October, 2022
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Mannion Collection Digitalised
Danny Dowling (1927-2021) often spoke fondly of his friend John Mannion, and they corresponded for decades concerning local people who worked or emigrated to Newfoundland. Professor Mannion, and his wife Maura, were frequent visitors with Danny and Mollie in Glenmore Village. We are pleased to help spread the word that the work to digitalise Professor’s Mannion’s hand written note cards and records has been completed and can be accessed at www.mannioncollection.cawww . These extensive records will be invaluable to anyone reasearching family that emigrated to Newfoundland. Below is a press release for tomorrow that provides more details concerning the records.
Taoiseach launches invaluable “Mannion Collection” records
PRESS RELEASE – SEPTEMBER 5, 2022
Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD was in Cork City Hall today to launch “The Mannion Collection” project, being the digitised version of the very extensive records held by Dr. John Mannion, retired Galway-born Professor of Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland and his wife and research partner, Maura, reflecting their lifetimes’ work on Irish emigration to, and settlement in Newfoundland.
The project was jointly funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade and the Provincial Government of Newfoundland & Labrador and contains almost 160,000 records of individuals and families who migrated from South-East Ireland and settled in Newfoundland, primarily in the years 1765 – 1835.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD officially launched the project in the presence of Patrick Mannion, Cllr. Deirdre Forde, Lord Mayor of Cork and Her Excellency, the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, Ms. Nancy Smyth. Waterford City & County Mayor, Cllr. John O’Leary was also in attendance.
An Taoiseach stated:
“I was delighted to be asked to officiate at this launch which expresses the spirit of the second sentence of Article 2 of our Constitution, revised as part of the Good Friday Agreement, that now reads: ‘‘… the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage.”
Moreover, I thoroughly enjoyed the examples of genealogy and that ‘completion of the circle’ of information which this dataset allows. We are seeing names and details and information here that will go a long way in strengthening relations and cultural ties between our two islands, and that can only be a positive thing.”
The digitisation work was carried out by dedicated technical staff at the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency in St. John’s, the NL Government’s central statistics agency. The project was co-managed and led by the Agency and Memorial University’s Dr. Sean Cadigan, with collaboration and support of the NL Irish Connections and Irish Newfoundland Connections groups.
Visiting Ireland for the launch, chairman of cultural body Newfoundland-Labrador Irish Connections, Councillor Ralph Tapper of Torbay, NL stated:
“The value of this record set cannot be underestimated, both from an Irish viewpoint and from a Newfoundland one … these are records from pre-Famine times that simply don’t exist elsewhere and are now available for researchers at home and abroad to fill in the gaps in their family history.”
The website holds extensive information on the largest single migration from a small confined geographical area – that of Southeast Ireland – to another small confined geographical area in Newfoundland.
The Cork launch was hosted by Waterford based group Ireland-Newfoundland Connections, who since 2005, along with its Canadian counterpart, Newfoundland and Labrador Irish Connections, has operated annual cultural and social gatherings in both places, alternating between South-East Ireland and the Irish heritage areas of Newfoundland, with over 60 communities in Ireland and 40 in Newfoundland and over 1,000 participants taking part so far.
The official launch of the project sees all these records available for the first time on a free to access on-line portal, now available at the URLwww.mannioncollection.cawww
Special thanks to Richard Corcelli for sending this press release to us. The featured emigration drawing above is by Henry Doyle (1868) courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Wallsh
Queen of the Plough 1958: Peggy Mullally (c. 1932-1997) of Davidstown, Glenmore
The Glenmore Ploughing Association was established in 1938. For further information see our previous post of 7 March 2021. Within a couple of decades Glenmore was well represented in ploughing competitions. The Irish Press noted in 1960 that one Glenmore farm produced four plough champions who won every competition at local, county and national levels in recent years under the National Ploughing Association rules (Sat. 2 April 1960, p. 4). This farm was the Mullally Farm of Davidstown, Glenmore. Today, we are going to feature Peggy Mullally. In 1958, twenty years after the Glenmore Ploughing Association was formed, four years after women were allowed to compete under National Ploughing Association rules, and just two years after taking up ploughing, Peggy won the title “Queen of the Plough.” Peggy was one of 11 children of Thomas Mullally (c. 1897-1951) and Johanna Mullally née Walsh (c. 1898-1983). In addition to her prowess at ploughing Peggy was described as “an excellent horsewoman,” she hunted and jumped and was fond of a game of golf (Irish Press, Wed. 28 Jan. 1959).
Special thanks to Tommy and Essie Mullally for sharing their memories and newspaper clippings. We had a wonderful visit.
National Ploughing Championship 1958
In 1956 Peggy started ploughing. Her brother Tommy confirmed last week that she had no experience of ploughing on the farm. She attended ploughing competitions with her brothers, and subsequently joined in the tractor ploughing competitions. In 1956, Peggy placed 10th in the National Competition. In 1957, at Boyle she secured third place (Irish Press, Wed. 28 Jan. 1959). According to the Irish Press, the title of Queen of the Plough was to be hotly contested in 1958. In 1957 there were joint Queens, Eileen Duffy of Galway and Muriel Sutton of Wickow, but the national newspaper stated that Peggy, “the sister of the holder of the men’s championship” was a strong contender for the 1958 crown (Wed. 12 Feb. 1958, p. 11.)
