Monday, October 12th, 2026

Danny Dowling (1927-2021) read a lot of Victor O’Donovan Power’s short stories when he was a lad and as an adult he became very interested in the author. Victor O’Donovan Power (1858-1933) was a prolific writer and was a native of Rosbercon. In addition to several interviews Danny recorded regarding Victor O’Donovan Power, in Danny’s voluminous collection is one of Victor O’Donovan Power’s violins. If Danny recorded how, when or where he obtained the violin, this information has not yet been uncovered. Today, we are going to share excerpts from two interviews that Danny recorded in 1971 regarding Victor O’Donovan Power and in particular his Touring Company that operated in the mid to late 1920’s as explained to Danny by a man who worked in the company. See our previous post of 28 October 2020 for further information regarding Victor O’Donovan Power .

Statia Butler (1887-1973) A Native of Ballycroney, Glenmore

The first interview was of “Statia Butler, of Ballyden” dated 28 February 1971. Anastatia Butler (1887-1973) of Rosbercon, died on 29 August 1973, single, aged 86 at the County Home in Thomastown. The interview notes do not record it, but Danny may have interviewed Statia in the County Home. He often visited the County Home in Thomastown to visit elderly Glenmore people residing there. Per the 1901 Census, Anastatia Butler resided in Rosbercon with her family. She was 14; her sister Margaret was 24 and her brother James was 17. Their parents were James Butler (60) and his wife Ellen (52). Armed with this information we found Statia’s birth record. She was born on the 28^th of April 1887 at Ballycroney, Glenmore, the daughter of James Butler (labourer) and his wife Ellen Berrigan.

A Physical Description of Victor O’Donovan Power

According to Statia Butler, “Victor O’D Power was a small thin man. [He] wore a hat with his grey hair protruding out.” He used to go often to Paddy Mullally’s of Ballycroney. He would sing, and play the fiddle.

Pat Sullivan, of Raheen,  Rosbercon

The second longer interview was of Pat Sullivan, of Raheen, Rosbercon. This interview took place on St. Patrick’s Day (17 March 1971). Unfortunately, we were unable to locate any information on this interviewee.

Aileen Mary Josephine Hearne née Power (1857- c. 1937)

Pat Sullivan told Danny that Victor O’Donovan Power had a sister who was married to J.B. Hearne of Chilcomb House. A review of marriage records reveals that Mary Josephine Power of Chilcomb married James Bernard Hearne of New Ross at Rosbercon on 5 July 1881. The bride was the daughter of Michael Power and Ellen O’Donovan and her baptism records her given name as Aileen Mary.

James B. Hearne and Mary J. Power had six  known children: [1] Mary Florence Hearne (b.1883); [2] Harold Hearne (1883-1883); [3] Victor Hearne (1883-1883); [4] Ellen Josephine Hearne (b. 1884) Ellen’s baptismal record wrongly notes that she married A. Dempsey in 1920. [5] Ethel Margaret Hearne (b. 1888) married Dr. Alexander Dempsey ( ? -1963) on 10 Jan. 1920 in Dublin; and [6] Michael James Hearne (b.1888) married Teresa Doyle, of Brandon, New Ross, in 1915.

Harold, Mary Florence and Victor Hearne were triplets. Victor died 21 days after his birth. Harold died at the age of one month. No death record could be located for Mary Florence Hearne. Ethel and Michael were twins born on Halloween 1888. By 1883 James B. Hearne was described on the birth records as a gentleman, however, in the death records for his children his occupation was listed as grocer. By 1915 James M. Hearne was the only living son of J.B. Hearne of Chilcomb House (Limerick Chronicle, Tues. 28 Sept. 1915, p. 2).  

Thomas Victor O’Donovan Power (1858-1933)

Per the baptismal records of Rosbercon “Thomas Victor” Power was born 29 July 1858 at Chilcomb House. A year later Alfred James Power joined the family on 8 August 1859.

Pat Sullivan described Victor as having a slight build of medium height, with a moustache. He was a very jolly man. Pat Sullivan said that Victor lived where Jack O’Leary lived in 1971. His parents, Jack O’Leary and Mrs. O’Leary worked for Victor. He had one half of the house. One room downstairs and one room upstairs.

Pat Sullivan stated that Victor wrote his stories in a hut erected on J.B. Hearne’s land, although in fairness the land had originally belonged to the Power family. As noted above J.B. Hearne married into Chilcomb House. Jack Doherty, of Milltown, Glenmore, built the hut and brought it down on wheels. Pat Sullivan noted that in 1971 the hut was a hen house in Pascal Doolan’s, of Hoodgrove, Rosbercon.

