A Day of Remembrance and Commemoration- Sunday, May 13th

. THE ENDURANCE of the Famine by one generation of Irish people had provided vital knowledge and experience for another, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said yesterday.

Over 1,500 people took part in the National Famine Commemoration in Drogheda, Co Louth on Sunday May 13th.  The memorial included prayers for those who died as well as readings, music and military honours.  

Hundreds attended along with the Taoiseach and various ministers.

Members of the Little Duke Theatre in Drogheda performed a special dance and 

music was provided by harpist Michael O'Neill and the St Peter's Male Voice choir.

Emblems of the famine were on display including a potato, a soup kitchen ration card, a boat ticket to Liverpool and a small section of a thatched roof. 

Prayers were led by clerics from seven religions followed by a humanist reflection.

The Taoiseach said that part of the legacy of the famine is that Ireland has become a leading global advocate in the fight against hunger. In his speech, Mr Kenny said that for Irish people nowadays food security and humanitarian aid are not just political matters. He said we make them our personal business because they run so deep in the Irish heart. He said it is that generational memory that supports Irish Aid and all aid agencies to bring not just food, but hope, self-reliance and dignity across the developing world.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0513/taoiseach-to-attend-famine-memorial-in-drogheda.html

Programme- Dé Domhnaigh 13ú Bealtaine / Sunday 13th May

GORTA Famine Walk ‘The Arrival’: 

Drogheda Remembers.

The Arrival – continuing the re-enactment of the story of one local family who in 1847 symbolised the exodus from Mayo as a result of An Gorta Mor and their journey to Drogheda.

The walk starts from Oldbridge House at midday and will last 90 minutes. 

The walk will make its way to the National Commemeration on North Quay and include a free bus back to Oldbridge House.

Walkers, Ramblers and Families with Children are most Welcome.

01 6615522 OR EMAIL WALK@GORTA.ORG

Walk leaves from: Oldbridge House, Oldbridge Drogheda at 12 Midday.

Commemorative Mass

A commemorative Mass will be held in the Augustinian Church,  Shop St. Drogheda at 1.15pm .

National Commemoration Ceremony

Beidh Comóradh Náisiúnta an Ghorta Mhóir 2012 ar siúl sa calafort Droichead Atha Contae Lu  Dé Domhnaigh 13 Bealtaine, 2012 ag 3 i.n. Tá An Taoiseach Éanna Ó Coinnigh tar éis glacadh le cuireadh bheith ina ceann feadhnai mbliana ar an toscaireacht oifigiúil ag an searmanas cuimhneacháin. Cuirfear tús leis an gclár cuimhneacháin le searmanas ina mbeidh páirt mhór ag an bpobal áitiúil sula dtionólfar ócáid searmanais oifigiúil an Stáit a áireoidh gradaim mhíleata agus searmanas

fhleascleagain. Mar chuid de ghné pobail an chuimhneacháin beidh ceol; sleachta léitheoireachta agus paidreacha; bronnadh comharthaí mar chuimhne ar iad

siúd a dʼfhulaing agus a cailleadh le linn an ghorta; agus nóiméad machnaimh chiúin.Tá fáilte roimh gach éinne a bheith i láthair

The 2012 National Famine Commemoration will take place at North Quay  at  the port of Drogheda, County Louth on Sunday, 13th May at 3 p.m. An Taoiseach Enda Kenny has accepted an invitation to lead the official representation at the commemoration ceremony. The commemoration programme will open with a ceremony in which the local community will be greatly involved and it will culminate in the formal State ceremonial event, which will include the National flag and military honours, and wreath laying ceremonies. The community element of the ceremony will include

music; readings and prayers; a presentation of tokens in remembrance of those who suffered and perished during the famine; and a minute of silent reflection. All are very welcome to attend.

Programme for Dé Sathairn 12 Bealtaine-Saturday 12th May

The Irish Diaspora

John Boyle O’Reilly  Society of Ireland in association with DKIT  presents a seminar focusing on historical influences of the Irish Diaspora particularly in USA and the UK but will also look at contemporary issues regarding emigration.

