Kildare County Council to Unveil The Ballitore Papers on the 200th Anniversary of Mary Leadbeater’s death
Kildare County Council’s County Archives and Local Studies service will unveil The Ballitore Papers, a new online resource, at Ballitore Community Library at 2pm on Saturday, 27 June 2026. The collection will be officially launched by Cathaoirleach of the Athy Municipal District, Councillor Ivan Keatley.
Launched to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of Mary Leadbeater, a remarkable Quaker author from Ballitore, The Ballitore Papers is an archival collection documenting the lives, networks, and cultural contributions of Ireland’s Quaker community. It includes letters, diaries, notebooks, and personal memorabilia relating to the Shackleton, Leadbeater, and Barrington families.
2026 also marks the 300th anniversary of the founding of the boarding school at Ballitore by Abraham Shackleton, Mary Leadbeater’s grandfather and an ancestor of Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic explorer.
To commemorate these two important anniversaries, Kildare Library Service has also republished a revised edition of Mary Leadbeater’s best-known work, Annals of Ballitore, which it previously made available in 2009. This revised edition will introduce her work to a new audience of readers. The book will be officially launched in Ballitore Community Library by renowned playwright and novelist John MacKenna, who wrote its introductory article, "Mary Leadbeater and the Quaker influence in Ballitore."
Following the launch, courtesy of Kildare Library Service, there will be an opportunity to join John MacKenna on a walk through the village, ‘In the footsteps of Mary Leadbeater’.
The unveiling of The Ballitore Papers online resource and the launch of Annals of Ballitore (2026 reprint) will take place at 2pm as part of a wider programme of local celebrations, commencing at 1pm.
Karel Kiely, Archivist, Kildare County Council warmly welcomes the opportunity to engage with the local Festival on Saturday in Ballitore; “We are delighted to commemorate Mary Leadbeater and once again draw attention to the written legacy of this remarkable woman. Our beautiful library and museum is situated in the Mary Leadbeater House and celebrates her life and the broader Quaker connection with Ballitore. We are proud of that connection and of the newfound interest in Ballitore with the Shackleton Experience in Athy. There has been a real upsurge in visitors to the library and to the village. We hope that the rich archive of select material published online today, will further increase interest in the lives of the Quakers who lived in Ballitore and how they helped shape the community that we serve today.”
This event is supported by Kildare County Council and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
