THE IRISHNESS OF THE HON. ARTHUR WESLEY, 1ST DUKE OF WELLINGTON

A Two-Day Conference: Friday 4 October - Saturday 5 October 2013

Painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1814) (Wesley is the correct original spelling of the family name)

Description of event

This interesting conference is organised jointly by the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Trinity College Dublin (Director: Dr Sarah Alyn Stacey, FTCD 2004), and The Chaucer Hub (Director: Dr Gerald Morgan, FTCD 1993). It is hosted by the Kells & District Tourism Forum in association with Kells Town Council and various businesses in Kells and promises to be a lively and informative two days.

Friday 4th October – The Kells Theatre, Kenlis Place, Kells, Co. Meath

9:30 a.m. – Welcome by Kells & District Tourism Forum and cathaoirleach for Kells Town Council, Cllr. Oliver Sweeney

9:40 a.m. – Welcome by Cllr. John V Farrelly, President of Kells Chamber, cathaoirleach of Meath County Council and Chairperson of Meath Tourism

10:15 a.m. – Dr Gerald Morgan (FTCD (1993), Director of the Chaucer Hub):The Hon. Arthur Wesley: The Irish Background

11:00 a.m. – Refreshments provided by the Martry Restaurant

11:30 a.m. – Mr Damian Shiels (Director of Rubicon Heritage Services):Safe Haven? The Archaeology of Bere Island’s Defence, 1796-1815

12:15 p.m. – Keynote Speaker 1: Professor Charles Esdaile (University of Liverpool):Wellington: The Peer, the Pen and the Sword

1:30 p.m. – Lunch at the Headfort Arms Hotel

2:30 p.m. – A walk around Kells with Lucy O’Reilly (tour guide)

5:00 p.m. – A visit to Trim with the Trim Tourism Group and Noel French (historian). 7:00 p.m. – Dinner at Trim Castle Hotel

Saturday 5th October – The Kells Theatre, Kenlis Place, Kells, Co. Meath

9:30 a.m. – Welcome – Myles Dungan

10:15 a.m. –Dr Gavin Hughes (Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, TCD):‘Wellington’s Irish Warriors’: Irishmen in the Ranks from the Peninsular to Waterloo

11:00 a.m. – Mr. David Truesdale (Independent Military Historian):The Battle for La Haye Sainte

11:45 a.m. – Refreshments provided by the Martry Restaurant

12:15 p.m. – Keynote Speaker 2: Professor Brendan Simms (Centre of International Studies, Cambridge University):La Haye Sainte and the European context in which Wellington was operating

1:15 p.m. – Lunch at your leisure

2:30 p.m. – Keynote Speaker 3: Professor Michael Broers (Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University): ‘This island race’: Napoleon as a Corsican-an essay in complexity.’

4:00 p.m. – Headfort House: A welcome by Headmaster Dermot Dix to Headfort House & School. Round Table chaired by Dr Alyn Stacey (FTCD (2004), Director of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, TCD) to discuss future research and events on Wellington.

5:00 p.m. – Closure of conference (Kells & District Tourism Forum; Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, TCD; Chaucer Hub)