As part of the Decade of Centenaries 2022, Roscommon Library will be hosting three exciting new online talks this May. Each of the talks will focus on different aspects of the history and heritage of County Roscommon in the 1900-1930 period.
On Thursday, May 12th, at 7 pm, Genealogist Martin Curley will talk about ‘Roscommon Family Records from a Century Ago’. Martin will look at the various resources from 100 years ago available for people with family in Co. Roscommon, and will generally explore their lives at that time. Online records – including censuses, birth, marriage and death certificates, and land ownership documents – will be reviewed. Sources such as school records, photographs, and newspaper reports will also be examined. The talk will discuss the major record collections that allow a person to have a good knowledge of the lives of their ancestors at that time.
On Thursday, May 19th, at 7 pm, Mary Clancy of NUIG will deliver a talk entitled, ‘Women of the West: Activism, Contexts and Life-Stories’. Mary’s talk will examine themes of continuity, change and activism in the lives of Irishwomen during the revolutionary period. It will consider how organising on women’s rights, war-work and Irish independence led to different types of participation. The talk will draw upon experiences and life-stories in the West of Ireland, with a particular focus on women in Co. Roscommon.
On Thursday, May 26th, at 7 pm, local historian Paul Connolly will speak about ‘Change and continuity in the ‘big house’ in County Roscommon’, where he will look at life in the big houses in Co. Roscommon, leading up to, during, and after the Revolutionary Years, examining in detail Mount Talbot, Strokestown, and French Park, among others. Paul, who needs little introduction, is the author of ‘Mount Talbot: a journey through the ages’ (2014) and ‘The landed estates of County Roscommon’ (2018).
All of the talks taking place are free to attend. All that is required is that people register at crowdcast.io/e/Ros2022/register.
