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Community Historian Brendan Matthews, Stamullen Meath, Drogheda (2026)

12/09/2026

History & Heritage Walk & Talk
Early Christian Monastic Site, Medieval Church & Ancient Graveyard, Stamullen
With Brendan Matthews Historian in Association with Boyne Valley Trails.
Welcome to Boyne Valley Trails September festival 2026.
Step back over 1,000 years into the heart of Early Christian and medieval Ireland in the peaceful setting of Steach Maoilín (Stamullen).
Join Brendan Matthews for a fascinating guided walk through one of County Meath's hidden historic treasures. Explore the atmospheric ruins of St Patrick's Medieval Parish Church and the adjoining 15th-century St Christopher's Chapel, home to magnificent medieval monuments and a remarkable collection of rare carved tombstones.
Discover the stories of the Preston family, Viscounts Gormanston, along with the lives of the lords and ladies, soldiers, schoolteachers, poets, landlords, tenants and even highwaymen whose lives are remembered within this ancient burial ground. Every monument has a story to tell, revealing over a thousand years of local history.
Delivered in Brendan's relaxed and engaging style, this one-hour Walk & Talk offers an enjoyable afternoon of history, heritage and storytelling suitable for all ages.
Date: Sunday, 13th September 2026
Time: 3.00pm – 4.00pm
Meeting Point: Entrance to St Patrick's Graveyard, Stamullen Village (opposite the Village Supermarket)
Location: St Patrick's Graveyard, Stamullen, Co. Meath (10km south-east of Drogheda)
Eircode: K32 EH98
Terrain: Easy walking on footpaths throughout & suitable for all ages.
Cost: €10 per person.
To book tickets for this event and for further details about the BOYNE VALLEY TRAILS September festival events, log onto https://boynevalleytrails.ie/events/history-tour-stamullen-monastic-site-medieval-church-graveyard/

10/09/2026

Invitation: The Storied History of West Gate House
Louth County Council invites you to attend The Storied History of West Gate House, a special presentation by community historian Brendan Matthews exploring the history and future of one of Drogheda's most distinctive heritage buildings and a key project under the THRIVE (Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme) programme.
West Gate House is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF under the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021–2027.
The event will take place on Wednesday, 23 September 2026 at the Civic Offices, Fair Street, Drogheda and will run from 6.30pm-9pm.
Brendan Matthews will deliver a presentation based on the findings from his research into the history of West Gate House, uncovering the stories, people and events connected with the building and its surrounding area.
The presentation will be followed by a guided walking tour of the area.
The Storied History of West Gate House: Event Schedule
6.30pm-7pm
Tea, coffee and networking
7pm-8pm
Presentation by Brendan Matthews: The Storied History of West Gate House
8pm-9pm
Guided walking tour of West Gate House and the surrounding historic quarter
We would be delighted if you could join us for this important milestone in the West Gate House project.

Register Here: The Storied History of West Gate House. Booking Link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pEOPqY5C8EC2pUAStWbHCMYTQtQT0f1Lt69vRspJPc5UNENZMDU5RVFNRVVXRlpUWEtVNDlPWURZSC4u

09/09/2026

Community Historian Brendan Matthews. “Another Brick in the Wall”. Advert for the sale of locally made bricks from the Dardistown & Cooperhill Brick-Works during the month of May 15th back in the year 1909.

08/09/2026

Community Historian Brendan Matthews. “The Inn-Keeper”. The map extract is taken from the First edition of the 6 inch to 1 mile Ordnance Survey Maps of 1835 and the green arrow indicates the site of the former 18th and early 19th century Inn or Public House , which was known as the Greenhills Tavern. The Tavern was situated directly opposite the Claristown Road and located beside a small stream the immediate area here was known as the `Gullet` The old Keenogue Chapel, which was located on the Claristown to Moorechurch Cross road may also be seen in this Map extract , along with the old farmstead of Elm Grove a little to the south-west of where the Tavern once stood. There is an account of the old Greenhills Tavern Pub regarding the renowned Highwayman, Michael alias Collier the Robber from the early 19th century. While evidence was being given against the infamous Highwayman at a Court hearing during the summer of 1817, it was stated in court by Patrick Collier of Lisdornan and brother of the Highwayman ,that Michael Collier returned home from England in 1816 to collect a couple of hundred quid that was apparently owed to him by a man named Burns, the then Landlord of the Greenhills Tavern. Unfortunately for the Highwayman, the evidence of which was also provided in court; Burns had , apparently informed the military that Collier was calling for his money and so Jenico Preston , the 12th Viscount of the nearby Gormanston Castle, along with a few Yeomanry Guards duly arrived at the pub and Collier was promptly arrested. A n original letter, which can be read among the Preston Estate Papers, held at the Manuscript Reading Room at the National Library of Ireland, clearly shows that, Sir Robert Peel, he who first established the Police Force in England,; hence the name of `Peelers`, congratulated Jenico Preston on his `recent capture of the notorious Collier`. Peel goes on to write that; `I enclose the sun of sixty pounds which I would like you to share equally amongst the Yeomanry who accompanied you on the capture`. Researched and written by Community Historian Brendan Matthews. ©2020.

05/09/2026

Community Historian Brendan Matthews. `Bronze Age Ancestors`. Photo by Brendan Matthews captured back in the early 1990`s depicts a four-thousand-year-old Bronze Age Burial Mound situated in the townland of Micknanstown. Adjacent to this Burial Mound is a huge Ceremonial Enclosure that also dates to the same period The surrounding landscape here, set in the valley just to the north of the Fourknocks Passage Tomb Cemetery and to the south of the Greenanstown ridge, contains several archaeological sites all of which date back to between four and five-thousand-years-old. The magnificent area here in relation to this particular valley is also steeped in numerous mythological tales & stories of the past.

