Our April lecture will be on “The Elmes Family Letters of Old Ros written between 1785-1817” and is kindly given by Dr Ida Milne who is a social historian of infectious diseases in Ireland of the 19th and 20th centuries and writes on the Irish Protestant Identity.

Ida will be ably assisted by her cousin Mr. Paul Donnelly in this most interesting talk. Paul has done extensive research on The Elmes Family Ancestry and will add to the story and bring the letters to life with Ida. Dr. Ida Milne lectures in Carlow College and Trinity College Dublin. Ida has many Wexford connections and has recently given a talk to the society on the Spanish Flu of 1918 in the Methodist Church Gorey.

The letters were saved and collected by Mr King Milne, Ida’s father and by his uncle Sam Elmes. The letters were written in the period 1785 to 1817 by Mr. Samuel Elmes to his son Mr. Thomas Elmes and give an insight through the protestant experience of the social and economic changes before the 1798 rebellion, the 1798 rebellion itself and the period afterwards up to the year 1817. Like many families things are not black and white but a good dash of grey with divided loyalties in the family on both sides of the rebel and loyalist camps with the Elmes family trying to preserve their way of life in a turbulent changing period in our Irish history. We look forward to hosting Ida and Paul here in North Wexford for an engaging talk on April 25th at 7pm in Gorey Library.

Booking for non-members of the society is required as placed are limited.

If you require additional supports to attend this event, please contact the library on 053 94 83820.