Irish America and their influence on USA Politics

Talk by: Niall O’Dowd Editor Irish Voice New York and Irishcentral.com

The role of the Irish in Britain– Agents for Change

Talk by: Dr. Kevin Bean Liverpool University

Boston Irish Connections from Famine Days.

Talk by: Prof Catherine Shannon University of Massachusetts

Settlement Patterns of the Irish in North America

Talk by: Michael O’Connell UCC

Venue: Westcourt Hotel, West St. Drogheda

Times: 10am -2pm

Bookings: modowd@mail.com

Imeacht... an afternoon of poetry, music 

and song.

For the many people who left during and after the famine it was common to have what was called Tórramh Meiriceánach , an American Wake. This was conducted just as a wake would be for the dead, because it was felt that the person leaving would never be seen again and was effectively dead as far as the people left behind were concerned. The quays from  which emigrant ships left for the England and the New World were often called áit na ndeór , the place of tears..

They took the stories, haunting melodies and poetry of Ireland with them.

Featuring a variety of unusual instruments, musicians and singers. With intricate melodies, harmony and driving rhythms of uilleann pipes, whistles and flute that make Irish music so loved throughout the world.

Join us to commemorate  An Gorta Mor and the Irish Diaspora .

 Venue: Outside St Peters Church, West St. Drogheda

 Times: 2.30pm -5.30pm

Forgotten Voices: the Great Irish Famine revealed through the Strokestown Estate Archive.

Lecture by. Roisin Berry and Dr. Ciaran Reilly

Róisín Berry will provide a broad overview of the work of the OPW-NUI Maynooth Archive and Research Centre at Castletown, the Strokestown Estate and its fascinating Famine archive, and the ‘Forgotten Voices’ exhibition and its main objectives.

Dr. Ciaran Reilly  will examine the nature and content on the voluminous petitions which form part of the Strokestown Park Archive. These petitions, from a variety of sources, highlight the daily suffering of the people of county Roscommon during the Great Famine, while also examining some heretofore unexplored aspects of the calamity.

Venue: Highlanes  Gallery, Laurences  St. Drogheda

Times: 2pm ( free but booking essential)

Bookings 041 9803311 info@highlanes.ie

Exhibition on the ‘Forgotten Voices’‘of the great Irish Famine/ OPW-NUI Maynooth Archive & research Centre at Castletown.

 

The exhibition is a rich and varied selection of documents belonging to the Strokestown Estate Archive from the period of the Great Irish Famine (1845-51). Census records, emigration lists, and pleas from starving tenants are but a few of the documents on display, capturing in raw detail the devastation endured by local people in Roscommon during Ireland’s greatest humanitarian disaster on record. The archive brings to life once more many of the voices that were extinguished through starvation, disease and emigration during this period.

Venue: Highlanes  Gallery, Laurence’s  St. Drogheda

Times: 12^th to 30^th May 2012

Mayor To Present Potato Leaf Woodcarving To An Taoiseach

To mark the occasion of his visit to Drogheda to lead the National Famine Commemoration Ceremony, Drogheda Borough Council commissioned Terry O'Brien to produce a unique carving which the Mayor, Councillor Kevin Callan, will present to An Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny. 

The piece, produced from local fallen wood, depicts a potato leaf, in recognition of the key role played by potato blight during the Great Famine.

The piece was produced by Terry O'Brien, a local wood carver who runs his own business “Falling Leaves from Fallen Trees”. Below is a biography on Terry O'Brien and his work, set out in his own words.

I served my time as a carver with Hicks Cabinet Makers of Dublin.  After the closure of Hicks I opened my own studio in 1983 at Millmount Craft Centre in Drogheda.

