Connaught Street events for Heritage Week continue until Sunday
A series of National Heritage Week events connected to the history of Connaught Street in Athlone is underway and will continue until this Sunday (August 25).
Tomorrow (Wednesday) an information evening is taking place in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel, at 7pm, to provide an update on the ongoing work being carried out by the Connaught Street and Environs Group.
This will include details of a ‘Street Front Conservation Guide’ project. Attendees can take part in a discussion about the group’s progress to date, and can learn how they might be able to get involved in helping the area.
Other events include an ongoing ‘Heritage of Connaught Street’ exhibition in the Atrium of Athlone’s Civic Centre.
An architectural model of Connaught Street is on display there, while a rolling slideshow is displaying digital exhibition panels on the history and heritage of the Connaught Street area. The digital exhibition also includes a short video of last year’s heritage week events on Connaught Street.
This Friday (August 23), at 3pm in the Dean Crowe Theatre bar, there will be a ‘Basic Guide to Genealogy’ presentation by Roscommon Roots Heritage & Genealogy Centre Curator, and Genealogy expert, Mary Skelly. Mary will talk about the basics of looking for your roots.
On Saturday (August 24) at 3.15pm, genealogist and author John Grenham will give a talk in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel on ‘Mapping Ireland’s Records’. John is the grandson of the founder of Grenham Travel, who sold passage to emigrants, and he now helps their descendent to find their roots!
He will talk about proper record-keeping and the insights it provides to personal history.
Heritage Week concludes on Sunday, August 25, with a performance of ‘The Best Street in Town’ in Dooley’s Car Park at 3pm.
Scripted by local historian and writer Gearoid O’Brien, this piece of street performance reflects the vibrant history and people of the westside. It will be performed by the Athlone Little Theatre Group and will be preceded by an Athlone Pipe Band street march.
This heritage week programme is designed to celebrate the connections, routes and networks of the Connaught Street area.
The programme of events is organised by the Connaught Street and environs Residents and Traders. The group aims to help restore the once-bustling and vibrant streets, O’Connell Street and Connaught Street back to their former glory, and to act in the interests of locals, residents and businesses alike.
The project is kindly funded by the people of the area, in addition to support from Westmeath Heritage Council and Westmeath County Council.