The history man

Lecarrow resident Liam Byrne has an infectious passion for local history and heritage. This enthusiasm is best reflected in his amazing online resource at www.roscommonhistory.ie The site is explained on its home page thus: “Roscommon is a fascinating county, steeped in history, a huge amount of which has been written down. This website is an attempt at showcasing the beautiful county of Roscommon and its rich heritage, through the medium of its publications, documents and ephemera. If you are interested in Roscommon local history, house history or family history, (or if you are interested in media studies, material culture or the history of art and design), then please come in.†With sections such as agriculture and farming; auctioneering literature; billheads from Roscommon; business documents and ephemera, Christmas and special occasion cards, and material from Roscommon fairs and festivals, there's a real sense of history at the micro level; as a showcase for the ordinary items of life in Roscommon Posters from the Knockcroghery Fair in 1992 and hundreds of memorial cards from across Roscommon give a flavour of the type of material at the heart of this site. Liam's passion as a collector dates back from the time he was a young boy, when he stored stamps, shells, coins, stones and other such childhood items. Liam donated early collections of military ephemera to the military archives and some of his other collections to the local history section of Athlone library. In 2003, he was again bitten by the collectors' bug and decided to begin gathering bits and pieces about Roscommon. “Little did I know that there was so much to collect,†he laughed. His motivation for all this: “I have this idea that the people of Roscommon should be able to access primary source material within Roscommon.†And already, Liam has donated his Echoes of Percy French collection to Roscommon Library. This sizeable collection includes material that has been produced on and about the Roscommon-born songwriter and entertainer since his death in 1920 and traces his legacy, impact and echo through time. And he admits he would consider donating his complete collection to a Roscommon archive in due course. The majority of the items on the website are categorised as ephemera or as Liam describes it “the throwaway junkmail of everyday lifeâ€. Although there are legal documents and other more traditional local history items, Liam makes no excuse for focusing on this more ephemeral material. “Some day it too will be old,†he explains on the website. In fact, he argues that this sort of material is important to retain as it is traditionally thrown away and survives to a lesser extent than books or documents. The development of the website is an ongoing challenge. It currently totals more than 600 pages and thousands of illustrations. “Most nights I'll spend between one and three hours on the internet either searching for something on Ebay or updating the website.†Liam's immersion in all-things Roscommon began in 2001, when he moved from Athlone to Lecarrow with his wife, Roscommon native, Mai (nee McDermott) and his three children, David, Jason and Sinead. Liam's ancestor had moved around over the years. After spells in Wicklow, Wexford and Kildare, Liam's family moved to Kilcormac in Offaly when he was six-months-old and where he remained until he was 15 years old. Having moved to Lecarrow, Liam decided it was time to tie down his roots and become involved in the local community. “I've lived all over the place. Athlone was the nearest thing that I called home and when I arrived in Roscommon ten years ago I said this is it.†He had been and continues to be a member of Old Athlone Society since the 80s, for many years as secretary, and it was through the avenue of a local history group that he found his role in the local community. The St John's Parish Heritage Group in the Lecarrow area had lapsed for some time and Liam was elected chairman of the revived group in 2003 and served in that role for five years, and is now treasurer. The group has gone from strength to strength in recent years, not least with the development of the Rindoon looped walk at the site of the deserted village and settlement near Lecarrow. The group also won the prize for hosting the best community heritage event on Heritage Day last year. He is also currently chairman of the Roscommon Community Tourism Network, which was set up last year by Roscommon Integrated Development Company. The group aims to assist various community and tourism groups and hopes to act as a one stop shop for information advice and assistance. In recent years, he has helped the development of two editions of a local history annual, The Rindoon Journal, as well as acting as technical editor of the recent history of St Dominic's GAA club, Liam is also a firm advocate of the opportunities that could be exploited by greater linkages between Athlone and Roscommon. “I think Athlone should turn its back on the east and return to its Celtic roots,†he said, arguing that the Athlone-Ballinasloe-Roscommon area would have made a more natural gateway city than the current Athlone-Mullingar-Tullamore triangle. Liam followed in the footsteps of his father in serving in the army as a technician in the Army Signal Corps installing, operating, maintaining and removing electronic equipment from 1972 until he left the army in 1999. He gained a firm grounding in health and safety during his army life and his skill as a trainer and instructor, two qualities he subsequently utilised in his career as a safety advisor and trainer. After twenty years providing safety advice most recently as Liam Byrne Safety, he is now “semi-retired†and looking for a career change. “Ideally, I'm looking for something in history or heritage tourism which has been my lobby all my life,†he said.