Rathmichael Historical Society
Past Lecture Programmes
2024 Lecture Programme
Wednesday, 4th January: AGM followed by The Lead Mines: Ballycorus and Glendalough by Rob Goodbody.
Wednesday, 7th February: Sanctuary in Medieval Ireland by Colmán Ó Clabaigh.
Wednesday, 6th March: Medieval Dublin: the Making of a City by Howard Clarke.
Wednesday, 3rd April: A Monumental Mystery Tour of Medieval Ireland by Chris Corlett.
Summer Lecture Series
Theme: The Monastic Midlands
Monday, 19th August: The Monastic Landscape of Seir Kieran: the Development and Evolution of a Midland Monastery by Caimin O’Brien.
Tuesday, 20th August: A Modern Scholar Explores the Monastic Midlands, Past and Present by George Cunningham.
Wednesday, 21st August: Leo Swan Memorial Lecture: Clonmacnoise and its Churches by Con Manning.
Thursday, 22nd August: King Turlough O’Connor and the Lemanaghan Shrine: Royal Patronage in the Monastic Midlands in the early 12th Century by Grifffin Murray.
Friday, 23rd August: Tech Mo Chua/ Timahoe and the Life of Saint Mo Chua by Charles Doherty.
Wednesday, 2nd October: Recording our Archaeological Heritage: the Role of the Archaeological Survey in the National Monuments Service by Caimin O’Brien.
Wednesday, 6th November: The Archaeology of a Dissolved Monastery: Evidence from St.Mary’s Abbey by Ed.O’Donovan.
Wednesday, 4th December: St.Nathi’s Church in Dundrum by John Lennon.
2023 Lecture Programme
Wednesday, 4th January: AGM followed by Weaving in the Liberties by Catherine Scuffil.
Wednesday, 1st February: Crossing Points: River-Fords and the Study of Historic Landscapes by Paul Gosling.
Wednesday, 1st March: No Mere Irish: The Kennedys of Mount Kennedy by Therese Hicks.
Wednesday, 5th April: The Story of Stained Glass in Ireland: Beyond Harry Clarke by Finola Finlay.
Summer Lecture Series
Theme: Early Norman Ireland
Monday, 21st August: The Division of Anglo-Norman Leinster- 1247 by John Marshall.
Tuesday, 22nd August: The Anglo-Norman Legacy by Adrian Empey.
Wednesday, 23rd August: Leo Swan Memorial Lecture: Castles in the Air: Anglo-Norman Castles in Ireland c.1170-c.1320 by Michael Potterton.
Thursday, 24th August: Church Building in Early Norman Ireland by Rachel Moss.
Friday, 25th August: The Status and Roles of Women in Late Medieval Ireland by Sparky Booker.
Wednesday, 4th October: Art and Architecture by Peter Pearson.
Wednesday, 1st November: Crampton Built; a History of Crampton Builders by Ruth McManus.
Wednesday, 6th December: Herbert Simms: Dublin City Architect by Lindie Naughton.
2022 Lecture Programme
Wednesday, 5th January: AGM followed by Hanna and Francis Sheehy Skeffington by Dr. Micheline Sheehy Skeffington.
Wednesday, 2nd February: Mapping Death: Burial in Late Iron Age and Early Medieval Ireland by Dr. Elizabeth O’Brien.
Wednesday, 2nd March: 1000 Years of Irish Currency by Dr. Edith Andrees.
Wednesday, 6th April: Dublin Castle Excavations by Dr. Conleth Manning.
Summer Lecture Series
Theme: The Monasteries of St.Colmcille
Monday, 15th August: From Iona to Salzburg: Wide-reaching Connections by Dr.Dagmar Ó Riain-Raedel.
Tuesday, 16th August: Early Columban Monasticism: Reflections on Material Things by Dr.Cormac Bourke.
Wednesday, 17th August: Leo Swan Memorial Lecture. Colmcille-Columba: the Man and the Legacy by Dr.Brian Lacy.
Thursday, 18th August: Rediscovering Columba’s Monastery at Durrow, Co.Offaly by Dr.Elizabeth O’Brien.
Friday, 19th August: The Annalistic Legacy of Colmcille and Iona by Dr.Dan McCarthy.
Wednesday, 5th October: 50 Years of the Rathmichael Historical Society by Rob Goodbody.
Wednesday, 2nd November: The French are on the Sea by Pól Ó Duibhir.
Wednesday, 7th December: Arthur Griffith by Colum Kenny.
2021 Lecture Programme
Wednesday 6th January: AGM, followed by Mary Mulligan: Neighbour to Countess Markievicz by Peadar Curran
Wednesday 3rd February: By the Way 2: Public Art in Ireland by Anne Lane
Wednesday 3rd March: Kilbarron Castle Conservation Project – a Project in Progress by Fergus Cleary
Wednesday 7th April: Excavations at Newmarket and Mill Street by Claire Walsh.
Summer Lecture Series
Monday, 16th August: The Archaeology of Raised Bogs by Dr. Ellen O’Carroll.
Tuesday, 17th August: Interpreting the Physical Features of the Faddan More Psalter by Dr. John Gillis.
Wednesday, 18th August: Leo Swan Memorial Lecture: 50 Years on from Leo Swan’s Research Flights over the Céide Fields in 1971 by Prof. Séamus Caulfield.
Thursday, 19th August: Commercial Development of Irish Bogs in 19th and 20th Centuries by Donal Clarke.
Friday, 20th August: The Contribution of Archaeobotany to Archaeology by Dr. Gina Hannon and Dr.Richard Bradshaw.
Wednesday, 6th October: 1691: The Year that Sealed Ireland’s Fate by Joe Joyce.
Wednesday, 3rd November: The Shadow War: Michael Collins and the Politics of Violence by Dr. Joe Connell.
Wednesday, 1st December: A Book and a Bell: Glendalough on the Morning of 15th May 1106 by Mary Kelly.
2020 Lecture Programme
Wednesday 8th January: The Doubedat Scandal by Richard Dolan
Wednesday 5th February: The Life and Times of William Orpen by Dominic Lee
Wednesday 4th March: Wolfe Tone, Matilda and Family by Larry Breen.
Summer Lecture Series
Monday 17th August: Dronehenge: the Discovery of a Giant Late Neolithic Monument near Newgrange by Anthony Murphy.
Tuesday 18th August: Early Irish Sculpture and the Art of the High Crosses by Roger Stalley.
Wednesday 19th August: The Leo Swan Memorial Lecture: The Best Preserved Early Monastery in the World by Chris Corlett.
Thursday 20th August: Carriglea House: Witness to History by David Doyle.
Friday 21st August: ‘Uncovering the historic port: The Alexandra Basin Redevelopment project by Niall Brady.
Wednesday 7th October: Old Houses of Shankill by Peter Pearson
Wednesday 4th November: The Shadow War: Michael Collins and the Politics of Violence by Joe Connell
Wednesday 2nd December: 19th Century Suburbs of Monkstown and Glasthule by Laura Johnstone
2019 Lecture Programme
Wednesday 9th January: AGM followed by Richard Dolan : Rathmichael: Past, Present and Future
Wednesday 6th February: Fergus Mulligan : William Dargan – an Honourable Life
Wednesday 6th March: Patrick Salmon : The Lost Village of Milltown
Wednesday 3rd April: Conor Lucey : A New Perspective on James Malton’s Picturesque and Descriptive Views of the City of Dublin
Summer Lecture Series
Monday 19th August: Eamonn McEneaney: The Treasures of Medieval Waterford and their Remarkable Stories
Tuesday 20th August: Ben Murtagh: The Castle and Medieval Town and Later City of Kilkenny
Wednesday 21st August: The Leo Swan Memorial Lecture – Dagmar Ó Riain-Raedel: Murder and Mayhem in Medieval Cork
Thursday 22nd August: Liam Irwin: Limerick: City of Sieges and a Broken Treaty
Friday 23rd August: Paul Walsh: Renaissance Galway: Conversations with a Map
