Who are we?

Offaly History (short for Offaly Historical & Archaeological) was first formed in 1938 and re-established in 1969 and is located at Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly since 1993(next to the new Tullamore D.E.W Visitor Centre).

We are about collecting and sharing memories. We do this in an organised way though exhibitions, supporting the publication of local interest books, our website Offalyhistory.com , Facebook, open evenings, our library and offices at Bury Quay.

Our Mission

Our Mission
To promote Offaly History including community and family history

What we do:

  • Promote all aspects of history in Co. Offaly.
  • Genealogy service for counties Laois and Offaly.
  • Co. Offaly photographic records for study and sale in addition to a limited number of publications on Laois and Irish general historical interest.
  • Purchase and sale of Offaly interest books though the Society’s book store and website.
  • Publication of books under the Society’s publishing arm Esker Press.
  • The Society subscribes to almost all the premier historical journals in Ireland.

Our Society covers a diverse range of Offaly Heritage:

  • Architectural heritage, historic monuments such as monastic and castle buildings.
  • Industrial and urban development of towns and villages.
  • Archaeological objects and artifacts.
  • Flora, fauna and bogs, wildlife habitats, geology and Natural History.
  • Landscapes, heritage gardens and parks, farming and inland waterways.
  • Local literary, social, economic, military, political, scientific and sports history.

Structure

Offaly History is a non-profit community group with a growing membership of some 150 individuals.

The Society focuses on enhancing educational opportunities, understanding and knowledge of the county heritage while fostering an inclusive approach and civic pride in local identity. We promote these objectives through:

  • The holding of monthly lectures, occasional seminars, exhibitions and film screenings.
    Organising tours during the summer months to places of shared historical interest.
  • The publication of an annual journal Offaly Heritage – to date nine issues.
  • We play a unique role collecting and digitising original primary source materials especially photographs and oral history recordings
  • Offaly History is  the centre for  Family History research in Counties Laois and Offaly.
  • The Society is linked to the renowned Irish Family Foundation website and Roots Ireland where some 900,000 records of Offaly/Laois interest can be accessed on a pay-per-view basis worldwide. Currently these websites have an estimated 20 million records of all Ireland interest.
  • A burgeoning library of books, CD-ROMs, videos, DVDs, oral and folklore recordings, manuscripts, newspapers and journals, maps, photographs and various artifacts.
  • OHAS Collections
  • OHAS Centre Facilities

The financial activities of the Society are operated under the aegis of Offaly Heritage Centre Limited, a charitable company whose directors also serve on the Society’s elected committee. None of the Society’s directors receive remuneration or any kind. All the company’s assets are held in trust to promote the voluntary activities of the Society. Our facilities are largely free to the public or run purely on a costs-recovery basis.

Acting as a policy advisory body –  Offaly History endeavors to ensure all government departments, local authorities, tourism agencies and key opinion formers prioritise heritage matters.

Meet the current committee:

Our Committee represents a broad range of backgrounds and interests. All share a common interest in collecting and promoting the heritage of the county and making it available to the wider community.

2017 Committee

  • Helen Bracken (President)
  • Pat Wynne (Vice President and Joint Treasurer)
  • Niall Sweeney (Vice President)
  • Michael Byrne (Secretary)
  • Lisa Shortall (Deputy Secretary)
  • Dorothee Bibby (Record Secretary)
  • Charlie Finlay (Joint Treasurer)
  • Darrell Hooper
  • Brian Pey
  • Fred Geoghegan
  • Noel Guerin
  • Henry Edgill
  • Peter Burke
  • Angella Kelly
  • Rory Masterson
  • Shaun Wrafter
  • Ronnie Matthews
  • Oliver Dunne
  • Ciara Molloy
  • Stephen Callaghan (Heritage Items)

If you would like to help with the work of the Society by coming on a sub-committee or in some other way please email us or let an existing member know.

+353-5793-21421 info@offalyhistory.com Open 9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri

GDPR and you

We have updated our Privacy Policy
17.05.2018

Offaly History takes member data seriously. In May, the EU is introducing
a new regulation – the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR.
GDPR gives people greater access to their personal information collected
by organisations and control of how it is used.
In line with these new privacy rights we are updating our Privacy Policy to
make it easier for you to understand your choices and the control you have
over your data.

What are the key changes for you
GDPR sets out the following rights:

  • The right to access the personal information an organisation holds
    on you
  • The right to have your personal information sent directly to yourself
    or another organisation
  • The right to have inaccuracies corrected
  • The right to object, including in relation to direct marketin
  • The right to restrict the processing of information
  • The right to have information erased
  • These rights come into effect on 25th May 2018
  • There is no change to how you use our products or services, and no need
    for you to do anything differently as a result of this new legislation.

