Roll Away The Stones

Steps are BACK!

t was always going to be a wonderful evening…

Tales of our town’s past, delivered by a motley and inspired crew who knew their Urwicks from their Eamon De Valeras, all delivered upstairs in the Greystones library, as swimmers and trains – and the drizzling June rain – passed by those giant open windows.

Organised by the Greystones Archaelogical & Historical Society, ringleader Rosemary Raughter was joined by fellow history nuts Frank Deignan, Aileen Short and Leo Ireton, plus special guest Aideen Walton from the Greystones Players, for twelve fascinating themes from our town’s past.

From the opening Greystones 200 Years Ago (with Aileen reading G.N. Wright‘s 1827 offering A Guide To The County Of Wicklow) to the closing  two-parter The Changing Face Of Greystones (Aileen reading the 1922 publication Guide To Greystones And District and Aideen reading Samuel French’s Greystones 1864-1964), there was much to enjoy here, and much to learn.

De Valera at St Killian’s Hall 1914

A mixture of letters, newspaper reports, memoir excerpts, journals and early guide books, along with a 1926 Pathé clip of a Greystones Gala Day down at the harbour, and Jake McKone’s wonderful Then & Now (the local filmmaker updating many of Robert French’s wonderful 100-year-old pictures of the town), The History Of Greystones unearthed many fascinating gems.

And, surprisingly, even a few choice comic moments.

We’re including below De Valera In Greystones, a three-parter consisting of Rosemary, Leo and Frank touching on three different aspects of the 20th century Irish titan’s links to the town. The man having lived on Kinlen Road for ten years.

Well done to Rosemary and the Greystones Archaelogical & Historical Society. As you can see, it was a wonderful evening.

Once we edited out all the foul language, of course…