Building Offaly’s courthouses and prisons in the 18th and 19th centuries
THE July lecture from Offaly History is entitled “Building Offaly’s courthouses and prisons in the 18th and 19th centuries”.
The lecture takes place in the Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore on Tuesday, July 12 next, commencing at 8pm.
The lecture will both be in person and via Zoom. For the Zoom link, please email [email protected]
This lecture will showcase the building of Offaly’s courthouses and prisons in the years between roughly 1750 and 1850. It will place individual buildings in Tullamore, Birr, Daingean and elsewhere in the context of changing political and social events throughout Ireland in these years, highlighting local agendas alongside those of the British administration in Ireland.
Illustrated with historic architectural drawings, old and new photographs, the lecture will also highlight schemes that were never built as it traces the ways in which the appearance of Offaly’s towns was transformed in these years by new public architecture.
The lecture will incorporate new research on Offaly’s history undertaken in recent years by historians based in the county such as Michael Byrne alongside volumes such as Andrew Tierney’s new Buildings of Ireland guide for Central Leinster and the speaker’s recently published book, Building the Irish Courthouse and Prison: A Political History (Cork University Press, 2020).
The speaker, Dr. Richard Butler is Director of Research at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick; he was previously Associate Professor of Urban History at the Centre for Urban History, University of Leicester.
A native of Bantry, Co. Cork, his first monograph, Building the Irish Courthouse and Prison: a Political History, 1750-1850, was published by Cork University Press in 2020.
His research on 19th- and 20th-century Irish history has appeared in The Historical Journal, Urban History, Rural History, The Journal of British Studies, Irish Historical Studies, and Architectural History. He is now writing a social history of religion in Cork city throughout the twentieth century.
Forthcoming lectures and Events
Sat 16 July: Walking tour of Birr Barracks: Stephen Callaghan ‘The burning of Birr Barracks, July 1922’ – meeting at 11am at village of Crinkill, Birr. Why not bring a picnic lunch
August: Heritage Week
Online events for Heritage Week 2022 will comprise of five video presentations to be uploaded over the week and notice posted to the members and the public.
Access is free at Offaly History on YouTube and via Twitter and Facebook.
A presentation on Offaly History Society, 1969 - 2022. This is a new 20 minute video recording on the history of the Society with lots of interesting Photos especially recorded for Heritage week.
A presentation of the Birr poet John Frazer (J de Jean) to promote the first edition of the collected poems, edited by Terry Moylan and Padráig Turley. Publication in October. Thanks to the editors, Offaly County Council and Creative Ireland for support for this important work. (The talk will be posted online for Heritage Week)
A recording of the Pattern 9th June 2022 at Durrow. This will be launched as part of Heritage week to mark the 1500 anniversary of the Birth of St. Colm Cille
Exploring Castle Street, Birr: the buildings, business and people. This is a project undertaken to find out more about the distinct identities of our towns and villages and thereby to come to know and appreciate our distinctive town centres. Thanks to the Heritage Council and Offaly County Council for supporting this initiative.
The Making of O'Connor Square, Tullamore since the 1700s: buildings, business and people. Thanks to the Heritage Council and Offaly County Council for supporting this initiative.
On December 3rd 2021, Dr Christopher O'C Fitz-Simon presented an album of Leinster regiment photographs to Offaly Archives to mark the centenary of the Leinsters' disbandment. The regiment had its home at Birr Barracks until February 1922. In this video we explore the Leinsters' peace keeping mission to Silesia and the Polish connection through a series of old photographs with commentary in Polish and English. We would welcome your comments and assistance with the Polish material
Monday 5 September: Professor Anne Dolan (TCD) and Professor Will Murphy (DCU): ‘Michael Collins's diaries: a new source, new perspectives?’
Monday 17th October – Michael Goodbody, Uncertain Times – The Goodbody family’s experiences in Clara during 1914-24.
14 Nov: Professor Terry Dooley (Maynooth University): ‘The Irish Land Commission and Land Reform, 1881-1992: Future Research Potential’
12 Dec: Megan McAuley (Maynooth Univ): ‘The Realities of Rural Childhoods in Modern Ireland: Birth, Life and Death in 19th and 20th Century County Donegal’