GMIT public lecture series marks 21st anniversary of Heritage Studies course

GMIT is pleased to announce a series of free public lectures on the theme of Ireland’s 1916 Rising, which will take place every Tuesday evening in the Galway campus until 8 November.

The public lectures, which are part of GMIT’s 1916–2016 Centenary Programme of Events, will be delivered by academics and practitioners in the fields of heritage and history from GMIT, NUI Galway, Galway City Council, Galway County Council and Galway City Museum.

The open lecture programme was launched last week (27 September). Special guest film producer and former GMIT lecturer Lelia Doolan spoke about the work of the late poet and philosopher, John O’Donohue, who both designed and taught on the Institute’s first Heritage Studies course in 1995. In 1997, John published Anam Cara: Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World, which became an international bestseller.

The first lecture in the series was given by Emeritus Professor of History, NUI Galway, Prof Gearoid O’Tuathaigh on “Public History, Irish Historians and 1916”. Afterwards, The Cathoirleach of the County of Galway, Councillor Michael Connolly, presented the Heritage Studies Alumni Award to Elish Kavanagh. This special award, which was sponsored by Galway County Council, recognised Eilish’s contribution to promoting an awareness of cultural heritage amongst local communities in County Galway during the centenary anniversary of the 1916 Rising. Eilish is a grandniece of Captain Patrick Garland, 1st Battalion, E Company, Dublin Brigade. On Easter Tuesday, 2016, Eilish co-organised a major commemoration for the Kinvara Irish Volunteers of 1916.

Dr Mark McCarthy, the coordinator of GMIT’s 1916–2016 Programme of Events, lecturer in Heritage Studies and author of Ireland’s 1916 Rising: Explorations of History-Making, Commemoration & Heritage in Modern Times, says: ‘This public lecture series is being held to mark the twenty-first anniversary of the commencement of Heritage Studies courses in our college in 1995.”

“This was an important year for heritage in Ireland, as it also marked the passing of the Heritage Act and the foundation of the Heritage Council. Heritage includes almost anything that one generation hands down to the next. It also involves the use of the past in, for example, tourist attractions, commemorations, museum exhibitions, conservation plans and people’s identities.”

“Over the course of the public lecture series, we will have 13 speakers, who will each deliver a one-hour lecture addressing the theme of Ireland’s Rising, 1916–2016: Public Histories, Historical Geographies and Cultural Heritages.”

This week (4 October), two lectures were delivered by GMIT Heritage Studies lecturers Paul Gosling (“Cú Chulainn: Myth, Archaeology and Nationalism”) and John Tunney (“We’ll Sing You a Song, A Soldier’s Song: Songs of 1916 and the War of Independence”).

The next lectures in the series are as follows:

Tuesday 11 October, 5:15 pm—6:15 pm, Room 994, Galway Campus
COUNTY GALWAY’S 1916 RISING IN MAPS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND HERITAGESCAPES
By Dr Mark McCarthy, Department of Heritage and Tourism, GMIT.

Tuesday 11 October, 6:45 pm—7:45 pm, Room 994, Galway Campus
REMEMBERING COUNTY GALWAY’S 1916 RISING
By Shirley Wrynn, Library, GMIT.

Tuesday 18 October, 5:15 pm—6:15 pm, Room 994, Galway Campus
IRISH WARTIME ART AND DESIGN, c. 1916
By Marion McEnroy, Centre for Creative Arts and Media, GMIT.

Tuesday 18 October, 6:45 pm—7:45 pm, Room 994, Galway Campus
FAMILY MEMORIES OF THE IRISH REVOLUTION IN GALWAY TOWN
By Peadar O’Dowd, Retired, School of Business, GMIT.

Tuesday 25 October, 5:15 pm—6:15 pm, Room 994, Galway Campus
GALWAY COUNTY COUNCIL’S ROLE IN COMMEMORATING THE CENTENARY OF THE 1916 RISING
By Marie Mannion, Galway County Council.

Tuesday 25 October, 6:45 pm—7:45 pm, Room 994, Galway Campus
ACHILL’S SILENT REVOLUTIONARY: ANITA MACMAHON, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST
By Sheila McHugh, Department of Humanities, Applied Languages and Communications, GMIT.

Tuesday 1 November, 5:15 pm—6:15 pm, Room 994, Galway Campus
GALWAY CITY COUNCIL’S ROLE IN COMMEMORATING THE CENTENARY OF THE 1916 RISING
By Dr Jim Higgins, Galway City Council.

Tuesday 1 November, 6:45 pm—7:45 pm, Room 994, Galway Campus
EXHIBITING THE FIGHT FOR IRISH FREEDOM: GALWAY CITY MUSEUM’S REVOLUTION IN GALWAY 1913-1923
By Brendan McGowan, Galway City Museum.

Tuesday 8 November, 5:15 pm—6:15 pm, Room 994, Galway Campus
‘THE MOST SHONEEN TOWN IN IRELAND?’: GALWAY TOWN IN WAR AND REVOLUTION, 1913-1921
By Dr Conor McNamara, NUI Galway.

Tuesday 8 November, 6:45 pm—7:45 pm, Room 994, Galway Campus
THE CONNACHT RANGERS AND THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME, 1916
By Joe Loughnane, Retired, Department of Culinary Arts, GMIT.

“Currently, GMIT offers a BA and BA (Honours) in Heritage Studies to students. These undergraduate courses have an applied focus and are interdisciplinary in nature – linking heritage with history, geography, archaeology, tourism, genealogy, museum studies, folklore, literature, planning, computing, digital media, business and languages,” explains Dr McCarthy.

“Students are taught about the role that heritage resource management plays in the safeguarding of national monuments, architecture, artefacts, archives, cultural landscapes, habitats, flora and fauna. In addition to lectures, there is also a strong emphasis on offsite teaching, with fieldtrips to heritage sites, museums and interpretative centres. Students can do a work experience module and can study abroad for one or two semesters,” adds Dr McCarthy.

For further details on GMIT’s Heritage courses, see www.gmit.ie/courses/all-courses.”