November Talk: A History of Ballina

We are back to the last Wednesday of the month! We have, however, a different little change for you and that is the venue. We have been very happily accommodated in Wood and Bell café for the last ten months, and now we are looking forward to similar good times in the Lakeside Hotel. We think you will like it there too! It’s very central, has lots of parking, and there are many options for food and drink both before and after the lectures. Thanks for moving house with us!

On with the show, and news of the November lecture is here. You might remember Kevin A. Griffin from August, when he introduced Arlene’s lecture on local oral histories. Well he is back, and this time he is going solo! We are especially delighted for our first talk in our new venue, to have the focus on the Ballina side of the river.

Dr Kevin A. Griffin is a native of Ballina, and has been researching and publishing material related to history and heritage since the early 1990s. His first job after graduating from Mary Immaculate College was to supervise a training scheme which collected historical and folklore material from the Ballina / Killaloe area with a view to the development of historical trails and a visitor centre. Kevin subsequently undertook a Masters degree by research in NUI Maynooth, and a PhD in the Dublin institute of Technology, with both of these research projects focusing somewhat on themes related to Ballina / Killaloe. During this time, Kevin and his father (Kevin M. Griffin) produced two local history books: Ballina / Boher Parish: Our History and Traditions (2000) and The Renihan Diaries (2005).

In this talk, Kevin will present some ‘reflective ramblings’ – his aim being to torment and tantalise anyone who is curious about the history and traditions of the area. The presentation will focus on various local studies that he has undertaken, making use of maps, photos, and oral traditions, to explore a broad range of themes. The overall focus will be on the evolution of the local landscape, with attention to the heritage, environment and people of the past and present.

We will see you on the evening of WEDNESDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 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 November 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!