17 November 2020
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
This week the Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley has welcomed the 400th anniversary of the foundation of Newport News in Virginia. Newport News was founded by Daniel Gookin of Carrigaline and William Neuce of Newcestown, Co Cork. A commemorative webinar led by historians and academicians in both Cork and the USA, sponsored by Cork County Council, will take place on Saturday, 21 November 2020.
Daniel Gookin and William Neuce were English settlers in the Munster Plantation who used it as a stepping stone to invest in the development of the newly founded colony of Virginia. Its history has recently been revisited in the Sky Atlantic drama series “Jamestown”. William Neuce died soon after his arrival in Virginia in November 1621, but Daniel Gookin went on to establish the successful plantation of Newport News, transporting cattle from Ireland in the process. After beginning the ‘New World’ venture, Gookin continued his interest in Cork with the family eventually moving to Courtmacsherry.
Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley said
“I am pleased to see this stellar line-up of speakers from both sides of the Atlantic, that have been brought together to explain the details and context of the English plantations in Munster and America. This is a great opportunity to learn about the impact the settlers and livestock transported from Ireland to the New World had and to explore the complexities of colonialism. This collaboration brings us closer to our transatlantic neighbors and deepens our understanding of our heritage.”
Organised by Dr. Hiram Morgan, UCC, the commemorative webinar will take place at 2.45pm 9.45pm GMT and 9.45am – 4.45pm EST on Saturday, November 21st. For more information on the event and for a link to attend, contact david.heffernan.history@gmail.com
