The Skibbereen Historical Journal Vol. 21 (2025) was recently launched at the O’Donovan Rossa GAA Pavilion. The event was presided over by the chairperson of the Skibbereen & District Historical Society, John O’Neill, and the guest speaker was the manager of the Skibbereen Heritage Centre, Terri Kearney. Given that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Skibbereen Heritage Centre and the long association between our society and the centre, Terri was the ideal choice to perform the formal launch. In her talk Terri recalled stories from the early years of the society and the centre. She also spoke about the importance of having a local journal and how the information recorded in them is of use to researchers, locals and visitors alike.
The chairperson of the editorial committee, William Casey, also spoke. He thanked all those involved, including the other members of the editorial committee and the contributors – without whom there would be no journal. He paid tribute to two former contributors who had died in the past year, Gillian Boazman and Alan McCarthy. He then spoke about the articles in this year’s Journal. (See the video below for an overview of the articles.) The articles include:
The ruined church at Schull, Co. Cork, and its ship graffiti – Conleth Manning
Skibbereen Post Office – Adrian Healy
Daniel O’Connell’s Monster Meetings: an Introduction – Philip O’Regan
Mr. O’Connell in Skibbereen – Maura Cahalane
Hugh Lawton of Lake Marsh, Aughadown: Taking the field against O’Connell – William Casey
Twenty-five years of the Skibbereen Heritage Centre – Terri Kearney
The House on the Tunnel Road, Glengarriff – Ted Cadogan
‘Get Slate or Go Home’ – The Benduff Slate Quarry Disaster 1892 – Tony McCarthy
Turf-Cutting in Full Swing – Mary McCarthy
1925 The Irish Free State – the border, society and the economy – Donal Corcoran
Over the Bridge to Play: Aspects of Gabriel Rangers GAA Club – Eugene McSweeney
The First Mizen Bridge – Ross O’Donovan
William Thompson – Peter Somerville-Large
The Wood Wolfe Family, Skibbereen – Tracey Wood Wolfe
This year’s Journal is selling for €12 and is available in local shops in Skibbereen and throughout West Cork or it can be purchased online at https://tinyurl.com/SHJ-2025.