I work from my own workshop beside my home overlooking the River Boyne where I now design and make a range of leaf-shaped cutting boards, cheese boards and bowls.  I design a contemporary range of lamps, tables and occasional furniture.  I source fallen trees locally, then plank, kiln dry, plane, cut, sand and mould the timber into my various products, using my skills as a carver to finish them to a high standard.  The products are then finished with natural oils making them waterproof and heat resistant and making them suitable for food preparation and presentation.  All these items are unique and both functional and highly decorative.

This year I took part in Art in Action, Farmeigh House in the Phoenix Park. I’m also going to take part in the Body & Soul Festival Ballinlough Castle, Electric Picnic Stradbally, and the National RDS Craft Fair.

 Recent commissions include a depiction of The Last Supper which is in a convent in Co. Meath and the design and framing of the Stations of The Cross for a local church in Irish ash completed within the last month. My work can be viewed and purchased from terryobrienwoodcarver.com

Programme-Dé Déardaoin 10 Bealtaine-Thursday 10th May

 Recreating the Soup Kitchen

In the summer of 1847, the government set up some soup kitchens to give the starving people hot soup.  Huge boilers were provided  by The Quakers in which to cook the soup. By August 1847, about 3 million people were being fed each day in total.

A soup kitchen will be situated in the yard of Drogheda Borough Council which was during famine times the site of one of many soup kitchens , the sole source of nourishment for many of our forbearers.

Come along and for a donation of €5 for adults and €2.50 for children  to Drogheda Homeless Aid a tasty lunch will be served.

Venue: Drogheda Borough Council Yard

12.00 noon schools only

1.15pm:- 2.30 p.m.  open to the public

Drogheda Library Famine Commemeration

The Great Famine in Drogheda in 1847

A talk by Brendan Matthews

Local Historian Brendan Matthews presents an illustrated talk on 

'The Great Famine in Drogheda 1847' 

@ Drogheda Library, Stockwell St.

Times: 3.45pm - 4.45pm

Belfast Girls.

A rehearsed reading of  prizewinning playwight Jaki McCarrick new work ‘Belfast Girls’ will be performed in the Droichead Arts Centre.

Set in 1850 against the backdrop of the famine, five young women choose to leave the leprous workhouses as part of an official scheme to transport orphan workers from Ireland to Australia.

Venue: Droichead Arts Centre, Stockwell St.

Time: 8.30pm

National Famine Commemoration Programme Tuesday 8 May, The Tholsel

Tuesday evening saw the Launch of the Famine Exhibition in the Tholsel by the Mayor, Councillor Kevin Callan. This excellent exhibition, curated by Mr. Brian Walsh of Louth County Museum, highlights the impact that the Great Famine had at both a local and national level through a series of 32 panels. The exhibition underlines the importance of the potato in the national diet and how the blight had such a devastating effect on the island of Ireland.

Those present at the exhibition launch were also treated to an outstanding performance by students of the County Louth VEC Adult Education Centre entitled  "Leaving from the Steam Packet Quay -  Drogheda 1847".  The performance provided a look back in time at our own Drogheda Docks during the worst year of  the Irish Famine in story, poetry and pictures.

The Departure- Gorta Famine Walk, Ballina, Co. Mayo - 7 May 2012

People from Ballina joined the Mayors of Ballina and Drogheda early this afternoon at Belleek Wood, Ballina to remember those who left Ballina and other locations in the West of Ireland during the Great Famine to travel on foot in many cases to Drogheda Port to leave Ireland.

The Mayor of Ballina, Councillor Peter Clarke, presented a young oak tree to Drogheda Mayor, Councillor Kevin Callan. This tree is being brought back to Drogheda where it will be planted on Sunday 13 May during the National Famine Commemoration Ceremony as a permanent reminder of a moment in history shared by the two towns.

This picture shows some of the young people who met the two Mayors and joined in the walk which included a talk on Famine History and also collected some important funds for Gorta  to help in the fight against  modern famine in Africa.

Remembering - Commemoration plaques

The official National Famine Commemoration will take place on The Mall in Drogheda on the afternoon of Sunday 13 May 2012. As part of that event, An Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, will unveil the commemoration plaque shown below.

