Damned Nonsense' is an illustrated talk by Ulster Museum curator Kenneth James which will take place in Enniskillen Library on Thursday 8th May at 8.00pm. The talk by Kenneth James focusses on the remarkable geological career of the third Earl of Enniskillen (1807 – 86).

The third earl, born Viscount William Willoughby Cole, went up to Oxford University in 1826, where he enrolled in the classes of Dean William Buckland the eccentric but inspiring Professor of Geology. This gave him an enduring passion for geology.

In 1830, Cole whilst on a 'Grand Tour' of the continent, made a chance encounter with a scientist in Munich Museum which resulted in his lifelong obsession for fossil fish. The scientist was Louis Agassiz, who was working on the evolution of fish.

He suggested to Cole that he could help by making a collection of all the fish fossils of the world.

Cole returned home and began filling up Florence Court with hundreds of examples of fossil fish. His father took a dim view of this which he regarded as a lot of "Damned Nonsense!"

He changed his mind though, in the summer of 1835, when he met his son's geological companions and discovered "that the hammer bearers are such a jolly sort".

Viscount Cole, who became the third Earl of Enniskillen in 1840, fitted out a room at Florence Court as a museum to display his specimens, which in time became the biggest collection of fish fossils in private hands. It drew many famous scientists to Florence Court to study it. Today it is held in the Natural History Museum, London, where it is still important to science.

"Damned Nonsense!" is at 8.00pm in Enniskillen Library on Thursday 8 May 2008, lasts 40 minutes and admission is free.

After the talk there will be discussion and an opportunity to examine a recently discovered Enniskillen family photographic album, dating from the 1860s.