As part of the Westmeath County Council Decade of Centenaries programme, Ian Kenneally has been reappointed Historian in Residence for the period from April until November 2023.
The residency is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media’s Decade of Centenaries Programme, in partnership with Westmeath County Council.
Ian Kenneally is an author and historian. He is Head of History with Pegasus Consulting, the company that produces The History Show on RTÉ Radio One. Ian is also a researcher and reporter on the show. He is the author of multiple books, including ‘The Paper Wall: newspapers and propaganda in Ireland during the War of Independence’ (Collins Press ). Among his most recent projects are a commissioned history of the Technological University of the Shannon and an online exhibition – everest1921.com – which charts the 1921 reconnaissance mission to Tibet led by Charles Howard-Bury of Belvedere House near Mullingar.
He has researched and scripted many documentaries, which have been broadcast on stations such as Midlands 103 and RTÉ Radio One, among others. He was an editor of the highly popular weekly magazine series, The Revolution Papers, and he has contributed to a wide range of publications, including the Atlas of the Irish Revolution. Historian in Residence with Westmeath County Council during 2020, 2021 and 2022, he contributes the weekly ‘Headlines from History’ column to the Athlone Advertiser. His PhD thesis, which he successfully defended in NUI Galway, explores aspects of the media in Ireland during the Irish Civil War.
Ian, who lives near Mount Temple, will ensure that the commemorative programme focusses on the county during 1923. The Historian in Residence can be contacted at [email protected]. More details on the Historian in Residence project can be found on Westmeath County Council’s website: https://www.westmeathcoco.ie/decadeofcentenaries . The blog, which has been running since 2020, contains a wealth of articles and videos about Westmeath during the years 1919-1923.
