Lurgan Ancestry is proud to be able to host this section of Lurgan histories which have been compiled by Jim McIlmurray. These little gems that Jim has collected over many years, gives a real insight into the Lives and Times of Lurgan People.

Jim McIlmurray was born in William Street Lurgan in 1959. His father was a well tailor in the town. He retired a few years ago after a career of 26 years in Psychiatry at Craigavon hospital.

Jim first became interested in local history in the late 1970’s, inspired by who he still refers to as the father of local history, the late Charlie Lavery, a barber from Edward Street. Besides local history, Jim’s other interests are the history of World conflict, mainly both World Wars. His main passion though is Irish history. He has amassed a considerable collection of artefacts relating to these subjects over the years, and up until a few years ago hosted a number of successful public exhibitions and public talks.

Most of his time these days are spent working in the pursuance of Human Rights, he is a great admirer of the work carried out by Amnesty International and the International Red Cross, the work he does is known to both organisations. He has been involved in the coordination of a number of high profile Human Rights cases in recent years.

He believes passionately that we have a duty to preserve our history for future generations. Over the Spring & Summer of 2015, Jim was part of the group that undertook the restoration of the historical Dougher cemetery in Lurgan.

Our thanks to Jim for his kindness in giving us permission to publish these stories here. Click on the links on the right hand side of this page to read some of the wonderful Lives and Times of Lurgan!