ONE of Limerick’s most prominent merchant families will feature in the final lecture of the winter season to members of Shannon Archaeological and Historical Society on Wednesday March 18 in Treacys Oakwood Hotel in Shannon, County Clare.
Historian, author, and retired primary school teacher Pat O’Brien is set to his talk of local historical interest, titled ‘The Landed Gentry of Broadford’, to members and the general public, but Pat expects to cover a much larger period of the history of the village.
The local historian told the Limerick Post that Broadford once had a thriving slate industry, was a busy tourist area, with a population of more than 8,000 people and played a central role in the transport of people and goods from Ennis and north Clare to Limerick and Killaloe and onward to Dublin up to the late 19th century.
“What I’m hoping to do is to deliver an overview of the history of Broadford Parish, including the relationships and contributions of the landed gentry in the parish,” the local historian explained.
“My talk, in summary, will go back as far as pre-history as Broadford has a huge number of dolmens and we will then come forward again to relatively modern times in Ireland and discuss the impact of the elite and landed families on the area.”
The lecture is free to members of Shannon Archaeological and Historical Society and entry is €5 to non-members and will begin at 8pm in Treacys Oakwood Hotel, Shannon.