Gathering and AGM Dublin, IrelandThe 2013 DGS Annual Gathering was held in Ireland from Friday 26th to Monday 29th July 2013 and was based at the Ashling Hotel in Dublin, conveniently situated near the city centre. Below you will find the Chairman’s Diary, which gives an account of the weekend together with a small selection of photographs. We also carry a selection of reminiscences about the weekend from delegates and hope that all those of you who were unable to join us in Dublin will enjoy the coverage of the gathering that you will find on our websites, and in the next issue of the DGS Journal, to be published at the end of the year. Thanks go to Chairman Michael Dalton for organising the event, ably assisted by DGS Irish Secretary, Bernie Walsh, who lives near Dublin and is descended from Irish Daltons. Since the previous Dublin Gathering in 2005, she has been very involved with family history and now runs her own company, Daulten Quaile Genealogy, which undertakes research, facilitates courses and organises field trips. |
ReminiscencesHere are some reminiscences taken from notes received by the Chairman: 1. From David & Barbara Dalton, Hessle, East Yorkshire, UK: We very much enjoyed our trip to Dublin, spending time with friends old and new. As we had two extra days with Howard and Jen we learned so many interesting facts about the city that we could almost be employed as tour guides. We practised our skills on Mattie so we trust she would agree! The Ashling Hotel was excellent and the staff looked after us really well, Bernie was very knowledgeable and informative, the young musicians who played during the meal were brilliant, and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour of Kildalton College and the trip to Kilkenny. Our time at Ryans was especially entertaining as we were sitting with the two Pats (Patrick and Patricia). They were delightful company and we found out that we had many things in common apart from the surname. Special thanks to you Michael and all your helpers for all your hard work in organising such a successful weekend. 2. From Edna Redpath, Blackpool, Lancashire, UK: Hannah and myself had a very good weekend in Dublin meeting old and new friends. Bernie and Michael did a good job arranging everything. The AGM had two interesting speakers in Bernie and Mike, and the young boys’ music on Saturday night was a delight – a pity we couldn't all have danced to them, not just Maureen and Mattie – well done to them! Hannah was over the moon that she enjoyed all of the food – being a vegetarian she does not always gets much choice. It all went too quickly. Thank you and see you all next year God willing. 3. From Mike Dalton, Portland, Oregon, USA: Hello Michael: Hope Howard J. got back home, rested and relaxed from early morning flight and hectic weekend. Pleasant surprise to have an Irish member Bernie Walsh getting into genealogical research professionally, and having a renowned author, Michael Dalton, meeting with several members at the Ashling. Upgrade of Ashling facilities and management was superior to 2005 experience. Thank you for mentioning family finder DNA options at the AGM. Note from MND: The Michael Dalton referred to by Mike is the author of a fascinating book “Memories of my Native Sod”, an account of his childhood life in the townland of Curcreigh in Co Roscommon. In the book he observes a way of life and a farming population fast disappearing, typical of so many other townlands in the west of Ireland. Michael Dalton contacted me and sent me a copy of the book which we displayed in Dublin. As a result 10 copies were purchased by delegates and these were delivered by Michael on the Monday morning – sadly it was after I had departed for the airport so I never had the opportunity to meet with my namesake. All these Michael and Mike Daltons – it’s very confusing! 4. From Pat & Geoffrey, Robinson, Barrington, Cambridgeshire, UK: We are glad that this year’s Dalton gathering was such a success, and we too enjoyed the weekend, although I regretted missing coming down in the coach with the group, and joining you in Kilkenny! But returning to Dublin and then going south again towards Waterford made little sense. We had a light lunch after leaving you, chatting with Gerard Dalton, with whom we got on well and arranged to meet again a couple of days later. On the Monday we caught up on our Dalton family news with my second cousin’s widow, Cathleen Dalton. It was Cathleen who had originally contacted Noel Nugent about our visit to Kildalton and she was delighted to hear how well it went! On the Tuesday, we set out for Dungarven on the coast to meet Gerard’s sister-in-law and daughter, who joined us in their lovely garden and plied us with coffee and scones. Gerard showed us some interesting family photographs. My grandfather and his grandfather were at the same school in Carrick-on-Suir, and at around the same time we discovered! The following day we set out for Rosslare and the ferry to Fishguard for the journey home – altogether quite a trip! Pat continues with more details of her discussions with Gerard Dalton about possible common Dalton family history and I am sure this will be the subject of a more detailed report from Pat in due course – MND. We look forward to receiving more reminiscences and details of ongoing Irish Dalton family history research. Please send them to me (by email to michaelndalton@aol.com) and I will include them in a future issue of "Daltons in History". |
Programme for the Weekend Annual Gathering for 2013 PROGRAMME FOR THE WEEKEND Friday 26th July 2013 |
from 3pm. |
Check in at the Ashling Hotel in the usual way and register at the DGS desk in reception. Light lunches can be taken at the Hotel. |
afternoon |
