Upcoming Lecture 28/03/25 : The Medieval Cathedral of Waterford and its Place in Irish Gothic Architecture by Prof. Roger Stalley

 The Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society 2024 – 2025 lecture series continues at 8 pm on Friday, March 28th, when Prof. Roger Stalley, will deliver a talk titled ‘The Medieval Cathedral of Waterford and its Place in Irish Gothic Architecture’. Thanks to the generosity of the Dean of Waterford, Revd Bruce Hayes, this lecture is being held in Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford (Eircode X91 TC66).

 

The old cathedral of Waterford was demolished in 1773 and replaced by the John Robert’s-designed neo-Classical cathedral. The medieval cathedral was built to a highly unusual design, without parallel anywhere else in Ireland. It has long been recognised that its architecture was inspired by Glastonbury Abbey, the richest Benedictine abbey in England. The design was remarkably ambitious, placing Waterford alongside the two Dublin cathedrals in terms of scale and sophistication. Fortunately, the survival of drawings, paintings and fragments of stonework, allow us to get a reasonably clear picture of the cathedral’s appearance, though many mysteries remain. Who exactly was the driving force behind this ambitious project in the years around 1220-30 and how was it financed? Why was Glastonbury selected as a model: was this a coincidence or was the master mason in charge recruited from the workshop at Glastonbury? There is also the question of whether local masons were involved or whether a team was brought over from England to carry out the task ? There are signs that the initial project was far too ambitious and that within a few years the scheme was modified and simplified. In this context Waterford was not alone. A number of other cathedral projects in Ireland were similarly curtailed, as early optimism gave way to financial reality. Nonetheless, the cathedral at Waterford remained one of the foremost Gothic buildings in Munster, the impact of its design being visible in churches elsewhere, not least at Athassal Abbey in county Tipperary.

While we might regret the destruction of the medieval building in 1773, there is no doubt that the fabric was by this stage badly dilapidated. Moreover, with its agglomeration of chapels and extra spaces, it was not well-suited to the type of worship prevailing at the time. It is no surprise, therefore, that both church and city authorities decided that a completely new cathedral was a better option than constant repair.

Roger Stalley is a fellow emeritus of Trinity College Dublin, where he was formerly Professor of the history of Art. He is the author eight books and approximately 150 articles in journals and periodicals. His books include The Cistercian Monasteries of Ireland (1987), for which he was awarded the Alice Davis Hitchcock medallion, and Early Medieval Architecture (1999), which to date has sold over 25,000 copies. His most recent volume Early Irish Sculpture and the Art of the High Crosses (2020) was shortlisted for the Berger prize. Amongst his many publications on Irish architecture is a study of Waterford cathedral, published in Irish Art and Decorative Studies. He is a regular contributor to the Irish Arts Review and currently serves as Chairperson of the Buildings of Ireland Charitable Trust, the body that commissions the Buildings of Ireland volumes, following the pattern of the Pevsner series for Britain. Professor Stalley is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and an elected member of Academia Europaea.

Upcoming Lecture 28/02/25 : Exploring the Making of 'Irish Food History: A Companion' by Dr Máirtin Mac ConIomaire

 The Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society’s next lecture will be at 8 pm on Friday, February 28th in St Patrick’s Gateway Centre, Waterford (Eircode X91 YX61) when Dr Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, will deliver a talk titled ‘Exploring the making of ‘Irish Food History: A Companion’’.

 

Food permeates every aspect of Irish life and society, from birth to death—from the new-born’s first suckle to the food traditions associated with Irish wakes and funerals. Essential for survival, historically it has proven elusive to scholarly research, hidden in plain sight. Entangled with the domestic and the feminine, it was perhaps traditionally regarded as too mundane and too quotidian for consideration. Yet, consider what can be revealed by applying the ‘food lens’ to something as fundamental as our sense of place, our basic grounding in townland and byway. Consider the etymological richness of ‘Bóthar’, the Irish word for road (from ‘bó’—cow), defined in width by the length and breadth of a cow, a signifier of the long affair of our bovine past; extending also to our ‘buachaillí’ (boys) and ‘cailíní’ (girls), meaning, respectively, cowboy or herd boy and little herder, the suffix ‘ín’ denoting the diminutive. The true meaning of placenames such as Clonmel, Cappataggle, Glenageary, and Kanturk, all food-related, can only be unlocked through an understanding of their Irish language origins. All are instances of what Martin Doyle succinctly explains as ‘a transliteration from the Irish, preserving the sound but obliterating the meaning’.

In September 2024 an 800-page book titled Irish Food History: A Companion was published by the Royal Irish Academy, and in an open access online version by EUt+ Academic Press. The volume was co-edited by Dr Mac Con Iomaire and Dr Dorothy Cashman, with a foreword by the distinguished historian Professor James Kelly. This exciting new companion to Irish food history builds on the existing work of scholars across various disciplines. Within its twenty-eight chapters, there are contributions from experts in the fields of archaeology, history, mythology, linguistics, literature, folklore, Irish studies, food studies, beverage studies, gastronomy, and culinary history, who apply the latest thinking and scholarship to the history of Irish food from the earliest inhabitants to the twenty-first century. The book is divided into six sections:1. Prehistory and Archaeology of Food in Ireland; 2. Bog Butter, bees and banqueting in medieval Ireland; 3. Sources for food history in early modern Ireland; 4. Developments in food supply, technology, and trade; 5. Food, folklore, foclóirí, and digital humanities; and 6. The development of modern Irish food and identity. The section breaks are interspersed with food related poetry from Raiftearaí, Seamus Heaney and Paula Meehan, along with some recipes and old songs.