Your data
You can be confident that we take protecting your data seriously and we
only use it to enhance the products and services we provide to you. The
typical data we collect is information you have provided to us. We usually
ask you for personal details

  • when you join as a member of the Society
  • when you register as a customer to order books and services online
    at www.offalyhistory.com when you purchase a family history report through the Laois/Offaly Family History Service
  • when you register to use our Offaly History Archives service
  • when you visit any one of our websites: offalyhistory.com; offalyarchives.com; offalyhistoryblog.wordpress.com
  • when you sign up to our newsletter subscription service via offalyhistory.com

How we use your information
We use your data primarily

  • to contact you via postal or email newsletter about upcoming events
    if you are a member of Offaly Historical and Archaeological
    Society or have requested the newsletter.
  • to contact you if your membership subscription has expired or at
    risk of expiring
  • to contact you in relation to a family history report
  • for our legitimate interests (which you can object to) in keeping a
    record of all researchers who have accessed original manuscripts
    using Offaly History Archives services.
  • for our legitimate interests (which you can object to) in measuring
    the use and performance of our websites (using anonymised
    analytics)

Data security
Securing your personal data is extremely important to us which is why we
take appropriate measures to protect your data. We use a range of
technologies and processes to protect your data.

Controlling your data
You have ultimate control over your data. You can manage your data, your
contact preferences and how you can opt in or out of marketing
communications.

Registered users are free to view  their account data using the following request form.

 

Registered Account Deletion (offalyhistory.com)

Registered users are free to delete their account data if they wish using the following request form.

Third parties
We do not share your data with third parties.

How long do we hold your data?

  • For members of Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society, we
    store your data for the duration of your membership and up to two
    years thereafter.
  • For customers of the Laois/Offaly Family History Service, we store
    this data indefinitely as part of a Reports Record.
  • For researchers of Offaly History Archives, we store your data
    indefinitely as a part of manuscript production control.
  • For registered customers of offalyhistory.com, we store your data
    for no longer than is necessary from point of purchase
  • For guest customers of offalyhistory.com, we store your data for no
    longer than is necessary from point of purchase.

Cookies
We use data cookies on our websites to provide you with a more
personalised service and present you with information online that is of
interest to you. Most web browsers give you some control over whether
you allow cookies to be collected. You can also easily delete or clear
cookies on your browser at any time.

Get more information
If you have questions about GDPR or your personal information, you can
contact us at the address below:

Offaly History Centre
Bury Quay
Tullamore
Co Offaly
info@176.34.92.242

Privacy policy and legal notice

This privacy policy and legal notice is specific to Offaly History Online (“Website”) and
overrides any other privacy policy or legal notice appearing elsewhere on Offaly History
websites.

Privacy Policy
Updated on: August 2017
Effective on: August 2017

This legal notice is specific to this website (“Website”) and overrides any other legal notices appearing
elsewhere on Offaly History Press websites. By using the Website, you are agreeing to the practices set
out in this statement.
You may access certain parts of the Website without registering or providing OFFALY HISTORY with your
details.
As the information on the Website may be incomplete, out of date or inaccurate and may contain
technical inaccuracies or typographical errors, Offaly History (“OFFALY HISTORY”, “we”, “us” or “our”)
reserve the right to update the Website at our sole discretion. Thus, such information may be changed
or updated without notice.
We reserve the right to make changes to this legal notice. Any changes we may make to this legal notice
will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, we will also notify you by e-mail. Certain provisions
of this legal notice may be superseded by expressly designated legal notices or terms located on
particular pages of the Website.

Usernames and Passwords

Where you have registered on the Website and have been provided with a username and password, you
agree not to make available your username and/or password to anyone. If there has been a disclosure
of your username and/or password, you agree to notify us promptly of such disclosure so that OFFALY
HISTORY can take appropriate security measures and to provide you with a new username and
password.

Subscribers

Subject to any different terms agreed by OFFALY HISTORY and you in writing, the terms of licence to
access restricted content on the Website accepted by a subscriber (which may be you as an individual or
an institution to which you are affiliated) are set out in
If you sign up to receive newsletters or subscribe to our web feed you may only use the material sent to
you for non-commercial use. You may not:
1. remove or alter the copyright notices or other means of identification or disclaimers as they appear in
the material sent to you;
2. systematically make printed or electronic copies of multiple extracts of the material for any purpose
except as permitted by law or as authorised by OFFALY HISTORY;
3. display or distribute any part of the material on any electronic network, including without limitation
the Internet and the World Wide Web;
4. permit anyone to access or use the material; and/or
5. use all or any part of the material for any commercial use.

