Louth historian and film maker invited to give talks in Boston

MARGARET RODDY WALKS TO MARCUS HOWARD

LOUTH historian and film-maker Marcus Howard has been invited to the United States to give a series of talks on how Irish-Americans played a critical role in Ireland’s fight against British rule.

Marcus, who has carved out a reputation for his research into the events leading up to the 1916 Easter Rising and the War of Independence is looking forward to travelling to America to speak to American audiences for the first time.

The Dundalk-native says that the invite came after he gave a talk in London on Liam Maguire and Sam McCarthy and the GAA.

“I have a social media page, Easter Rising Stories, and an Irish American who saw a post about that talk got in touch and said he would love me to give a talk in Boston. I said I would if my expenses were covered so I’m going over in June.”

He will be giving his talk on Liam Maguire and Sam McCarthy, after whom two of the GAA’s most famous trophies are named in the Irish Cultural Centre, Boston on June 20 and the following event, he will talk about ‘How America Helped Ireland’s Fight For Freedom’ in the Irish Pastoral Centre, Boston.

He is delighted to have been invited to tell American audiences about the important role which Irish emigrants living in the United States played in inspiring and supporting those back home in their fight for freedom.

Marcus will look at how Irish emigrants supported the fight for Irish freedom as the send home funds and exerted political pressure

During the talk, he will take audiences back to a pivotal era over 100 years ago when America became a beacon of hope for Ireland’s quest for freedom. In the years leading up to the stirring 1916 Easter Rising to the fierce fighting of the 1919-21 War of Independence, discover how Irish-Americans played a critical role in Ireland’s fight against British rule.

Marcus traces his passion for history back to his history teacher Patsy McGeough in The Marist.

“He was a brilliant teacher and gave me my love for history.”

It was back in 2015, in the run-up to the 1916 Easter Rising centenary celebrations, that Marcus began documenting the stories of locals who were involved in the fight for Irish freedom during the tumultous years in the early 20th century.

“I have a 1916 relative from Dundalk who had been kind of forgotten about and was in an unmarked grave. I thought it would be nice to remember his story and that everyone who had been involved.”

He set about telling the story his great great granduncle Arthur Greene from Mary Street North who had been a Sergeant Major in the Irish Volunteers,

This led to him telling the stories of others who had been involved in the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and Civil War.

“I interviewed people from all sides and a lot of the people I recorded are now dead so it’s nice for the families to be able to have those videos in a virtual library on YouTube.”

Marcus also told the stories of those prominent figures in the fight for independence, making documentaries on Michael Collins, Eamonn De Valera, Harry Boland, Padraig Pearse, Countess Markievicz and others.

“I did the last ever interview with 104-year-old Fr Joseph Mallin who was a son of Michael Mallin on the 1916 leaders who was executed in May 1916.

“Fr Joseph was living in Hong Kong. We sent him the questions, he answered them and sent the videos back and I edited them.”

Though his research and film making, Marcus has met with the relatives of many of the Irish heroes who helped the country gain her freedom. He has also met with the President, Government and opposition leaders, and other historians.

He is looking forward to the American talks as they will allow him to cover a wide sweep of history.

“When you’re in Ireland, people are usually only interested in what happened in their own county, where when you look at the big picture of American involvement in the fight for Irish freedoom, it’s massive.”

During his Boston talk, Marcus will be detailing the heroes who made it their mission to aid Ireland, from the tireless fundraising of Clan na Gael to the Irish who visited American soil to raise awareness for their cause, and how the support of the American people became a powerful force in the Irish struggle for sovereignty.

As a lecturer in social media and marketing at O’Fiaich College, he says that the invitation