Athenry native Dr Conor McNamara has been appointed Galway County Council’s Historian-in-Residence for 2021.
Dr McNamara has been to the fore in exploring the history and heritage of Galway and has published five books on modern Irish history.
One of Ireland’s the best known historians, he has worked at NUI Galway, the University of Notre Dame, Keogh-Naughton Centre for Irish Studies and the National Library of Ireland.
His study of the independence struggle in Galway, War and Revolution in the West of Ireland: Galway 1913-21, was published by Irish Academic Press in 2017.
The decade 1913-1923 was one of the most momentous in modern Irish history, and the Council’s commemorative programme has helped people understand more about local events during the struggle for independence.
The programme encourages Galway people at home and abroad to explore our shared local history and to reflect on the events which shaped us a community.
Of particular focus over the coming year will be the publication of a series of local studies of the period focusing on seminal events that happened in the County.
A landmark research guide to the period will also be published, and a series of online lectures will take place.
Galway County Council is keen to record the history of Galway families whose relatives played a role during the independence struggle and create an archive of oral history that will preserve and enhance our understanding of our shared heritage.
Dr McNamara would like to hear from any individuals, community groups or families with a connection to the period and will be a resource to everyone with an interest in exploring our Galway heritage.
