Was a Bristolian freed from a German prison camp in return for a ransom paid in Woodbines? Was a building decorated with the actual head of an 18th century terrorist? Is there a plague pit under Primark? Were the unicorns on City Hall a deliberate insult to one of the architect’s rivals?
Eugene Byrne has been collecting tall tales from Bristol’s distant and recent past for decades, from old books and newspapers and from pub yarns which the storyteller swore happened to a “friend of a friend”.
Then there are the stories told in newsrooms which editors insisted were published with the disclaimer that they were “too good to check”.
Eugene will be looking at just a few of these, and trying to make sense of why they originated, and what they tell us between the lines.
Eugene Byrne has worked as a journalist and historian in Bristol since the 1980s. He has written several books and is a regular contributor to BBC History magazine as well as editing the Bristol Post’s weekly Bristol Times supplement. He is a Visiting Research Fellow at UWE.
Venue: The Apostle Room, Clifton Catholic Cathedral, Pembroke Road, BS8 3BX.
Wine and soft drinks from 7.15pm.
Members entrance: £2: guests and visitors: £5.
Contact Nigel Currie for further details: [email protected]
