Irish Historic Towns Atlas

11/06/2026

The newest Walled Town Crier e‑zine has landed, featuring Athboy in our ‘Getting to Know’ spotlight, a peek at the upcoming European Archaeology Days, plus the latest news from across the network. 📰

Read it here: https://ow.ly/LTpN50Z9Qe6

📸 James Vaughan’s Map of Athboy Town, c.1826 — Local Studies Collection, Navan Library

02/06/2026

The recordings from the Irish Historic Towns Atlas annual seminar, 'Water, Towns and Topography' are now available freely online. You can learn about the historical geographies of swimming in Ireland, medieval trade in London, twenty towns along the Danube or the Anglo-Norman origins of Galway.

The seminar took place in The Royal Irish Academy on 20 May 2026 and was convened with the Irish Walled Towns Network, an initiative of The Heritage Council

The report is available here: https://www.ria.ie/2026/05/28/water-towns-and-topography-seminar-report-2026/

The playlist of sessions are available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD_4i6suzwGVDTUSawKg8aGqpe7ID3MHg

For the second year the annual Irish Historic Towns Atlas (IHTA) seminar, convened with the Irish Walled Towns Network, an initiative of The Heritage Council, explored the theme ‘Water, Towns and Topography’. The first sixteen towns and cities in the IHTA series were also launched as part of the...

01/04/2026

'Water, Towns and Topography II', the 2026 seminar is convened with the Irish Walled Towns Network, an initiative of
The Heritage Council

Free to attend, booking essential
📆20 May 2026
📍The Royal Irish Academy
🎟️

This year’s seminar is convened in association with the Irish Walled Towns Network, an initiative of The Heritage Council and will take place on Wednesday 20 May in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. Free to attend, but booking is essential.

20/11/2025

Dr Angela Byrne, Author of Irish Historic Towns Atlas no. 32: Ballyshannon/Béal Átha Seanaidh (Royal IrishAcademy, 2025), details the historic influence Ballyshannon had on famous lives

14/11/2025

If you missed the History Ireland Hedge School on the IHTA of Ballyshannon at the The Allingham Festival, you can catch the recording of it on the History Ireland podcast!

New History Ireland Hedge School Podcast is available now!

Ballyshannon—mapping the old town
(Recorded live on Thur 6 Nov ’25 @ the Allingham Arts Festival)

Ballyshannon may or may not be the ‘oldest town in Ireland’ but it has certainly been the site of human settlement and activity for thousands of years and has been mapped since the late sixteenth century. Now it is the subject of the latest (No. 32) in the Royal Irish Academy’s Irish Historic Towns Atlas series. Join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with its editor, Angela Byrne, and Pauric Travers.

www.historyireland.com/podcast-channel and
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-ireland/id1503109266
or wherever you get your podcasts.

06/11/2025

If you're in Ballyshannon this evening, pop along to the Abbey Arts Centre at 5pm where Angela Byrne is speaking with Tommy Graham of History Ireland on all things Ballyshannon as part of the The Allingham Festival. All welcome and free to attend.

The atlas will be on sale by A Novel Idea at the venue!

Is Ballyshannon the “Oldest Town in Ireland”?
Don’t ask us but come along to this year’s Hedge School for a genuinely learned discussion.
History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham will be talking to Angela Byrne, author of the recently published Ballyshannon edition of the Royal Irish Academy Irish Historic Towns Atlas Series. Pauric Travers will join them for a fascinating conversation carrying us all back to the earliest days of “The kindly spot, the friendly town.”
Thursday, November 6, 5.00 p.m. Abbey Arts Centre admission free.

06/11/2025

Help Us Shape the New Heritage Council Website
We’re building a brand-new website — and we’d really value your thoughts to help make it better for everyone who uses it.

• What features are most important to you?
• How do you usually find heritage information online?
• What would make your experience easier or more enjoyable?

Please take a few minutes to complete our short questionnaire:
https://ow.ly/cG8h50Xn1iF

Feedback will help us create a website that’s clear, useful, and easy to navigate — so you can quickly find what you need, when you need it.
Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht SPAB Ireland