A big thank you to everyone who attended and took part in our one day conference on Emigration, which was held in the Independence Museum Kilmurry on Saturday, 5 April 2025. A special thanks to our speakers, our sponsors, the organising committee and the Independence Museum Kilmurry. It was a very successful day and here are a few images to recall it.
The scones are buttered, the cups are out and we are ready for the day. Tim Feen and Marian O’Leary of the WCHSA committee with Mary O’Mahony of the Independence Museum Kilmurry. 
We were delighted that the Cork County Mayor, Councillor Joe Carroll, was able to attend, here Councillor Carroll is welcomed to the venue by William Casey of the WCHSA and Mary O’Mahony of the Independence Museum Kilmurry. 
Everyone is seated, it is a full house and we are ready to start. 
West Cork History Societies Association’s chairperson, William Casey, starts the day by welcoming everyone and thanking our mains sponsors, Cork County Council Commemoration Committee and the Cork Historical & Archaeological Society. 
Cork County Mayor, Councillor Joe Carroll, delivers a speech to the conference. 
The conference proper was opened by an address from Terri Kearney of the Skibbereen Heritage Centre. Terri shared her experiences of dealing with members of the diaspora who have visited the centre over the past 25 years. 
Our first full lecture of the day was delivered by Ultan Cowley. Ultan’s talk, Taking the Boat: Some First Impressions…, recalled the stories of Irish emigrants who left for Britain by boat in the middle decades of the last century. 
Our next speaker Jarlath McNamara is in full flow here while talking about his experience of Finding our Diaspora 
Behind the scenes work continues preparing for the lunch break, here Mary O’Mahony of the Kilmurry Museum get a helping hand from the Cork County Heritage Officer, Conor Nelligan. 
Lunch time was a chance to get a few more formal photos, here the WSCHA committee pose with the morning speakers. In the back row are: Tim Feen, WCHSA committee; Colum Cronin, WCHSA Treasurer; Jarlath McNamara, Speaker; Tony McCarthy, WCHSA committee. In the front row are: Con Kelleher, WCHSA Secretary; Marian O’Leary, WCHSA committee; Ultan Cowley, Speaker; William Casey, WCHSA Chairperson and Terri Kearney, Speaker. 
Our first speaker after lunch was Dr Miriam Nyhan Grey, who shared with us the stories of a number of Irish Emigrants that she captured in interviews with those who had left Ireland in the 20th century. 
One of the highlights of the day were the musical interludes provided by Colum Cronin, who entertained us with a selection of music associated with emigration. 
Relief as the Zoom connection worked and we were able to contact Dr James Walsh in Colorado for the day’s final talk, on the those, including many Irish emigrants, who were buried in a 19th century paupers’ grave in the mining town of Leadville, Colorado. 
WSCHA chair, William Casey, delivers the thanks you to all of those who made the day so successful, before the final event of the day – a panel discussion and Q&A session with the speakers.