January, 2024

Glenmore only featured in a couple of local newspaper articles in January 1924. We have also included some local newspaper articles that illustrate what Glenmore people were reading or experiencing one hundred years ago. The original words and phrases of the newspaper articles have been utilized where possible.

The New Year: Past Reminders

In Waterford “the New Year was ushered in by the shrill shriek of engine whistles, the hooting of steamer sirens, and the creation of the customary pandemonium. ..Christ Church Cathedral chimes pealed forth as usual, but their dulcet tones were easily drowned by the fearful noise created, and were not heard except by those who happened to be in the immediate vicinity of Cathedral Square.”

On board the SS Arklow rockets were sent up at regular intervals, the display of these projectile fireworks being witnessed by a fairly large crowd assembled at Reginald’s Tower. Some of the rockets burst into beautiful flame but then followed a loud detonation which “resembled something in the nature of a discharge from an 18 pounder gun.” This disturbed a lot of the inhabitants and reminded them of the recent Civil War (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 4 Jan. 1924, p. 5).

Weather

January 1924 supplied the area “with a continuous round of snow, rain and slush.” “Not  for years past” was there “such flood in the hills and valleys of South Kilkenny” (Munster Express, Sat. 19 Jan. 1924, p. 5).

Epidemics & Population Growth

Waterford City suffered a whooping cough epidemic in the autumn and it was still severe in January 1924. The epidemic resulted in a large number of deaths. Waterford City’s death rate for the four weeks ending the 27^th of November 1923 was “exceedingly high—26.6 per 1,000” (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 4 Jan. 1924, p. 5).  Chicken pox was also making the rounds and like most diseases it did not distinguish between the classes. The wedding of Lord Arthur Butler, son of the Marquis and Marchioness of Ormonde, was postponed when his fiancée Miss Jessie Carlos Clarke, and her sister, caught chicken pox (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 4 Jan. 1924, p.7).

The Registrar General estimated that the population of the Free State in June 1923 was 3,165,000 persons. He noted that the last census taken was in 1911, and no attempt was made in 1921 to take a census. He estimated that the population had increased by 30,000 since the 1911 census (Munster Express, Sat. 12 Jan. 1924, p. 3). It is rather surprising that the population increased given the events between 1911 and 1923 including: WWI, the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Civil War and emigration.

Local Education

Nuns for Rosbercon

A rumour was published in the New Ross Standard that a secondary school conducted by Nuns of the Order of St. Louis will, open at Rosbercon. The school was said to located in the Ida House which was recently purchased from Mr. John J. Kehoe (New Ross Standard, Fri .4 Jan. 1923, p. 7).

Glenmore Irish Teacher

At the monthly meeting of the Joint Technical Committee for Kilkenny it was noted that the Department sanctioned the appointment three men and a woman as part time teachers of Irish. Mr. Matt O’Donnell left Glenmore and was engaged at work in Rosbercon.  Another teacher was needed in Glenmore to take his place.

It was suggested that Mr. Curran, the school teacher at Glenmore, who was pulling well up in Irish, might be induced to take on the work. The difficulty was that Mr. Curan’s health had not been good for some time. It was supposed that they might be able to engage a teacher from New Ross (Kilkenny People, Sat. 19 Jan. 1924, p. 8). Exactly one year later, Nicholas “Nick” Curran (c. 1884-1925) was dead, aged 41, from cancer of the stomach. His obituary can be found on our obituary page.

New Motor Barge

John Tyrell & Sons, Arklow, boat builders launched a motor launch for a New Ross firm. The motor barge was fitted with a 50 h.p. double cylinder marine engine, with an estimated cargo capacity of 50 tons. The motor barge was to be used for direct trade between Waterford and New Ross and was also capable of towing other barges. Unfortunately, the name of the vessel was not published in the article (Munster Express, Sat. 12 Jan. 1924, p. 6).

Civil War Repairs

Bridges

The railway bridge at Palace East, which was wrecked 14 times in 1923 was being “rebuilt in a substantial way with new girders” (New Ross Standard, Fri.11 Jan. 1924, p. 7). Also, the New Ross bridge was to receive a much needed coat of paint. The bridge was vested in both the Wexford County Council and the Kilkenny County Council. Repairs were also being carried out on the Ferry Mountgarrett bridge (New Ross Standard, Fri.4 Jan. 1923, p. 7).

Fight for £500,000 Deposited in New York   

John F. Finerty, a New York Attorney, travelled to Dublin to meet Eamonn de Valera. The meeting was held at Arbour Hill Detention Barracks where de Valera was imprisoned. About £500,000 was deposited in the U.S. and the Republicans and the Free State were claiming it. The U.S. set up a Commission to take evidence from de Valera and Austin Stack. Justice Wagner, of the New York Supreme Court, in making the order for the Commission, ruled that if de Valera and Stack were not allowed to testify, the Free State Government would be barred from continuing its claim for the money.

