About me

I grew up and went to school in Mohill. I currently live in Dublin, though spend as much time as possible in Mohill. After a career in business, start-ups and consulting, in 2024 I completed a PhD in History at UCD. I now split my time between being a chartered director, business consulting, and history and heritage work as well as not-for-profit volunteer work - including the YoungHistorian programme in Leitrim schools. Follow me at www.linkedin.com/in/fionaslevin/ and @historyfiona

Research

My research focuses on how Mohill and other small rural towns developed in the aftermath of the Famine.

I am especially interested in ordinary people, their work, income, way of life. I am also interested in the impact of emigration and the role of diaspora remittances in sustaining rural communities.

I am a member of the Economic and Social History Society of Ireland, Irish Association of Professional Historians and Women's History Association of Ireland. In 2025, I was awarded a bursary by the IAPH to conduct research on The Reynolds Letters, an archive of letters by an emigrant Mohill family.


Historical talks and lectures

I am a regular speaker at academic conferences and local history societies, and at EPIC Irish Emigration Museum.

In 2023, I was awarded the ESHSI New Researchers Prize for my paper on women's occupations and work in nineteenth century Ireland. I have also contributed to the Rippling Effects of the Great Irish Famineseries.

Some examples of my talks are recorded here >>>


Publications

Books

I have published a number of books about Mohill and south Leitrim in the 19th century: more information here >>>


Articles

As well as the articles published here, I have written a number of pieces for publications like the Leitrim Guardian, including


Website

This website, the various articles and the books are labours of love. All have emerged from research conducted over decades. I do try to maintain the website, but please excuse any errors or out-of-date links.

Please feel free to contact me. And if you'd like to read more than the articles here, please do buy the book.

Consulting

I use a range of approaches to engage people in history, from film-making to guided trails, to digital storymapping.


Family history

I offer research and group talks to families to provide context for their emigrant story. May aim is to tell the family's story, going beyond genealogy and family trees to provide contextual, personalised stories that bring the past to life.

Gilbane family history

In October 2025, I worked with the Gilbane family to unearth the story of their Leitrim ancestors who had emigrated to Rhode Island in the late 1840s.

Bohan family gathering

At a gathering of the Bohan family, I spoke about the life and landscape that their ancestors would have experienced and why emigration to the US was seen as inevitable.

‘the group enjoyed the talk very much; all the information was eye opening, relevant and enriched our understanding’

Julie Bohan

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