WAHS to host 2026 conference on Westmeath historians
Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society (WAHS) host their annual conference on March 28 next in the Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar.
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Westmeath Writers – The Historians Who Shaped The County’s Identity’.
Historians from all parts of the county are included and seven speakers with specialist knowledge of their subjects will deliver papers, commencing at 9.30am.
This is ninth annual WAHS conference and Ruth Illingworth has spoken at all their gatherings; this year she reflects on the huge contribution Leo Day made to the historiography of the county.
Arguably Westmeath’s greatest scholar, Fr Paul Walsh from Ballinea will be celebrated by Nollaig O Muraile, who has spent a lifetime studying his writings.
Female historians are well represented: Dr Anne Byrne will reflect on the huge contribution of Vera Hughes to the history of Moate and its environs.
Kitty Flynn studied for a degree when she was in her 80s. She researched and wrote about life in Kilbeggan, especially during 1798. Ciara O’Hara will discuss Kitty’s historical contribution and reflect on her long and interesting career.
The south of the county is well represented as Dr Harman Murtagh will look at the works of Billy English and other writers from that area.
Jeremiah Sheehan was one of the first agricultural officers in the county. He was also a keen historian and his South Westmeath – Farm and Folk is a classic. His son Dr John Sheehan will reflect on Jerry’s opus.
Finally, the beginning of the 20th century saw a renaissance in Irish historiography and Paul Gosling will examine the researches of John Casey, who worked as an NT in Milltown.
The conference is timely as the county continues to make steady progress on the heritage front, says Seamus O’Brien of WAHS. “We now have several specialist officers curating our heritage, including Martin Fagan, who was recently appointed to the archivist post for the county.
“The conference celebrates the civic mindedness of the many historians who paved the way for the many resources available to today’s practitioners.”
Booking your ticket
There is an all inclusive package for the day of the conference, which includes lunch, teas/coffee, brochure and admission to all the lectures for €40.
SPEAKERS
Dr Anne Byrne writes about Irish-Bloomsbury connections in the early 20th century with a focus on correspondences, art, literature and those who love books. She is writing a book on the visit of Virginia and Leonard Woolf to Ireland in 1934. Recent publications are The Woolfs in Ireland: The Lure of Language and Place, Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society, Vol. 75, Dec 2023, 30-53 and Mr Woolf's Letters: The Journey Home, Virginia Woolf Bulletin, Vol. 75, January 2024, 8-27.
Title of Lecture: Vera Hughes: A Life Made Vivid Through Writing and Community
Dr Harman Murtagh is a former president of the Old Athlone Society, the Group for the Study of Irish Historic Settlement and the Military History Society of Ireland, whose journal The Irish Sword he edited for 24 years. He was a senior lecturer and subsequently a visiting fellow at Athlone Institute of Technology from 1971 to 2020. He is the author of several books including Athlone: History and Settlement to 1800 (2000), A Short Historical tour of Lough Ree (2016) and The Irish Jacobite army (2024), together with journal articles, book chapters, contributions to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, the Dictionary of Irish biography and the Athlone fascicle of The Irish historic towns atlas. His book Regimental Lineages and Officer Lists of the Irish Jacobite Army will be published by Four Courts Press in the autumn.
Title of Lecture: Billy English and other historians from South Westmeath
Ruth Illingworth is a widely published author and lecturer. She grew up in Mullingar and still lives there. Her book Mullingar - History and Guide was published in 2007. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the area and conducts regular tours to places of interest in the town and its vicinity. Ruth has contributed an essay on Mullingar in the 20th century in the Westmeath: History and Society volume.
Title of Lecture: Leo Daly – A creative Life
Ciara O'Hara has worked with books and authors for most of her life. She has been published in the Westmeath Examiner, Inis Magazine and Paper Lanterns Literary Journal.
Title of Lecture: Kitty Flynn, Kilbeggan
Paul Gosling is an adjunct lecturer in the Dept of Heritage and Tourism on the Galway City campus of the Atlantic Technological University, and is a member of the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland. His recent research is on the intersection between toponymy and archaeology with particular emphasis on Irish medieval literature and historic river-fords.
Title of Lecture: Mythic Recollections: John Casey, NT Milltown, Rathconrath, and the folklore of Táin Bó Cuailnge
Dr Nollaig Ó Muraíle, a native of Knock, he attended St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, obtaining a BA in Celtic Studies, 1970, and an MA in Old and Middle Irish Literature, 1971. In 1991 he was awarded a PhD in Irish. He spent more than 20 years on the staff of the Placenames Branch, Ordnance Survey, Phoenix Park, Dublin, 1972-93. That was followed by 11 years in the Celtic Department, Queen’s University, Belfast,
1993-2004, and 10 years as senior lecturer in Irish at NUI Galway, 2004-2014. While in Belfast, he was also director of the Northern Ireland Placename Project and edited Ainm, the journal of the Ulster Placensames Society. Member of the Irish Placenames Commission, 2003-2012, and of board of National Museum of Ireland, 2005-2010. Elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2009, and appointed adjunct professor of Modern Irish in Maynooth University in 2019. Other works on various aspects of Irish history and literature include a collection of the writings of the famous scholar Fr Paul Walsh (2003). In addition to some 20 books, he has published moer than 100 substantial articles and book-chapters, in Irish and English, in Ireland and abroad.
Title of Lecture: Fr Paul Walsh: Westmeath’s Greatest Scholar
Dr John Sheehan served as senior lecturer in the UCC Department of Archaeology until his recent retirement. His principal research was conducted on the Early Medieval and Viking Age periods and his most recent publication, The Book of The Skelligs (2022), co-edited with John Crowley, was nominated for An Post’s Book of the Year Award and Current Archaeology UK Project of the Year Award.
Title of Lecture: Jeremiah Sheehan: Farm and Folk