Medal Society of Ireland

The week 14^th- 21^st March has seen a number of firsts, major success stories, for Ireland. On the racing field of Cheltenham, Irish horses won 23 of the 28 races, with trainer William Mullins winning the leading trainer award and Rachael Blackmore, the leading jockey award - the first woman ever to win this award - and Henry De Bromhead the Irish trainer winning all three festival feature races: Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup. On the rugby field at the Aviva Stadium, Ireland beat our neighbour and sporting rival, England, by 32 points to 18. On a lesser level, but still a first, the MSOI launched its Zoom lecture programme and this too has proved to be a major success. Both Cheltenham and the Aviva Stadium were without an audience but our first zoom lecture attracted an audience greater than some previous in person lectures organised by the MSOI. All concerned can be very proud of their work with the MSOI and the society is grateful to everyone who attended to bring about this success.

On Monday 15th March our Zoom lecture programme was launched. Here, for the benefit of those who could not attend, is a brief summary of the content of the lectures. It is hoped in the near future that the event will be available to view on the MSOI website.

The opening welcome and address was by Pat Casey, President of the Medal Society of Ireland. He informed us of his medal collecting history and in particular the influence of the late Oliver D Cresswell (RIP) Belfast, whose book Irish Medals changed his focus and research methods on his medal collecting. A few copies of this book are still available and can be obtained through the Society Secretary and Pat recommended it to all serious collectors. Two key note speakers followed:

Darrell’s presentation began with a general introduction to collecting medals. This included topics such as deciding what medals to collect and where to obtain them. Darrell used photographic slides of the Queen’s South Africa medal to examine the parts of a medal and the varying styles of naming to be found on them. He then presented to the audience a World War One 1914-15 trio that was his first ever medal purchase and explored the research potential for such a group, including the use of various genealogical websites in building a story of the person behind the medals. Darrell encouraged collectors to interact with Society members to discuss medals and research in order to enhance their own knowledge and get the most out of the hobby. The following two publications were strongly recommended:

• British Battles and Medals 7th edition by John Hayward, Diana Birch and Richard Bishop
• The Great War Medal Collectors Companion by Howard Wilkinson

Austin Fennessy

Austin’s presentation covered the wider spectrum of militaria collecting. Military cap badges, army insignia, bayonets, uniforms and weapons were all touched upon with many slides illustrating the items to the audience. Austin then focused on military buttons and gave an interesting insight into their manufacture and history. He also remarked on their suitability for young collectors or those on a budget due to their reasonable price. Austin recommended the following publications:

• Buttons of the Irish Militia 1793-1881 by Joe McDonnell
• The Insignia of the Irish Officers Training Corps by Joe McDonnell
• Collecting metal Shoulder titles by Ray Westlake

A discussion with question and answer session followed, over-running the allocated time, demonstrating the interest generated and the success of the event. A number of proposals were made for future presentations.

• Future proposal

One suggestion put forward was a Show and Tell section of future Zoom presentations allowing participants a few moments to both show and give a brief talk on an item from their collection. It is envisaged that around 3 such opportunities would follow a key note speaker and each last for 5 - 10 minutes. 

We now seek volunteers willing to participate in this type of presentation for future Zoom events.

Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your proposed topic and contact details in order to create a panel and schedule for future events.

• Photographic Quiz

This proved to be of interest to members and the winning member was Gerard Little, Killiney, Dublin with an impressive 26 points out of 30 making him the outright winner. Congratulations! Our sincere thanks goes to Paul Field of Bayonets and Bullets (www.bayonetsandbullets.co.uk) for both preparing the quiz and awarding the €25 prize for the winner. The solutions to the quiz are attached to this Newsletter.

• Feedback and Membership Fees

We convey a special thank you to those members who have provided feedback on the February Newsletter. We also thank those who have paid their 2021 membership fee. Some members who joined online will have their fees automatically collected by Paypal, all others with payment outstanding should refer to the options at the end of this Newsletter.

• Virtual Fair

Further discussion has taken place on the possibility of holding virtual fairs, and more information will be provided in due course.

• Journal

Please remember that the next issue of the journal is due out imminently. It will only be posted to those members who are currently subscribed. Articles for future journals are requested. Original, well researched articles, including reference to sources, are welcome.