Retired Kilkenny politician Séamus Pattison will open the Éigse Sliabh Rua festival on Friday November 13, at 8pm in the Rhu Glen Hotel, Slieverue.
Éigse is the annual festival of local history, music, and set dancing in the Slieverue area.
Mr Pattison has an abiding interest in local history and has been a regular visitor to Éigse for many years and is therefore a fitting personality to open the festival.
The inaugural lecture will be on the anniversary of the first sitting of Dail Eireann in 1919 as this year we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the hugely significant occasion. The opening lecture will be delivered by well known author and historian Mr Jim Maher.
While Éigse has traditionally dealt with important historical themes in the national context, local history has always been at the core of Éigse, and this year is no different. On Sunday November 15 Mr Jim Walsh will deliver a lecture "the historical sites in Slieverue parish", the lecture is at 12.00 noon in the parish centre.
Local politics is the theme of the Éigse lecture in Kilmacow on Thursday November 19 when veteran local politician Mr Dick Dowling will share his reminiscences on a lifetime in local government.
A guided tour to sites of historical interest has been an integral feature of Éigse programmes for many years. And this year we have two; the children’s tour to Castlecomer Discovery Park is on Saturday November 14, with 9.45am departe and on Saturday November 21, a second guided tour will depart the parish centre at 2pm emphasising local historic sites.
Mr Gordon Power will address Éigse on Sunday 23, at noon, on researching sources on military history especially World Wars I and II, patrons are invited to bring along memorabilia to the event.
Éigse will close with a musical evening at the parish church at 8pm on Sunday November 22.
