Argentina event for Heritage Week evidence of ongoing interest in links
When the Westmeath Heritage Office and the Longford Westmeath Argentina Society put out the word of an event they were hosting jointly at Mullingar Library during Heritage Week they had no idea how many would turn up.
In the end they were thrilled at a large attendance of people interested in finding out more about the Irish diaspora to Argentina, which comprised mainly people from the Irish midlands especially Westmeath and Longford.
At the event there were displays of items connected to the Irish population of Argentina and also of resources at the library of use to those carrying out researches on the links, including family tree connections.
Longford Westmeath Argentina Society chairperson Una Byrne says the evening was a great success: “The attendance was evidence that there is a lot of ongoing interest in the connection,” she stated, adding that discovering what materials are available at the library had proven of great interest.
“There are a number of resources in Mullingar Library that are useful for people researching the links,” she said.
“These include the invaluable Eduardo Coghlan book, Los Irlandeses en la Argentina: Su Actuación y Descendencia, which lists the ancestry and descendants of 4,349 of those who travelled over.
“Also useful for research is the Southern Cross newspaper and Mullingar Library has that on microfilm,” says Una.
Thousands of people from Westmeath and Longford emigrated to Argentina in the later half of the 1800s and the first 20 or 30 years of this century. Many of those families are still in touch with their relatives in this country and the links between the Irish community in Argentina and Ireland are celebrated through the Longford Westmeath Argentina Society.
The Longford Westmeath Argentina Society hosts a popular asado every year and is a useful contact point for those with an interest in Argentina.
For more info see the society’s Facebook page at facebook.com/longfordwestmeathargentinasociety.