Old Athlone Society lecture to take place next week

The Old Athlone Society is delighted to welcome Dr Kieran O’Conor as speaker for this year’s annual Billy English Memorial Lecture, taking place on Wednesday next, April 15, at 8pm in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel. All are warmly invited to attend.

Dr O’Conor will present a lecture entitled New Perspectives on Roscommon Abbey, exploring the rich architectural and historical significance of the Dominican Priory of Roscommon. Founded in 1253 by Felim O’Conor, Gaelic King of Connacht, the abbey stands as an important testament to Ireland’s medieval past.

The lecture will examine the priory’s architecture, siting, and evolving appearance over time. It will also argue that the rich architecture and craftsmanship of Roscommon Abbey reflect sustained wealth in native-dominated regions of Ireland throughout the later medieval period—an aspect often underrepresented in surviving historical records.

Dr O’Conor is a distinguished archaeologist who recently retired from the University of Galway's School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies. A graduate of University College Dublin with a BA in History and Archaeology and an MA in Archaeology he has also received a PhD in medieval archaeology from Cardiff University.

His work includes service with the National Monuments Service in 1990's across Roscommon, Sligo, Longford, Westmeath and Wexford. He joined the staff at NUI Galway in 2000.

Dr O’Conor’s research spans castles, medieval rural settlement, Gaelic Ireland, and landscape archaeology. He has published widely on these interests and served as English-language editor of the international peer-reviewed journal Chateau Gaillard from 2010 to 2021.

Dr O’Conor was appointed to The Heritage Council in 2012 by the then Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in January 2012 and was selected as the Archaeological Institute of America’s Kress Lecturer for 2017–18, delivering a lecture series, twenty-one in total across America and Canada on aspects of Irish medieval archaeology. He has also been very successful in linking his research with heritage tourism initiatives in County Roscommon.

New members are always welcome to join the Old Athlone Society.

For further information, please visit: athlonehistory.ie