Wed. 21 Feb. 2024; Speaker, Mr Hugh Ward; Topic, The Drumnakilly Urns
The President welcomed everyone and opened the meeting by conferring Honorary Membership on Sam Bullock and Brian Duncan, because they had turned 90. Both were congratulated on their regular attendance and their continuing loyalty to the club. Sam and Brian were presented with Honorary Membership Certificates along with warmest best wishes for continued good health and the hopes of members that they would be long be spared to come to meetings.
In line with the decision taken at the AGM in January that the second meeting of each month should be led by one of our own members, Mr Hugh Ward stepped up to the plate with a well-researched talk about the Drumnakilly Urns. It is a topic which has long fascinated our immediate Past-President, partly on the basis of his interest in local history but mostly because he is a native of Drumnakilly. The story begins in the month of May 1870 when an urn with magnificent detail was found by a labourer trenching potatoes. The find excited considerable local interest as well as the interest of Irish archaeologists who visited the site and unearthed further examples. Their remarkable state of preservation belies their age. The style of decoration has been compared with pottery from Newgrange, an ancient monument some 5000 years old. To read the full text of Hugh’s talk click Drumnakilly Urns Text.