This plaque is one of series of a six plaques that have been specially commissioned to

provide a permanent memorial of the 2012 National Famine Commemoration Events in

Drogheda. There are being placed in locations around the town that played a very

significant role during the period of the Great Famine.

These locations are:
THE MALL - This is the location for the main Famine Commemoration Event being led by
An Taoiseach. It is also the location of Drogheda Port from where some 70,000 people
emigrated from Ireland during 1847 alone. The paddle steamer shown on the plaque is
similar to those in which these many emigrants travelled to Liverpool, either to stay in
England or to undertake a second boat journey to further afield.


THE THOLSEL - This would have been the centre of local government and poor relief in Famine times


DROGHEDA WORKHOUSE - The workhouse, at St. Marys, on the south side of the town,
was the very last option for the destitute and starving poor.


THE CORNMARKET - This was on the site now occupied by the Borough Council Offices
at Fair Street and was one of the locations used for Soup Kitchens in Drogheda


CHORD CEMETERY - This is the final resting place for many victims of the Famine


BOSTON 2102 - Boston is the overseas Famine Commemoration location for 2012 and

The President will officiate at commemoration ceremonies there on the week-end of 5th
May. This plaque is to mark both that fact and the other many historic links between
Drogheda and Boston

National Famine Commemoration Poetry

The poem featured below will be read on Sunday 13 May as part of the National Famine Commemoration.  You will find both the Irish and English Translation of the poem.

Na Fataí Bána - Peatsaí Ó Callanáin

Mo mhíle slán do na fataí bána,

Ba subhach an áit a bheith in aice leo,

Ba fáilí soineanta iad ag tíocht chun láithreach,

Agus iad ag gáirí linn ar cheann an bhoird.

Ba chabhair don bhanaltra iad, don fhear is don gharlach,

Don lag is don láidir, don óg is don chríon,

Ach fáth mo dhocharna is ábhar m’angair,

Gur lobh na preátaí gan sioc ná síon.

Is é mo dhíobháil dheachrach, is mo ghalra dubhchroíoch,

Na fataí ag dúchan ins gach céard den domhan,

Na gais críon seargtha ón gcéad lá Lúnas’,

Gan bláth ná snua orthu ach mar bheadh faoi Shamhain.

Nach é seo an scéal docharnach ag tíocht an Fhómhair,

An t-údar bróin dúinn agus briseadh croí,

An bheatha a chleachtamar i dtús ár n-óige.

Bheith lofa dreoite gan mhaith gan bhrí.

DROGHEDA DURING FAMINE TIMES

Dé Céadaoin 9ú Bealtaine / Wednesday 9th May

Drogheda Civic Trust presents The Inaugural Whitaker Lecture Talk

 by Prof. John Fitzgerald: 

Prof. John Fitzgerald will discuss aspects of his own thesis on the commercial importance of Drogheda in the 18th century. Drogheda during the Great Famine.

Survival of the Least Fit Talk by Mr. Ned McHugh: 

Local Historian Mr. Ned Mc Hugh will discuss the role that Drogheda Port played in the famine, being one of the largest emigration ports in the country.

Time: 6:30p.m.

@ Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda

Bookings: 041 9803311 / info@highlanes.ie

Recreating the Soup Kitchen

In the summer of 1847, the government set up some soup kitchens to give the starving people hot soup. Huge boilers were provided by The Quakers in which to cook the soup. By August 1847, about 3 million people were being fed each day in total. 


A soup kitchen will be situated in the yard of Drogheda Borough Council which, during famine times, was the site of one of many soup kitchens. For a donation of €5 to Drogheda Homeless Aid, a tasty lunch will be served for you.

