EVERY NAME HAS A STORY
I help people understand themselves through the stories we inherit, the names we remember, and the lives and places that history almost forgot.
Member Associations / Collaborating Organisations, Agencies and Corporations with Dr Liam Alex Heffron:
Snorkel A.I.
MAYO GAA
St Cormac’s Society
“Your insights on ... the importance of preserving local cultural traditions and heritage, and ... promoting participatory local democracy to enable local communities to build their own future were both enlightening and impactful.”
About Liam
Dr Liam A. Heffron speaking at the European Union Parliamentary Committee on Regional Development (REGI) on 9 April 2025
Dr Liam A. Heffron, M.A., Ph.D.
My work exists at the intersection of evidence and imagination.
As a historian, I search archives, records, and forgotten documents to uncover the names of people and places that might otherwise be lost to history. As an actor and writer, I explore the complex human narratives behind those names, imagining the lives they lived, the choices they faced, and the worlds they inhabited.
For more than two decades I have been collecting stories from the past, not simply to understand history, but to understand what it means to be human.
Whether speaking to policymakers in the European Parliament, helping families reconnect with their heritage, or performing on stage and screen, I am driven by the same question:
Who was this person, and what can their story teach us today?
Affiliations:
Member of the Irish Association of Professional Historians (IAPH)
Member of the UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association
Founder of St Cormac’s Society
Heritage Partner with Ancestry.com
Mayo GAA History Officer (2020-2024)
Member of Mayo County Council’s Corporate, Education, Culture, Heritage and Library Services Strategic Policy Committee (2019-2023)
Creative Momentum Regional Industry Advisory Group member - an EU transnational project to support the creative industries sector (2015-2018)
About Liam
Following his first-class honours M.A. at the University of Galway, Liam Alex was awarded a Ph.D. in History for his pioneering research into the social causes of the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War in North Mayo. He has published his work in the books No Revolution: Igniting War in North Mayo, 1917-1923 and Spirit of Revolution, Ireland from below, 1917–1923. In 2025, he worked with COPE Galway to research the complex story of this respected non-profit in COPE Galway: 60 Years Improving Lives, Strengthening Community (2025).
Dr Heffron was one of the invited experts who addressed the European Union Parliamentary Committee on Regional Development (REGI) on 9 April 2025 regarding depopulation challenges in European regions. His research on building participatory democracy and self-sustaining communities to mitigate cultural loss arising from demographic change was warmly received by committee members.
Liam Alex has provided historical research and content authenticity services for television and film productions, including the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? and RTÉ’s The Battle for Rural Ireland. As founder of As a founder of St Cormac’s (Heritage) Society, he has led efforts to protect and promote the heritage of his native west of Ireland.
Aside from his academic work, Dr Heffron is an experienced and professionally trained actor. He recently experienced life imitating art when portraying the sceptical historian Finbarr in the award-winning feature film Prospect House (2023). He also writes a weekly column on his Substack, Name Collector.
Whether researching a forgotten ancestor or placename, advising a television production, writing about A.I. research, or bringing a character to life on stage or screen, Liam is driven by the same question: what are the authentic stories behind these names of people and places?
In a collaboration with Liam Alex, Ancestry.com launched the largest online collection of historical Irish School Registers — for which work he was awarded the University of Galway Explore Campus Innovation award. In this Digital Humanities project, Dr Heffron managed the collection and digital archiving of over a million records from obsolete pupil registers from west of Ireland schools.
While Mayo GAA history officer he also founded the www.mayogaahistory living history project, to create an online repository for heritage records of GAA sports clubs and their supporters, in county Mayo, Ireland.
Finally, during his early years at technical college, Liam invented the patented GASEC toxic gas detection system which has saved several lives on farms from lethal hydrogen-sulphide gas poisoning — and is a whole other adventure in storytelling!
Talk topics
KEYNOTE
EVERY NAME HAS A STORY
Finding Meaning, Identity & Connection in an A.I. Age
In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, A.I., and digital noise, what does it mean to be human?
Drawing on his unique experiences as a historian, actor, writer, and Name Collector, Dr Liam Alex Heffron explores how the stories we inherit, the names we remember, and the lives that history almost forgot continue to shape our identities today.
Through powerful historical examples, personal stories, and thought-provoking insights, audiences discover why understanding the people who came before us can help us navigate uncertainty, strengthen community, and find deeper meaning in our own lives.
As technology transforms how we work, communicate, and create, the qualities that make us uniquely human—our creativity, empathy, imperfections, and capacity for authentic connection—become more valuable than ever. In an age when many feel disconnected from community and purpose, Liam argues that meaning is found not in perfection or technology, but in relationships, belonging, and the stories we tell.
This keynote is an invitation to rediscover what connects us across generations and to recognise that every life, however ordinary it may seem, leaves a history worth remembering, in our shared human story.
KEYNOTE
BEING THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN LIFE
Why the Most Important Roles Are Rarely the Leading Ones
Modern culture encourages us to become the star of our own story. Social media encourages “Main Character Syndrome”. Yet the people who have the greatest impact on our lives are often those working quietly behind the scenes.
Drawing on his experiences as an actor, historian, entrepreneur, and community advocate, Liam challenges the modern obsession with status, visibility, and personal branding. Instead, he reveals how the most meaningful contributions often come from those who choose to support, mentor, encourage, and elevate others.
In acting, if the supporting actors are not authentically supporting the main story, then even with award-winning lead performances, the production just does not work. Same is true of life.
Through humour, storytelling, and practical insights, audiences learn how embracing the “supporting role” can lead to stronger leadership, deeper relationships, greater fulfilment, and a lasting legacy.
This keynote is a powerful reminder that significance is not measured by how brightly we shine, but by how many others shine because of us.
WORKSHOP
BECOMING A NAME COLLECTOR
How to Discover, Preserve and Share the Stories That Matter
Every person, community and place contains stories worth preserving.
In this practical and inspiring workshop, historian, actor, writer, and Name Collector Dr Liam Alex Heffron teaches the young and old how to uncover forgotten stories, preserve historical records, and use modern tools—including artificial intelligence—to bring the past to life for future generations.
Drawing on his experience digitising more than one million historical records and building innovative heritage projects, Liam provides practical techniques for research, interviewing, storytelling, archiving, and digital preservation. Participants learn how to uncover the names of people and places that might otherwise be lost to history, and how to transform records, memories, and fragments of evidence into compelling narratives that connect communities across generations.
Participants leave with the skills, confidence, and inspiration to become active guardians of memory in their own families, organisations, and communities.
Because every name has a story.
Testimonials
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“Your insights on ... the importance of preserving local cultural traditions and heritage, and ... promoting participatory local democracy to enable local communities to build their own future were both enlightening and impactful.”
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“A superb idea... I’m very impressed. The country needs more innovators like Liam.” — discussing technology and heritage solutions at WestBIC, Galway, 22 Nov 2013.
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“Your expertise, infectious enthusiasm and sense of fun contributed immensely to our ‘An American Story: Race. Amity and the Other Tradition’ seminar — and provided a great balance to the equally outstanding talks by William Smith and Don Mullan. Thank you for a night we are not likely to forget.”
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“…we had a dynamic and moving event and we are on the cusp of something lasting and important.” — joint-organiser of ‘A Call for Irish American Family Stories; Emigration, Separation and Resistance’ seminar.
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“Thank you very much for your help this evening [with your lecture on PJ Ruttledge TD, at the Jackie Clarke Collection, Ballina] Kindest Regards. Dara”
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“Liam, Thank you for your time and all your work, its super appreciated on my end!... The show isn’t made without people like yourself.”
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“The Ballina Salmon Festival Heritage Day Seminar was a huge success… Thank you Liam for your wonderful talk and hosting the event, the audience loved it!”
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“It was an absolute pleasure to film with you [Liam] I think it is going to be a brilliant part of the documentary.”
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“Liam Alex Heffron provides an analytical review of the pre- and post-independence activities of its local republicans [i]n a fine piece of local history…”
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“Working with Liam was, and will continue to be, an exciting and emotional journey into our family’s past … I cannot recommend him highly enough.”
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“[Liam’s] depth of experience in historical research meant that it was fascinating to tease out fact from hearsay. This was done in a friendly way that was balanced and intriguing. His local knowledge is exceptional and his own enthusiasm was obvious…
He is a good communicator [and] enabled us to enjoy and see far more than we ever could have achieved on our own. He was able to share his knowledge of the people, countryside, properties and made the whole experience a great adventure for us.”
Let’s connect
Irish Prime Minister, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, connecting with Liam Alex.
For Acting related bookings contact:
Liam Alex Heffron is represented by Avalon Artists:
3435 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1160, Los Angeles, CA 90010 T: (323) 692-1700 |
225 West 35th Street, Suite 1701 New York, NY 10001 T: (212) 868-3200 |
For Speaking, Workshops & Coaching related queries, let’s schedule a Discovery Call:
Education:
Ph.D. History
University of Galway, Ireland
M.A. History (with first class honours)
University of Galway, Ireland
Dip. Electronic Engineering (with distinction)
Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland
Publications:
COPE Galway: 60 Years Improving Lives, Strengthening Community (COPE Galway, 2025)
‘Contested Space: The revolutionary intersection of land hunger, memory and social justice impulse, within a rural west of Ireland community’ (PhD - Galway University, 2023).
‘Moygownagh ‘C’ Co. IRA’ in Spirit of Revolution; Ireland from Below, 1917-1923 (Four Courts Press, 2023)
No Revolution: Igniting war in North Mayo, 1917-1923 (Mayo County Library, 2018)
The Tinker's Blade (Stage Play: An Taibhdhearc, Galway, 2006)
1798, The Year of the French (Stage Play: Galway Town Hall Theatre, 2008)
Journal Articles:
History Ireland, Saothar: Journal of Irish Labour History, The Vineyard: Killala Diocesan Newspaper, Cathair na Mart, Journal of the Westport Historical Society.