Kildare County Council Announce the 10th Anniversary of the Irish Military Seminar
Naas Library and Cultural Centre, Wednesday, 6 May – Saturday, 9 May 2026
Kildare County Council's Library Service is pleased to announce the 10th Irish Military Seminar, in Naas Library & Cultural Centre, with events taking place from Wednesday, 6 May to Saturday, 9 May 2026. All events are free to attend, but early booking is advised. You can reserve your free space on the Kildare Libraries website: https://kildarecoco.ie/library/index.html
The Irish Military Seminar will open with the launch of Martin Malone’s new historical fiction novel ‘Pike Hill – The Rath Massacre’, based around the tragic massacre of insurgents on the Curragh Plains during the 1798 rebellion. An award-winning novelist and short story writer, Martin served five tours of duty in Lebanon and one in Iraq as a military policeman.
Thursday, 7 May, will see County Librarian Gillian Allen officially launch the seminar, with the welcome return of journalist, author and presenter, David McCullagh. David will discuss his latest book, ‘From Crown to Harp: How the Anglo-Irish Treaty was undone 1922-1949, the remarkable story of the peaceful revolution that took Ireland from part of the Commonwealth to a Republic.
On Saturday, 9 May there will be a roundtable discussion examining the challenges for local historians in Co. Kildare today, followed by a lecture by Dr. Pádraig Lenihan on Siege Warfare in Ireland 1641-1653.
Gillian Allen, County Librarian, Kildare County Council commented; “We are delighted that the Irish Military Seminar is in its tenth year. It began as a focus point during the Decade of Centenaries and is still going strong; a must for lecturers, teachers and students as well as the general public and all who are interested in local and in military history. It is an opportunity for people to come together to discuss and enjoy history. We thank Kildare County Council and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport for their continued support of this important event in our Libraries calendar of events. This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Kildare Libraries, the 150th anniversary of John Devoy from Kill’s part in the Catalpa rescue, the unveiling of the 1926 Census, the founding of the Ballitore School in 1726 and the death of the remarkable Mary Leadbeater in 1826. We are constantly promoting and preserving our historic past and the Seminar is an event to bring the local history community together.”
The seminar programme is available in all Kildare Libraries and also available to download at: https://kildarelibraries.ie/ehistory/
The Irish Military Seminar is supported by Kildare County Council and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
