Eoin MacNeill is best known as the man who countermanded the order for the 1916 Rising to begin, and for representing the Government at the boundary commission which left the country still partitioned.
While the above were not his finest hours, a fuller look at his life, ideas, and achievements will be given in The Visions of Eoin MacNeill, a public lecture by Dr Mary Harris, in the Harbour Hotel, Dock Road, this Monday at 8pm.
MacNeill was a scholar, Gaelic Leaguer, and patriot, as interested in the nation’s past as he was optimistic for its future. This talk will examine MacNeill’s perceptions of Ireland’s past, his role in promoting the language, and his later move into the political sphere. It will consider his motivations, calculations and miscalculations, as well as later attempts to vindicate him.
Mary Harris is senior lecturer in history at NUIG, focusing on early 20th-century political and cultural history and Northern Ireland. She is co-ordinator of NUI Galway’s 1916 commemorative programme and a member of the Government’s Expert Advisory Group on the Decade of Centenaries.
The talk is organised by the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society, and is a collaborative event with NUI Galway, as part of the A Nation Rising - Éire á Múscailt 1916 commemorations. Admission is free and all are welcome. See www.gahs.info
