On Wednesday, I spent a very enjoyable evening in the Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow, where I spoke to the Carlow Historical & Archaeological Society about Collusion and Discovery under the Penal Laws, focusing on the activities of Patrick Lattin and his brothers-in-law, Richard Leigh, Michael Moore and William Alcock and their reliance on Protestant friends …
Last weekend I travelled to Cambridge to present a paper at the Horse & the Country House conference, organised by the Attingham Trust. My paper focused on The Racehorses, Gambling and Equestrian Buildings of Sir Edward O’Brien, 2nd Baronet Dromoland (1705-65)’. Given the focus of my paper, it was necessary to travel to Dromoland to …
I spent a really enjoyable evening yesterday with the Blessington History Society, where I spoke about the landlords and tenants who lives on the Morristown Lattin estate in Co. Kildare during the eighteenth-century. There was a really enthusiastic group in attendance and we had a very engaging discussion afterwards.
In August, I presented a paper at the annual Tudor Stuart Ireland conference in the Royal Irish Academy. My paper focused on widows’ inheritance in seventeenth-century Ireland. The Committee arranged for all papers to be recorded, and they are now available on Soundcloud. You can access my presentation here. And the conference programme is available …
Traditionally the starting point for the Camino de Glendalough, which follows the popular medieval pilgrimage route, St. Kevin’s Way, Hollywood village’s location at the beginning of St. Kevin’s road, a main route to the King’s River valley and Glendalough, has seen many pilgrims receive a blessing at St. Kevin’s Church of Ireland before following in …
Continue reading ‘St. Kevin’s Church, Hollywood, Co. Wicklow’ »
*New Publication* If you’ve ever wondered about the history of Ladies’ Day at the Punchestown Festival, the effort involved and guidelines as to how to dress for the occasion, you can now learn all about it. My article on this topic has now been published in the West Wicklow Historical Society (WWHS) journal which was …
Continue reading ‘Ladies’ Day at Punchestown: 150 years of Festival Fashion – now published!’ »
My article on collusion in eighteenth-century Ireland has now been published in Law and Religion in Ireland, 1700-1970 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), edited by Kevin Costello and Niamh Howlin from UCD Sutherland School of Law. The book (and article!) can be found on the Palgrave Macmillan website. The article examines the means used by Irish Catholics …
I had a very enjoyable Bank Holiday Monday evening speaking to the Kill Local History Group about collusion and discovery in C18th Co. Kildare. The paper focused on the Lattin family from Morristown Lattin who, despite the Penal Laws, purchased various properties in Kildare and Dublin in collusion with Protestant relatives. I also spoke about …
I’m delighted to announce that my latest article, ‘To “Elude the Design and Intention” of the Penal Laws: Collusion and Discovery in Eighteenth-Century Ireland: A Case Study’, has been published as a chapter in Law and Religion in Ireland, 1700-1970 and will be available in September. You can order a copy here. This article examines …
Ladies’ Day at Punchestown: 120 years of Festival Fashion Dr Emma Lyons It’s ‘Not free admittance, not flowers handed out at the gate, not special races for women punters only. “They get ducked out”.’ This was the description of Ladies’ Day at Punchestown given by regular racegoer ‘Whistler’ to Irish Times staff reporter Mary Maher on her drive down to the 1966 Punchestown Festival. On her arrival, …
Continue reading ‘“We’re not here gambling on the horses: we’re gambling on ourselves”’ »
I had a really enjoyable evening speaking at the Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Council’s Peace IV Decade of Commemorations lecture series last Tuesday, with great questions and discussion. The lecture wasn’t recorded, but here is the PowerPoint presentation which formed the basis of my lecture.
I am looking forward to giving a lecture on WW1 and the Irish Home Front, as part of the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Council Decade of Commemorations lecture series. Registration is free and available here.
A version of this piece was published in the Hollywood Fair journal, August 2016 (pp 40-45). I am currently working on a more comprehensive article. Once again we are on the eve of Punchestown. To-morrow will be the opening day of the great steeplechase meeting which is held annually under the auspices of the Kildare …