Civil war lecture series in six Leitrim locations

A Civil War lecture series delivered by Dr Padraig McGarty will take place across north and south Leitrim over the weekends of October 7-9 and October 14-16 in six locations across Leitrim.

The series which is funded by the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht and administered locally by Leitrim County Council is part of a wider series of commemorative initiatives that were be held across the county.

Mohill native Dr McGarty is a Senior Lecturer at Munster Technological University and is author of the widely acclaimed Leitrim, The Irish Revolution 1912-23 published by Four Courts Press.

On October 7 at 8.30 p.m. in the Rainbow Ballroom in Glenfarne Dr McGarty will deliver a lecture titled “In Time of Civil War-the conflict on the railways of North Leitrim in 1922-23”. On the following night, two further lectures titled “Leitrim 1922-a county in transition in civil war” will be delivered in Kiltyclogher Community Centre at 7.00 p.m. and Bee Park Community Centre at 9.00 p.m.

On the weekend of October 14-16, the lecture series moves to the south of the county with a lecture on Friday, October 14 at 8.30pm in Aughavas Community Centre.

On the following night of October 15, the lecture will be delivered at Ballinamore Library at 7.00 pm and, at the Mayflower Ballroom in Drumshanbo at 9.00pm.

The October lecture series follows two earlier and well-received lectures as part of the series delivered in Mohill and Carrick-on-Shannon last April.

All of the lectures will outline events in the county and in specific local communities in the traumatic period of the Irish civil war.

The aim of the series of initiatives is to support the development of community-led commemorative initiatives in remembrance of this complex and challenging period in our history.

Admission to the lectures are free but as numbers are limited, bookings must be made through local coordinators in all six locations.

More specific details on the lectures and booking details will be issued through local media and community networks in the coming weeks.