John Lyons Guided Walk of Louisburgh
The fantastic local historian John Lyons provided us with yet another opportunity to explore some of the lesser known stories of Louisburgh town with a walking tour during National Heritage Week 2023.
John has a lovely relaxed way in telling the factual story of the foundation of Louisburgh in 1795 and intertwines the complex historical famine period with modern day family names and places.
We were delighted that part of this walking tour brought us into the Granuaile visitors centre where we met with a young local lad Darragh O’Toole and his teacher Mr Bob Reaney. Darragh had just completed a model replica of Grace O’Malley pirate galley ship and donated it for display in the visitor centre. It is such a work of art and needs to be seen to appreciated, the amount of detail and delicate work that Darragh has achieved. He hails from a long line of Island boat builders with Clare Island and Inishturk blood in his veins but this is an exceptional piece of craftsman’s ship. We wish Darragh well with his studies in Sancta Maria and thank him for his contribution to a very enjoyable piece of heritage.
Many thanks to all who participated on the walking tour and especially John Lyons for taking the time to guide us through the day. There is so much history in Louisburgh village it is always hard to capture it all in a walking tour and the day went very fast! But having local knowledge is key to maintaining our connections with the past and no better advisor than John Lyons.
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