February Lecture : Waterford Prehistory and Megalithic Tombs

The February lecture, on the "Houses of the Dead"  delivered by Dr Elizabeth Shee-Twohig was of great interest to many who travelled from the county and beyond to attend. 

 Questions and discussions continued well after the lecture was over, 

Suggestions for further reading, 

Further  reading about Waterford prehistory and megalithic tombs

BOOKS

Carlton Jones, Temples of Stone (Collins Press)

Elizabeth Shee Twohig. Irish Megalithic Tombs (Shire books)

John Waddell, The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland 

James Eogan and Elizabeth Shee Twohig (eds) Cois tSiúire – nine thousand years of human activity in the Lower Suir Valley. Archaeological Excavations on the N25 Waterford City Bypass.  (NRA 2011).

 Tom Fourwinds,  Monu-mental about Prehistoric Waterford

WEBSITES

http://webgis.archaeology.ie/historicenvironment/  The database  of the Archaeological Survey

www.excavations.ie    The database of excavation results in Ireland

www.shadowsandstone.com/    website of photographs by Ken Williams

Upcoming Lecture : "House of the Dead"

The next lecture on our agenda will be delivered on Friday 26 February 2016 by Dr Elizabeth Shee Twoghig,UCC

Topic: “Houses of the Dead: the megalithic tombs of East Waterford”

This lecture will look at the various types of “dolmens” (megalithic tombs) in the area and discuss their use and the people  who built them.

Time: 8 pm

Venue: St Patrik's GAteway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford City. 

Admission : Members free, non-members €5.00

Programme of Lectures January - May 2016

Winter/Spring 2016

Lectures held in St Patrick's Gateway Centre,

Patrick Street, at 8pm 

Friday 29^th January                           Speaker: Monsignor Michael Olden.

Topic: Dr. Richard A Sheehan 1845 – 1915.

Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, and founder of

The Waterford and South East of Ireland Archaeological Society.

Friday 26^th February                                    Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Shee Twohig, UCC.

Topic: “Houses of the Dead: the megalithic tombs of East Waterford”

This lecture will look at the various types of “dolmens” (megalithic tombs) in the area and discuss their use and the people who built them.

Friday 1^st April                                   Speaker: Mr. James Doherty

Topic: The Two Military Barracks in Waterford.

James Doherty will examine the history behind the two military barracks in Waterford City and will provide an insight into why they were built, what garrison life was like and the factors that led to the decline and almost complete disappearance of what was once a impressive military complex in the heart of Waterford City.

Friday 8^th April                                  Annual General Meeting – Details beforehand.

Friday 29^th April                                Speaker: Dr. Pat McCarthy.

Topic: Waterford men in The 1916 Rising.

This lecture will mark the centenary of The 1916 Rising.

Friday 27^nd May                                Speaker: Mr. Kieran Cronin.

Topic: Aquila Non Captat Muscas: a voyage of discovery of the William Graves and Sons Shipping Company papers at WIT Libraries.

This lecture provides an insight into the historical documents of the William Graves and Sons Shipping Company Papers which WIT Libraries are custodians of since May 2015. The company’s origins date back to 1811 and are most famously known for commissioning the building of the Dunbrody ship (1840-1845). At its height the company had offices in New Ross, Waterford, Liverpool and Savannah, Georgia amongst others. This collection of circa 1400 historical documents includes ledgers, letters, legal documents, prospectuses, maps etc. which when brought together give a greater understanding of the multifaceted international business operations of the company in the 19^th century.

All details of lectures will be available from our website,

Facebook page, local and national papers.

http://www.waterford-history.org/

October Lecture : Dr Pat McCarthy on Sedd el Bahr And Suvla Bay

Dr Pat McCarthy depicted with extremely vivid details the dreadful situation of the Waterford men who found themselves fighting in Gallipoli.

After answering many questions it was time for a well-deserved break and a chat, here with chairperson Erica Fay.

Outings of 2015 in Pictures

Juggling between sports fixtures and "organized bands of clouds" - some of our summer events had to be postponed, rescheduled, adapted to the circumstances.
The coach trip this year was first to Castletown House

and then to the Curragh with Dr Pat McCarthy.

Following that the first outing in June took us to Ballymacarbry where we met Michael Desmond who led us through the woods to discover two megalithic sites. Beyond the history, (from Bronze Age to the revolutionary years)  we also learned much about the plants growing wild and their dangers or benefits.

In July we met in St Patrick's Gateway Centre in the city, to be shown by Mr Julian Walton some of the remarkable headstones of the graveyard. Julian gave us a short talk beforehand (date on slide from a different lecture!)  and we went to the graveyard to identify some of the features, however the light was not the best due to the cloud cover and we adjourned to the church for a warming cup of tea!

 

 

 

The August outing to Tintern Abbey was cancelled and the outing to Seskinan Church -originally planned for July 12th - was rescheduled for August 16th.

On that day we met Dr Nora White (from the Ogham in 3D Project) and local historian Mr Brendan Coffey . We learned some of the history of the parish, and Dr Nora White showed us where the Ogham stones had been used in the building of the church, mostly as lintels. 

Upcoming Lecture: Waterford men & the Gallipoli Campaign

Our next lecture will be on Friday 30th October

Lecturer: Dr Pat McCarthy

Topic:  Sedd el Bahr And Suvla Bay, Waterford men and the Gallipoli campaign

Venue: St. Patricks Gateway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford.

Time: 8pm.

Admission 5 Euro, members no charge

September Lecture : Holy Wells of County Waterford

The first lecture of the winter season proved very popular with Dr Eugene Broderick as speaker.

Not only did Dr Broderick give us a history of the Holy Wells, but also an insight of what it was like to be at patterns and how the events evolved over the centuries.