Laois summer series of history talks coming to Portlaoise
Genesis of soccer in Portlaoise among the topics to be discussed.
Portlaoise library will be the venue for this year's Summer Series of History Talks which will cover a broad range of topics from the genesis of soccer in Portlaoise to in depth investigations into the fatalities of World War I and the Irish Civil War.
Portlaoise soccer team in 1976.
Cormac Moore’s talk on the Irish Revolution in Laois will look at the transformation of life in the county during the period 1912-1923, moving beyond an examination of the Irish Revolution solely through the prism of political violence.
David Broderick will treat us to the story of the disappearing workhouse master Henry Ogle, who absconded from Portumna Workhouse in 1864. This is an almost unbelievable tale of fraud, deceit, escape to New York, and twelfth-hour retribution, a case where fact is more fascinating than fiction.
John Dorney will share the findings of the Irish Civil War Fatalities Project, the first comprehensive survey of civilian and combatant fatalities, allowing for a wide-ranging, sometimes surprising, analysis of the nature and geographic distribution of the casualties and their impact.
Tom Burnell will introduce his Irish Great War Dead Archive, the culmination of 20 years of research and collaboration, now freely available online.
For more information on individual talks click on the talk titles below.
Association Football in Maryborough/ Portlaoise, 1905-1965 by James Bennett, 2nd July 2025, 7pm
Finding Ogle: The Story of the Disappearing Workhouse Master by David Broderick, 9th July 2025, 7pm
Irish Civil War Fatality Project by John Dorney, 16th July 2025, 7pm
Laois: The Irish Revolution, 1912-1923 by Cormac Moore, 23rd July 2025, 7pm
Remembering Our WWI War Dead: Irish Great War Dead Archive by Tom Burnell, 30th July 2025, 7pm