Hedge School presentation 3:30pm Saturday, August 17 Geography: Renaissance Galway, the Mid-Seventeenth Century The presentation is concerned with the happenings in a small town on the west coast of Ireland in the middle of the seventeenth century. This was a transformative period in Irish history, one that resulted in massive social upheaval following the overthrow of the monarchy by the English parliament. The inhabitants of this town—members of the so-called “tribes” of Galway—had supported the royalist cause and, in consequence, lost everything when they surrendered to parliament forces in 1652. At the Restoration they hoped for a return of their former power and wealth. To this end they prepared a remarkable pictorial map, a bird’s eye view of their town in all its Renaissance glory. Conceived on a grand scale, this map was made to impress and its extensive tables of reference, lavish decoration, and heraldic embellishments allow the modern viewer an insight into the cultural, sociopolitical and religious outlook of the town’s former ruling elite: this is their story. Milwaukee Irish Fest invites the public to attend the launch of the newly-released historical work Renaissance Galway (Royal Irish Academy 2019). Join Paul Walsh and others on Sunday, August 18, 4:30pm in the Hedge School. Biography Paul Walsh has spent his career working in archaeology; first, as archaeological adviser with the national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey Ireland, and then as director of the “Archaeological Survey of Ireland” with the state’s National Monuments Service (Ireland). His research interests have focused on megalithic monuments, architecture, cartography and, most especially, the history and archaeology of his native city, Galway. He has written and lectured widely on all these topics and is co-author with Jacinta Prunty of Galway c. 1200 to c. 1900: From Medieval Borough to Modern City (2015) and Galway/Gaillimh: Irish Historic Towns Atlas, No. 28 (2016), published by the Royal Irish Academy. His latest book, Renaissance Galway, will be published by the Academy in May 2019 and launched at Milwaukee Irish Fest on Sunday, August 18.