June, 2022

Today, we are going to feature information that Danny Dowling (1927-2021) recorded regarding the residents of the townland of Jamestown, Glenmore around 1961.

O’Kelly’s Place Names

Although we usually provide some of the entry for various townlands as reflected in O’Kelly’s, The Place Names of the County of Kilkenny (1969, p. 102) below is the entire entry: “Jamestown, Baile Sheamoc, little James’s homestead. Area 293 acres. Ballyguirrim ruined church is here with its adjoining churchyard. There is a well north of the church called Tobar an tsagairt. Dan Dowling, a local historian who has made tape-recordings of cures, charms and folklore from old residents over a wide area states that it was a custom up to 50 years ago for passers-by to leave a stone at the two sceach bushes growing near the old main road to New Ross. Boithrin sean-Philib is the name of a laneway here. Field names are Drom gabhar, and the Robbers’ field“.

Last Native Irish Speaker in Glenmore

When Danny was about ten years old his family moved from Glenmore Village to the Dowling farm in Jamestown. We previously published an article regarding Danny’s colourful great-grandmother Biddy Neddy Cody (Bridget Dowling née Cody (1831-1916) or often referred to in newspapers as the Widow Dowling.

Jamestown is also the townland where Patrick Power (c. 1856-1942) the last native Irish speaker in the parish resided. The National Folklore Collection, housed at UCD has the recording of Pádraig de Paor, from Jamestown, Glenmore (archival reference NFC 323: 174-183). Patrick was 85 at the time of the recording. It is available to read online, most of the 9 pages are in Irish.

1961

In 1961, Danny recorded eleven families or households in the townland of Jamestown. With respect to Danny’s list of residents’ birthdates or birth years are provided for some of the older residents gleaned from available public records. For some time after drafting his notebook, Danny recorded the dates of death or simply recorded that a resident had died.  The recorded information reveals that 46 people resided in Jamestown with the population of 28 males and 18 females. The largest family recorded was the Dowling family comprised of 9 persons and there were 2 households of a single person.

Recorded Residents

Males= 28
Females= 18
Eldest Recorded Resident= Michael Greene (1873-1962). In 1961 Michael was 88 years of age.

Recorded Work

Farmers= 3 ( 2 males; 1 female)
Farm/Agricultural Workers/Labourers= 12 (all males)
Labourers= 1 (male)
Creamery Worker =  (male)
Bookkeeper = 1  (female)

JAMESTOWN’S RESIDENTS

[1] POWER
Power, John (10 Feb. 1893) Farm Labourer

[2] POWER
Power, Michael (2 Nov. 1905) Farm Labourer
Power, (no first name recorded) wife

[3] DOWLING

Dowling, Hannah (25 March 1903) Farmer
Dowling, Daniel (15 Feb. 1927) son, health inspector
Dowling, Michael, son, farm worker
Dowling, Bridget, daughter, bookkeeper
Dowling, Edward, son, farm worker
Dowling, Margaret, daughter (married 25 Oct. 1961)
Dowling, Patrick, son, farm worker
Dowling, John, son, farm worker
Dowling, Ellen, daughter

[4] GREENE

Greene, Patrick (18 May 1912) Farmer
Greene, Bridget (14 Aug. 1913) wife
Greene, Michael, son, farm worker
Greene, William, son
Greene, Patrick, son
Greene, Margaret, daughter
Greene, Bridget, daughter
Greene, Michael (12 March 1873) cousin, retired (died 16 March 1962)

[5] WALSH

Walsh, Thomas (5 June 1886) Farmer
Walsh, Catherine (24 Sept. 1898) wife
Walsh, John, son, farm worker
Walsh, Patrick, son, farm worker
Walsh, Mary, daughter

[6] MURPHY

Murphy, Michael, Labourer
Murphy, Bridget, wife

[7] POWER/MALONE

Power, Mary (10 March 1885)
Malone, Michael, son-in-law, farm worker
Malone, Margaret, daughter
Malone, Henry, grandson

[8] MERNAGH

Mernagh, Thomas, Creamery Worker
Mernagh, Catherine, wife
Mernagh, Mary, daughter

[9] MERNAGH

Mernagh, John (19 Dec. 1921) Farm Worker
Mernagh, Johanna, wife
Mernagh, Edward, son, farm worker 
Mernagh, Patrick, son
Mernagh, Margaret, daughter
Mernagh, James, son
Mernagh, Liam, son
Mernagh, Kieran, son

[10] POWER

Power, Michael (12 Dec. 1882) Farm Labourer

[11] DOYLE

Doyle, Laurence
Doyle, Johanna, wife
Doyle, Nicholas, son

Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com. The featured photo above is the entrance to Ballygurrim Graveyard of Jamestown. The photo was taken in June 2020.

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh