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    Founded in 1938 and re-established in 1969, Offaly History (Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society) aims to preserve and promote the rich heritage of County Offaly. Since 1993, the Society has occupied premises at Bury Quay, Tullamore offering a Bookshop, library, reading room, and lecture hall for researcher and members of the public.  Offaly History Centre is beside the new Aldi Supermarket and Old Warehouse restaurant), and best approached from Kilbride Street via Patrick Street or Main Street.

    The main objective of the society is the collection and sharing of research and memories. We do this in an organised way; through exhibitions, the publication of local interest books, weekly blog posts, monthly lectures, and more. The bookshop and reading rooms at Bury Quay are open to the public Monday to Friday, 9am-4:30pm. Regular updates can also be found at our website, www.Offalyhistory.com and on our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X.

    To promote Offaly History including community and family history

    What we do:

    • Promote all aspects of history in Co. Offaly.
    • Genealogy service for counties Laois and Offaly.
    • Photographic collections of County Offaly
    • Purchase and sale of Offaly interest books though the Society’s book store and website with over 3000 history books in our shop and up to 1000 online.
    • Publication of books under the Society’s publishing arm Esker Press.
    • The Society subscribes to almost all the premier historical journals in Ireland.
    • The Society manages the collections if Offaly Archives under the care of a professional archivist.

    Our Society covers a diverse range of Offaly Heritage:

    • Architectural heritage, historic monuments such as monastic and castle buildings.
    • Industrial and urban development of towns and villages.
    • Archaeological objects and artefacts.
    • Flora, fauna and bogs, wildlife habitats, geology and Natural History.
    • Landscapes, heritage gardens and parks, farming and inland waterways.
    • Local literary, social, economic, military, political, scientific and sports history.
    Offaly History is a non-profit community group with a growing membership of some 150 individuals. The Society focuses on enhancing educational opportunities, understanding and knowledge of the county heritage while fostering an inclusive approach and civic pride in local identity. We promote these objectives through:
    • The holding of monthly lectures, occasional seminars, exhibitions and social media. Organising tours during the summer months to places of shared historical interest.
    • The publication of an annual journal Offaly Heritage – to date twelve issues.
    • We play a unique role collecting and digitising original primary source materials, especially photographs and oral history recordings
    • Offaly History is the centre for Family History research in Counties Laois and Offaly.
    • The Society is linked to the renowned Irish Family Foundation website and Roots Ireland where some 1,000,000 records of Offaly/Laois interest can be accessed on a pay-per-view basis worldwide. Currently these websites have an estimated 20 million records of all Ireland interest.
    • A burgeoning library of books, CD-ROMs, videos, DVDs, oral and folklore recordings, manuscripts, newspapers and journals, maps, photographs and various artefacts (now over 25,000 items and a catalogue online)
    • OHAS Collections
    • OHAS Centre Facilities
    The financial activities of the Society are operated under the aegis of Offaly Heritage Centre c.l.g, a charitable company whose directors also serve on the Society’s elected committee. None of the Society’s directors receive remuneration or any kind. All the company’s assets are held in trust to promote the voluntary activities of the Society. Our facilities are largely free to the public or run purely on a costs-recovery basis.

    Acting as a policy advisory body –  Offaly History endeavors to ensure all government departments, local authorities, tourism agencies and key opinion formers prioritise heritage matters.

    Meet the current committee: Our Committee represents a broad range of backgrounds and interests. All share a common interest in collecting and promoting the heritage of the county and making it available to the wider community.

    2024 Committee
    • Helen Bracken (President)
    • Shaun Wrafter (Vice President)
    • Michael Byrne (Secretary)
    • Dorothee Bibby (Treasurer)
    • Charlie Finlay (Assistant Treasurer)
    • Niall Sweeney
    • Ciarán McCabe
    • Noel Guerin
    • Angela Kelly
    • Rory Masterson
    • Oliver Dunne
    • Frank Brennan
    • Pat Wynne
    • Laura Price
    Co-opted
    • Reneagh Bennett
    • Michael Scully
    • Jim Keating
    • Eamon Larkin
    If you would like to help with the work of the Society by coming on a sub-committee or in some other way please email us at [email protected] or let an existing member know.  
    +353-5793-21421 [email protected] Open 9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri

    The Diocese of Killaloe from the Reformation to the close of the 18th century

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    Description

    The Diocese of Killaloe from the Reformation to the Close of the Eighteenth Century was written by Rev. Cannon Philip Dwyer and this edition was first owned by Rev. W McIlwaine, D. D., a contributor on the history and architecture of the Cathedral of St. Flannans, Killaloe. At the time of publication the Diocese of Killaloe encompassed all of county Clare, portions of county Galway, Tipperary and Limerick as well as the ancient Diocese of Roscrea, to which was added the Diocese of Kilfenora and is the second largest Diocese in Ireland.

    The author’s stated aim of the publication was to trace the ‘internal and external state of the Church within the Diocese of Killaloe and in some 580 printed pages this he managed to do with considerable success, producing one of the first modern diocesan histories, which was used as a template for may later such histories. The Rev. Canon Philip Dwyer was born in Dublin (1822-1905) the son of a barrister and after studying at Trinity College, Dublin, was ordained as a priest with his first appointment in 1846 to the parish of Dunkerrin, Co. Clare. For the next thirty-eight years Dwyer served as a priest and later as a Prebend and vicar in the county, during which time he initiated the building of the new St. Columba’s Church and gained the reputation as the ‘historian of Clare’.

    Dwyer published six books on county Clare and the Diocese of Killaloe of which the title under review is the best-known, which was published shortly before he left Ireland for Canada. Without any precursors to such a publication Dwyer set out The Diocese of Killaloe from the Reformation to the Close of the Eighteenth Century – which is a bit of a misnomer as it ends in 1702 – by regnal year, beginning with the Reformation and the reign of Henry VIII (1509-47), one of the shortest chapters in the publication, consisting of a mere sixteen pages. Drawing heavily on State Papers, Patent Roles, Inquisitions, Fiants and other manuscript material available to him, Dwyer was also the first historian to make particular use the Depositions made during the reign of Charles I. The chapters covering the reigns of James I (1603-25) and Charles I (1625-48) are amongst the most informative. Included in the chapter covering the reign of James I is the ‘State of the Diocese of Killaloe’ an answer by the incumbent of the Diocese in 1622 presented in 14 articles. This includes a list of all of the incumbents of the diocese, their values and patrons as well as a list of all of the deteynors of church lands in the diocese, the names, value and quantity of land held. The Depositions utilised in the chapter 6, the Reign of King Charles I. These record first had the turmoil wreaked throughout the Diocese resulting from the 1641 Rebellion. The Diocese of Killaloe includes many useful appendices, which include succession lists for the Diocese, topographies for the parishes in Killaloe as well as a list of the castles of county Clare and their owners in 1584. The Diocese of Killaloe from the Reformation to the Close of the Eighteenth Century republished here in fully-searchable electronic format must appeal to anyone interested in the local history and religious history of the diocese and also to those interested in the local history of Clare, Limerick and Tipperary.

    Additional information

    Weight 1.202 kg
    Dimensions 22 × 13.5 × 5 cm
    Author

    Hard Or Paper Back

    Pages

    Place of Publication

    Year

    1878

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