27 - 30 June 2024
On the morning of 28 June 1922, Dubliners woke to the sound of the National Army shelling the Four Courts, Headquarters of the anti-Treaty IRA Executive. Three days later, the garrison surrendered - the Four Courts lay in ruins, the Public Records Office was destroyed. Historian Liz Gillis will discuss the opening battle (for the capital city) of the Irish Civil War. It was eight days of a war that lasted eleven months but which affected this country for generations.
After the initial phase of conventional warfare the conflict moved into a chapter reminiscent of the guerrilla/official reprisal struggle of the War of Independence. While Anti-Treaty Republican forces were responsible for atrocities it was the Free State which wreaked most havoc with 77 executions, extra-judicial killings (Ballyseedy) and unsanctioned murder (Oriel House). It was this phase of the conflict that led to the real bitterness that persisted for decades.
After the retreat from Dublin of the anti-Treaty IRA Ireland witnessed the first conventional warfare on its soil since the Williamite/Jacobite war of the late 17th century. Artillery and seaborne landings, briefly replaced ‘hit and run’ guerilla tactics as the two sides tried to take or hold territory. UCC historian John Borgonovo describes this opening phase of the bitter Civil War.
Almost 200 alleged civilian spies were killed by the IRA during the War of Independence and these killings have been one of the most controversial aspects of the conflict debated by historians for decades. By contrast very little is known about the intelligence struggle between the Republican and Free State Forces during the Irish Civil War. Dr Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc will examine the approximately 20 alleged civilian spies executed by the Anti-Treaty IRA to see what their deaths can tell us about that conflict.
We are Delighted to “Now” be back with you to celebrate the launch of this years TypeTrail in person, come join us as we once again turn the streets of Kells into a canvas of Type. Kells TypeTrail brings together a wide range of artforms highlighting our unique heritage of lettering as a form of communication.
Each year one word is translated into a variety of languages reflecting the diversity of the community in Kells with the aim of providing a means to bring individuals and groups together. This year’s word is ‘ Now’.
During the Irish War of Independence and Civil War over one hundred people were 'disappeared' by the IRA and the British forces. These victims were executed in secret and their bodies were hidden in fields, bogs and rivers. Dr Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc's lecture will explore the history of this phenomenon in Ireland with a focus on the IRA victims who were 'disappeared' in County Meath.
Dr Andrew Sneddon will plunge you into the world of the European witch-hunts that claimed 50,000 lives between 1450 and 1782, and tell stories of Irish witches and witch trials. Vividly told with contemporary artwork, we will encounter along the way, wise women, the demonically possessed, and poltergeists, as well as the great Scottish witch-hunter King James VI/I.
The Bad Bridget Project tells the stories of those Irish women who emigrated to North America in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and ended up on the wrong side of the law. Hear about the Irish women who were behind bars for being drunk, stealing, fighting and even murder. These are the emigration stories that are not often told, tales of loneliness and despair, discrimination and drink but also of resilience, survival and determination.
Award winning singer/songwriter Michael Brunnock returns to Kells with a very special concert of new songs composed in response to the Decade of Centenaries. Inspired by Roger Casement, Ernie O’Malley and Brunnock's own family stories, exploring the Irish experience from the rising through to the civil war. Winner of an Italian Oscar, the David Di Donatello Award, for his work with David Byrne, on the Sean Penn movie This Must Be the Place, Michael possesses an extraordinary voice, his powerful melodies and harmonies are driven by a strong personal vision drawing the listener in with an authentic vision and Irish soul. Michael will be joined by some very special guests on the night, blending some of Ireland's top Rock and Trad musicians, making this evening of music & song one not to be missed!
A whirlwind tour of world history through the eyes of men and women from Ireland, great and otherwise, who have left their indelible mark on global history over the centuries past. As BBC History Magazine put it, Turtle will give people “a new sense of the many ways in which Ireland has interacted with the world beyond its shores, and of some of the extraordinary careers that have resulted.”
