Thursday 29 January: Guest Speaker Paul Clements on Montalto History and his 'Year in the Woods'

Lecale & Downe Historical Society to Hear Tales from Montalto at its First Meeting of 2026

Meetings of the Lecale & Downe Historical Society resume on Thursday 29 January at 7.30pm in Down County Museum when the guest speaker will be Paul Clements. The well-known writer and journalist will recount the year he spent living in a cottage in the Montalto woods of County Down. The talk focuses on aspects of the 260-year-old history of the Ballynahinch mansion house where five dynasties have lived, and which was the scene of the final showdown in Ulster between the United Irishmen and the government forces in June 1798. This is a local study of historic change in one place and reflects how the Montalto estate has become a magnificent 21st century showpiece garden that is once again as compelling as its past and worthy of the 18th century heritage from which it stems. 

Paul’s evocative and beautifully illustrated book A Year in the Woods: Montalto Through the Seasons was published by Merrion Press in 2025. Copies of the book, priced at £17.99, will be available to purchase on the night (cash, cheque or bank transfer all accepted).

The talk is free for members of the Lecale & Downe Historical Society and guests are most welcome (entry is £5 and includes tea/coffee). Copies of the recently published Lecale Review will be on sale at a cost of £12 to non-members. The 108-page journal is a feast of local scholarship and is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Lecale and the wider County Down.