Tag: war of independence

Heritage Week
Generations Exploring Heritage Together
Heritage Week 23rd – 31st August
The theme of this year’s Heritage Week which runs from Saturday 23rd – Sun 31st August is “Generations Exploring Heritage Together”. Local heritage groups have compiled a fabulous programme of events. Our military heritage is very well represented in the programme, and includes guided walks and talks about the contribution that Kilkenny men and women made to both World War I and the War of Independence.
According to Dearbhala Ledwidge, Heritage Officer, “This is the most diverse and comprehensive Heritage Week programme to date. It’s a great opportunity for people to experience and enjoy the wonderful heritage we have on our doorstep in County Kilkenny”. Click here for a recent press release relating to Heritage Week.
The Kilkenny Heritage Office has compiled a free County Kilkenny ‘Heritage Week’ Event Guide which outlines over 70 ‘Heritage Week’ events taking place in the County. s happening in your area and to request a free copy of the Kilkenny Heritage Week brochure, contact Dearbhala Ledwidge, Heritage Officer, Kilkenny County Council. Tel: 056 7794925. dearbhala.ledwidge@kilkennycoco.ie or click here to download a copy.
Heritage Week is co-ordinated in County Kilkenny by the Heritage Office of Kilkenny County Council, and nationally by the Heritage Council, in conjunction with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and is part of European Heritage Days, which is celebrated in 40 countries across Europe.
For further information, contact:
Dearbhala Ledwidge, Heritage Officer, Kilkenny County Council
Email: dearbhala.ledwidge@kilkennycoco.ie Phone: 056 7794925
August 18, 2014
Heritage Week Military Events
This year’s Heritage Week runs from 23rd August to 31st August; this year’s programme includes a number of events focusing on various aspects of our military heritage. See the Kilkenny Event Guide 2014 for details of military events organised throughout the county:
- Exploring Gowran’s Contribution to the Great War (event no. 16)
- We Will Remember Them (event no. 20)
- Exploring Our Military Heritage (event no. 24)
- Kilkenny and the Great War (event no. 25)
- Kilkenny’s Independence Story (event no. 26)
- Kilkenny on the Eve of the Great War (event no. 27)
- An Evening of Military Heritage (event no. 28)
July 22, 2014
The Military Service (1916-1923) Pensions Collection
Photograph above: Taken from front cover of the ‘Guide to the Military Service (1916-1923) Pensions Collection’

The Military Service Pensions Collection is the Military Archives’ latest online collection and is the single most important archival collection relating to Ireland’s revolutionary period, comprising hundreds of thousands of individual accounts of the activities of nationalists throughout the period from the 1916 Rising to the end of the Civil War in 1923. It is a cornerstone project of the Government Decade of Centenaries 2012-2022 Commemorative programme.
The collection records the personal commitment and sacrifice by those men and women who shouldered the task of gaining independence for this country. This release provides a window into every parish and townland in this country and the activities undertaken by ordinary people pursuing the ambition of nationhood. The release of these records will provide Irish people at home and abroad with fascinating and copious information about their ancestors who played a part in the establishment of independent Ireland.
The first release of the Military Service Pensions Collection (MSPC) comprises approximately 452,000 images relating to over 3,000 individuals and mainly deals with 1916 personalities and survivors, but also containing crucial supporting documentation which help to understand the pensions files in context.
The first phase of the collection is available to view online at www.militaryarchives.ie
The information and application forms are also plotted on a 1912 OSI map providing a greater awareness and visibility of the location of activity sites during Easter week 1916 (see image below), which can be viewed on the Military Archives website.

As part of the launch of the Military Service Pension Collection in January 2014, a comprehensive guide was produced in order to provide an introduction and context to this important and significant collection. The Guide to the Military Service (1916-1923) Pensions Collection is available to view on the Military Archives website as a pdf file and a hard copy may be viewed at the libraries throughout County Kilkenny.

July 16, 2014
Kilkenny’s Independence Story – Heritage Week Event
Kilkenny’s Independence Story – Heritage Week Event
The decade of commemoration recalls some of the most significant events in the history of modern Ireland and the modern world. Join in a walking tour through Kilkenny with a guide from the Kilkenny Military Heritage Project to hear about Kilkenny’s Independence Story. This is the third year of this walking tour which aims to give people an understanding of the events as they happened in County Kilkenny during the period 1913-1923. This year there will be a special emphasis placed on weapons procurement and the split which occurred in 1914. To find out more about this event visit the Heritage Week website at www.hertiageweek.ie.

July 5, 2014