In his talk Máirtín will discuss the background to the book, outlining the development of food history in Ireland. He will discuss some of the seminal scholars who paved the way for this endeavour, and the key publications that preceded it. He will also discuss the main findings outlined in the book, before opening the floor to a wider discussion on Irish food history more generally.

Dr Mac Con Iomaire is a senior lecturer in the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, Technological University Dublin and Chair of the Masters in Gastronomy and Food Studies in TU Dublin, the first such programme in Ireland. With Dorothy Cashman and Michelle Share, he has been co-editor of the new European Journal of Food, Drink, and Society since 2021. Mac Con Iomaire is co-editor with Eamon Maher of ‘Tickling the Palate’: Gastronomy in Irish Literature and Culture (Peter Lang: 2014) and New Beginnings: Perspectives from France and Ireland (Peter Lang, 2023), and with Rhona Richman Kenneally on ‘The Food Issue’ of The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies (2018). He is also the co-founder and chair of the biennial Dublin Gastronomy Symposium, and a former two-term trustee of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery. In 2018, he presented Blasta, an eight-part television series for TG4 celebrating Ireland’s food heritage. In 2021, Máirtín guest edited a special issue of Folk Life: Journal of Ethnological Studies in the topic of Irish Food Ways. He was awarded an IRC Research Ally Prize in both 2021 and 2022 for mentoring doctoral candidates.

Upcoming Lecture 31/01/25 : Quills and Quandaries: Insights into Eighteenth-Century Ireland through James Ryan's 'Carrick Man's Diary'

 Quills and Quandaries: Insights into Eighteenth-Century Ireland through James Ryan's 'Carrick Man's Diary' : A lecture by Dr Bláithín Hurley to the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society

The Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society’s first lecture of 2025  will be at 8 pm on Friday, January 31st in St Patrick’s Gateway Centre, Waterford (Eircode X91 YX61) when Dr Bláithín Hurley, will deliver a talk titled ‘Quills and Quandaries: Insights into Eighteenth-Century Ireland through James Ryan's 'Carrick Man's Diary'’.

 

Between 1787 and 1809, James Ryan meticulously chronicled the events of Carrick-on Suir, and beyond, in a diary that serves as a unique historical artifact. Ryan's entries offer a captivating glimpse into the tumultuous era of the late eighteenth century, marked by significant global and local upheavals. For example, one notable entry, dated August 10th, 1789, sheds light on the unfolding chaos of the French Revolution, as Ryan vividly describes the brutal assault on the King of France’s Swiss Guards and court officers by an enraged mob in Paris. Concurrently, he reports a grisly local incident—the murder of Bryan Murphy’s wife and the subsequent hanging of her husband for the crime—a stark reminder of the violence that permeated daily life in Ireland at that time.

Ryan's diary serves as a testament to the connections and relationships between global events and local happenings. Amidst the backdrop of the French Revolution and the Irish Rebellion of 1798, Carrick-on-Suir became a microcosm of the larger tumult engulfing the nation. Ryan's entries document the passage of soldiers through the town en route to rebellion flashpoints, as well as the arrival of French fleets in Sligo and Cork to aid Irish rebels. His corresponding entry in which he discusses the absence of the Dublin Mail Coach due to a rebel uprising in Naas and Carlow only serves to accentuate the impact the rebellion had on everyday Irish life.

Ryan's unique approach to diary-keeping adds depth to his narrative. Rather than following a traditional chronological order, he organises his notes by subject, categorising entries under headings such as, ‘Accidents’; ‘Deaths’; and ‘Phenomenon’. Interspersed throughout are occasional recipes, medical cures, and instructions on preparing quills and inks, revealing his meticulous attention to detail and diverse interests.

Despite its small size and distance from urban centres like Dublin, Waterford and Cork, Carrick-on-Suir was not isolated from cultural trends and entertainment. Travelling players frequently stopped in the town, treating locals to plays, concerts, and operettas. These performances introduced Carrick-on-Suir to the latest musical fashions and dramatic productions, ensuring that residents remained abreast of cultural developments. For instance, in a display of local talent, the young gentlemen of Mrs. Dineen’s ‘Carrick Academy’ staged a performance of The Siege of Damascus to great acclaim, displaying the town's vibrant cultural scene.

In this talk, we embark on a journey through the past, exploring the intersections of Irish, European and global history, side-by-side with community, and individual experience. James Ryan's diary offers a fascinating glimpse into life in eighteenth-century Carrick-on-Suir, weaving together tales of global events, local happenings, and cultural experiences. Through his meticulous observations and unique recording style, Ryan provides invaluable insights into the resilience and creativity of the town’s residents, along with their national, international and global awareness during a pivotal period in Irish and world history.

Dr Bláithín Hurley is a Librarian with Waterford Library Services, in Waterford City. She is also a part-time lecturer in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science at the Open University. 

Bláithín holds a PhD in History of Art from the University of Cambridge, an MA in History of Art from the University of Warwick, a BA in History of Art and Music from University College Cork, and a PG Dip. in Library Information Systems from the University of Aberystwyth. Bláithín has a broad spectrum of interests ranging from the depiction of music in sixteenth-century Venetian art to Irish art and cultural history since the sixteenth century.

Her publications include an article titled ‘Musical Instruments in the Venetian Casa: Contextualising Maria Robusti’s Self-Portrait’, published in the January 2023 issue of the journal Early Music (Oxford University Press). Following this, she authored a chapter on the Carrickman’s Diary in Brill's publication, Exciting News!, published in April 2024. Currently, she anticipates the imminent publication of a chapter she contributed to the three volume, Tomb Monuments in Medieval Europe, discussing the artistic merits of the ‘McGrath Tomb’ in St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore.