National Famine Way roadshow goes on tour
The new National Famine Way roadshow, which is on tour this month and into June, will call to seven locations along the route of the long distance trail.
The dates of the roadshow, which is presented by the Irish Heritage Trust in collaboration with the seven local authorities along the trail, are as follows:
Monday, May 19: 3:00-5:00p.m, Strokestown Park House, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon;
Tuesday, May 20: 3:00-5;00pm, Ballymahon Library, Ballymahon, Co. Longford;
Wednesday, May 21: 3:00-5:00pm, Leixlip Library, Leixlip, Co. Kildare;
Thursday, May 22: 2:00-4:00pm, Trim Library, Trim, Co. Meath;
Thursday, May 22: 6:00-8;00pm, Mullingar Library, Co. Westmeath;
Tuesday, June 3: 5.30-7.30pm, Blanchardstown Library, Fingal, Dublin 15;
Thursday, June 5: 3:00-5:00pm, Charleville Mall Library, Dublin 1.
Featuring talks and presentations by leading local and international famine historians, the event will bring a poignant part of history to life.
Appropriately, the month of May marks both the anniversary of the mass departure of 1,490 emigrants from Strokestown, Co Roscommon and the annual national famine commemoration.
National Famine Way
The Ballymahon roadshow speakers will include: Caroilín Calleary, founder of the National Famine Way; Dr Jason King, academic co-ordinator of the National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park, and of the Irish Heritage Trust; and Martin Morris, Longford county archivist.
Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions of the experts, and everyone is welcome to attend.
National Famine Way's Caroilín Calleary said: 'Touring with this roadshow gives us a chance to visit each of the communities along the route again, making the history of the Irish famine more visible.
'We hope to deepen the connections in each while honouring the memory of Strokestown's missing 1,490.'
Strokestown Park House. Source: Colin Shanahan, DigiCol Photography.
The National Famine Way is a 165km marked walking and cycling trail commemorating a heart-breaking walk of forced emigration that took place in 1847 at the height of the Irish famine.
It begins at the memorial glass wall at the National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park, Co. Roscommon and continues through six counties to EPIC, the Irish emigration museum in Dublin's Docklands.
The route is marked by more than 30 pairs of bronze children's shoes, and the way and its associated stories can be followed through a free app.
Chief executive of Longford County Council, Paddy Mahon, said that the partnership highlights the collective commitment of local authorities to honour and remember the 1,490 individuals who were forced to emigrate from Strokestown during the famine.
Mahon said: 'The roadshow serves as a poignant reminder of this tragic chapter in Irish history.'
Longford County Council cathaoirleach, Cllr Mark Casey, said that the national famine way roadshow offers a powerful opportunity to honour the memory of those who walked from Strokestown in search of survival.
Cllr Casey said: 'It's a vital reminder of our shared past and the resilience of those forced to emigrate and it ensures their stories continue to shape our national understanding of history.'
Registration for the events is required in advance by emailing nationalfaminewayroadshow@gmail.com
National Famine Museum
Meanwhile, the National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park is set to host the 2025 Famine Summer School from May 29 to June 1.
The theme of the 2025 summer school is 'Humanitarianism and Hunger', which focuses on international aid responses to the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s.
The programme will investigate how global communities, including those in North America, India, the Ottoman Empire, and beyond, reacted to the catastrophe in Ireland, often in contrast to the more limited or delayed actions of official authorities.
The conference will also draw parallels with modern day challenges in humanitarian assistance, food insecurity, and climate-related displacement.
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