Local history buffs are in for a real treat this autumn because Banbridge District Council is set to host a landmark series of public lectures to commemorate a number of important historical centenaries being celebrated over the next decade.

Commencing on Thursday 27 September and concluding on Thursday 6 December 2012, this lecture series will be presented by some of Ireland’s leading historians in the elegant surroundings of the recently renovated Old Town Hall, Banbridge. The dates and subjects of the lecture series are as follows:

Date                  Subject
27 September     Historical Background to the period 1912-1923
11 October         Carson, Craig and Home Rule (1910-1914)
18 October         Nationalism in Ireland 1900-22
24 October         Labour and Women’s movements in Ireland 1900-1922
8 November       1916 Rising
22 November     Ireland and the First World War
6 December       Partition, Treaty and Civil War

The series will feature a range of perspectives on these history-making events and their key players including Edward Carson (lawyer with the Dublin accent), John Redmond, (Home Rule imperialist), William Craig (pragmatic Ulsterman) and Eamonn De Valera (personification of 1916).

The aim of the series is to raise awareness about the historical anniversaries and facilitate inter-cultural dialogue, attempting to cut away the layers of myth and misunderstanding surrounding the past and promote a more informed and balanced view of the events and personalities which have shaped modern Ireland.

So don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore the lesser known side to these momentous episodes - the fact that there were two opposing Covenants signed in 1912, one anti-Home Rule and one in favour, that the term ‘Sinn Fein’ was coined by Carson’s Gaelic-speaking cousin and that one of the most graphic accounts of the Rising was penned by a UVF man from East Belfast who had a ringside seat on Sackville Street.

Each lecture will begin at 7.30pm and last approximately one hour. The audience will be able to participate in a question and answer session. The lectures are offered free of charge and light refreshments will be provided. However, advanced booking is essential as places are limited.

Contact:
Temporary Good Relations Co-ordinator
Banbridge District Council
T: 028 4066 0605 
E: sarah.mcneill@banbridge.gov.uk