CLARE ROOTS SOCIETY SEPT.- OCT. LECTURES

CLARE ROOTS SOCIETY WILL RESUME ITS MONTHLY LECTURES

On the 19th September,

8 pm. @ Old Ground Hotel, Ennis

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THE BARRETT FAMILY (1888- 1971)

By Dr Paul O'Brien.

In August 2018, members of Kilrush and District Historical Society (KDHS) helped to rescue an important auctioneer's archive. Included in the collection were several suitcases and boxes of material dating from c.1916-1950s, safely stored in the attic of the Barrett house in Moore Street, Kilrush, Co. Clare. The Barrett family home had been sold and Joe Sheehan, grandson of Joseph Barrett (1888-1971) invited KDHS to view the contents of his grandfather's house. The discovery of this hitherto unknown and substantial archive has shed light on the role of Barrett, his wider family and hundreds of individuals who played an active part in the War of Independence and the Civil War, in County Clare. The files document the activities of the mid-Clare Brigade during the conflict and beyond as they fought for their military service pensions. The highly illustrated lecture will discuss the contents of the archive, the Barrett family and tell the story of some of the individuals named in the collection. 

Dr Paul O'Brien received his doctorate from the Department of History at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, where he now lectures. In 2016, he was a research fellow at Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris (Irish College, Paris). He is a recipient of the Military Heritage Trust of Ireland award for his research into recruitment practices in the First World War. In April 2019, Four Courts Press published Paul's first book entitled: The Glynns of Kilrush, Co. Clare, 1811-1940: Family, business and politics. He is currently working on a biography of Lady Victoria Pery (1893-1918), an accomplished early aviatrix. 

NEXT MEETING 17TH OCTOBER

'EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CLARE NEWS 

AND OTHER SOURCES'

By Steve Dolan

The lecture will focus on the sources available for eighteenth-century newspapers, both online and in repositories. Steve will also discuss some of the other useful sources available online and, given his background, briefly present on the Workhouses of Co Clare.

Steve Dolan is a historian based in East Galway. He holds an MBA from NUIG and an MA in History from UL. He is the outgoing manager of the Irish Workhouse Centre, editor of the SEGAHS Journal, and a part-time lecturer in history and heritage.