What? The course will give an overview of the sources and methods for the study of the archaeology, community and family history of County Offaly, and how to do research on areas that may interest you in local and family history. Thematic sessions will be delivered by experienced local scholars, who will introduce participants both to physical sources and to online resources. Offaly is taken as the example, but most of the records will have application for the entire country.
When? All talks will be held on Wednesday nights, from 7.30 to 9.30 pm.
Where? Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, R35 Y5V0
Fees? The course fee for all ten sessions is €50, payable to the Offaly Heritage Centre at the time of booking. Please provide your credit or debit card details when booking, or visit the shop Monday–Friday, 9:30 am–4:30 pm.
Alternatively, payment can be made by bank transfer: Best contact us first as only a few places are left.
This course is supported by the Heritage Council and Offaly County Council.
Places are limited to 25 participants, so early booking is strongly advised.
Please call or email us to check availability and make your booking
- 24 Sept. Introduction to Local and Family History, and Heritage Studies
(Part 1. Introduction: Ciarán McCabe, Michael Byrne, Amanda Pedlow;
Part 2. Archaeology and County Offaly: Caimin O’Brien
The opening session introduces participants to the aims of local and community history from Amanda Pedlow, Ciarán McCabe and Michael Byrne. Part Two of the evening discusses the history of the early peoples in Offaly, and the archaeological remains of those peoples and their communities. This session by Caimin O’Brien.
- 1 Oct. Using Maps for Local History
(Niall Sweeney/Michael Byrne plus maps on display, plus library)
The use of maps allows us to understand the spatial evolution of a place over time. Maps are indispensable tools to interpret numerous aspects of a place’s contexts at a given time: social, cultural, economic, industrial, political, ecclesiastical, topographical, toponymical. Among the recent examples to be used in this session are: the Birr and Tullamore volumes of the Irish Historic Towns Atlas; Arnold Horner’s Mapping Laois and Mapping Offaly volumes, and the OSI’s very useful GeoHive online resource.
- 8 Oct. Medieval and Early Modern Records
(Dr Rory Masterson and Kieran Keenaghan)
This session discusses the source material for studying human settlement and life from the medieval period to the seventeenth century. Key themes will be political and military conflict, religious reform and changes in land ownership, and how these broad national factors impacted on County Offaly and surrounding areas.
- 15 Oct. Land and Valuation Records for the Post 1820s Period
(Laura Price, Ger Murphy)
The records of the Valuation Office stretch all the way back to the 1830s and are an invaluable source for the genealogist or local historian. They allow a researcher to trace the occupiers of land and buildings for decades. Just as importantly, they give us insight into our ancestors’ lives in Ireland long ago.
- 22 Oct. Church Records and Sources for Poverty and Welfare
(Dr Ciarán McCabe, Georgina Gorman)
This talk will discuss the significance of the records of the main Christian denominations for local history, as well as guiding participants through approaches to identifying and consulting sources for social history, taking past experiences of poverty and welfare as a case study.
- 29 Oct. Burial Places as Family History Sources
(Stephen Callaghan, James Scully)
- 5 Nov. Family History Online
(Noel Guerin, Georgina Gorman)
- 12 Nov. Newspapers and Oral History Records
(Aidan Doyle Aidan Barry)
The wealth of material to be found in local, national and British newspapers will be discussed in this session. The second half will introduce participants to the unique value and methods of oral history.
- 19 Nov. Visit to some Dublin-based Repositories
(James Scully)
Participants will visit the National Library of Ireland and National Archives of Ireland in Dublin city.
Rail to city
- 26 Nov. The Records of Offaly County Library, Offaly History Centre and Offaly Archives
(OCL librarian, Michael Byrne, Offaly archivist)
This session focuses on the extensive and varied range of sources available for local studies, in the Offaly History Centre, the Offaly County Library and Offaly Archives. Some of the main collections will be discussed, as will the importance of bibliographical guides.
Our thanks to the Heritage Council and Offaly County Council for their support.
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