Venue: Drogheda Borough Council Yard
12.00 noon schools only
1.15pm:- 2.30 p.m. open to the public

National Famine Commemoration - Drogheda 2012 - Connections to Mayo

One of the most significant aspects of Drogheda's involvement with the Great Famine is

that so many of those who emigrated through Drogheda Port were not from this area at all. Some 70,000 people left Drogheda for Liverpool in 1847 alone. Many of these people had travelled from the West of Ireland, including County Mayo. Newspaper reports at the time spoke of many extreme cases including one of a family of four from the Ballina area who arrived in Drogheda having been three weeks on the road. However, the long journey, coupled with lack to food, had taken it's toll and sadly, the two children collapsed and died on Shop Street in the centre of Drogheda. The newspaper went on to say that "this is but one of the innumerable cases of destitution witnessed amongst the crowds daily arriving here from the West."

The Drogheda Famine Commemoration Committee was anxious from the start to recognise and remember all of the people who traveled from the West of Ireland, including Mayo, endeavouring to escape the ravages of Famine and leave Ireland to seek a better life abroad. Throughout our week of Famine Commemoration Events, we will touch time and time again on this theme. The story of the unfortunate family from Ballina is being used as one of our readings in the National Famine Commemoration Event on The Mall on the afternoon of Sunday, 13 May. The Mayor, Councillor Kevin Callan will read this moving and poignant description of a fate that no doubt was seen many times on the streets of Drogheda as the Famine ravaged our country. "The Departure" is a symbolic re-enactment of the story of our Ballina Family in 1947, the story of the exodus from Mayo as a result of an Gorta Mor. The walk takes place on Bank Holiday Monday 7 May in Belleek Wood on the outskirts of Ballina and will include a visit to the Famine Wall.

The tree to be planted by An Taoiseach on 13 May will be presented by the Mayor of Ballina to the Mayor of Drogheda during The Departure walk in Belleek Wood, in memory of the many people who traveled from Mayo to Drogheda Port. As the tree from Ballina is planted we will be joined the walkers from "The Arrival" walk along the River Boyne from Oldbridge House to Drogheda which continues our symbolic

re-enactment of the story of our Ballina family. On their arrival they will be greeted by performers from the Little Duke Theatre in ragged costumes. We also hope to be joined on the 13 May for the main National Commemoration Ceremony by the Mayor of Ballina.

Cultural and Heritage Events for Children

To introduce our local children to the legacy of An Gorta Mor, a series of cultural events will take place focusing on the place of the great Famine in their heritage.
See image below for programme details.

The National Commemoration Ceremony will take place on May 13th- All Welcome

Details of Full Programme of Events

The 2012 National Famine Commemoration will take place at North Quay at the port 
of Drogheda, County Louth on Sunday, 13th May at 2.30pm.

A programme of talks and events has been organised for the week leading up to the

ceremony. The programme illustrates the historical aspects of the Famine in Ireland,

through History, Song, Drama and Music and highlights the role of Drogheda as a

major port in the mass emigration from Ireland at that time.

There will be no cover charge for any of the events taking place from 28th April to 13th

May, with the exception of the recreation of the soup kitchen. Donation boxes

will be located at some of the venues.

DROGHEDA LIBRARY FAMINE COMMEMORATION

Drogheda Library will hold an informative

exhibition on aspects of the Great IrishFamine.

The exhibition will run from May 1st to May 31st 2012.

The exhibition will run during library opening hours.

Dé Sathairn 28ú Aibreán / Saturday 28th April

MAKING HUNGER HISTORY: LOCAL

HEROES IN FARAWAY PLACES.

Organised by the Charity GORTA. Free

places will be allocated on a first come,

first served basis, so book immediately by

emailing rsvp@gorta.org or calling 016615522.

Speakers include Brendan Rogers (Irish

Aid), The Medical Missionaries of Mary & St. Joseph’s C.B.S.

Time: 2:30p.m.

@ Westcourt Hotel, West St., Drogheda

Dé Máirt 8ú Bealtaine / Tuesday 8th May

THE FAMINE EXHIBITION

Highlighting the impact that the Irish

Famine had at both a local and national

level through a series of 32 panels

created in 1995 for the sesquicentenary of An Gorta Mór.

