Local talk on the 1641 rebellion

The talk will be presented by Dr Naomi McAreavey of University College Dublin in Carleton Street Orange Hall and Heritage Centre.

Dr McAreavey said: “The mass drowning of Protestants during the 1641 Rebellion has cast a long shadow over Portadown, but little is known about what actually happened in the River Bann that fateful winter.

“In the talk I will return to the earliest recorded memories of the massacre found among the 1641 depositions to explore how the Portadown drownings were represented by eyewitnesses as well as through rumour and hearsay..

“Identifying different memories of the atrocity and considering how they were shaped by time and circumstance, I will discuss how a range of deponents diversely remembered the Portadown atrocity, and illuminate the tensions, inconsistencies and contradictions in their memories. I will raise questions about what it means to remember the 1641 rebellion in Portadown.”

There is no admission fee and the talk will begin at 7:30pm on Wednesday, August 22.

Further information is available from the Portadown Heritage Tours office. Telephone 07928962608 Email [email protected] or find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.