Attorney Finerty reported to the Press the difficulties he encountered in speaking to de Valera. He was asked to sign an agreement that he would only speak about the litigation. He agreed. The military in charge of the prison demanded that a third party be present at the meeting. Attorney Finerty “point blank refused.” The military then demanded that both he and de Valera agreed to be searched. Both Finerty and de Valera refused.

After two hours Attorney Finerty was unconditionally admitted and spent over an hour and a half with de Valera. He found him “looking none the worse for his four and a half months incarceration.” Attorney Finerty then travelled to Mountjoy to meet Stack. Finerty noted Stack was able to get about but looked very ill after his hunger strike (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 4 Jan. 1924, p. 4.)

Glenmore Breach of Promise Case

Glenmore made the news when a breach of promise case was heard and settled in the King’s Bench Division in mid-January 1924. The defendant was a Glenmore farmer who settled the claim of breach of promise for £52 10s. The brother of the woman also sued the defendant for seduction of his sister. The seduction case settled for £21 (New Ross Standard, Fri. 25 Jan. 1924, p. 5). It was claimed that the defendant has asked the plaintiff to marry him and the wedding was to take place after his mother purchased a Glenmore farm for him. In the interim the plaintiff became pregnant and had the child and sent it to Dublin for fostering. The child died at the age of 2. The defendant’s mother refused to allow him to marry the plaintiff and the plaintiff after years of waiting sued him for breach of promise.

Glenmore Senior Football Objection

At the meeting of the Kilkenny Co. Board of the GAA, it was reported that a lengthy communication was received from Mr. J. Ryan, the Secretary of the Southern Board. Mr. Ryan asked the Chairman to rule on issues that arose out of fixtures. The Charman stated that it was unusual for such a request before the issues were considered by the southern board. He refused to decide matters “over the heads of the Southern Board as he believed they were perfectly confident in doing so themselves.” He affirmed that the Southern Board had complete control of the minor championships in the South, and if any club had a grievance against its decision the matter could be appealed to the County Committee.

The Objection

Later in the meeting the Chairman stated that there an objection by Glenmore to Barrow Rovers in connection with their senior football match at Knockmoylan on December 23. He read out the correspondence from Mr. Ryan, Southern Secretary, Glenmore were drawn to meet Barrow Rovers and as neither club was represented at the meeting and in order to facilitate the clubs the county committee asked the Southern board to fix a date and venue for the match. The Southern Secretary reported having arrangements made and later reported the carrying out of the fixture.

Glenmore Representatives

Mr. Heffernan (Glenmore) asked if the Southern Secretary had mentioned the date of the meeting at which the Southern Board arranged the match. As far as he was concerned, he would positively state that his club got no notification of the venue until the Southern Secretary notified them of the date and venue. He submitted that the Southern Secretary had taken the law into his own hands.

Mr. P. Cody (Glenmore) stated that he was a regular attender of the meetings of the Southern Board and he heard nothing of this match at any meeting. The first intimation he was a letter from the Southern Secretary stating that the fixture was made and he believed that the match had been fixed in the usual way by the County Committee and so his team travelled. The venue was inconvenient for both teams and the Southern Secretary later admitted it.

Other Representatives

Mr. Lyng (Barrow Rovers) agreed that he had heard nothing of the match at a meeting of the Southern Board but queried why Glenmore travelled if they believed the match was not officially fixed.

Mr. Dowling (Danesfort) stated that it seemed to him as if the Southern Secretary outstepped his duty. It was a serious matter if the Secretary took the responsibility on himself of fixing a match and no board or committee could justify such action. He proposed that the Southern Secretary be asked to attend the next meeting of the County Committee and produce the records of the Southern Board regarding the fixture.

The Ruling

The Chairman ruled that the case would be considered at the next meeting when the referee’s report of the match would be considered. There were matters in the referee’s report that required action by the Committee and deserved serious consideration. Glenmore’s objection was also held over to the next meeting (Kilkenny People, Sat. 26 January 1924, p. 9).

Requested Censorship in the Free State

Many people in Dublin were wondering how soon the new Free State Film Censor would make his presence felt. Pictures shown in Dublin were “very seldom grossly immoral or objectionable. But a great many of them are always on the borderline and very often suggestive. It is quite plain that the titles are always framed to appeal to morbid sentimentality, and often to worse feelings, even when the pictures themselves are not as objectionable as their titles suggest.”

It was reported that the Dublin picture houses were in a difficult position, “for no films are now produced in Ireland and those produced in America or England have reference to a low standard of morality which fortunately this country is unacquainted with.” (New Ross Standard, Fri. 11 Jan. 1924, p. 4).

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Please send any and all corrections to glenmore.history@gmail.com.

The feature photo above is Prince Edward Place, Clonmel flooded (Freeman’s Journal, Fri. 18 January 1924, p. 10).

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh