Ardkeen Library Tuesday Night Talks – “The Canadian Trial of the Century: The Story of Valentine Shortis” with Cian Manning
Ardkeen Library is delighted to welcome historian and author, Cian Manning, for a talk on “The Canadian Trial of the Century: The Story of Valentine Shortis” on Tuesday 28th April at 6:30pm as part of it’s Tuesday Night Talks series.
The Spring of 1895 saw a botched robbery take place at a cotton mill in Quebec, resulting in the deaths of two men. It led to the (then) longest-trial in Canadian Legal History. The trial itself highlighted many of the cultural tensions that characterised late-19th century Canada. Remarkably, at the centre of it was a defendant who hailed from the South-East of Ireland.
Valentine Shortis left a wealthy and respectable family in Waterford to find his place in the world across the North Atlantic, however, he reached a cross-roads that saw him turn to crime, and in taking the lives of two others, altered the rest of his days from that Spring day. His life and trial would receive much attention and scrutiny in Canada as well as in his native land.
Cian Manning is a regular contributor to Ireland’s Own, the Munster Express, as well as WLR FM. His most recent book, ‘I Love Me County’: Waterford Sporting Stories, was published by History Press in 2024.
Tuesday 28th April at 6:30pm
Free Event – Booking Required
Contact – Ardkeen Library 051 849755
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