Nobber men of literary culture fame to be recalled

St John’s Old Cemetery Restoration Group and the Feagh Russell Connection Group will jointly host a free public lecture as part of Heritage Week 2022.

The talk on Tuesday 16th August at 7.30pm is entitled 'Forging Irish identity in the late nineteenth century: the dedicated work of cultural custodians Michael Clarke, Peter Gallegan and Owen Smith’.

The talk will take place in the George Eogan Cultural and Heritage Centre, Nobber (A82 WY10).

The speakers will be Séamus Mac Gabhann, cathaoirleach, County Meath Heritage Forum and former editor of Ríocht na Midhe; and Arthur Russell, local historian and author of the historical novel 'Morgallion'.

Decades before the advent of the Irish Literary Revival in the late nineteenth century, the old Gaelic oral and written traditions were in serious decline in many parts of Ireland.

All over the country dedicated local scribes collected and conserved what they could of ancient poems, songs and folklore.

This lecture will tell the story of three Nobber men, Michael Clarke, Peter Gallegan and Owen Smith, whose relentless endeavours did much to preserve the Irish literary culture of Meath and Oriel.

To coincide with the lecture, a ‘mini-exhibition’ on Clarke, Gallegan and Smith, consisting of three display banners will be on show in the George Eogan Centre, along with the newly conserved desk of local antiquarian Owen Smith.

The project has been supported by the Meath County Council Community Grant Scheme 2022.