Wednesday 2nd October: Michael Purser : Jellett, O’Brien, Purser and Stokes: Four Grandparents’ Families over Seven Generations
Wednesday 6th November: Rob Goodbody: Howth Harbour
Wednesday 4th December: Ida Milne : The Great Flu Pandemic
2018 Lecture Programme
Wed, 3rd January: AGM followed by The History of Main Street, Dundrum by John Lennon
Wed, 7th February: Dublin since 1922 by Tim Carey
Wed, 7th March: Georgian Dublin: the Forces that Shaped the City by Diarmuid Ó Gráda
Wed, 4th April: Ballycorus by Rob Goodbody
Summer Lecture Series
Mon, 13th August: Abbey of St.Thomas by Claire Walsh
Tues, 14th August: A Most Cruel Devastation: The Viking Impact Reassessed by Matthew Stout
Wed, 15th August: Leo Swan Memorial Lecture: Carrying the Holy Relics, Reliquaries and Insignia in the Early Irish Church by Raghnall O Floinn
Thurs, 16th August: The Chapter House of St. Mary’s Abbey: Dublin’s Oldest Building? by Ana Dolan
Fri, 17th August: Sacred Places, Sacred Spaces: The Churchyard and Church in Early Medieval Ireland by Colmán O Clabaigh
Wed, 3rd October: Torpedoed! The Sinking of the RMS Leinster by Philip Lecane
Wed, 7th November: Did Brian Boru save Ireland from a Viking Conquest? by Howard Clarke
Wed, 5th December: Carrickfergus to Carcassone: Hugh de Lacy and the Cathar Crusade by Paul Duffy
2017 Lecture Programme
Wed, 4th January: AGM followed by The History of Airfield by John Lennon.
Wed, 1st February: The Kennedys of Mount Kennedy by Therese Hicks.
Wed, 1st March: Harry Clarke by Nikki Gordon-Bowe.
Wed, 5th April: Dublin Bay by Rob Goodbody.
Summer Lecture Series
Mon, 14th August: Everything but the Apothecary – Recent Excavations at Kevin Street, Dublin by Alan Hayden.
Tues, 15th August: Tullagh and the Burial Grounds at Mount Offaly and Cherrywood: Social Organisation on the Cusp of Christianity by Gillian Boazman.
Wed, 16th August: Leo Swan Memorial Lecture: Rath Melsig: The Anglo-Saxons in Ireland by Prof. Dáibhí Ó Cróinín.
Thurs, 17th August: The Murder of a Tomb: Recent Discoveries at the Hellfire Club by Neil Jackman.
Fri, 18th August: St.Mary’s Abbey and its Medieval Grange Farms in Co.Dublin by Geraldine Stout.
Wed, 4th October: The Black Death in the Dublin Region by Finbar Dwyer.
Wed, 1st November: Early Medieval Masons in Rathdown by Jason Bolton.
Wed, 6th December: Richard Bridges Beechey – Marine Artist and his Connections with Dun Laoghaire by Cormac Lowth.
2016 Lecture Programme
Wed, 6th January: AGM followed by Stained Glass Windows in Dundrum by John Lennon.
Wed, 3rd February: Rev.Thomas Goff of Carriglea by David Doyle.
Wed, 2nd March: The Broighter Hoard as Treasure Trove by Aideen Ireland.
Wed, 6th April: Kingship by Charles Doherty.
Summer Lecture Series
Mon, 15th August: Medieval Rathdown by Chris Corlett.
Tues, 16th August: Before de Ridelesford: Mapping the Proto Manor of Bre 1171-1173 by David McIlreavy.
Wed, 17th August: Leo Swan Memorial Lecture: National Museum of Ireland: Memories and Anecdotes by Pat Wallace.
Thurs, 18th August: Recent Archaeological Research at Glendalough by Graeme Warren.
Fri, 19th August: Some Exceptional Women in Early Medieval Ireland – Evidence from the Grave by Betty O’Brien.
Wed, 5th October: Gordon MacDonald Hills and his Watercolours of Round Towers by Con Manning.
Wed, 2nd November: Trawling under Sail in Dublin Bay in the 19th Century by Cormac Lowth.
Wed, 7th December: Stone Bridges of the Dublin Area by Rob Goodbody.
2015 Lecture Programme
Wed, 7th January: AGM followed by Homestead – History of a House by John Lennon.
