Presbyterian Historical Society Lecture

07 May 2015, 20:00, Union Theological College, Belfast

Runs to 07 May 2015

The May lecture in Union Theological College, Belfast, on Thursday 7 May at 8.00pm will be the Robert Allen Memorial Lecture.

This will be given the Very Rev Dr Donald Patton on Archibald McIlroy, 1859-1915. 

The 7^th of May 2015 is the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania –

'Lusitania torpedoed by German Pirate. Huns carry out their threat to Murder!'

With this front page headline the Daily Mirror announced the sinking of the ocean liner by a German U-Boat off the South West coast of Ireland on May 7th, 1915.  Of the 1959 passengers and crew on board, 1198 were lost, including Ulsterman, Archibald Mcilroy.  Born near Ballyclare in 1859, he became a successful Belfast businessman, a member of Down County Council, and Presbyterian elder, who emigrated to Edmonton, Canada, in 1912, to do evangelistic work with the Presbyterian Church of Canada.  He was well-known as a writer of stories of Ulster rural life, preserving Ulster Scots dialogue in which there is a present day revival of interest, and is described as Ulster's equivalent to J.M.Barrie and Ian McLaren of the Scottish Kailyard genre.