Kildare to unveil Ballitore Papers online archive

Kildare County Council’s County Archives and Local Studies service will unveil The Ballitore Papers, a new online archive, at Ballitore Community Library tomorrow, Saturday, 27 June 2026, writes Brian Byrne. The collection will be launched at 2pm by Cllr Ivan Keatley, Cathaoirleach of the Athy Municipal District, as part of a wider programme of local celebrations beginning at 1pm.

The archive marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Mary Leadbeater, the Ballitore-born Quaker author, and the 300th anniversary of the founding of the boarding school at Ballitore by Abraham Shackleton. It brings together letters, diaries, notebooks and other memorabilia relating to the Shackleton, Leadbeater and Barrington families.

Kildare Library Service is also republishing Annals of Ballitore, with a revised edition launched by playwright and novelist John MacKenna, who wrote the introduction. After the launch, visitors will be able to join MacKenna for a walk through the village, In the footsteps of Mary Leadbeater.

Archivist Karel Kiely said the project celebrates Leadbeater’s legacy and the wider Quaker history of Ballitore, adding that interest in the village has grown alongside the nearby Shackleton Experience in Athy.

The event is supported by Kildare County Council and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.

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