Research seminar on how to write a history of a local area with particular focus on Westmeath. Themes to be explored will include the War of Independence, the Famine, urban studies, poverty and family history in Westmeath. The focus will be on accessing source on line in this era of on line learning. Skills to be developed include ideas around objectivity, bias, creativity, descriptive modes and setting contexts for any local study, Speakers will include published authors such as Dr. Ciaran Mc Cabe, Ann Murtagh, Ruth Illingworth, Gretta Connell, Dr. Paul Hughes, Seamus O Brien and others

Again we plan for a physically distanced seminar in conjunction with remote access via Zoom.

We organised a similar seminar on doing Oral History last year and it was a successful event. The idea for the seminar followed on naturally from the series of lectures we host throughout the year and is a huge opportunity to provide research skills to people who are interested in history but who lack the confidence to move to the next stage of research and publication. It fits in very well with Creative Ireland criteria as creativity is crucial to any research project and is indispensable for the writing process.  

Please note that the details of events listed above are provided by the relevant Local Authorities.