Intellectual Property Rights

We and/or our licensors are the owners of all intellectual property rights in the Website, and the Website
and the materials on the Website are protected by intellectual property laws around the world including
copyright and trade mark laws. Subject to the terms of this legal notice and any other licence
agreements between you and OFFALY HISTORY, all such rights are reserved and no materials may
otherwise be copied, modified, published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without our prior written
permission. OFFALY HISTORY, and/or any other names of products or services provided by Offaly
History and referred to on the Website are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Offaly History.
Notwithstanding the foregoing and where applicable, copyright in each illustration that appears on the
Website is owned by the rights holder(s) named in ‘Picture Details’ window for that illustration. All rights
are reserved. No illustration from the Website may be copied, modified, published or broadcast or
otherwise distributed.

Disclaimer

Offaly History makes no warranties or representations of any kind concerning the accuracy or suitability
of the information contained on the Website for any purpose. All such information is provided “as is” and
with a specific disclaimer of any warranties of merchantability, fitness for purpose, title and/or noninfringement.
Offaly History makes no warranties or representations of any kind that the services
provided by this Website will be uninterrupted, error-free or that the Website or the server that hosts
the Website are free from viruses or other forms of harmful computer code.
You are solely responsible for your choice in selecting this Website product.
In no event shall Offaly History, its employees or agents be liable for any direct, indirect or
consequential damages, loss of opportunity, loss of data, loss of goodwill, loss of anticipated savings or
loss of profits resulting from the use of the Website even if OFFALY HISTORY has been advised of such
loss.
Without prejudice to the foregoing paragraph, OFFALY HISTORY’s liability arising out of or in connection
with your use of the Website and/or this legal notice whether in contract, tort, misrepresentation, under
statute or otherwise will not exceed the price you paid for your subscription to access this Website.
Neither party’s liability for personal injury or death caused by negligence or for fraud is excluded or
limited.
The exclusion and limitation set out in this legal notice only applies to the extent permitted by law and is
without prejudice to any express provisions to the contrary in any written licence or subscription
agreement which you have with Offaly History in respect of the use of any online service provided via
the Website.

Links

Links to other websites are provided by OFFALY HISTORY in good faith and for information only. OFFALY
HISTORY disclaims any responsibility for the materials contained in any website linked to the Website. In
addition, a link to a non-OFFALY HISTORY website does not mean that OFFALY HISTORY endorses or
accepts any responsibility for the content, or the use, of such website or the products and/or services
offered on such website. It is up to you to take precautions to ensure that whatever you select for your
use is free of such items as viruses, worms, trojans and other items of a destructive nature.

Service Access

While we endeavour to ensure that the Website is normally available 24 hours a day, we shall not be
liable if for any reason the Website is unavailable at any time or for any period. Access to the Website
may be suspended temporarily and without notice in the case of system failure, maintenance or repair
or for reasons beyond our control.
You are prohibited from posting or transmitting to or from the Website any material:
• that is threatening, defamatory, obscene, indecent, seditious, offensive, pornographic, abusive, liable
to incite racial hatred, discriminatory, menacing, scandalous, inflammatory, blasphemous, in breach of
confidence, in breach of privacy or which may cause annoyance or inconvenience;
• for which you have not obtained all necessary licences and/or approvals;
• which constitutes or encourages conduct that would be considered a criminal offence, give rise to civil
liability, or otherwise be contrary to the law of or infringe the rights of any third party, in any country in
the world; or
• which is technically harmful (including, without limitation, computer viruses, logic bombs, Trojan
horses, worms, harmful components, corrupted data or other malicious software or harmful data).
You may not misuse the Website (including, without limitation, by hacking).

Global Nature of Websites

You recognise the global nature of the Website and thus, agree to comply with all applicable local laws in
your jurisdiction when using the Website.
Information we publish on the Website may contain references or cross-references to our services
and/or products offered that are not announced or available in your country. Such references do not
imply that we intend to announce such services and/or products in your country.

Governing Law

You agree that this legal notice shall be exclusively governed in accordance with the laws of the courts in
Ireland. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this legal notice will preclude OFFALY HISTORY from
applying to any court to bring an action for the infringement of its intellectual property rights.
Queries

If you have any concerns about material which appears on the Website, please
contact info@176.34.92.242
Thank you for visiting the Website

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