LONG TALK -Sir Ernest Shackelton and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration

Neale Webb’s grandfather was a cousin of Sir Ernest Shackleton. Neale himself has been to the Antarctic on three occasions. He will give a talk on the life and times of the great Irish explorer and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Speaker: Neale Webb

SHORT TALK – Our Townlands

Townlands are small geographical areas of land use in Ireland. Some townlands are of Gaelic origin, some townlands and boundries come from Norman manors or are later creations of the Ordnance Survey. Only from the 1600’s do these townlands start to be mapped by the English for administrative purposes. Pádraig will give us a great insight into how our local townlands have evolved.

Speaker: Pádraig Laffan

DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES – OUTINGS ETC.,

SATURDAY MAY 12th Local History Societies’ Day at dlr Lexicon Level 3 from 10am-4.30pm See what other local history clubs and societies have planned as they showcase their work.

WEDNESDAY 23rd MAY – Evening guided tour of Dun Laoghaire with Michael O’Flaherty. Meet at the Town Hall at 19.00 p.m. Members free – Non Members EUR5.00

SATURDAY 9th JUNE – Outing to Old Tully Church, Cherrywood – Details to be finalised. Luas to Laughanstown from Stillorgan as lane way has very little space for car parking. Members free – non members EUR5.00

SUNDAY 17th JUNE – ALL DAY OUTING – DETAILS TO BE FINALISED – Members will be given first preference as these all day tours are taken up well by our club .

Frank Murray R.I.P.

Members will have seen the news reports of the sudden and unexpected death on the Saturday of Easter weekend. You will have seen commendations from the Taoiseach, the President and other senior politicians. And no doubt we will all hear more when his funeral takes place.

Frank was Secretary to the government through some exciting times including, Charlie Haughey’s tenure and quite a few other Taoisigh and the peace process. On retirement he took up other posts, the most significant being with Sir Ken Bloomfield on the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains as one of two international inspectors tasked with finding the bodies of people ‘disappeared’ during the Northern troubles. He was greatly respected internationally and even by the hard line protagonists and most importantly by the families of the missing, in whom he inspired confidence that he was one who would never give up the search. He met the families. He met the IRA men and the other hard men and many others with the guarantee that what he learned would not leak out to any other body whether government, press, security or other shady group or individual. He and his colleagues in the ILCVR have steadily worked through the list of the disappeared, finding remains even as far away as France and bringing some measure of comfort and closure to many families until now only three remain to be found.

The Federation of Local History Societies and The Federation for Ulster Studies were beneficiaries of Frank’s generous support and influence when we organised our first ‘Our Own Place’ series of events. The FULS came to Dublin with a coach full of local history members very many of whom had never been to Dublin and who needed reassurance that they would be well received and safe in Dublin as indeed did so many of our group on the visit in the other direction. I was at that time the chairman of the FLHS and Frank was one of our members in Foxrock. He volunteered to help in any he could. We wanted to make a really big impression on our guests and to show the best possible Dublin welcome. He arranged for the whole group to visit the then almost sacrosanct very beautiful Iveagh House, HQ of the Dept. of Foreign Affairs. When this large group arrived it was to find a wine and refreshments reception laid on and we noted the welcome and the deference of the Civil Service staff given to Frank who was then just retired from Secretary to the Govt. We had a similar experience at Dublin Castle State Apartments.

Frank was a loyal and very supportive member of Foxrock Local History Club seen here on one of our annual outings.

Over the years Frank provided much similar help and presented a lecture to our society on the work of the ILCVR which was the same lecture he had presented to a United Nations body and other international groups. He was a modest and self-effacing man and when a few of us relaxed together he had some great stories from his days in the corridors of power. He was a good friend and a great Leitrim and Irish man and it can truly be said that in a long and distinguished Civil Service career he did this state some great service.

Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam Dhílis

Pádraig Laffan

E-MAIL CONTACT DETAILS – info@foxrocklocalhistory.ie