Lackagh Parish Through the years-A Photographic Exhibition
Lackagh Parish through the years-A Photographic Exhibition
(Published in New Dawn Diocesan magazine, September 2014)
As part of National Heritage Week, 2014, Lackagh Museum and Community Development Association held a well attended photographic exhibition over the weekend of 22nd-24th August in the New Parish Centre.
Lackagh Parish through the years-A Photographic Exhibition was a social history of the Parish of Lackagh and its people over the past 120 years. The photographs on display were selected from the Museum’s own archive whilst a number were received from local contributors. The event was launched on Friday evening by the museum’s Heritage Officer, Liam Rabbitte. Local parishioners, John Joe Duggan, Johnny Forde and Sean McDermott embellished the exhibition with some wonderful old photographs of their own and regaled the attendance with reminiscences of times past.
The black and white images of the Turloughmore teams that won six-in-a-row Galway senior hurling titles during the nineteen sixties evoked many memories whilst a faded photograph of the first parish hurling team in 1894, Turloughmore William O’Briens generated particular interest. The photographs of the Lisheen Town Hall and those who waltzed there also brought back many happy memories. Old photographs of Teach Mór standing tall on top of Knockdoe Hill, itself the site of a bloody battle in 1504, also generated much discussion as did the many photographs of farming life in years gone by.
Saturday afternoon’s exhibition coincided with an event facilitated by the museum’s Treasurer, Gerard Naughton along with Paul Greaney in conjunction with the Western Family History Association titled “A Beginner’s Guide to Family History". Members of the Association were in attendance to advise and guide people researching their ancestors. A number of those who attended the event had family connections with the Parish and were surprised and delighted to be able to put a face to the name on the family tree thereby enhancing the information gleaned that day.
After mass on Saturday evening, Irene Guckian and Rónán Regan entertained parishioners with a selection of traditional tunes from their new CD, Drumshanbows. They were ably accompanied by Katharine Mannion and her father along with Anna Maher and Emer Whelan. The Parish’s own musical heritage was on display through the photographs of many traditional groups with their cups and trophies, many tutored by former Lackagh National School Teacher, Joe Collins or “Mr. Collins” as his pupils respectfully called him. The photographs of a selection of the classes he taught and the classes of many of the other teachers who taught in Bawnmore, Coolarne and Cregmore National Schools over the years generated much nostalgia.
A number of photographs featured the thatched homes of many of those same pupils. Sadly though, some had no option but to later emigrate to foreign shores to find work. The Joyces of Monroe was one such family. Photographs of Tom, John and Michael’s new life in Boston were displayed alongside images of their uncle Stephen who was born in 1856 and who emigrated to Dunedin in New Zealand before eventually settling in Sydney, Australia in 1881.
It was timely then that Stephen’s great granddaughter, Jules McCue from Hobart, Tasmania should happen to be in Galway to research her Joyce ancestors. The exhibition gave her a unique insight into life in the parish at the time Stephen emigrated. Jules stayed with Mary K. McDonagh of Monroe, a grand niece of Stephen and met two of her other relations in the Joyce family tree, the aforementioned Paul Greaney and Liam Rabbitte. Who knows but the photographs of their meeting might also feature in future photographic exhibitions of Lackagh Parish through the years!
(Published in New Dawn Diocesan magazine, September 2014)
As part of National Heritage Week, 2014, Lackagh Museum and Community Development Association held a well attended photographic exhibition over the weekend of 22nd-24th August in the New Parish Centre.
Lackagh Parish through the years-A Photographic Exhibition was a social history of the Parish of Lackagh and its people over the past 120 years. The photographs on display were selected from the Museum’s own archive whilst a number were received from local contributors. The event was launched on Friday evening by the museum’s Heritage Officer, Liam Rabbitte. Local parishioners, John Joe Duggan, Johnny Forde and Sean McDermott embellished the exhibition with some wonderful old photographs of their own and regaled the attendance with reminiscences of times past.
The black and white images of the Turloughmore teams that won six-in-a-row Galway senior hurling titles during the nineteen sixties evoked many memories whilst a faded photograph of the first parish hurling team in 1894, Turloughmore William O’Briens generated particular interest. The photographs of the Lisheen Town Hall and those who waltzed there also brought back many happy memories. Old photographs of Teach Mór standing tall on top of Knockdoe Hill, itself the site of a bloody battle in 1504, also generated much discussion as did the many photographs of farming life in years gone by.
Saturday afternoon’s exhibition coincided with an event facilitated by the museum’s Treasurer, Gerard Naughton along with Paul Greaney in conjunction with the Western Family History Association titled “A Beginner’s Guide to Family History". Members of the Association were in attendance to advise and guide people researching their ancestors. A number of those who attended the event had family connections with the Parish and were surprised and delighted to be able to put a face to the name on the family tree thereby enhancing the information gleaned that day.
After mass on Saturday evening, Irene Guckian and Rónán Regan entertained parishioners with a selection of traditional tunes from their new CD, Drumshanbows. They were ably accompanied by Katharine Mannion and her father along with Anna Maher and Emer Whelan. The Parish’s own musical heritage was on display through the photographs of many traditional groups with their cups and trophies, many tutored by former Lackagh National School Teacher, Joe Collins or “Mr. Collins” as his pupils respectfully called him. The photographs of a selection of the classes he taught and the classes of many of the other teachers who taught in Bawnmore, Coolarne and Cregmore National Schools over the years generated much nostalgia.
A number of photographs featured the thatched homes of many of those same pupils. Sadly though, some had no option but to later emigrate to foreign shores to find work. The Joyces of Monroe was one such family. Photographs of Tom, John and Michael’s new life in Boston were displayed alongside images of their uncle Stephen who was born in 1856 and who emigrated to Dunedin in New Zealand before eventually settling in Sydney, Australia in 1881.
It was timely then that Stephen’s great granddaughter, Jules McCue from Hobart, Tasmania should happen to be in Galway to research her Joyce ancestors. The exhibition gave her a unique insight into life in the parish at the time Stephen emigrated. Jules stayed with Mary K. McDonagh of Monroe, a grand niece of Stephen and met two of her other relations in the Joyce family tree, the aforementioned Paul Greaney and Liam Rabbitte. Who knows but the photographs of their meeting might also feature in future photographic exhibitions of Lackagh Parish through the years!