GREAT INTEREST IN KILDARE CONNECTIONS WITH THE TITANIC

School visits and lectures connect County Kildare

with the story of the Titanic Disaster

Since January, noted local historian, James Durney, has been travelling to local history groups with an illustrated talk entitled Titanic: Kildare Connections, visiting groups in Kill, The Curragh, Leixlip, Athy, Rathangan, Naas and Timahoe. Librarian Mario Corrigan also delivered a talk to Kildare Local Hsitory Group and Athy Heritage Centre organised a month long exhibition of Athy in 1912 for April. Naas Local History group organised a Titanic afternoon on the 100th Anniversary of the Titanic collision with the iceberg on 14 April in Naas library. There remains a great interest and fascination with the Titanic tragedy but local references to the disaster were new to most people.

If you search the EHistory website there are a number of articles that make reference to the disaster, most notably

Kildare People Aboard the Titanic and Kildare Connection to Titanic Sinking!

   Models and projects in Scoil na Mainistreach Celbridge  

Mario and James have also visited 13 schools at Maynooth, Monasterevin (2), Rathangan, Naas (2), Caragh, Celbridge, The Curragh, Suncroft, Kildangan and Timahoe. They also accommodated schools from Ballysax, Athy, Naas and Newbridge in libraries in Kildare, Athy, Naas and Newbridge reaching in total around 1350 students within the last two months. To date almost 1600 people in total have heard first-hand of the Kildare connections with the disaster and more visits and lectures have been planned for later in the year, particularly around the One Book One Town festivals in October in Kildare and Newbridge.

Some people wonder about the effectiveness of commemorations but the response from the children in the primary schools and indeed their knowledge of the subject and their enthusiasm made it all worth while. Sadly history may become optional in schools in the future and it may not receive the focus it deserves but the teachers and students in Co. Kildare have demonstrated their passion for history and knowledge and we thank them for their invitations and kindness.

 Titanic Projects from Cianog Naofa National School, Timahoe

 

To date some 1600 people, adults and students, have heard of Kildare connections with the Titanic Disaster courtesy of Kildare Library & Arts Services, local historian, James Durney, Athy Heritage Centre and local history groups in Kill, The Curragh, Leixlip, Athy, Rathangan, Naas, Timahoe and Kildare Town.