Please join us for two special guest presentations at the June meeting:-

Stephen Lally, author of The Leaving of Loughrea, will join us again to present on his second book about his Irish ancestors in India and Western Australia.

Kieran Jordan, coordinator of the Meet and Greet programme for Ireland Reaching Out (Ireland XO) will talk about his work helping to connect the Irish diaspora with their ancestors.

Plus

Sally Skulte, IRG co-lead, will present her research on an interesting Irish ancestor in New Zealand.

More details:

Life and Death in India and Western Australia, 1823 – 1877

Eliza Lally left Galway in 1823 with her husband and brothers who had joined the army of the Honourable East India Company, along with hundreds of Irish recruits. Thomas and Eliza Little were an exceptional couple and Stephen Lally will talk about their life in Ireland, their unusual success in India and why they moved on to the Swan River Colony. Their journey to India was horrific by modern standards. Stephen will describe why they chose this form of emigration, how they survived in India when the death rate was so high and how they overcame the different forms of discrimination that confronted them. In Western Australia, despite being Irish and Catholic, they established themselves as leading members of the new society by their many good works. They are still remembered with affection in the Bunbury area 150 years after their deaths.

Stephen has a special offer for anyone who would like to purchase, Thomas and Eliza Little: Irish Pioneers in India and Australia - 1797 - 1877. Details will be included in the registration link.

The Ireland Reaching Out Meet and Greet programme explained

Ireland Reaching Out (IrelandXO) is a voluntary organisation that supports the Irish diaspora around the world. The two main supports are a message board, where people can post messages that are addressed by volunteers, and a Meet and Greet programme. Under the Meet and Greet programme, IrelandXO volunteers endeavour to help the visitors to connect with the locality of their ancestors.

Kieran Jordan, a retired scientist whose interests include local history and family history, has been involved in local history publications in Cork and Galway. He is also an IrelandXO volunteer and coordinator of the Meet and Greet programme. Kieran will explain how the programme works and what visitors can expect on their visit to Ireland.

Skill level: All

     Group Leads: Kathleen Hackett & Sally Skulte

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons