A lecture hosted by the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society will examine the history of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Galway.
The lecture, entitled 'Cherishing all the children of the nation equally? The NSPCC in Galway, 1916-1922', will be delivered by Dr Jackie Uí Chionna of NUI Galway, and will examine the activities of the Galway branch of the NSPCC, in the period between the 1916 Rising and the establishment of the Free State.
Established in 1911, with a remit encompassing the city and county, the branch’s first secretary observed that the NSPCC “asked for but four things for children: adequate food, adequate clothing, a roof over their heads, and medical aid when necessary." But the attainment of such aspirations proved problematic in a Galway that was experiencing dire poverty and wretched conditions, with children the most vulnerable members of society.
Appalling cases of neglect and child abandonment dealt with by the branch will be examined in the context of the aspirations of the NSPCC, and the founding fathers of the Republic in the 1916 Proclamation, to “cherish all the children of the nation equally”.
The lecture will take place in the Harbour Hotel, Galway, on Monday April 9 at 8pm. Admission is free and all are welcome.
