ULYSSES IN LAOIS by John Dunne

ULYSSES IN LAOIS by John Dunne Since it was first published in Paris in 1922, James Joyce’s Ulysses continues to have a curious sort of dual existence. On one hand, it is regularly proclaimed the Greatest Modernist Novel: on the other, it is one of the Most Unfinished Masterpieces of World Literature; year after year, […]

John Canon O’Hanlon – the man and his legacy by Teddy Fennelly

John Canon O’Hanlon (1821-1905) was an outstanding man of his generation.    His story is a marvellous one of a full life, well lived.   He was a man with a mission, in his search for knowledge and his sharing of it, in the spreading of the Christian message, and in his love for the country of […]

The cholera pandemic of 1832 – presented a similar threat to Ireland as Covid 19

The cholera pandemic of 1832  – presented a similar threat to Ireland as Covid 19 Teddy Fennelly tells the story Ireland is in almost complete shutdown in an all-out attempt to stop the spread of the deadly virus, Covid 19. The worldwide range of the epidemic is unprecedented in modern times. We live in the […]

Oliver J. Flanagan by Michael Loughman

Oliver J. Flanagan was for many years a divisive, controversial and at times eccentric figure in Irish politics. He was amongst the longest-serving T.D.s in the history of the state serving continuously from 1943 until 1987 for the Laois-Offaly constituency and for most of this period he was a member of Fine Gael. During his […]

THE GAS MEN OF MARYBOROUGH

THE GAS MEN OF MARYBOROUGH by John Dunne On the evening of Thursday, January 21, 1858, the town of Maryborough, for the very first time, was lit by gas.  But why did this landmark event in the town’s history come as a surprise to the very Company set up to bring gas to the town? […]

Laois Heritage Society 2019