Plaque to Ada English to be unveiled after 1916 conference tomorrow

A major conference on the 1916 Rising will take place in the Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar on Saturday next, April 9, hosted by Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society in association with Westmeath County Council and Ireland 2016.

This first ever WAHS conference will feature local and national speakers and will culminate, later on Saturday, in the unveiling of a plaque to Cumann na mBan 1916 veteran Dr Ada English (pictured), who grew up in Mullingar.

It will be opened by Cllr Paul Daly, chairman of Westmeath County Council, at 9.45am on Saturday (registration at 9.15am), with lectures continuing until 3.30pm. Immediately afterwards, the plaque to Dr English will be unveiled at 27 Pearse Street (now Danny Byrne’s), where the English family lived, and where her father ran a pharmacy.

Professor Brendan Kelly, Associate Clinical Professor at University College, Dublin – whose family also has Mullingar connections (his father ran the Sligo Bar on Austin Friars Street) – will explore Dr English’s connections to the Rising and the subsequent War of Independence.

The programme is varied and very interesting. A mixture of local and national speakers will explore this defining moment in our history.

Westmeath Examiner journalist Paul Hughes, a PhD student at Queen’s University, Belfast, will examine the impact of the Gaelic League and the Irish language on Westmeath MP Laurence Ginnell’s road to radicalisation, culminating in his support for the rebels of 1916. A plaque to the memory of Ginnell is to be unveiled in Mullingar the following Friday night (April 15).

Local historian and author Ruth Illingworth will describe social, economic and political developments in Mullingar in 1916. A major theme of the centenary celebrations has been a re-examination of the role played by women in the Rising. Dublin historian Liz Gillis will explore this theme at the conference.

Not everyone agreed with the rebels or their objectives. Widely published author and historian Padraig Yeates will explore the many reactions to this event. Huge parts of Dublin city were of course destroyed as a result of the Rising. Several important battles took place and Paul O’Brien will elaborate on these.

Moyvore resident Dr Ciaran McCabe (IRCHSS postdoctoral fellow, NUI Galway) will bring proceedings to a close before the unveiling of the plaque to Dr English. Relatives of Dr Ada will be in attendance, having travelled from the UK specially for this important occasion.

Spaces will fill up quickly, so interested parties are encouraged to register early. The conference will be open for registration at 9.15 pm on Saturday, or you can contact members of the society before hand.

Admission is €20, including dinner, refreshments and a specially commissioned brochure.

• www.whahs.ie