OUTINGS AND EVENTS

The Annual General Meeting of Beara Historical Society was held in Twomey’s Lounge on Monday December 10th 2007.

The secretary, Brendan Finch, outlined the Society’s activities over the past year, including outings to Skibbereen, Kinsale, Cahergarriff and Pulleen Harbour. Lectures during the year included: The American Naval Base in Bantry Bay by Ted O’Sullivan, Mining in West Cork by Paddy O’Sullivan, Early Irish Farming by Liam Downey, Celtic Society by Peter Treymane, Antarctic explorer Tom Crean by Michael Smith, The Kilmackowen evictions by Michael Murphy.

Officers elected for the coming year: President: Gerdie Harrington, Chairman: Connie Murphy, Vice-Chairman: Fachtna O’Donovan, Secretary: Brendan Finch, Assistant Secretary: Penny Durell, Treasurer: Maureen O’Driscoll, Assistant Treasurer: Monika Bernhardt.

Following the election of officers, Frank Doyle gave a well researched and most interesting talk on Florence McCarthy Reigh which will shortly appear on these pages.

Thursday 20th December 2007:

A CAPACITY crowd attended the launch of Gerdie Harrington’s latest publication Beara - Down Memory Lane, organised by Beara Historical Society in Twomey’s Lounge Bar, Castletownbere, on Thursday 20th December. The chairman of the Society, Connie Murphy, welcomed the capacity crowd and spoke of Gerdie’s lifetime commitment to collecting, researching and writing about local history in Beara Peninsula. His vision and writings contributed to a growing interest in local history throughout Beara.

Fr. Sean O’Shea, a former schoolmate and lifetime friend, launched the Book. He spoke of their school days in the old Brandy Hall School aid how their paths through life diverged. He said that Gerdie was born and grew up in Castletownbere many years ago in circumstances very different from the present time.
Like many others of his time, he emigrated to England during the Second World War. His first job was in the construction of airfields in Norfolk and he later worked and travelled extensively throughout the country, before he married Maureen and settled down in London.
Here he eventually graduated to a variety of jobs in the media. He was for over ten years a photo-journalist with The Irish Post, a newspaper for the Irish in London. He retired to his native Beara in 1983. Soon afterwards, he began writing local news and local history items for the Beara News column in The Southern Star, a labour of love he continues to do. He is a founder member of Beara Historical Society and was its chairman for over 20 years and is now President of the Society.

DELIGHT
Fr. Sean said he was privileged to be asked to launch Gerdie’s latest book: Beara - Down Memory Lane. He reminded the large gathering that Gerdie has already published two books: In the Path of Heroes and Beara - History and Stories from the Peninsula as well as organising the production of two volumes of Beara’s Pictorial Past. Speaking at the launch Gerdie said: “I must admit that I’m very pleased with the illustrations and layout of the book and I was delighted with it.

He thanked all those members who helped with the proof reading etc., and went on to say: “There are few areas; so modern or so devoid of interest as not to afford sufficient subject matter moderate sized volume; but in the compilation a history, many difficulties arise in collecting reliable information which has to be gathered from sources very widely scattered often not easily attainable.
The area of Beara, though now suffering chilling effects of a diminished trade in fishing, can at least boast of its superior antiquity, and its many historic associations. To collect these scattered memorials of bygone times present them in a connected and readable form, an epitome that relates to Beara, past and present, is the aim and object of this book.”

This was not the usual kind of book launch which seem invariably to consist of canapés, chardonnay and convoluted conversation. Instead there was plain speaking, wine supplied by Mine Hosts John and Kathleen Twomey in a building located in an historic corner of the town.

The book includes a diverse range of material, such as the ideals of War of Independence and the Beara men and women who took part, the arrival of Sisters of Mercy in 1864, the story of several clergymen who served in Beara. snippets from the Board of Guardians and Castletown Rural District Council meetings and of local politicians and William Martin Murphy and Ned Harrington M.P associated with the area, and the names of the Beara men who fought in the First World War.

Beara - Down Memory Lane is generously illustrated with pictures across over 500 pages.

It sells at €20 and is available at the usual outlets in Beara or for €30 including postage worldwide from the Society. info@bhs.ie