with treason in 1916 (though convicted of the lesser charge of seditious conspiracy) for opposition to Australian participation in World War and to conscription. Another of the ‘Twelve’ was Peter Larkin, brother of ‘Big Jim’.

We are delighted to welcome back lecturer Dr. John Cunningham, Dept of History, NUI Galway. John has been an esteemed contributor to our talks and JOTS over the years and this lecture should prove equally engaging. A former editor of Saothar: journal of Irish Labour History, John's research interests include Irish local history, the moral economy, and global syndicalism and his numerous include St. Jarlath's College, Tuam: 1800-2000 and ‘A town tormented by the sea': Galway, 1790-1914.

Born in Gurteen, Co. Galway, to a family with strong Monivea connections, Glynn emigrated at 17 with a brother to join uncles in Kensington, Melbourne. He subsequently became a trade union activist and was imprisoned in South Africa in 1911 for his role in organising two tramway strikes.

Returning to Sydney, he was the founding editor of the Industrial Workers of the World’s (IWW) Australian newspaper, Direct Action. On the outbreak of World War One, Direct Action became an outspoken and provocative opponent of  ‘militarism’, frequently breaching censorship laws. In its pages, Glynn drew on his experience as a teenage soldier to denounce war. As the conflict advanced, his IWW union was the left-wing of a broader movement against conscription which included Archbishop Mannix and feminists like Adela Pankhurst.

A consequence of Direct Action’s outspokenness was the proscription of the paper and the incarceration and deportation of many of the IWW’s principal agitators. The travails of the ‘Sydney Twelve’ in prison, were described by one of them, Donald Grant, in Through Six Gaols (1921).

Glynn was among the ten of the ‘Sydney Twelve’ freed in 1920, following a vigorous campaign by a Release Committee. Head-hunted by the nascent Communist Party, he was the first editor of its periodical The Australian Communist. Soon disenchanted by the fractious Communist milieu, however, he became a supporter of Jack Lang, a member of the Labor Party, and a writer on economics on The Labor Daily.

Glynn suffered from poor health in his later years, attributed by his family to ill-treatment in prison. On his death, aged 53, in December 1934, the Labor Daily eulogised a ‘steadfast fighter who served the Australian Labor Movement staunchly and selflessly during one of the momentous periods of its history.’

Thursday, 23 March, 2017 @ 8pm

Tuam Library, High Street.

All Welcome!

February Lecture 2017

Our Lecture series recommences this Thursday, 23rd of February at Tuam Library, High St at 8pm. The lecture is entitled “An Gorta Beag - how the 1880 Famine affected west of Ireland families and the parish of Williamstown”.

The lecture will deal with the less well-known famine of 1879-80, or An Gorta Beag, and its effects on the parish of Williamstown, and by extension the west of Ireland. Our guest speaker is Leo Finnegan, a retired primary teacher, who has been involved with a number of community organisations over the years, and is currently chair of the Williamstown Heritage Society. Recent projects of this very active Society include the purchase and full restoration of the disused Templetogher corn mill in the parish, and the publication in 2013 of a voluminous book, tracing in great detail family histories, and including maps and local features - a priceless source of information on family histories in Williamstown.

Launch of JOTS 13

The Old Tuam Society has great pleasure in announcing the launch event for the 13th edition of the Journal of The Old Tuam Society. JOTS 13 will be officially launched by historian Dr. Joe Mannion in the Corralea Court Hotel, Tuam at 8.00 p.m. on Friday, 18 November, 2016. This edition continues our traditional mix of articles drawing on the wide history and heritage of the district. There is sure to be something to interest everyone. JOTS 13 includes articles on 40 year’s of the Marian Choral Society, a Czechoslovak electrician in the Sugar Factory, Tuam’s own 18th century Bank, and the first in a series, of what should prove to be a fascinating study of the diverse history of Shop Street. To tie in with the “Decade of Centenaries” our cover story is a delightful article, written by their families, looking back on the eventful lives of 3 Tuam ladies who reached the wonderful milestone of a century in 2016. We look forward to seeing you at our launch!

Time: 8 p.m.

Date: 18 November, 2016

Venue: Corralea Court Hotel, Tuam

October Lecture 2016

The 2016 October lecture will be entitled´The Tuam Beat´, which will examine the early work of renowned playwright Tom Murphy and the music that intertwines his work. Tuam became a centre for showbands in the 1960s and in subsequent generations a long list of new bands emerged in many different styles. This lecture will examine music and literature as an optic for wider social change and the small Irish town as the real looking glass of Irish Life.

Our lecturer is Tuam native Jonathan Hannon, a PhD candidate at NUI Galway working with the School of Political Science and Sociology and the School of History. He has previously presented and researched work in the areas of cultural sociology, critical theory and nationalism.  He is a founding member of the Irish Centre for Histories of Labour and Class (ICHLC).

Thursday, 20 October, 2016 @ 8pm

Tuam Library

All Welcome!