Speaker:Dermot Cosgrove

In July of 2017 Dermot solo hiked along one of the remotest hiking trails in the world, the Arctic Circle Trail. This trail is located 40 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle crossing over the coastal mountains in the tundra of Western Greenland as far as the Ice Sheet.
In 2018 Dermot continued his trekking activities by tackling the first stage of the GR10 trail in the French Pyrenees; as part of his training for an ultra-long-distance trail in 2019. His latest endeavour has been to walk solo, and unsupported, from the most Northerly point on mainland Iceland to its most Southerly point, hiking 620 kilometres and crossing a variety of terrains from tundra to volcanic black sand deserts to mountains.
Solo, long-distance hiking requires a particular mind-set, resilience and self-reliance which Dermot attributes to a combination of his time in the French Foreign Legion and love of the great outdoors. He has combined his long-distance hiking and love of birdwatching with fundraising for charity. Dermot will talk about the training and preparation required for travelling solo in remote lands, and enduring harsh and physically demanding conditions, with photos, video footage and maps. Then; because there are more journeys ahead; Dermot will reveal his future plans for more adventures in the Arctic.

About the Speaker:

Dermot Cosgrove is an Ennis native who at 19 years of age enlisted in the French Foreign Legion, where he served six years deploying operationally in Africa and the Middle East; including the First Gulf War.
After leaving the French Foreign Legion Dermot entered the world of private security; frequently working with clients, such as the media, in conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East. He moved to Kilkee in the late 1990´s where he rekindled his love of birdwatching which, ultimately, led him to remote solo hiking. His sister’s involvement with the charity Irish Dogs for the Disabled led him to starting the “Walk for the Dogs fundraising initiative”,Facebook through which he has raised more than €15,000 to date, and continues to provide him with the motivation to plan further treks with newer, more testing, conditions.

Admission is FREE of charge
A donations box is available, at each KCT Talk, to assist us in defraying essential and necessary expenses
I have attached a copy of the “shop window poster” for this KCT Talk.

Admission is FREE of charge

A donations box is available, at each KCT Talk, to assist us in defraying essential and necessary expenses

E-mail:
Website: www.kilkeecivictrust.org

Kilkee Civic Trust is on Facebook! Please “Like” us on Facebook.

Speakers: Brian O’Connell & Cian O’Carroll

Talk Description:

Cian O’Carroll will deliver a summary of O’Regan’s life, illustrated by photographs showing his involvement in a wide range of activities.
Brian O’Connell’s talk will deal with O’Regan’s unique contribution to the development of an international tourist trade in Ireland; beyond visitors from Britain. It will cover O’Regan’s unique role in conceiving and creating an industry that today employs hundreds of thousands of Irish people in their home country and the countless obstacles he overcame in realising that vision.
Brian O’Connell & Cian O’Carroll’s book “Brendan O’Regan” will be available for purchase on the night of the Talk.

About the Speakers:

Dublin born Cian O’Carroll was hired by Brendan O’Regan as Estates Manager of Shannon Development in 1960 and oversaw the establishment of Shannon Town. He subsequently became the first CEO of Shannon Heritage. In retirement, Cian established an international consultancy on Heritage Tourism. In collaboration with Brian O’Connell, he played a leading role in creating the Brendan O’Regan Archive; a series of interviews with O’Regan in his final years.
Brian O’Connell first encountered O’Regan when setting up a business in Foynes Harbour more than 40 years ago. He later served for ten years on the board of Shannon Development and for most of that time as Chairman of Shannon Heritage. As well as his biography of Brendan O’Regan, Brian has authored biographies of antiquarian and benefactor John Hunt and Tipperaryman, Sir William Parker Carroll.

Admission is FREE of charge

A donations box is available, at each KCT Talk, to assist us in defraying essential and necessary expenses

E-mail:
Website: www.kilkeecivictrust.org

Kilkee Civic Trust is on Facebook! Please “Like” us on Facebook.

Speaker: John S. Kelly

Talk Description:

During the latter half of the 19th century; Ireland experienced a Land War. Our speaker, John S. Kelly, explores the three distinct phases. The first, lasting until 1882, witnessed a violent struggle between landlords and tenants, orchestrated by the tenants’ rights organisation, the Land League. During the second phase, 1882-1891, a more intensive struggle called the Plan of Campaign was instigated. The final phase of agreement and settlement eventually led to tenant ownership through a series of Land Acts.
If the Land War began as a means of securing rent abatements, it evolved into a campaign against landlordism. In County Clare, the disturbances that took place on the Bodyke section of Colonel John O’Callaghan’s estate during the 1880s, culminating in the notorious evictions of June 1887, form one of the most dramatic episodes of the entire Land War in Ireland. The Bodyke evictions became a cause célèbre in the debate over the land question, a debate argued in both the House of Commons & House of Lords; the Local, National and International Press; and played a significant part in the overthrow of the prevailing land holding system in the country.

About the Speaker:

John S. Kelly, long-associated with East Clare, is a native of Rathcroghan in Co. Roscommon. A Boarder at Summerhill College, Sligo, from 1953 to 1958. Always the keen sportsman and team-player; John enjoyed a successful football career; playing centerfield for Roscommon in the 1962 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final; where he marked Kerry-man Mick O’Connell.
John S. Kelly is a History Graduate of University College Galway. He has done Post-Graduate Research on Land Agitation in East Clare, and is the author of “The Bodyke Evictions”, published in 1987.
He was involved in the development of a Private Lay Secondary School in Scarriff in the mid-1960s, which in 1968 amalgmated with the local Vocational School to become one of the first Community Colleges in the country. John retired as Principal of the College in the year 2000.
In 1979, for the Centenary Celebrations to mark the founding of the Land League, John was invited by Clare County Council to deliver the Commemoration Lecture. All things historical are close to John’s heart, and together with on-going speaking engagements, John is a Director on the Board of the Hunt Museum Trust, charged with responsibility for overseeing the Hunt Collection on behalf of the people of Ireland.
John is married to Marie and has four adult children.

Admission is FREE of charge

A donations box is available, at each KCT Talk, to assist us in defraying essential and necessary expenses

E-mail:
Website: www.kilkeecivictrust.org

Kilkee Civic Trust is on Facebook! Please “Like” us on Facebook.