Publications

See below for details of material published, or contributed to, by the Society and of publications produced by friends and members of the Society.

The Arklow Question?

In the summer of 1890, the quiet harbour town of Arklow became the unlikely  centre of one of the most remarkable religious controversies in late Victorian  Ireland. What began as a campaign of evangelical street preaching by four Protestant clergymen soon escalated into a bitter confrontation involving local communities, church leaders, the Royal Irish Constabulary, the British Army, Dublin Castle officials and even Charles Stewart Parnell.

Drawing on extensive archival research, contemporary newspapers, parish records, official correspondence and a unique collection of surviving photographs, Pat Power reconstructs the dramatic events of what became known as the Arklow Question. At its heart stand the determined and controversial figures of Revd Richard Carmichael Hallowes and Revd John Harrison, whose public missions challenged both religious convention and civil authority in an Ireland already divided by Home Rule politics, land agitation and competing visions of national identity.

Far more than a local dispute, the Arklow street preaching affair illuminates the complex relationship between religion, politics and community life in nineteenth-century Ireland. It reveals how national tensions could erupt in unexpected places and how ordinary townspeople found themselves caught up in conflicts that resonated far beyond their own locality.

Richly illustrated and meticulously researched, The Arklow Question? is an important contribution to the social and religious history of County Wicklow and a fascinating case-study of sectarianism, identity and public life in Ireland during a period of profound change.

Pat Power is a local historian whose research has focused on the social, religious and political history of County Wicklow. This work originated as his award-winning Diploma in Local History thesis at Maynooth University and has been substantially revised and expanded for publication. 

 War of Independence Centenary

All GAHS members will no doubt be aware that 11 July 2021 was the centenary of the truce that officially brought the War of Independence to a close, and Wicklow County Council/Wicklow County Archives have marked the anniversary by launching a new and exciting eBbook: Wicklow and the War of Independence.

The publication includes contributions on a whole range of issues relating to the period from twelve Wicklow historians, and our chairperson, Rosemary Raughter, has contributed some accounts of the Greystones experience, as well as a county-wide survey of the influenza epidemic of 1918/19.

This is a really imaginative and innovative project, and the publication will undoubtedly be a major resource for anyone interested in Wicklow history, and in that crucial and eventful period during which our modern state was born. So do take a look - you'll certainly find much of interest, and we'd love to hear your views and reactions. The eBook can be accessed by clicking here.

And for those who prefer to do their reading from the printed page, the book is now available in Wicklow libraries.

Wicklow Women

The Wicklow Heritage website has lots on women with Wicklow connections. See, for instance, these articles on Nurse Mary Hayden, on female stockbroker Oonagh Keogh, and on national school teacher Mary Peoples:

These highlight three lesser-known women, but a trawl through the Wicklow Heritage pages will bring up much more on local 'celebrities' such as barrister Averil Deverell, climber/author/photographer Lizzie Le Blond, and Ladies' Land League leader Anna Parnell. 

 Finally, but not least, don't forget to come back regularly to our own website. All nine of our journals are now fully available online - you'll find lots in their pages of interest, including of course much more about 'our Wicklow women'. Click here to have a browse.

Beyond Hazel Bridge

Beyond Hazel Bridge is a semi-biographical novel written by Elizabeth Boyle. Set in the period of 1921/22 in rural Ireland, it is the story of Sally, a young woman who becomes politicised in the process of negotiating betrayals, deaths and divisions in those troublesome times. And yet she remains a romantic and seeks recourse in the wild countryside of her place. Click here for more details.

The manuscript of the novel, never published before, was recovered by Mary Marmion, Elizabeth's grandniece, and Mary's foward to the book sets the narrative in the context of the history of the time and of the author's life.

Signed copies of the book are available from Bridge Street Books in Wickow Town. If you can't drop in to Wicklow the book may be ordered online here. It is also available from www.amazon.de.

Volume 9 of the Society's Journal

Volume 9 of the Greystones Archaeological & Historical Society's journal is now available. A wide-ranging collection of great papers is available therein covering such topics as the emergence of the Irish State, the Women's Declaration of 1912, Wicklow's 'hidden' heritage park, the archaeology of Wicklow and Wicklow's industrial history. And indeed there is much more (click on the picture of the journal's cover for a full list of contents). Contributors include Dr Martin Mansergh, James Scannell, Canon Robert Jennings, Dr Eoin Grogan, Rosemary Raughter, Colin Short and Liz Goldthorpe.

Alternatively, the journal may be viewed here.

Part 2 of Greystones: Its Buildings and History

A further publication that the Society participated in is the book Greystones: its buildings and history, part 2, launched on 4 November 2013. This continues the process of exploration of the local heritage. Produced by the La Touche Legacy Committee in association with the Society, it is lavishly illustrated with over one hundred photographs of residential, commercial and other buildings, together with detailed notes on their architecture and history, and a number of essays focussed on significant locations and events in the town’s past. Contributors include Colin Love (architectural editor) and Pat Killilea (photography editor), as well as Sister Anna Power (‘The Holy Faith Sisters in Greystones’), Rosemary Raughter (‘The suffragettes and the Chief Secretary: an “amusing scene” on Greystones Pier’ and ‘A cause for general perturbation: the Greystones railway stoppage of June 1920’), Joseph Davy (‘Holidays in Greystones’), Sarah Murphy (‘St Patrick’s Church of Ireland’) and John Turpin (‘The interior of the Church of the Holy Rosary, Greystones’).

Greystones: Its Buildings and History, Part 2 costs €10 and is available at the Village Bookshop, Greystones.

Surplus People: From Wicklow to Canada

Jim Rees, who over the years has given the Society a number of great presentations, has reissued his book Surplus People which is about the clearances of the Fitzwilliam estate to Canada 1847 to 1856. This is an excellent read, available from all good booksellers or from www.collinspress.ie.

Wicklow's Traditional Farmhouses

The Heritage Office in Wicklow County Council has published a book entitled Wicklow's Traditional Farmhouses by Christiaan Corlett, a good friend of the Society who has given us some excellent presentations over the years. 

Details are shown on the Wicklow Heritage web site

At the launch