WHAS host online lecture on Hill of Uisneach

Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society host an online lecture by Angus Mitchell on Wednesday next, September 25, at 8pm. The link for the lecture, which is free to view, can be accessed on our website whahs.ie.

The lecturer Angus Mitchell is a widely published historian. In 2023/24 he was awarded a Royal Irish Academy Bursary to carry out research into the Hill of Uisneach between 1898 and 1928.

Gaelic League and Hill of Uisneach

Over three consecutive summers between 1910 and 1912, the O’Growney Branch of the Gaelic League in Westmeath organised ‘Feis Uisnig’. These feiseanna followed the structure and programming of similar events held across Ireland at that time. They proved to be an important catalyst in spreading the Cultural Revival throughout the Irish midlands and in awakening broader interest and engagement with the language movement in a relatively remote area.

The intention was to educate and entertain while deepening a sense of community, unity and national wellbeing.

The local parishes of Tang, Boher, Castletown and Drumraney were connected to the broader national movement and key public intellectuals addressed the gatherings. Through Uisneach’s portal, Westmeath welcomed many of the leading figures involved in the Revival, notably Douglas Hyde, Eoin MacNeill, Alice Stopford Green, Francis Joseph Bigger, Agnes O’Farrelly, Alice Milligan, Mary Hayden, Arthur Griffith, Patrick Pearse, Ada English, Eamon de Valera and John MacBride.

The lecture on Wednesday is free to view – contact obriains@gmail.com with any queries.