FOREWORD

January 2019 marked the commencement of the Lurgan Townscape Heritage Initiative (Lurgan THI); a five year National Lottery Heritage Fund regeneration scheme, delivered in partnership with the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. The principal aims of the Lurgan THI are to: 1) Repair, restore and regenerate up to 25 designated buildings within the Lurgan Conservation Area which contribute to the historic townscape character of Lurgan. FOREWORD Councillor Joe Nelson Chairman, Lurgan Townscape Heritage PartnershipSAMPLE 2) Organise a community based activities, education and training programme to promote enjoyment and understanding of Lurgan’s built and cultural heritage. In pursuit of this second goal the Lurgan THI were proud to inaugurate the first annual Lurgan Lecture series on 8th October 2019. Over five weeks venues throughout Lurgan hosted a number of speakers who provided expert insights into the Plantation origins of Lurgan town and the events and personalities which shaped its development through the seventeenth century. The high attendances at each talk reflected both

the wide interest in local history and the quality of the talks provided. We would like to extend our thanks to all of the speakers who took part in the series and to all those who attended which made for many memorable evenings.

Contained within this present booklet are three essays based on lectures delivered as part of the series. A special thanks is due to Professor Raymond Gillespie of Maynooth University and Doctor Naomi McAreavey of University College Dublin for taking the time to write the essays and Dr. Francis X. McCorry for providing permission for an essay to be produced themed on his talk.

Over the next four years we will continue to follow Lurgan’s history through our lecture series, with further publications to follow which we hope will preserve the research for future generations to learn from and indeed debate.