Wed, 4th February: From Village to Suburb: the Building of Clontarf since 1760 by Claire Gogarty.
Wed, 4th March: Bronze Age Metal Mining and Metallurgy in Ireland, 2400-500BC by Dr. Ralph Horne.
Wed, 1st April: Ranelagh in Pictures – a Place in History by Susan Roundtree.
Summer Lecture Series
Mon, 17th August: History: has it become a “funereal parade of yawn-inducing facts”? by Prof. Ciaran Brady.
Tues, 18th August: Archaeology: is it Useful? by Franc Myles.
Wed, 19th August: Leo Swan Memorial Lecture: History, Archaeology and the Past: what Donegal has taught me by Brian Lacey.
Thurs, 20th August: Experimental Archaeology: Science, Art or Disneyland? by Prof. Aidan O’Sullivan.
Fri, 21st August: History Ireland/Archaeology Ireland Hedge School: History versus Archaeology: is it like Neanderthal versus Homo Sapiens? Discussion with Tommy Graham, Franc Myles, Tom Condit, Seán Duffy and Robert Chapple.
Wed, 7th October: The Archaeology and Politics of Ecclesiastical Patronage in Viking Age Rathdown by Gill Boazman.
Wed, 4th November: The Fassaroe Crosses and Other Wayside Monuments by Rachel Moss.
Wed, 2nd December: Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin by Gary Branigan.
2014 Lecture Programme
Wed, 8th January: AGM followed by Frank Aiken’s Mill by Rob Goodbody.
Wed, 5th February: The Irish Viking Graves Project – Old Finds and New Findings by Stephen Harrison.
Wed, 5th March: The Battle of Clontarf by Colm Lennon.
Wed, 2nd April: Ranelagh by Susan Roundtree.
Summer Lecture Series
Mon, 18th August: Controlling the Carlow Corridor during the Middle Ages by Dr. Linda Doran.
Tues, 19th August: Excavations at Trim Castle, Co.Meath by Alan Hayden.
Wed, 20th August: Leo Swan Memorial Lecture: Leo Swan’s Aerial Photograph Collection by Katherine Daly.
Thurs, 21st August: Rathmichael Historical Society’s Excavations at Dundrum Castle, Co.Dublin by Dr. Betty O’Brien.
Fri, 22nd August: Excavations at the Black Friary by Finola O’Carroll.
Wed, 1st October: The Great Stone Tombs of the Boyne Valley, Late Stone Age (c.3500BC) by George Eogan.
Wed, 5th November: Dublin 1756-1847 – Historic Town Atlas by Rob Goodbody. Followed by official launch of the Atlas.
Wed, 3rd December: Seventh Century Leinster and the Wider World by Dr. Colin Ireland.
2013 Lecture Programme
Wed. 9th January: AGM followed by The Fitzgeralds of Ardilea House by John Lennon.
Wed, 6th February: Alexander Nimmo and the Western District by Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill
Wed, 6th March: John Roque’s map of Dublin – 1756 by John Montague.
Wed, 3rd April: Daniel O’Connell by Patrick Geoghegan.
Summer Lecture Series
Mon, 12th August: Contacts between Ireland and Britain in the Iron Age/Early Medieval Period, as Revealed by the Irish Burial Record by Dr. Betty O’Brien.
Tues, 13th August: The Late Iron Age and Roman Ireland Project: Preliminary Findings and Future Research by Dr. Jacqueline Wilson.
Wed, 14th August: Leo Swan Memorial Lecture: Corporeal Relics, Tents and Shrines in Early Medieval Ireland by Cormac Bourke.
Thurs, 15th August: Dalkey Island in the Early Medieval Period: Connections and Boundaries by Ian Doyle.
Fri, 16th August: Archaeology Ireland, 25 Years, 100 Issues by Nick Maxwell.
Wed, 2nd October: The Old Roads of Shankill and Rathmichael by Rob Goodbody.
Wed, 6th November: Dublin Castle Excavations by Con Manning.
Wed, 4th December: Axes from Islands: the Importance of Island Lithic Sources in the Neolithic Period by Gabriel Cooney.
