Thursday, March 23 Julian Walton Talk at Dunhill Education Centre

100th Talk given by Julian Walton At Dunhill Education Centre

Congratulations to Julian on the 10th anniversary of his local history talks at Dunhill, which was marked by the 100th talk given by Julian on - 'Easter 1916 - Two MacDermotts, Sean and Frank - Two visions of Ireland'.

There was a large attendance who were treated to a tour-de-force performance which was greatly enjoyed by all.

Julian delivered his talk with his usual flair and added sense of drama. He kept all those present glued to their seats as he dealt with the historical and political drama of the period.

The greatest surprise of the night was when he was presented with a cake and present for his contribution to the Dunhill Education Centre over the past 10 years.

Well done Julian. Your dedication, enthusiasm and insight are really inspiring. May there always be work for your hands to do.

Saturday, April 30 A Spring Afternoon in Dromana House and Gardens

Dromana House and Gardens

Venue: Dromana House and Gardens

Date: Saturday, April 30

Time: Starting at 2.30 pm

Booking essential : €30 - includes talks, afternoon tea and tour of the gardens

email: info@dromanahouse.com      Tel: 086 8186305

2.30 pm  Arrival/Registration

3.00 pm  'Grand Designs - Houses, Gardens and Landscapes of the Blackwater Valley'

Dr. David Edwards (Senior Lecturer, School of History, University College Cork):

'The land-grabber's playground: The Colonial landscape of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork (1595 - 1643)

Dr. Finola O'Kane Crimmins (Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture, University College Dublin):

'Framing the Blackwater; Landscape Painting, Architecture and Tourism in an Irish River Valley'

4.00 pm  Afternoon tea, followed by a tour of Dromana Gardens

5.15 pm  End of Proceedings

Following on from Dromana is an evening at Lismore Castle at 6 pm. 

Dan Pearson, English garden designer, landscape designer, journalist and television presenter will speak about the origin and creation of Chatsworth/Laurent Perrier Garden at last year's Chelsea Flower Show and its reinstatement along the trout stream at Chatsworth last Autumn and this year. He will also put it into context with a brief look at other previous projects that share a similar balance of the wild and the cultivated including the Tokachi Millennium Forest, an ecological public park in Japan and the developing planting plans for the Garden Bridge in London.

Email for details: director@lismorecastlearts.ie

Special offers for members in conjunction with the cinema in Dungarvan

^{We are delighted to announce that we will have specials during the year in conjunction with the SGC Dungarvan. At present we have Michael Collins in the cinema running until Thursday, March 24.}
 Special offer for members at €6.50. Tickets are available at the museum.

^{The programme for the next couple of months is as follows:}

^{Tuesday, April 12: Painting the modern Garden: Monet to Matisse}

^{Monet was an avid horticulturist and arguably the most important painter of gardens in the history of art. He saw the garden as a powerful subject for his art.}

^{Tickets will be available to members at €10}

^{Thursday, May 26: Teatro Alla Scala: Temple Of Wonder}

^{An incredible journey through one of the most important temples of performing arts in the world; a tour through centuries, where past and present intersect. Includes archival footage and recordings of some of the biggest names in the history of opera, ballet and concerts.}

^{Tickets will be available to members at €10}

^{Thursday, June 16: Leonardo Da Vinci: The Genius of Milan}

^{Filmed during an extraordinary exhibition dedicated to Leonardo Da Vinci in Milan in 2015 and led by the greatest experts on his work. We will explore as never before the achievements and personality of one of the greatest artists who ever lived.}

^{Tickets will be available to members at €10}

^{Thursday, July 7: St.Peter’s and the Papal Basilicas of Rome}

^{A unique film event on the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee proclaimed by Pope Francis. An exclusive visit to the four major basilicas in Rome to discover the hidden treasures of the Eternal City.}

^{Tickets will be available to members at €10}

Look forward to seeing you.

Dunhill History Lectures Series X, 2016

"Easter 1916: Two McDermotts, Sean and Frank - and two visions of Ireland".

Julian Walton's series of Dunhill Winter lectures concludes on Thursday, March 24.

Julian will speak on the above title.

Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre

Date: Thursday, March 24

Time: 8 pm

Sean Mac Diarmada (1883-1916) played a key role in the revival of Irish republicanism and was one of the main organisers of the Rising, for which he paid with his life.

His contemporary Frank MacDermott (1886-1975) sought to achieve self-government for a 32-county Ireland by constitutional means. Eventually accepting the Free State, he contributed significantly to Irish politics in the 1930's.

Both men devoted themselves to the cause of Ireland - but had very different ideas of the kind of Ireland they wished to create.

Lectures are held at Dunhill Multi-Education Centre (opposite the GAA grounds).

Starting at 8 pm, each lecture lasts about an hour and is followed by a question & answer session and light refreshments.

Admission charge of €5 per lecture.

All are very welcome.

