Report Paul Murphy
The intrinsic importance of the pursuit of history as a discipline which cannot be reduced to bed nights and roots tourism was emphasised by a speaker at the launch at Navan Library of “Navan – Its People and its Past”, the journal of Navan and District Historical Society. Librarian Tom French, a member of the society said that the pursuit of history had a value that went beyond money, that it benefited us all as human beings individually and collectively. Speaking to a large audience he said that the society felt the loss keenly of Ethna Cantwell who passed away two years ago. She was someone who cared deeply about the history of Navan, revelled in its heritage and marvelled that so little was generally known about it.
“She brought her own great humanity to the work of history and that humanity continues to be apparent through the pages of this issue of the journal”, he said. The introductions and welcomes on the night were done by the society’s chairperson Paschal Marry. Dealing with a section of the new journal he said people would get a beautiful sense of Navan’s connection with the wider world when reading Rick Murray’s account of his search for his grandfather Michael Joseph Murray. Rick had travelled from Glenugie New South Wales to Navan to follow up on, as he wrote himself, “the things one cannot find out online and can only know by visiting the country and talking to the people”.
Mr French said that when Leaving Certificate groups visited Navan Library in search of ideas for projects. He suggested that they spend some time with the books, take out the Navan journal and look at what the historians of the town had written about. “These volumes will be, for many years to come, where that ‘talking to the people will take place”, he said. Personally, he took great pleasure in seeing the Local Studies and Archives section of the County Library – in the form of Denise Maguire Hughes, Geraldine Fanning, Patricia Fallon, Clare Ryan and himself – actively contributing to the Navan journal.
The journal with almost 300 pages is packed with 21 articles and illustrations covering aspects of the town’s history. The journal is available directly from the society (email navanhistory@gmail.com ) or local shops Tierney’s Newsagent, Trimgate Street; Willie Fagan’s Blackcastle; Royal County Services Academy Street Navan; The Solstice Arts Centre Railway Street; The Parish Bookshop at St Mary’s; Tara Bookshop; Tommy’s Abbeylands; Navan Library; Supervalu Johnstown.
Pictured above are Cepta Dungan and Patrick Curtis on the sales desk at the launch of the Navan and District Historical Society’s journal at Navan Library