The 1958 National Ploughing Championship was held on the 12th and 13th of February at Tramore. Just before her class started a stranger gave Peggy a sprig of white heather saying that it would bring her good luck. Peggy wore it throughout the competition. Peggy drove an Allgaire tractor and used a Star plough that was manufactured in Wexford. Peggy won the crown as “Queen of the Plough” at Tramore in 1958, and was presented with a silver crown. At the same time another County Kilkenny woman won “Queen of the Dough.” Mrs. Elizabeth Gorey, the widow of Denis J. Gorey, T.D., Burnchurch House, Cuffesgrange won first prize in the National Wholemeal Bread making Competition. The attack in June 1922 on the Gorey home was featured in our previous blog post on 6 June 2022.
Other successful Kilkenny competitors at Tramore included Peggy’s twin brothers. The Munster Express stated “great credit is also due to the twin brothers, Richard and Thomas Mullally, Glenmore, who secured second place for Kilkenny in the senior two furrow tractor event,” (Fri. 21 Feb. 1958, p. 4). Tommy Mullally recalled last week that there was terrible mud at Tramore in 1958.
Prizes and Appearances
At Tramore Peggy was crowned at a dance held at the conclusion of the championships. The gown that she wore for her cornation was given by Shaws of Waterford and was made of 25 yards of fabric. Unlike previous Queens, Peggy during her reign made several appearances and even travelled internationally. Several newspapers commented on her appearance, and the advertised dowry of £100 for Plough Queens who married during their rein. The only catch was that the dowry was only paid if the Queen had not attained her 25th birthday on the date of the wedding. Peggy wore the silver crown and her gown when she led a parade in March 1958 through the streets of Dublin driving a tractor. A victory dinner dance was organised by the County Kilkenny Ploughing Committee in April. The victory dance was held at the Mayfair Ballroom in Kilkenny city and Peggy was presented with an inscribed clock by the County Ploughing Committee (Kilkenny People, Sat. 26 April 1958, p. 9). The music was rendered by Sean O’Connor and his band from Cork featuring electric organ and violin (Munster Express, Fri. 18 April 1958, p. 4).
At the Spring Show held at the RDS in Ballsbridge in May 1958, the then Minister for Agriculture, Paddy Smith, presented the national ploughing winners with trophies. Peggy was presented with a silver bracelet by ALG Tractors, Ltd., Borris-in-Ossory, Laois, in recognition of her work with an Allgaier tractor (Irish Independent, Fri. 9 May 1958, p. 5).
Although no photo or article could be found regarding Peggy’s appearance in a Cork parade we did locate the following article. “Efforts are being pursued through the initiative of a progressive garage owner at the eastern end of the town to have Peggy Mullally, Kilkenny, “Ireland’s Queen of the Plough” driving in the parade. She will be awarded a £100 dowry if she will marry during the twelve months of winning her title. Perhaps on Wednesday next she will make the acquaintance of a West Cork man and collect her £100 prize” (Southern Star, Sat. 13 Sept. 1958, p. 3).
The Waterford News & Star announced that “The Queen Goes to Germany.” Peggy was leaving to spend “a holiday in Germany.” The trip was sponsored by Porsche Diesel Tractors, Ltd. The article stated that Peggy used a Porsche tractor during the Tramore championships (26 Sept. 1958, p. 6). Peggy left on the 30th of September via Dublin airport and flew into Zurich for a week’s holiday (Irish Press, 1 Oct 1958, p. 6). Both Allgaier and Porsche were German companies. At the end of the Second World War, Porsche Diesel Company was supplying engines to Allgaier for its tractors. Porsche took over the tractor manufacturing in 1957, but ceased production in 1963.
National Ploughing Championship 1959
In January just a few weeks before the 1959 Championships it was announced that Peggy would not defend her crown. In 1959, the Championship was held in Burnchurch, Co. Kilkenny on the 28th and 29th of January. It was announced in Waterford that Peggy only recently returned from a tour of Germany, where she was guest at International ploughing contests and had no time to practice for the Championship” (Irish Press, Wed. 7 Jan. 1959, p. 4). It appears that Peggy after her week long vacation in October returned to Germany to attend International ploughing contests.
In spite of having had little time for training, Peggy competed in 1959 and came in second overall. She also won the prize for the best furrow (Kilkenny People Sat, 7 Feb. 1959, p. 4).
Although Peggy did not win the £100 dowry or meet a West Cork man, she did meet and marry a farmer from the Kilclareen,Templemore, Tipperary, Eugene Laffan and the couple had a daughter. Peggy Laffan née Mullally died in 1997, and her obituary is available on our obituary page under her married name Laffan.
Kilkenny Victory Dinner Dance 1958–(Front left to right, seated) Mick Muldowney, Jo Mullally Prendergast, Seamus Mullally, Queen Peggy, Richie Mullally, Maura Mullally Kelly, James Kelly, ? (Second row of 9: Kathy Vereker, Nola O’Donoghue, Tommy Ryan, Molly Doherty?, Mary Barron, Mary Fitzgerald, johnny Vereker, Tom Cuddihy, Richie Doherty (Third Row) profile Statia Ryan, Mickey Murphy, Mikey Barron, Dick Cody, Paul Fitzgerald (middle of mirror), Paddy Griffin, Jimmy Prendergast, Paddy Culleton, Tom Aylward
Please send additional information or corrections to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
The featured photo above of Peggy wearing her crown was taken at her coronation at Tramore and published in the Farmer’s Journal (22 Feb. 1958, p. 25). Murphy Motors of Glenmore sold Allgaier tractors. See our previous post of 27 June 2020 regarding Michael Murphy of Murphy Motors.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh