New War of Independence heritage trail exploring historic sites and memorials to County Galway's Loughnane brothers

Bilingual guide book co-authored by ATU’s Dr Eilish Kavanagh and Dr Mark McCarthy launched

A new bilingual guide book titled “The Loughnane Brothers Heritage Trail: Explore Historic Sites & Memorials of Ireland’s War of Independence”, co-authored by Atlantic Technological University’s Dr Eilish Kavanagh and Dr Mark McCarthy, was launched in the Wine Geese Training Bar, ATU Galway City this week (Monday 12 December 2022) by Cllr Moegie Maher, The Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway and Dr Orla Flynn, President of ATU.

The publication focuses on Harry Loughnane and his brother Pat, who was an IRA volunteer. Following their capture by British forces at their farm in Shanaglish, County Galway on Friday 26 November 1920, they were tortured and then shot dead by the Auxiliaries, who were a paramilitary unit of the police. The bodies were then burnt, before being deposited in a turlough. Photographs of the badly mutilated remains of the brothers in open coffins garnered significant international attention and turned the brothers into republican martyrs.

With the passage of time, key historic sites associated with the story of the Loughnanes have become significant spaces of memory and post-conflict heritage. Using the methods of public historical geography and heritage studies, The Loughnane Brothers Heritage Trail draws together varieties of tangible evidence in south County Galway. Descriptions, photographs and SAT NAV coordinates are included for eleven points of interest along the trail, as is an easy-to-follow fold-out route map. The publication is complemented by an ArcGIS ESRI StoryMap version of the heritage trail, which can be accessed online via the Maps and Data Portal on Galway County Council’s website.

Both versions of this heritage trail were developed by Galway County Council, in partnership with the ATU Heritage Research Group. The project is an action of the Commemorative Strategy for the County of Galway 2013-2023 and Galway County Heritage Plan 2017-2023. It was co-funded by the Commemorations Unit, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (under the Community Strand of the Decade of Centenaries programme); Galway County Council; ATU Galway-Mayo (under RISE: the Research and Innovation Strategic Endowment); and the Irish Research Council (under the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme).

Co-author Dr Eilish Kavanagh, ATU Heritage Research Group, says: “Of note is how these violent killings were processed by the local community through their outpouring of grief. Over the decades, a sense of sorrow has persisted through intergenerational collective memories. In addition to historic sites such as the spot where the remains of the brothers were found, this newly published heritage trail includes sites of memory such as Celtic crosses, a community hall, and a remembrance park.”

Co-author Dr Mark McCarthy, who is Senior Lecturer and Programme Chair in Heritage at ATU Galway City, says: “In studying varieties of Irish memory traditions, the mission of the ATU Heritage Research Group is focused on exploring pasts, comprehending presents, and securing futures. We hope that this heritage trail will serve as one of the worthwhile legacy initiatives of the Decade of Centenaries and be of interest to current and future generations, especially those interested in learning about and safeguarding the rich mosaic of historic sites and memorials that constitute the heritagescapes of Ireland’s revolutionary era.”

Dr Orla Flynn, President of ATU, says: “I want to congratulate and thank Dr Mark McCarthy and Dr Eilish Kavanagh on the publication of this truly accessible research artefact. Published in both Irish and English, this guide book demonstrates the enormous contribution made by the ATU Heritage Research Group towards ensuring the preservation of our collective memory of the past. This is important for so many reasons, including our ability to learn from what previous generations endured. I anticipate this will be a valued resource for all those interested in further exploring the heritage of the West of Ireland.”

ENDS

Issue by Regina Daly, Atlantic TU Communications

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