First Summer School takes place this month

The inaugural Kells Summer School will take place over the weekend of 22nd and 23rd July in the Kells People's Resource Centre, Carrick Street. The school will be launched by a lecture by Prof George Eogan, who this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of his discovery at Knowth.  For the inaugural Summer School weekend, there will five lectures each day on a range of subjects, including natural history, Meath through the ages, art history, museum collections and 'The Big House' in Meath. There will also be an interesting range of speakers from the National Museum, the OPW, Trinity College, the Institute for Advanced Studies, graduates and local historians - all of whom are passionate about their individual fields of research.  Aidan Wall, chairman of Kells and District Tourism Forum, which is organising the summer school, said there is a strong interest in Kells and district in cultural heritage, especially in the areas of local and oral history, archaeology, folklore and the role played by the town and its inhabitants throughout history. The summer school will not only promote awareness of the rich cultural heritage of the area in and beyond Kells but will also establish links between the forum and academic bodies such as the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, based at Trinity College. Anyone interested in the summer school should contact Laura Farrelly on (087) 609 6016. Full details will be available on www.kellstourismforum.com The Kells Tourism Forum has been working to keep Kells in the public eye and has attracted considerable media interest and regenerated interest of local people in the town. In 2012, it developed a new tourism brochure for Kells with the aid of funding from Meath Partnership. The brochure is online at www.visitingkells.ie and includes online booking facilities. A German translation of the brochure was launched last month.