A Heartfelt Thank You:
We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who joined us at our three events held at Shrule Community Centre on Wednesday, 11th September. Your support was truly humbling, with approximately 90 attendees making the evening a resounding success.
Highlights from the Evening
Dr. Jessica Cooke’s Insightful Talk
Dr. Jessica Cooke provided compelling evidence that Turlough Mor O’Connor was crowned King of Connacht in Shrule in 1106.
Her presentation explored how Shrule, situated on the Mayo-Galway border, was historically known as Áth an Tearmainn (Place of Sanctuary). She highlighted the significance of the “Cloughvanaha” or the “Blessed Stone” near the early church site by the Black River, believed to be the site of O’Connor’s inauguration. The site of the old Abbey is behind Cradock’s Bar and half way between the Black River and Shrule Graveyard. Although the old Abbey no longer stands, we have some postcard photographs of the abbey in the background.
Monica Murphy’s Book
Monica Murphy’s book, Shrule Village at the Turn of the 20th Century, was a tremendous success, selling out quickly.
We have reordered an additional 100 copies from the printers.
The book will soon be available at Mullins Shop and Shrule Post Office for €5—a perfect Christmas gift for friends and family near and far.
Field Name Project
Martin Ryan’s Field Name Project was showcased with detailed maps in the main hall, displaying intriguing names in both English and Irish. As noted by Kevin Flood, this ongoing project benefits from the continual input of new names and stories from the community.
Special thanks to
Shrule Community Centre Committee for graciously hosting our events.
Tomás O’Dowd for expertly managing the evening as our MC and PRO introducing the various speakers and for saying a few words of introduction to each event.
Monica Murphy for her months of dedicated research into the houses of Shrule Village and the families who lived there. Her efforts in compiling this booklet have created a valuable reference that will serve future generations and preserve the history of our community for years to come.
Martin Ryan for his years of dedication to all our projects and the Field Name Project. His commitment to sourcing various maps, as well as creating, managing, and compiling all the information, has been invaluable. His work is beautifully showcased on our website, www.shrule.ie, and continues to be a vital resource for our community’s historical records.
Liam Donohoe for capturing the moments with his photography skills, and his daughter Paula for the delightful cupcakes.
Kathleen Shaughnessy, Marie O’Malley, and Noreen Flood for ensuring the refreshments were always plentiful.
Eamonn Mullin for proving and setting up his sound system, Martin Ryan for providing projectors and technical support.
Anthony Derrig for his assistance with the lighting and heating systems, they ensured that everything ran smoothly and comfortably throughout the event.
And last but not least, we wish to thank everyone who purchased or placed an order for Monica’s book, Shrule Village at the Turn of the 20th Century. Due to popular demand, the book is going into reprint this week!
If you are interested in joining the Historical SGK group, please visit www.shrule.ie for details on our next meeting
Kevin at 086-3782156 or Martin at 085-8595085.
Thank you once again for your support and enthusiasm!
Historical SGK
