News | Upcoming Events | Podcasts | The Tobacco Fields of Meath by Liam Nevin

The Tobacco Fields of Meath | Public Lecture and Podcast Interview with Liam Nevin

– A History of Tobacco Growing in Ireland Is Recalled –

The Kells Lecture Series that is to take place next Wednesday (31st July) will feature a talk by Liam Nevin on The Tobacco Fields of Meath. Liam is the author of the book by the same name. The lecture will take place in Donaghpatrick Hall at 8pm. Full details about the event are available to download here.

Earlier this week, Liam spoke to Daire Nelson of LMFM, about the background to the book and the history of tobacco growing in Ireland. A podcast of the interview is available to listen to online.

Liam's interest in the subject stems from the fact that his grandfather, John Nevin, was a key figure in the Randlestown experiment that saw tobacco grown commercially in County Meath at the turn of the 20th century. The entreprise continued well into the 1920s before it was finally abandoned. Realising the importance of the historical record contained in John Nevin's papers was what motivated Liam to write The Tobacco Fields of Meath. It is a fascinating account of Irish families at the turn of the twentieth century, struggling to make a go of a new crop in order to improve the lives of ordinary people and control the massive problem of unemployment and its consequence – emigration.