03/09/2026

Community Historian, Brendan Matthews. “The Churchyard by the Sea”. Photo taken by Brendan Matthews back in the early 1990`s, depicts the remains of the old Church Site and Burial Ground overlooking the Irish sea at Irishtown. The following extract is taken from a poem which was written by the Fenian Poet, Thomas O`Brien from nearby Sarsfieldstown, back in the 1880`s. The title of the poem is, “ The Churchyard by the Sea” and in the introduction to the poem Mr O`Brien recorded the following; `Written on visiting an ancient burial-place near Gormanston from which some years ago the headstones erected over the dead were taken away for building purposes`.
`Standing today a Churchyard lone
Down beside the heaving sea
Where the waves give forth their moan
Ever, ever mournfully.
There, where now rank grasses grow
And the nettle and the briar
In the days long, long ago,
Knelt the novice and the friar.
Over Erin`s valleys then
Soared the sunburst royally,
And in peace dwelt saintly men
In the cloisters by the sea`.
The `ancient burial-place`, that Thomas O`Brien refers to, is the very old cemetery overlooking the sea at Irishtown, situated to the north-east of Gormanstown Army Camp. Old Church documents mention that mass was said in a hidden vault here during the period of the Penal Days of the later 17th and 18th century. Due east of the former St. Peter`s Chapel at Irishtown there is another substantial archaeological site closer to the coast which may be that of a large early medieval settlement enclosure, while there are also several other archaeological anomalies in the adjacent townlands that have come to light in recent years, particularly with the use of drone footage.

02/09/2026

History & Heritage Walk n Talk
“Inis na Rígh” – The Hidden Isle of the King

With Community Historian Brendan Matthews
Step back into early Christian Ireland and uncover the extraordinary tale of Inis na Rígh, the Island of the King, nestled between the Nanny River Estuary at Laytown and the Braddan River at Mosney. According to medieval manuscript sources this coastal area once hosted a meeting between two powerful Kings.
Join Brendan Matthews for a captivating coastal walk n talk, starting at the Nanny Pedestrian Bridge, Laytown. Follow the golden sands to Mosney, then loop back passing Mosney Wood to walk along a beautiful natural heritage trail between the railway-line and the strand, rich with wildflowers and autumn herbs, finishing at the secluded St. Patrick’s well at Corballis.
Highlights along the route:
• An intriguing tale of the goddess of the Nanny
• The location of the meeting at Inis na Rígh in the 8th century.
• The “High Song of Inis-na-Righ”
• Questioning the location of the meeting of St. Patrick with Benignus.
• Stunning coastal views and a raised platform overlooking the Irish Sea
• Spectacular sights & tales of Rockabill, Shipwrecks, sailors & soldiers
Date: Saturday, 12th September 2026
Time: 10:30 AM sharp.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes, finishing back at Laytown around 12 noon
Meeting Point: Laytown Car Park, next to the Nanny Estuary pedestrian bridge
Terrain: Sandy beach to Mosney, return via natural heritage rural pathways
Clothing: Weather-appropriate attire and sturdy footwear recommended
Cost: €10 per person. To book tickets for this event log on to
https://boynevalleytrails.ie/events/history-tour-inis-na-righ-the-hidden-isle-of-the-king/

30/08/2026

History & Heritage Walk & Talk
Early Christian Monastic Site, Medieval Church & Ancient Graveyard, Stamullen
With Brendan Matthews Historian in Association with Boyne Valley Trails.
Welcome to Boyne Valley Trails September festival 2026.
Step back over 1,000 years into the heart of Early Christian and medieval Ireland in the peaceful setting of Steach Maoilín (Stamullen).
Join Brendan Matthews for a fascinating guided walk through one of County Meath's hidden historic treasures. Explore the atmospheric ruins of St Patrick's Medieval Parish Church and the adjoining 15th-century St Christopher's Chapel, home to magnificent medieval monuments and a remarkable collection of rare carved tombstones.
Discover the stories of the Preston family, Viscounts Gormanston, along with the lives of the lords and ladies, soldiers, schoolteachers, poets, landlords, tenants and even highwaymen whose lives are remembered within this ancient burial ground. Every monument has a story to tell, revealing over a thousand years of local history.
Delivered in Brendan's relaxed and engaging style, this one-hour Walk & Talk offers an enjoyable afternoon of history, heritage and storytelling suitable for all ages.
Date: Sunday, 13th September 2026
Time: 3.00pm – 4.00pm
Meeting Point: Entrance to St Patrick's Graveyard, Stamullen Village (opposite the Village Supermarket)
Location: St Patrick's Graveyard, Stamullen, Co. Meath (10km south-east of Drogheda)
Eircode: K32 EH98
Terrain: Easy walking on footpaths throughout & suitable for all ages.
Cost: €10 per person.
To book tickets for this event and for further details about the Boyne Valley Trails September festival events, log onto https://boynevalleytrails.ie/.../history-tour-stamullen.../

29/08/2026

Community Historian Brendan Matthews. “Captured memories of O`Reilly`s Shop: Summer Days”. Photo by Brendan Matthews taken in the autumn of 2023 depicts the fantastic old shop-window display of the great O`Reilly`s Shop overlooking the strand and the Irish Sea at Laytown. The window display, which had been there for many a year was always a very welcoming sight for the small children who would pay a visit to the East Meath village. Alas, the premises became that of a Mace Store in January 2024 and the wonderful old window display of a variety of colours was no more!

Community Historian Brendan Matthews

12/09/2026

10/09/2026

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