We are delighted to announce that we have just produced the first ever issue of The Album.

The Album contains a selection of 100+ images collected since our inception in 2017.

It is divided into 5 chapters – Our River, Our Churches, Our Schools, Our Businesses, Our People in Places.

A great Christmas gift to yourself or another.

And all for only €12!

The Album will be available for sale from the following local shops: 

Ballina: Larkin’s Gala & T.J.’s Angling Centre

Killaloe: Heaney’s Costcutter & The Forge (John Daly’s)

You can also buy a copy of The Journal here and we can post it to you – just add an extra €4 for postage in Ireland and €7 for postage TO EUROPE, €10 TO USA AND €13 TO AUSTRALIA.

The Journal is full of local history, stories and poems from times past in our beautiful twin towns.

There are some fantastic articles contributed by Roy Benson; Ber McMahon (nee Cooney); Darlene Meskell; Mary Newnham; Darren O’Connell and Michael Ryan. 

If that’s not enough to tempt you, The Journal also includes lots of photos, in particular from Peter Lacey’s collection, some old documents and old newspaper adverts!
And all for only €20!

We would like to say a huge thank you to all those who helped us put this publication together – Fifth Gear Design, the Nenagh Guardian Print and all those who contributed stories, articles and photos.

The Journal will be available for sale from the following local shops: 

Ballina: Larkin’s Gala & T.J.’s Angling Centre

Killaloe: Heaney’s Costcutter & The Forge (John Daly’s)

You can also buy a copy of The Journal here and we can post it to you – just add an extra €4 for postage in Ireland and €6 for postage abroad.   

PLEASE NOTE: 

In line with COVID-19 restrictions, we are limited to direct sale through shops (as above) or by An Post (local, national and international post) 

Unfortunately we cannot arrange home delivery or collection.
However, if you have any queries, please drop us a line – killaloeballinalhs@gmail.com 

We are delighted to welcome Dr Niamh Nic Ghabhann of the University of Limerick to our historic twin towns on Wednesday evening the 30th of January in the Lakeside Hotel. Don’t forget that this talk is entirely FREE to attend, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Niamh is currently Assistant Dean for Research in the Faculty of Arts in UL, and is also Course Director for the award-winning MA programme in Festive Arts. She has had a long and illustrious career in researching Ireland’s medieval architecture in particular, and we are lucky that she thought to turn her researcher’s eagle eye towards our little chapel in Killaloe!

We are all very familiar with this little building. It is the one that stands right next to St Flannan’s Catholic church at the top of Main St and New St in the centre of Killaloe (opposite Heaney’s Costcutter shop). But did you know that it wasn’t always there, and its journey to that spot is a story well worth hearing, with many twists and turns!

Long-time attendees of our talks will have enjoyed last April’s lecture on the wonderful Harry Clarke windows in St Flannan’s Catholic church which was given generously to us by Donncha Mac Gabhann. Who knew back then that we would soon welcome Don’s daughter back to talk about the building next door! As it’s January, however, we will be having the lecture in the warm, cosy, and well-lit environs of the Lakeside Hotel, rather than ‘on location’ as we did with Don’s.

We will see you on the evening of WEDNESDAY 30TH JANUARY at 7.30pm in the Oak Room of the Lakeside Hotel. The Lakeside Hotel are providing our Society with this venue for free, and we thank them for this sponsorship. If you want to thank them for this, why not pop in for your lunch or dinner!

Entry to our January lecture is FREE as usual, and everyone of all ages and levels of interest is welcome.

Help us promote this event by clicking ‘Going’ on the Facebook event here, or sharing this blogpost, or even by putting up a poster for us – you can print out one from this link. See you there!

What an evening it was, last Wednesday night, when Society Secretary Arlene White presented a selection of oral history recordings taken over 25 years ago of some of Killaloe’s and Ballina’s most elderly residents. A very special audience of just under 80 people, made up of regular attendees mixed with the families of those recorded, made for an enthusiastic and emotional night. To hear those voices ring out clearly again in the setting of Wood and Bell cafe, which would have been a shop when these people were living their lives out in our twin towns, was surreal. It was an evening where we felt absolutely directly connected to our past, and to history as it happened during the twentieth century in Killaloe and Ballina.

The collection was introduced in an informative and entertaining way by Dr Kevin Griffin. Known to many locally, Kevin is from Ballina, and co-authored the local history book Ballina/Boher Parish: Our History and Traditions with his dad, Kevin Snr. This is available in the library for anyone to read. Kevin now lectures in DIT on heritage and tourism. We are grateful to him for travelling to talk to us about his work on the project when it was first begun in 1992. He spoke about putting photographs up in the windows of Ard na Rí house on Main Street (where the project was based), with a sign saying ‘If you know the names of anyone in this photo, come on in and tell us!’. He also presented the Society with a number of original hand-typed transcripts of the interviews and photographs from the project. We are going to mind them very carefully, research them thoroughly, and let you know how we get on!

