Offaly man to win prestigious 2024 Heritage Hero award

placeholder image — Historian James Scully

Tullamore native, James Scully is a retired national school teacher who taught in Banagher

THE Heritage Council has announced Offaly native James Scully as its 2024 Heritage Hero ahead of the annual National Heritage Week awards ceremony in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, on Friday November 15th. The award is one of eight to be announced at the ceremony across a range of categories with a total of 21 National Heritage Week events shortlisted for an award. https://www.heritageweek.ie/news/announcing-the-2024-national-heritage-awards-shortlist

Originally from Tullamore, James Scully is a retired primary school teacher who taught in Banagher at St. Rynagh’s Primary School for 35 years and has been contributing to Offaly’s heritage and local history for over 50 years. He is being honoured with the 2024 Heritage Hero award for his outstanding contribution to the protection and promotion of heritage over that time.

James was responsible for establishing the Brontë Society in Banagher in 2023, dedicated to raising awareness of the association of Charlotte Brontë and her husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls, with the town of Banagher. He was a key advocate for the Fort Eliza Napoleonic fortification conservation in Banagher and played a key role in the development of its interpretative signage and installation of canons!.

He has published numerous local history books and papers including. ‘Forgotten Souls: Memorials in Saint Rynagh’s Old Graveyard’, ‘The Stories and Glories of Offaly Graveyards’ and ‘Meelick Martello Tower’ “Looking Around – a local studies textbook” and has been of enormous assistance to many other authors, generously sharing his research, passion and knowledge. He has hosted several events during National Heritage Week all with Kieran Keenaghan over the years including tours of West Offaly Castles and leading the way on some dramatic historic reenactments along the way.

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, said: “James Scully is a perfect example of the kind of unsung hero that goes silently about his business, conserving and protecting our heritage so that it can be used and enjoyed by future generations. He has published several books on local history, conducted significant research on the bridges of the River Brosna, the role of Matthew De Renzi and his place in medieval West Offaly and the connections of Charlotte Brontë to his native Banagher. For all of this, and for countless other contributions, he absolutely deserves this recognition and our gratitude.”

Speaking ahead of the awards ceremony on Friday, Chief Executive of the Heritage Council Virginia Teehan said: “Every day in my work as CEO of the Heritage Council, I encounter brilliant people doing incredible things to protect our national heritage. Very often, they are not the kinds of people who go out of their way to seek awards or recognition. They do what they do because they believe it is important to preserve and celebrate heritage. This perfectly describes our Heritage Hero for 2024, James Scully whose contribution to heritage in Offaly is being rightly acknowledged on Friday.”

The National Heritage Week awards ceremony can be livestreamed from the website on Friday from 11am: www.heritageweek.ie/awards