For details contact us by phone (051 396934) or see our website www.dunhilleducation.com

We hope you will be able to come.

Wednesday, March 23 Headstone to Homestead Lecture

A Community approach to discussing who we are

An illustrated lecture by John Tierney

John Tierney interviews Ned Whelan

Waterford County Museum in conjunction with Dungarvan library are delighted to welcome back John Tierney for this most interesting talk.

Venue: Dungarvan library

Date: Wednesday, March 23

Time: 8 pm

All are most welcome and there is no entry fee.

Over 100 million people globally self-identify as being of Irish heritage. This talk discusses a number of community genealogy projects underway which are designed to make it easier for families to trace their roots whether they live in Boston, Melbourne or Dungarvan. In the last five years a number of West Waterford historic graveyards have been surveyed and published on the internet at www.historicgraves.com. These geolocated graveyards allow visitors to input the headstone location into a satnav making it easier to find the correct graveyard. No longer to be confounded by Irish boreens!

Now we are starting surveys which connect families of a townland to historic homesteads which still survive in the landscape. See www.thememorytrail.com/content/irish-historic-homes-survey. John's talk will explore a community-led approach to genealogical tourism focusing on work underway in West Waterford.
John Tierney is an archaeologist by profession. His work with Historic Graves takes him to all corners of Ireland as well as the UK. John's approach to using history with modern technology will certainly be of interest.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Museum Cumann na mBan Exhibition At Waterford City Library

Waterford County Museum's Cumann na mBan exhibit launched Tuesday at Waterford City Library in conjunction with Waterford Women's Centre, International Women's week celebrations.

The event included the official revealing of a blue plaque at the birth place of Rosamund Jacob, suffragette, writer and founder of the City's Cumann na mBan group and Waterford Women's Centre 'Waterford Women Exhibit'.

The Cumann na mBan exhibit will also be on display in Dungarvan Library for two weeks. The entire Cumann na mBan exhibition will be launched next week on Waterford County Museum's website.

Photo: Andy Kelly, Ann Fitzgerald, Event organisers and Nioclas Graves & Christina Knight - O'Connor, Waterford County Museum.

National Adopt A Monument Competition Selects Dungarvan & Lismore

The five monuments successful in Ireland’s first-ever Adopt a Monument national competition have been announced today. Over 90 community groups around the country applied to adopt a monument through the scheme, which has been organised by the Heritage Council in conjunction with Abarta Heritage to support public access to Ireland’s archaeological monuments.

The communities of Dungarvan and Lismore in County Waterford joined together as part of a combined application to adopt two medieval forts in their localities. These motte and baileys were constructed by the Anglo-Normans in the early phase of their invasions into south-eastern Ireland. 

Gallowshill in Dungarvan is located in the Cathal Brugha housing estate that is currently undergoing regeneration. The community wished to adopt the monument to help raise awareness of the site for visitors and locals. 

The large motte and bailey known as Round Hill is situated on the banks of the River Blackwater in Lismore. This large defensive site is currently overgrown by vegetation and needs specialist advice in helping to conserve the monument and to provide better access for visitors. 

Maella Fahey of Lismore Heritage Centre said that "Lismore Heritage Town and the Round Hill Project committee are delighted to have been chosen for the Adopt a Monument scheme, the community will welcome the opportunity to look at this very important site in more detail and explore the possibilities for the future. We are excited to be working with Waterford County Museum as they investigate Gallows Hill, Dungarvan, this will be a major project for the whole West Waterford Area’. Christina Knight, spokesperson for Gallowshill in Dungarvan said: ‘It’s a wonderful opportunity that will support communities to take ownership of their National monuments for the benefit of people living in the area and the many visitors to County Waterford.  As the only application selected in Munster we hope to do our best to ensure the pilot project is a success and continues for many years to benefit towns and villages around the country."

The five successful monuments are: 

1. Gallowshill Medieval Fort, Dungarvan and Round Hill, Lismore, Co Waterford
2. Doon Fort, Ardara, Co Donegal
3. Church of the Rath, Killeshandra, Co Cavan 
4. Baravore crusher building, Glenmalure, Co Wicklow
5. Ballintleva Handball Alley, Co Roscommon

According to Ian Doyle, Head of Conservation at the Heritage Council, "Around every corner in Ireland you can discover an echo of the past. The five monuments selected in the Adopt a Monument scheme demonstrate the rich tapestry of heritage that we live alongside in Ireland". 

Mr. Doyle said: "We know that the public has a great interest in archaeology and, through this scheme, we want to provide opportunities to support public access to the often hidden world of archaeology. For the five successful monuments, the scheme has the potential to ensure ongoing maintenance and care, greater protection through increased civic value, and much higher standards of interpretation and understanding. I want to extend my congratulations to the community groups involved, and to encourage the public to visit the monuments in their region in 2016".

Photos by John Foley Images & Patrick Kenealy