Local history society to host online lecture series
Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society will host a series of online seminars in November entitled ‘Doing Local History’.
Because of the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, the society has had to suspend its on-site activities, and this looks likely to be the case for the foreseeable future.
Every cloud has a silver lining, so this is an opportunity to gain new research skills, and even consider writing a history of your local area.
The lecture series will be broadcast via Zoom, and details of the links will be published next week on the society’s website, www.whahs.ie and its Facebook page. You can also register your interest by emailing Seamus O’Brien on obriains@gmail.com.
The lectures will take place at 8pm each Wednesday in November (November 4, 11, 18 and 25).
On the first night, November 4, local historian and children’s author Ann Murtagh will explore creative approaches to historical research. Her first historical novel, The Sound of Freedom, was based in Westmeath, and was published by The O’Brien Press.
On November 11, Dr Paul Hughes will examine the available sources for the War of Independence in Westmeath, focusing specifically, but not exclusively, on the Military Service Pensions Collection. Dr Hughes is currently working on a biography of Laurence Ginnell.
On November 18, well-known local historian and tour guide Ruth Illingworth will reflect on the various sources and techniques for studying women’s history in Westmeath. Ruth is a published author and has a deep knowledge of the sources for Westmeath history.
The final lecture will take place on November 25. The speaker is well-known librarian Gretta Connell, author of the reference source for exploring Westmeath family history, ‘Tracing Your Westmeath Ancestors’. Gretta will guide participants through researching their family tree, with the focus on local sources.
The November lecture series is free to view, and Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society thanks Creative Ireland and Westmeath County Council for their generous support.