The exhibition underlines the importance

of the potato in the national diet and how

the blight had such a devastating effect

on the island of Ireland.

Leaving from the Steam Packet

Quay – Drogheda 1847.

A look back in time at our own Drogheda

Docks, during the worst year of the Irish

Potato Famine, as presented by students of

The Co Louth VEC Adult Education Centre,King Street.

Details from Maria Morgan 041-9830870

The exhibition will continue on May 10th

to June 19th from 10am - 5pm Mon-Fri

Time: 6.30p.m.

@ The Tholsel, West St. Drogheda.

Dé Céadaoin 9ú Bealtaine / Wednesday 9th May

DROGHEDA DURING FAMINE TIMES

Drogheda Civic Trust presents

The Inaugural Whitaker Lecture

Talk by Prof. John Fitzgerald:

Prof. John Fitzgerald will discuss aspects

of his own thesis on the commercial

importance of Drogheda in the 18th century.

Drogheda during the Great Famine:

Survival of the Least Fit

Talk by Mr. Ned McHugh:

Local Historian Mr. Ned Mc Hugh will

discuss the role that Drogheda Port played

in the famine, being one of the largest

emigration ports in the country.

Time: 6:30p.m.

@ Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda

Bookings: 041 9803311 / info@highlanes.ie

Dé Déardaoin 10ú Bealtaine / Thursday 10th May

RECREATING THE SOUP KITCHEN

In the summer of 1847, the government

set up some soup kitchens to give the

starving people hot soup. Huge boilers

were provided by The Quakers in which to

cook the soup. By August 1847, about 3

million people were being fed each day in total.

A soup kitchen will be situated in the yard

of Drogheda Borough Council which,

during famine times, was the site of one of

many soup kitchens.

For a donation of €5 to Drogheda Homeless

Aid, a tasty lunch will be served for you.

Times: 1:15p.m. - 2.30p.m.

@ Drogheda Borough Council Yard, Fair Street

Dé Déardaoin 10ú Bealtaine / Thursday 10th May

DROGHEDA LIBRARY FAMINE COMMEMORATION

The Great Famine in Drogheda in 1847

A talk by Brendan Matthews:

Local Historian Brendan Matthews

presents an illustrated talk on 'The Great

Famine in Drogheda 1847

Times: 3:45p.m. - 4:45p.m.

@ Drogheda Library, Stockwell St.

Dé Déardaoin 10ú Bealtaine / Thursday 10th May

BELFAST GIRLS

A reading of prizewinning playwight Jaki

McCarrick new work ‘Belfast Girls’ will be

performed in the Droichead Arts Centre.

Set in 1850 against the backdrop of the

famine, five young women choose to leave

the leprous workhouses as part of an

official scheme to transport orphan

workers from Ireland to Australia.

Time: 8:30p.m.

@ Droichead Arts Centre, Stockwell St.

Dé hAoine 11ú Bealtaine / Friday 11th May

THE FAMINE LEGACY

The History of Commemorating the

Irish Famine: Famine Monuments in

Ireland and Abroad

Lecture by Prof. Margaret Kelleher:

Professor Margaret Kelleher is Director of

An Foras Feasa Humanities Research

Institute at the National University of

Ireland, Maynooth. Her books include

The Feminization of Famine (Duke UP

and Cork UP, 1997) - a study of famine in

Ireland and Bengal. She was a contributing

editor to the Field Day Anthology of

Irish Writing, Volume IV: Irish Women’s
Traditions (2002).

From Drogheda to Montreal – the

legacy of Fr. Patrick Dowd and the

Irish Famine orphans

Lecture by Dr. Jason King :

Dr. Jason King lectures in English at the

University of Limerick. He recently

established a virtual archive on "The

Typhus of 1847 / Le Typhus de 1847"

which makes accessible the eye witness

accounts and first hand testimonials of

individuals and members of religious

communities who risked their own lives

to care for and provide comfort for

Famine Irish emigrants in Montreal in 1847.

