Mayo Historical and Archaeological Society
Mayo Historical & Archaeological Society - Lecture Reminder.
By MHAS
17, Feb 2013 - 21:38

Mayo Historical & Archaeological Society

In association with Heritage Studies Dept. GMIT., Castlebar.

Dr. Malachy Thompson, Galway GMIT. (Retd).who will give Wednesday night's lecture, at the GMIT Campus, Castlebar.

Dr. Malachy Thompson, a  native of Co. Antrim, who studied at Queen's University, Belfast before joining the staff at Galway RTC as a lecturer in chemistry in 1973, will be the guest speaker at a meeting of the Mayo Historical  &  Archaeological Society in GMIT Campus, Westport Road, Castlebar, on Wednesday, February 20^th at 8 pm. The title of his illustrated lecture is 'Prehistoric Astronomy in the West of Ireland'

Prehistoric people in China, Egypt, South America and the Mediterranean countries, especially Greece, looked towards the sky to work out directions; to calculate the right time of year to sow their crops; and even to predict the future. Here in Ireland what was happening - was our people stargazing and trying to understand the cosmos? Stone-alignments and stone-circles dotted around the west of Ireland are tangible evidence that the ancient Irish also had a deep interest in the movements of the Sun, Moon, and Stars as they journeyed on their way through the heavens.

Dr. Thompson will have much interesting comment to make on a fascinating subject that  he has studied for many years. Along with his colleague, Dr. Pat Moriarty, he provided  an adult education course on astronomy in Galway, and although now  retired, he continues his association with the Galway Science and Technology Festival.

This  promises to be a most interesting lecture and all are welcome.