Ó Briain set off early on Easter Sunday morning 1916 in a motor taxi to deliver the countermand order to the local Volunteer contacts in Offaly and Tyrrellspass. Beatty he located in Edenderry but not finding Smith in Tyrrellspass, went on to Tullamore to a small shop owned by Eamonn Carroll. O’Carroll had worked in Scally’s shoe store in Columcille Street, now the AIB bank, but was dismissed after the fracas on 20 March and how had his own store in the same street. In the kitchen of a house in Church Street Ó Briain met Séamus O’Brennan, who was on the run since the fracas in Tullamore and had been in Kimmage.
Category: Decade of Centenaries
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Hugh Mahon. Blog No 26, 22 April 2017.
Book launch on 27 April 2017 at Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore at 8pm on Hugh Mahon, Killurin, Killeigh parish native who made a name for himself in Australia
This year marks the 160th anniversary of the birth of Hugh Mahon, a native of County Offaly, who, after a difficult start in Ireland, found fame and fortune in Australia, where he rose to high political office, serving as a Labour member of the Australian parliament for two decades and as a government minister four times.
A new book, Hugh Mahon: Patriot, Pressman, Politician tells the fascinating life-story of this son of the county, whose relations still live in and around Tullamore. The book will be launched at Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore on Thursday 27 April 2017 at a lecture to be given by the book’s author Australian historian Jeff Kildea. (more…)
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P. & H. Egan of Tullamore, 1852-1968, by David Egan. Blog No 24, 08 April 2017.
Patrick and Henry Egan are perhaps the two brothers whose names are most synonomous with the Tullamore business of P. & H. Egan Ltd. However it was Patrick and Henry’s father, Patrick Egan snr, who first established the business in 1852, and under whose name the company traded in the early years.
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Hugh Mahon: Patriot, Pressman, Politician (1857-1931) From Killurin to Kalgoorlie. Blog No 20, 11 March 2017.
This year marks the 160th anniversary of the birth of Hugh Mahon, a native of County Offaly, who, after a difficult start in Ireland, found fame and fortune in Australia, where he rose to high political office, as a Labor member of the Australian parliament and a government minister. A new book, Hugh Mahon: Patriot, Pressman, Politician tells the fascinating life-story of this son of the county, whose relations still live in and around Tullamore. The book will be launched at Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore on Thursday 27 April 2017 at a lecture to be given by the book’s author Australian historian Jeff Kildea. (more…)
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The war memorial in O’Connor Square: the first of the public memorials in Tullamore Town. Blog No 15, 04 Februarys 2017.
The 2016-17 €3m enhancement plan for Tullamore town contains a broad proposal that the war memorial in O’Connor Square be moved to a widened footpath opposite the Brewery Tap. The reasoning is unclear, but may be to have a broad sweep in the square for a covered market or band stand idea to the front of the library. A Fergal MacCabe drawing of 2013 was able to provide for the retention of the war memorial where it was first placed in 1926. The purpose of this article is to provide a history of this and other memorials in the square with a quick overview of Tullamore’s monuments to recall ‘those who should not be forgotten’. (more…)
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Collections relating to 1916 in Offaly History Archives. Blog No 11, 07 December 2016.
December 2016 sees the publication of two new books on the subject of the 1916 Rising in Offaly. The first is the latest edition of the journal of Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society, Offaly Heritage 9, a collection of essays to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising, edited by Dr. Ciarán Reilly. A sister publication from the Society, a new book by Michael Byrne, Tullamore in 1916 – the making of the Tullamore incident, looks at Tullamore town as a place to live during this tumultuous period of Irish history (more…)
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New release of Digby Irish Estates papers online 1873-1916. Blog No 10, 17 Nov 2016.
Following the online launch in August 2016 of the annual reports of W. S and T. W. Trench, land agents to the 9th Lord Digby, Offaly History Archives in conjunction with Offaly County Council’s Heritage Office and with support from the Heritage Council, have now released the next two series of records from the Digby Irish Estates Papers. These comprise the annual reports from (more…)
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1916-2016 ephemera. Blog No 4, 15 June 2016.

We are collecting ephemera relating to the 1916-2016 commemorations in Offaly in order to reflect the breadth and scope of the centenary commemorations held throughout the county this year. Do you have any posters, fliers, leaflets, programs, invitations or other memorabilia that you would be happy to donate to us? If so contact us at info@offalyhistory.com or call in to us at Bury Quay, Tullamore and we will happily add your material to our collection.
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Henry Brenan, Crown Solicitor, King’s County 1916.Blog No 3, 15 June 2016.
The crown solicitor, as the title suggests, represented the government much as the state solicitor does today. It was, and is, the practice to appoint a legal representative in each county to whom the garda refer their cases for prosecution. The document shown here was Brenan’s appointment on 27 July 1916. Brenan was saved by a few months in having to act against those concerned in the Tullamore Incident (released June 1916).