Time: 12.30p.m. - 2.30p.m.

@ The Tholsel West St. Drogheda

A light lunch will be served

Dé Sathairn 12ú Bealtaine / Saturday 12th May

THE IRISH DIASPORA

John Boyle O’Reilly Society of Ireland in

association with DKIT presents a conference

to discuss the continuing role of emigration in our society.

Irish America and their influence on USA Politics

Talk by: Niall O’Dowd, Editor Irish Voice New

York and Irishcentral.com

The role of the Irish in Britain – Agents for Change

Talk by: Dr. Kevin Bean, Liverpool University

Boston Irish Connections from Famine Days.

Talk by: Prof Catherine Shannon, University of Massachusetts

Settlement Patterns of the Irish in North America

Talk by: Michael O’Connell, UCC

Time: 10a.m. - 2p.m.

@ Westcourt Hotel, West St. Drogheda

Register with seancollins1@gmail.com

Dé Sathairn 12ú Bealtaine / Saturday 12th May

IMEACHT - DEPARTURE. AN AFTERNOON OF

POETRY, MUSIC AND SONG

For the people who left in famine times, it

was common to have what was called

Tórramh Meiriceánach , an American Wake. 
This was held just as a wake would

be for the dead, because it was felt that

the person leaving would never be seen

again and was effectively dead as far as

the people left behind were concerned...

They took the stories, haunting melodies

and poetry of Ireland with them.

Featuring unusual instruments, musicians

and singers. With intricate melodies and

harmonies of uilleann pipes, whistles and

flute that make Irish music so loved

throughout the world.

Time: 2.30p.m - 5.30p.m.

@ Outside St. Peters Church, West St.

Dé Sathairn 12ú Bealtaine / Saturday 12th May

FORGOTTEN VOICES

Forgotten Voices: the great Irish Famine

revealed through the Strokestown Estate archive

Lecture by Róisín Berry and Dr. Ciaran Reilly

Róisín Berry will provide a broad

overview of the work of the OPW-NUI

Maynooth Archive and Research Centre at

Castletown, the Strokestown Estate and its

fascinating Famine archive.

Dr. Ciaran Reilly will examine the nature

and content on the voluminous petitions

which form part of the Strokestown Park Archive.

Admission is free but booking essential.

Time: 2p.m.

@ Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda

041 9803311 / info@highlanes.ie

Exhibition on the ‘Forgotten Voices’

Of the great Irish Famine / OPW-NUI

Maynooth Archive & Research Centre

at Castletown

The exhibition is a rich and varied

selection of documents belonging to the

Strokestown Estate Archive from the

period of the Great Irish Famine (1845-51).

@ Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda

Exhibition runs from 12th to 30th May

A FAMINE PROJECT

A Famine Project, including sculptural,

video and notebook work from 5th Class

St Joseph’s Boys School with teacher Ms.

Dillane will go on display in the Irish

Cement Room. The Project will run from

12th to 30th May.

@ Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda

041 9803311 / info@highlanes.ie

Dé Domhnaigh 13ú Bealtaine / Sunday 13th May

GORTA FAMINE WALK ‘THE ARRIVAL’:

DROGHEDA REMEMBERS.

The Arrival – continuing the reenactment

of the story of one local

family who in 1847 symbolised the

exodus from Mayo as a result of An

Gorta Mor and their journey to

Drogheda.

The walk starts from Oldbridge House

and will last 90 minutes. The walk will

make its way to the National Commemoration

on North Quay and include a free

bus back to Oldbridge House.

Walk leaves from Oldbridge House,

Oldbridge, Drogheda @ 12 midday.

Walkers, ramblers and families with

children are most welcome.

01 6615522 / walk@gorta.org

Dé Domhnaigh 13ú Bealtaine / Sunday 13th May

COMMEMORATIVE MASS

A commemorative Mass will be held in

the Augustinian Church, Shop St.,Drogheda

Time: 1:15p.m.