Arlene White then presented the recordings, giving a short historical context of each, while Deborah Dudgeon, the Society’s Research Officer, led us through a slideshow of relevant photographs that illustrated each of the recordings. Many of these photographs had never been seen by our attendees before, and they greatly added to the richness of the presentation. We do intend to digitise the presentation and add it to a larger Oral History project on this website, but in the meantime, here is a flavour of what we heard last Wednesday night.

Jerry Gough was the first voice we heard. Born in Ballina in 1912, Gerry moved to Killaloe in the early 1950s. He talked about working on the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme in the 1930s. He also went back further and spoke of events he remembered as a young boy in Killaloe. He was eight years old when he walked across the bridge and saw blood all over one part of it. He continued up the Main St to the fair which was taking place outside the church, and saw the bodies of the four men who would become known as the Scarriff Martyrs. Gerry also shared stories about what the presence of the Black and Tans felt like in Killaloe, and what it was like one night when they broke into his parent’s home searching for hidden IRA men.

Moira Ryan was the next speaker. She lived on Abbey Street, where the health-food shop An Siopa Beag is now. She shared with us a ghost story which took place between the Pier Head and New Street. We will not spoil the ending of this highly entertaining story, but watch out for it when we upload it to our website, as you will not walk up the Aillebaun again without thinking of what may or may not have happened there a hundred years ago!

Gerald Brooks was next and was born in 1913 near Portroe. His tale was of working in McKeogh’s Bakery, which had been established in Ballina as early as 1860. Gerald spoke of working in the Bakery during the war years, how barm bracks became the in thing, and how he spent his Christmas bonus as a young man!

Michael and Margaret Mai Moloney (born in 1910 and 1904 respectively) were brother and sister from Moloney’s butchers on Main Street, right opposite Wood and Bell café. They shared their very humorous recollections of what people in Killaloe did for fun in their early years, describing the regatta and the excursion trains that came out from Limerick in great detail. None of us will forget Mai’s story of the slippery pole competition! It came as a great surprise to the interviewer, and to us, when it turned out that Michael was one of those who had actually moved St Lua’s Oratory from Friar’s Island up to the top of Main Street before the island was flooded by the Shannon Scheme. Hearing a personal account of moving this tiny church was absolutely fascinating.

Tom Grimes spoke next, and shared his memories of his childhood spent on the lake. His father drew his living from fishing on the lake, and Tom describes the compensation given to fishermen on the loss of their livelihood due to the Shannon Scheme. Tom also worked in the Benson Box Factory for over fifty years, and told the fascinating story of how they kept the deliveries going during the war years, by burning anthracite for fuel in the vans, or by pushing a handcart down to the railway station in Ballina.

Tom Nolan then spoke about his time working for the Grand Canal Company before it was amalgamated into CIE. He lived with three other men for long periods of time on a canal boat, delivering stout and oats along the canals between Dublin, Carrick-on-Shannon, and Limerick. One incident in particular stood out in his recording – the accident which happened in December 1946, when a canal boat sank in Lough Derg and three of the four crew members were lost. Tom was in a neighbouring boat, and his personal testimony to the accident, which made the national newspaper headlines, is very poignant.

The very last speaker last Wednesday night was not one from the collection made in 1992, but one that Arlene had recorded herself earlier this year. Jimmy Whelan‘s interview had had such an enormous reaction on our blog and Facebook that it could not be left out of such a night. We were thrilled and delighted also to welcome Jimmy himself into the audience on Wednesday evening. In his interview, Jimmy described the different locations on Main Street that housed Whelan’s shop, as well as the Jimmy Whelan Show Band which travelled the country in the 1960s and 70s, playing in dancehalls.

Thanks for reading, if you got this far! News of our September talk is imminent! If you would like to get involved with our Oral History project, we’ll have a dedicated page on the website for it soon, and in the meantime do email us at killaloeballinalhs@gmail.com with any queries, tips, ideas, or offers of help. We would love to hear from you!

Thanks to committee member Elaine Dinan for photographs of the evening above.

We would like to thank Bryan Brislane for directing our day there, treating us to a display on the historic organ, and talking us through the history of the building. Bryan was ably assisted by Jessica Brown (also our valued committee member at the society!), who demonstrated musical bell-ringing, baked delicious treats, and gave us a history of top floors of the tower. Rodney and Sandra from the cathedral congregation also helped out on the day. Thank you to all of you for a really brilliant and stimulating afternoon!

We hope you enjoyed our virtual tour of the Cathedral if you could not make it on the day! We will go back there soon, as it really was an amazing experience.

Our next talk is on 22nd August and takes place in Wood and Bell Café – watch this space for more info on that coming soon!

