Tuesday 22 May 2012

Uncover your Connemara Roots in Clifden

Clifden in co Galway is commemmorating the 200th anniversary of the town's founding this year. A number of events are planned, one of which — the Celebrating Clifden festival — starts this Friday (25 May).

The first half of the 10-day programme focuses on the early history of the town, its founder John D'Arcy and life in Connemara during the early years of the 19th century.

The second part of the week concentrates on more modern times, with emphasis on the town's Diaspora, and the recording of local history and heritage stories. The full programme can be found at the organiser's website.

A major element of the celebrations is a genealogical conference called Uncovering our Connemara Roots. This three-day event (Wednesday 30 May to Friday 1 June) includes lectures from an interesting line up of academics, archivists, authors and local heritage experts.

Well-established genealogists John Grenham and Eileen O'Duill will also be presenting lectures (on UK and American sources respectively), as will military family historian expert and author Simon Fowler, a direct descendent of John D'Arcy.

The conference programme, along with prices, can be downloaded here.