Social story of Ireland as seen through Tullamore eyes

Published this month, ‘Merchants, Medics, and the Military Commerce and Architecture’ provides an exciting insight on the social history of Ireland from 1875 to 1925, as seen through the lives of influential Tullamore families.

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Published by Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society’s Esker Press and authored by Maurice Egan this volume is available in hardback including never seen before exhibits, many of them in colour. It is a must for those with a local, national, and international interest in social history and social justice. This is an excellent read and retails at €24.99.

Between 1875 and 1925, a tumultuous period in Irish history, many provincial families made significant sacrifices in the areas of social justice, infrastructure development and community upliftment. Who were they? What ever became of them? What did they manage to achieve? Where did these family members move to? How did they help change the face of Irish social history?

Researching this fifty-year period and uncovering how certain Tullamore families helped change the course of local and in some cases international history, Maurice Egan has discovered the significant roles families played in social reform. The fascinating stories that have emerged shine a bright light on the enduring impact they made..

Growing up in 1960s Tullamore, one was quite aware of those who lived down the town and indeed lasting friendships were made with many of those families with time spent in some of their magnificent homes. All the houses from Cormac Street down to O’Connor Square had residents, many living there for generations. Picture that to today’s precarious situation and the decay beset some of these former residential town homes, many of them architectural gems.

These family contributions to the upliftment of local communities, the provision of piped potable water and gas, the arrival of electricity and first building of social housing, was pioneering. Their deliberations left an enduring positive impact wherever they conducted interactions throughout the Midlands of Ireland.

Published in 2020, Maurice Egan’s first book titled: ‘The Egans of Moate and Tullamore: Business and Politics’, co-authored with family member David Egan, provided many wonderful and interesting researched stories of how one influential family helped change the course of Irish history. But of course, they were not alone as many mercantile families, many medical families, many families whose members joined different military regiments also made a significant impact during these difficult, and fast changing years in Irish history.

About the author

Maurice Egan was born in Tullamore and attended the Christian Brothers School.

He is a retired beverage industry executive and is chairman of P & H Egan (Tullamore) Limited, the brand owner of Egan’s Irish Whiskey. He resides in Johannesburg and has a keen interest in social history from 1850 to 1925.