Last month Dr George Cunningham received an honorary life membership from Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society in recognition of his lifelong commitment to local history, and an outstanding career of scholarship, heritage preservation and community activism. On the night, George gave a fantastic lecture on the round towers of Ireland with special reference to those in Offaly and the midlands which we recorded and share with you now.

WE are glad to hear that our hardware shop, Cloonan's, is 70 years in business. Offaly History has been dealing with Paddy and Brian and colleagues for half that time and always well taken care of. A real gem of a Tullamore shop following the best traditions in retailing. We first heard the expression there that A YARD OF COUNTER WAS WORTH AN ACRE OF LAND.

It was good to see the Tullamore history app getting a cultural award at the Tullamore chamber dinner on Friday. The project was initiated by Rotary Tullamore, supported by the Tullamore Credit Union with text, pics, and support for app designers supplied by Offaly History. Be sure to download it at home and listen to it on your mobile around town.

Lots of interest in our blog this week on the by-election in North Offaly that never was in April 1918. See our blog at offalyhistoryblog for more.

Congratulations to the people of Offaly in having secured as their member Ireland’s Ambassador to America. Their unanimous endorsement of his mission is particularly opportune. Dr McCartan will voice a united Ireland’s demand that the Irish people be given the right of self-determination and will tell the world that Irishmen will not fight as England’s slaves. De Valera telegram to Dan MacCarthy, McCartan’s election agent for North King’s County by-election, April 1918. [ 2,385 more words ] https://offalyhistoryblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/14/the-1918-by-election-in-north-kings-county-offaly-victory-for-sinn-fein-and-the-abandonment-of-westminster-michael-byrne/

Tomorrow 14/4 see our blog on the first Sinn Féin victory in a by-election in North Offaly on 19 April 1918. For more reading in the meantime see our books and that of our members on sale in Offaly History bookshop, Bury Quay. Remember we have the largest number of local history titles and some nice national ones too in the Midlands (or is it Lakelands, Ancient East) or just a Hidden Hotspot. Check our library catalogue online and our books for sale.

Download our latest newsletter with details of our upcoming lectures and events. Next lecture is by Bernie Moran on river systems - super highways of Early Christian Ireland. It's on Monday 23 April, 8pm at Offaly History Centre. Offaly History Newsletter April 2018 -

Our bargain book this month is Mapping Offaly by Dr Arnold Horner. It has been reduced by more than 50% to just €10 at our Offaly History Centre (beside Tullamore DEW). Call and collect from 9 to 4 Mon- Fri and Thursdays from 7.30pm to 10pm. Only for April and while stocks last. Also online at our shop on www.offalyhistory.com

Our best wishes to our neighbour Mary Hensey in her move. We will miss her and Tullamore will be the poorer for the great contribution she made to community affairs. Always a great host at Tullamore DEW she will be missed but best of luck to her successor.

The famous astronomer Patrick Moore discussing the Great Telescope of Birr ‘the cradle of modern astronomy’ in this RTÉ report from Birr Castle in 1982. Great to see the I-LOFAR radio telescope project continuing this tradition at Birr.

On Sunday 8 April 1918 Eamon de Valera spoke in Tullamore on Ireland’s ‘fateful hour’ and the right of Ireland to self-determination. De Valera had first spoken in the town in the aftermath of his East Clare victory in July 1917. Now he was back to support Dr Patrick McCartan's bid for a Sinn Féin seat in what might have been the second parliamentary by-election in four years in North Offaly. In the event McCartan won the seat without a contest. Its holder, E.J. Graham, had died on 26 March 1918.

As school children, many of us learned “Fall back; spring forward,” but every spring and Autumn (fall), some will struggle to adjust, bemoan the change, and wonder why we as a nation tamper with time twice a year. Relatively few of us, however, think of daylight saving time as part of a war effort. The First World War led to the introduction of Daylight Saving earlier in 1916 and soon after to the assimilation of Dublin time and London time. We had been 25 minutes behind. Our picture is of a Tullamore Town Council poster in Tullamore DEW OLD Bonded Warehouse announcing the change in time. Many in rural Ireland did not observe or like the change. We heard recently that the Rahan boys primary and that at Killina observed different times.