Wow, what an incredible evening last night, when we welcomed Joe Coleman, author of Falling Gradient: Limerick’s Railway Connections to tell us more about the Killaloe railway line and station which was located across the river in Ballina. We started a little late, as we were struggling to seat the nearly ninety attendees who came! As soon as everyone was comfortable though, we settled in for a treat, as Joe showed us an impressive slideshow of historic images of trains, rails, stations, staff, and members of the travelling public from all eras.

Joe covered the establishment of the railway system, and the private companies who began it. He spoke about their relationship with the steamship companies on the canals, and later, the bus services. We travelled with him right back to the early nineteenth century and learned about Charles Bianconi’s public transport business. The Killaloe line was a branch off the Limerick to Castleconnell line (incidentally, Castleconnell railway station is celebrating its 160th birthday this summer!), and ran commuters out to Ballina, and tourists out a bit further to the pier head there. The pier head has since been submerged by the raising of the water level with the Shannon Scheme in the 1930s, but Joe was able to show us a remarkably rare photograph of what it looked like before then.

The level of audience engagement in this lecture was amazing, and the talk was more like a conversation, with many people sharing their stories of trains past. It all contributed to a really special evening. We would like to thank Joe wholeheartedly for sharing his knowledge and expertise so generously with our community.

Falling Gradient is sold out everywhere, but you can access it from any library. If you are local, Killaloe library will order it in for you so that you can read about some of the topics that Joe raised last night. Joe’s next book, Breaking Rapids, is a historical miscellany spanning a thousand years, and will be released on 21st September this year, so keep an eye out! He has given us a sneak preview of the content relating to Killaloe and Ballina, and it looks like being a great read!

We would like to thank the current owners of Killaloe Station House for attending, and for issuing a general invite to anyone interested in local rail history to see the house. Killaloe Station House these days is a wonderful guesthouse – check out their website here, and think of them if you have relatives coming to stay! Thank you too to Wood and Bell Café for providing us with this beautiful historic venue for our speakers, free of charge as always.

Our August lecture will be on 22nd August. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!

Nearly a thousand years old, St. Flannan’s Cathedral is an extraordinary place of history for our twin towns of Killaloe-Ballina. As well as hosting unique artifacts from around the time of Brian Boru, the changes in its architecture tells an unfolding story.

Join us for an exclusive tour on the afternoon of Sunday 29th of July, complete with the chance to ring the bells and survey our towns from the tower. Coffee, tea, and refreshments to follow.

There is no charge for admission. This is a members-only tour; if you are not a member, and would like to join, you can do so by following the instructions on our website here.

Deadline for application (just email us – killaloeballinalhs@gmail.com) for a place on the tour is Sunday 22nd July. We have a limited number of places available, so please do book early to avoid missing out!

On Wednesday 30th May 2018, at 7pm, Gerard Madden will deliver a lecture on The Great Famine in East Clare. The Scarriff workhouse was built to accommodate 600 people, and opened in May 1842. Two years later, there was almost 2000 people within the walls, and over 6000 people without. Come and hear the stories of the victims of the Great Hunger in East Clare/ South Galway. Ger has recently published a new book on the famine in East Clare called The Annals of the Poor, and copies will be available to purchase on the night. Ger will also bring along some of his previous titles, and these sold out at his massively popular January lecture, so bring a few bob if you want to snag one this time! You can browse his books on his website here.

See you on the evening of the 30th of May. Remember, entry is FREE and everyone is welcome. Please help us promote this talk by sharing this post, our website, or the Facebook event. Here is a higher quality version of the poster for printing, if you fancy going that bit further and sticking one up on your office noticeboard! Every little helps. Thanks so much!

Near the town on the west bank of the Shannon is Clarisford House, the Episcopal Palace, finely situated in a highly improved demesne, near the only ford across the river into this county from that of Tipperary; the mansion is handsome and of modern appearance, and, though small, forms a pleasant residence.

(From A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837), by Samuel Lewis.)

Last Sunday afternoon, 15th April, the members of the society were treated to a really amazing tour of local Georgian mansion, Clarisford Palace, and its grounds. The owners generously invited us into their home, and shared with us their knowledge of the history of the property, and the story of how they restored it and continue to care for it.

About thirty members attended, and we split into two groups, each group taking it in turn to tour first the house and then the exquisitely-planted gardens. We were privileged to view and learn about some of the ancient trees that still grow on the estate, as well as getting the chance to see some of the historic interior details that survive in the house itself, such as the staircase, flooring, and windows.

Clarisford Palace was built in the 1770s, as a residence for the bishops of nearby St Flannan’s Church of Ireland Cathedral. The bishops continued to live there for the next two hundred years. As part of the tour, the society committee put together a handout of information on the building which you can download here as a PDF.

We would like to thank the owners of Clarisford Palace for all of their generosity in providing this tour for our members. If you would like to attend any of our future tours, you can become a member very easily, and for only 20e a year. All details here. Our monthly lectures are always free to attend and everyone is welcome – it is only our tours that we keep exclusive to members only. Thank you for your continued support!