Wed, 06/12/2023

12:30 - 14:30 

Three course lunch €40. Payment will be accepted at meetings on 31 October and 14th November. Lunch will be served at 1pm with pre-lunch drink at 12:30.

Tue, 09/01/2024

10:30 - 12:30  Newtownpark Pastoral Centre

John Hinde is considered the leading innovator in the development of modern colour picture postcards and this presentation by James Scannell will trace the history of the picture postcard and concentrate on the work of John Hinde. Hinde revolutionised the development of the colour picture postcard in the late 1950s/early 1960s by using the latest developments in colour printing technology coupled with careful attention to image detail and content. The talk will include a selection of John Hinde postcard views of South County Dublin. James Scannell holds a Dublin City Libraries Certificate in Local History and Diploma in Local History Studies (NUIM) and is a Fellow of the Genealogical Society of Ireland. He is currently Hon. President of The Old Dublin Society and a recipient of the Old Dublin Society Medal. James is a regular presenter of talks to local history societies and community groups and a regular contributor to local history publications and since 1992 has compiled a weekly ‘Event Diary of Local History Society meetings’ which is currently broadcast on Dublin City FM and Phoenix FM radio stations. He is also the Hon. Irish Correspondent for the British Association for Local History.

Tue, 23/01/2024

10:30 - 12:30  Newtownpark Pastoral Centre

Charles Haughey was perhaps the most talented and influential politician of his generation. His presence still looms large over Irish politics, yet the very roots of his success – his charisma, his intelligence, his ruthlessness, his secrecy – have rendered almost impossible any objective evaluation of his life and work. In late 2021 Gary Murphy published a widely acclaimed biography of Haughey. Based on exclusive access to the Haughey archives and interviews with dozens of Haughey's contemporaries, it offered a major reassessment of one of Ireland’s most significant and controversial politicians and a view of a man of prodigious gifts, who, for all his flaws and many contradictions, came to define modern Ireland. In this talk Gary Murphy will explore and reassess Haughey's role at heart of Irish political life for over three and a half decade and examine his controversial legacy. Gary Murphy is Professor of Politics at Dublin City University. He has published extensively on the politics of modern Ireland and is ar egular contributor to the print and broadcast media. His biography of Charles Haughey, published by Gill Books in late 2021 was widely acclaimed and was selected as a book of the year by the Irish Times, Sunday Independent, Sunday Business Post, Mail on Sunday, and Irish Examiner.

Tue, 06/02/2024

10:30 - 12:30  Newtownpark Pastoral Centre

Tue, 20/02/2024

10:30 - 12:30  Newtownpark Pastoral Centre

Restoration is a key tool to help our natural systems recover. In this presentation, Catherine will outline her own experiences of peatland conservation and restoration since the mid 1990s, illustrating how peatlands have come to centre stage in the discussions on climate change. Dune systems are also important and yet there is no consistent planning evident around coastal sites and how we use or protect them. Catherine will outline the work of LIFE on Machair, an EU funded project to help raise awareness about machair and dune systems and support their restoration. She will highlight lessons to be learned for future restoration plans developed under the pending Nature Restoration Law. Catherine Farrel graduated from University College Dublin with a BSc in Environmental Biology. Following her keen interest in restoration ecology, her PhD research focused on vegetation ecology and practical measures to restore industrial cutaway Atlantic blanket bog in the west of Ireland. Since then she has worked across a number of sites and developed approaches to coastal restoration. She is a founding member of Natural Capital Ireland and an active member of a number of community led projects and restoration initiatives.

Print Date: 02 Dec 2023