The afternoon will be free for you to visit places of interest in Dublin. Subject to demand we will arrange visits to specific libraries and research centres – Bernie Walsh will be on hand to assist with this. |
evening |
Dinner will be available in the hotel's Chesterfield Restaurant, or you may wish to explore what Dublin has to offer with its wide array of restaurants and bars. We will make suggestions for those not familiar with Dublin and ensure that all delegates are included in a DGS group. |
Saturday 27th July 2013
morning |
The programme will commence with the DGS Annual General Meeting. This will be followed by talks about Dalton family history and the work of the Society. It will take place in the Kilmainham Suite at the Hotel. Buffet lunch served in the Kilmainham Suite. |
afternoon |
Another opportunity to visit places of interest in the city of Dublin. Again we will make suggestions. |
evening |
The DGS Annual Dinner will take place in the Liffey Suite at the Hotel and it will be followed by entertainment. |
Sunday 28th July 2013
daytime |
We are arranging a full day tour to include visits to Kildalton College, formerly a home of Irish Daltons, and Kilkenny Castle. We are planning to provide transport for all by coach. |
evening |
We have booked a private room for dinner at Ryan’s, a traditional Irish pub, noted for its excellent steaks. Ryan’s is just a few steps from the hotel and some may remember it from 2005! |
Monday 29th July 2013
morning |
The conclusion of the DGS Gathering. Check out from your accommodation. Arrangements can be made for those who wish to stay over. |
2013 Annual General Meeting MinutesThe DGS Annual General Meeting for 2013 was held in Dublin, Republic of Ireland in July. The minutes of the meeting are published here. These will also appear in the DGS Journal, Volume 59 for December 2013. THE DALTON GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY 1) Welcome and opening remarks by the Chairman
2) Apologies for absence 3) Minutes of the 2012 Annual General Meeting and matters arising 4) Chairman's report 5) Treasurer's Report 6) Secretary's Report 7) Election of officers and committee 8) Reports by the Editors of the DGS Journal and of "Daltons in History" 9) Report on the Dalton International DNA Project 10) Report on the DGS websites
He then outlined his ideas for the future of the website. With the ending of the free Google advertising programme there would inevitably be a reduction in the number of visitors to the websites. He and Martin Fitzgerald had been working together to produce a format which could encourage an increase in membership by keeping up with the latest resources, and also restrict some elements to a “members only” access, because of the exchange of family history and personal information. It was hoped to have several persons in place to act as “moderators” in order for this process to succeed. The Chairman thanked David Preston for his keen and detailed involvement, and looked forward to these ideas coming to fruition. 11) Australian Secretary's report Exciting plans for the formation of a museum in Orange, New South Wales, would include a Dalton exhibition in November, and there is the intention of holding another DGS Australian Meeting in the future. She had received email enquiries from members on possible Irish connections and hoped to further her research during her Dublin visit. The Chairman thanked Maureen Collins for everything she is doing for the DGS in Australia. 12) North American Secretary's report Membership - As at July 2013, there are 90 North American members (85 in the US, 5 in Canada). Of these, 30 US members submit their dues by PayPal and 11 members have opted to renew automatically via a PayPal annual subscription. 8 new memberships have been received in the past 12 months. However several new members who joined in the previous year failed to renew their membership. Those members who were sent renewal notices, but who failed to renew their memberships have had their membership status changed in the Member Database and have been noted as "cancelled for non-payment of dues". Corporate Entity & Tax-exempt Status - DGS North America continues to be a non-profit corporation, registered in Nevada, and a tax exempt 501(c) 3 entity under US IRS tax code. Our Corporate Registration was renewed in December 2012, and we are in good standing through to December 2013, when our annual renewal fees will again be due. Financial Report - As at 15 July 2013, cash in hand in the DGS North America bank account was US$3,265.97, and there was balance of $716.43 in the PayPal account. A balance of $2,500 must be maintained in the DGS North America bank account to continue qualifying for all monthly account maintenance fees to be waived. On 15 July 2013, the total cash balance stood at $3,982.40 and DGS North America continues to be a 501(c) 3 tax exempt non-profit entity in good standing with the IRS. The Chairman thanked Karen Dalton Preston for her most comprehensive report. 13) Irish Secretary's report 14) Forthcoming gatherings and AGMs 15) Any other business ****************** |
