Milltown: Celebrating Our History and Heritage

11:00am – Doors Open

11:00am – 1:00pm – Museum Open Day and Heritage Exhibition

11:15am – Milltown National School and Belmont National School

Short films:
A Look Through the Census
The Great Famine

11:45am – Mícheál Ó Lócháin and An Gaodhal, the World's First Irish-Language Newspaper

Presentation and discussion by Dr Deirdre Ní Chonghaile and Oksana Dereza

Enjoy complimentary tea, coffee, sandwiches, hot finger food, and more throughout the day!

Mícheál Ó Lócháin and An Gaodhal, the World's First Irish-Language Newspaper

This talk tells the story of how Mícheál Ó Lócháin from Milltown, Co. Galway, established the world's first Irish-language newspaper, An Gaodhal (1881–1898), in Brooklyn, New York.

The bilingual newspaper reflects the cultural interests of Irish speakers in New York, Ireland, and the wider diaspora at the end of the nineteenth century. It also offers valuable insights into Irish-American life, New York history, and the development of the Irish language during the Celtic Revival period.

A partnership between the University of Galway and New York University has created a fully searchable digital edition of An Gaodhal by training artificial intelligence to read the Cló Gaelach script used in the newspaper. The digital archive is freely available at:

https://universityofgalway.ie/angaodhal/

Milltown Community Museum open day and heritage exhibition: Step into local history with our interactive exhibits, digital heritage archives, and hands-on collection from Milltown's past. Don't miss our featured attraction: the historic, expertly preserved telescope of 19th-century polymath John Birmingham.

Heritage on Screen: Milltown & Belmont School Projects: Experience our community’s history brought to life by local students! Our live screening features short films by Milltown NS, exploring village business families through the early 1900s census records, and Belmont NS, sharing moving local Famine history. A wonderful opportunity to celebrate our young researchers and our shared past!

Enjoy complimentary tea, coffee, sandwiches, hot finger food, and more on the day!