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Papers: List of Papers 2002-05 |
Church Street, Skerries . P. Flavin |
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The Irish National Foresters Benefit Society. |
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On Tuesday the 8th of March we had a very interesting and informative lecture by Jim Walsh on the origins and establishment of the Irish National Foresters Benefit Society in Ireland, in particular the Skerries and Balbriggan branches. We heard about some of its rules and procedures and the location and details of the Balbriggan Foresters hall. While most of the branches have now ceased to exist - the Skerries branch existed from 1901 to 1960 - there are still about 6 branches functioning, the most active being in Navan. The Society was formed to help the members, mostly artisans, in times of financial difficulty such as in case of sickness or death and for widows and orphans. |
The members were male though there were a number of female branches such as the Molly Bawns in Balbriggan. Mr. Walsh dealt with the local Skerries branch and mentioned Thomas Hand's role as secretary, which was interrupted briefly during his time in Frongoch. There is further information on the Skerries Branch, available in the National Library, though Mr. Walsh should be consulted for directions to find it. A vote of thanks was given by Carmel Power. A vote of thanks was given by Carmel Power.
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