Wexford and the War of Independence: who died and why?
Wexford and the War of Independence: who died and why?
a lecture with
Professor Eunan O’Halpin
Thursday, October 24th in the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy at 7.00pm. 
This will be followed by a public consultation on how the
next phase of the National Decade of Commemorations Programme should be commemorated in County Wexford.
This is a free event but booking is essential.
Please reserve your place by contacting Enniscorthy Library on 053-9196730
Refreshments served.
As the next phase in the Decade of Commemoration approaches, Wexford County Council Public Library Service invites you to a lecture titled “Wexford and the War of Independence: who died and why?” with Professor Eunan O’ Halpin, TCD, on Thursday, 24th October in the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy, at 7pm.
The War of Independence in County Wexford is remembered as a turbulent and difficult period in our history. Eunan O’Halpin’s presentation will look at political violence in County Wexford between 1917 and 1921 as measured by deaths caused, in comparison with the national picture. He will discuss issues including the killing of alleged spies and informers, and the Saltmills disaster (by far the biggest instance of death arising from mishaps with explosives during the revolutionary era).
Professor O’Halpin will use data from his forthcoming book The Dead of the Irish Revolution, 1916-1921, which will be published by Yale University Press next year.
Eunan O’Halpin is Bank of Ireland Professor of Contemporary Irish History in Trinity College Dublin. Educated at University College Dublin and the University of Cambridge, his research interests cover twentieth century Irish and British history, and intelligence studies. He is a Member (2003) of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow (2003) of Trinity College Dublin. He is also a member of the government’s Expert Advisory Group on Commemorations (2012- ).
A discussion about how the next phase of the Decade of Centenaries can be commemorated in County Wexford will follow his lecture.
County Librarian Eileen Morrissey says ‘Wexford County Council Library Service is delighted to work with Professor O’Halpin to reflect on the War of Independence in County Wexford. We invite you to join us in this conversation, as we set out to capture the family stories that sit alongside the historical record of events here in County Wexford. It is only by understanding the personal stories that we make sense of our shared history and the politics of the time. This is your opportunity to contribute to our understanding of the events of that period and help shape the collection of those stories.