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| Noel Cocoman speaking in the Town Hall. |
Local history buffs from across Kildare were treated this morning to some fascinating detail of the life of
John Devoy, the Kill-born Fenian,
writes Brian Byrne. The talk was given by
Noel Cocoman, also a native of Kill, whose interest in Devoy's life was triggered when he bought a secondhand collection of the republican's letters and papers, published in the 1940s as
Devoy's Post Bag.
The event was the annual seminar hosted in Kilcullen Heritage Centre by the County Kildare Federation of Local History Groups. In addition to the Devoy talk, Naas-based graphic designer Sean Sourke presented a selection of the digital 3D models he has created for a number of heritage monuments and buildings around Kildare.
Imprisoned for his activities with the Irish Republican Brotherhood, John Devoy was subsequently exiled to the United States, and Noel Cocoman's illustrated account provided intriguing glimpses into Devoy's activities there towards the goal of a free Ireland, His papers, edited by William O'Brien and Desmond Ryan, offer a valuable insight into Devoy's interactions with key Irish republican leaders of his day, including Padraic Pearse, Eamonn de Valera, Tom Clarke and others. Noel Cocoman also gave an account of Devoy's organisation of a daring rescue of six Fenians from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia in 1875.
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| Noel Cocoman and Sean Sourke. |
Sean Sourke's interest in digital photogrammetry has grown substantially since his early work a decade ago with still photographs, and he has made around 40 3D digital models of architectural heritage and monuments across Kildare. He says the technology has advanced very rapidly, and he's now collaborating with drone pilot
Jan Nevrkla to scale and geolocate the digital models using GPS, adding further information to make the process a more comprehensive heritage interpretive tool.
Both presentations were very much appreciated by today's audience. They were followed by the AGM of the Federation.
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| Brigid Critchley, Brid Reilly, Dermot O'Rourke and Nelly Egan. |
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| Ann McNeil, Ger McCarthy, James Durney and Michael Mullaly. |
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| Brian McCabe, Bob Nugent, Pat Byrne and Raphael Ryan. |
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| Flo Clarke and Nuala Walker, Celbridge. |
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| Noel Cocoman and Devoy's Post Bag. |
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