Kildalton and KilkennyOn Sunday 28 July, as part of the 2013 DGS Gathering weekend, we visited Kildalton and Kilkenny. Here Michael Dalton gives some more details about these places and their Dalton connections. On the Sunday of the 2013 Gathering weekend we will be exploring the south east corner of Ireland and making our way in the morning to Kildalton College near the small village of Piltown in the southern part of County Kilkenny. There we will be given a guided tour of what until 1971 was called Bessborough House, built in the mid-1700s and now an agricultural college. At the end of the morning we will drive the short distance to the county town of Kilkenny where delegates will have some free time to have lunch and look at the old part of the city with its quaint narrow streets. There will then be a guided tour of historic Kilkenny Castle, for centuries the seat of the Butler and Ormonde families. Later in the afternoon we will return to Dublin in time for dinner at Ryan’s, just a few steps from the Ashling Hotel. Kildalton Kildalton’s connection with the Dalton family goes back to the late-1500s, Daltons having arrived in Kilkenny as early as 1382. It is known that William Dalton who died in 1591 lived with his family in a castle on the Kildalton estate. It is recorded that in 1641 the Dalton family owned 3,223 acres of land. However with the rise of Oliver Cromwell and his successful invasion of Ireland in the Civil War following the execution of Charles I in 1649, the fortunes of the Daltons of Kildalton were turned around and Cromwell rewarded one of the leaders of the invasion, Colonel John Ponsonby, with the Kildalton estate. Ponsonby was created Earl of Bessborough and renamed Kildalton Castle Bessborough. The original castle was destroyed and replaced with a fine new mansion in 1744, Bessborough House. Some members of the Dalton family continued to live on the estate as tenants of the Earl. DGS member Pat Robinson is descended from this Irish Dalton line and has researched the trials and tribulations of her Dalton ancestors in some detail. The latest issue of the DGS Journal includes a fascinating article written by Pat entitled “Daltons of Kilkenny” (DGSJ Vol 57 Dec 12 pp 24-27) which gives a much fuller account of the history of these Daltons. Kildalton College today The photographs below were taken on my visit to the College in November 2012:
Kildalton and KilkennyThere is a brief history included in the current publicity material for Kildalton College, which, although making little mention of the Dalton connections, gives an interesting account of the development of today’s buildings. The following extracts will help the reader to appreciate the story. Kildalton was a very different place before the main house was originally built in 1744. Sir John Ponsonby changed its name to Bessborough House in honour of his second wife Elizabeth, known as Bessy. Sir John died in 1678 and it was his successors who were responsible for the fine mansion constructed of blue Kilkenny limestone that we see today. It took 11 years to build and was completed in 1755. The architect was Francis Bindon from County Clare. A wing with a new dining room was added in about 1870 and the entrance hall and porch were reconstructed as well. Among the many objects of interest that were to be seen in the house were paintings by eminent artists of the day and two sets of elk or moose deer horns, reputedly the largest ever discovered. In 1923 Ireland went through much disorder and unrest and a number of large houses including Bessborough were burned to the ground. Lord Bessborough had wisely taken the precaution of moving his best pictures elsewhere. By 1929 the house was restored with the compensation received from the courts, but the Ponsonby family did not feel secure enough to return. They sold the house to the Oblate fathers who in 1940 opened Our Lady’s Scholasticate at Bessborough House, a new training facility and seminary. They built a new wing on the west side of the house to provide a lecture hall and a dining room. A further wing was added in 1944 on the east side, providing a chapel, a dormitory and bathrooms. The Oblates worked their own bakery and dairy, kept poultry, cattle, pigs and sheep, and grew potatoes, grain and other crops. They also had a very good orchard. Major construction took place in 1960 when an old building projecting out from the main house northwards was demolished and replaced with a three storey wing containing 92 single bedrooms and associated facilities. By 1970 numbers joining the order had decreased and the Oblates decided to sell the property. It was purchased in 1971 by the Department of Agriculture and opened as Kildalton College. With the accommodation and the working farm already there, this was a match well made for training young farmers and horticulturists. The College today has become a centre of excellence and provides courses in Equine Studies, Machinery, Agriculture and Horticulture. It is linked to the local Institute of Technology in Waterford to make it a progressive learning facility in the South East of Ireland. Kilkenny Kilkenny is famous for its castle which stands dramatically on a strategic height that commands a crossing on the River Nore and dominates the 'High Town' of Kilkenny City. Over the eight centuries of its existence, many additions and alterations have been made to the fabric of the building, making Kilkenny Castle today a complex structure of various architectural styles. The original Anglo-Norman stone castle was built for William Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke (c.1146-1219) during the first decade of the thirteenth century. Kilkenny Castle later became the principal Irish residence of the powerful Butler family for almost 600 years. The Butler ownership began when James (c.1360-1405), 3rd Earl of Ormond, purchased the castle in c.1391, and lasted until 1967 when Arthur, 6th Marquess of Ormonde (1893-1971), presented it to the people of Kilkenny in return for a token payment of £50. The buildings have been in the care of the Office of Public Works since 1969, and many important programmes of archaeological excavation, conservation, and restoration have been carried out there since then. Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle
We look forward to an interesting tour on the Sunday of our 2013 DGS Gathering to Kildalton and Kilkenny. |