The Old Athlone Society has announced that production of Dr Patrick Murray's book on The Aidan Heavey Book Collection, with photography by Lawrence O'Neill and printing by Temple Printing, is now complete. This is the same team that produced the magnificent book on the Church of SS Peter & Paul which was very widely acclaimed.
The book will be launched by Dr Patrick Wallace, who has been the director of the National Museum of Ireland for 20 years. He is well known as a lecturer, for popularising Ireland's heritage and for making several radio and television programmes. He has also lectured widely outside Ireland, notably at the National Geographic in Washington. He is an honorary member of the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and a member of the Royal Irish Academy
Aidan Heavey, honorary member of the Society, will also be attending the launch. He was born in Athlone and has never forgotten his Athlone roots, and his early education in Athlone at the Marist Primary School and St Mary's Intermediate School. Mr Heavey was called to the Bar in 1968, while continuing to run Heavey Textiles with the help of his wife Maureen; he devoted himself for over 50 years to book collecting. He then finally donated all of his extremely important collection of books and manuscripts to the people of Athlone in 2001.
The Society is greatly indebted to the many people who co-operated with them in their effort to have an illustrated guide to the collection made available.
The Old Athlone Society would especially like to thank the author Dr Patrick Murray, the photographer Larry O'Neill, printers Ciaran and Cathal Temple, librarians Gearoid O'Brien and Mary Farrell, sponsors Athlone Town Council and Westmeath County Council, and no less than 37 individual patrons.
The book with 128 pages and over 330 colour illustrations will be a source of great satisfaction to all concerned and to everyone who buys a copy.