Victor O’Donovan Power Touring Company

Pat Sullivan, of Butterbridge, Rosbercon, travelled with Victor Power in his traveling company at the end of 1924. It was known as the Victor O’Donovan Power Touring Company. Pat Sullivan went on tour with the Company twice. In the 1924/5 trip Pat Sullivan spent 9 months with the Company. Pat joined the Company when they were playing the old cinema in New Ross. The Company wasn’t too long started when Pat joined it at New Ross. They spent three nights there. It was the only place they played in Co. Wexford. The Company lasted 6 or 7 years. Harkem Smith also travelled with the Company.

Members of the Company included:

Frank O’Donovan—Dublin;
Lewis Dalton—Dublin;
Tom Tobins—Carrick-on-Suir;
Edith Kehoe—Dublin
Kitty McMahon—Dublin
Paddy Lonegan—Carrick-on-Suir
Cecil Wiseman—Leslie, West Cork (pianist and took parts)
Pat Sullivan—Buttersbridge (took small parts and on the door taking the money).
Another girl also was in the company and she had a daughter who also took part.

Pat Sullivan took part in the play, “The Heir of Liscarragh.”  Pat was also the servant in David Carrick’s play. “The Lone House on the Moor,” was another play they produced.

Victor O’Donovan Power did not take any part in the performances. He only came now and again to visit the Company. It was a general show with music, songs, dances etc. The first year that Pat Sullivan went with the company they started at Cahir, Cashel Hospital. They also went to Doneraile, Midleton, Millstreet, Bandon, and parts of Clare. The Company spent 3 nights in each place and in some places a couple nights longer.

Hearne Family

Pat Sullivan and his wife believed that Victor only had a sister that married J.B. Hearne. They noted that J.B. Hearne had at least 2 children. They did not appear to know about the triplets or twins. Their daughter Ethel Hearne went to Belfast. She was married to an English Army Officer. When JB Hearne went bust in Chilcomb he went to Belfast where he died. He is buried in the Old Chapel Yard in Rosbercon. His wife is also buried there where the old chapel was located. A newspaper search turned up an obituary for J.B. Hearne. He died in 1952 in Cork at the age of 96 (New Ross Standard, Fri. 7 March 1952, p. 2.) Victor O’Donovan Power was mentioned in the obituary as well as the fact that Victor’s uncle was the Dr. Thomas Joseph Power (1830-1893) the Bishop of Newfoundland.

1926 Rosbercon Census

JB Hearne was 69 years of age and reported being born in New Ross. He was employed as a maize miller. His wife, Mary Josephine was 75 years of age (in the 1901 Census they were recorded as the same age). The 1926 House and Building Return shows that there were two Chilcomb Houses, namely: Chilcomb House and Chilcomb Park House. One house is occupied by the John O’Leary family (3 men and 1 woman) in three rooms and Victor Power (1 male) in 2 rooms. David Mulligan (1 man and 1 woman) resided in a tent. J.B. Hearne (his wife and 1 servant) occupied 10 rooms.

Victor Power recorded his age as 67. He was single, and for his occupation he listed that he was a novelist and playwright. He could read Irish but could not speak it. According to Pat Sullivan Victor wasn’t well off and said so himself. However, he was able to earn his living.

Victor O’Donovan Power’s Ramblings

According to Pat Sullivan, Victor used to visit Pat Sullivan’s and Johnnie Power’s of Butterbridge, Rosbercon; Pat Murphy’s of Ballycroney, Glenmore; Lanigan’s of Ballylog (the Rower?); Tom Lenihan’s? of Ballycurran, Tullogher; the Ryan’s of Guilcogh; Cahill’s of Ballygurrim and several other places. Victor mainly travelled the South Kilkenny area around New Ross and West Cork. However, sometimes people came to Victor. Pat Sullivan said that he saw Lil Linegar in an ass and car coming to visit Victor in Raheen.  

Death

Victor was only sick for about 3 days when he died. He died in the Haughton Hospital of New Ross. “They brought him down from the hospital to Shanbogh out the new line.”

Victor had 3 fiddles one of which he called the Fairy Fiddle. He also had and played fifes and flageolets (similar to a tin whistle). Victor wanted his Fairy Fiddle buried with him, but it was not according to Pat Sullivan.

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Please send any corrections, additional information or photos to glenmore.history@gmail.com . We are particularly interested in finding more information on the interviewee Pat Sullivan (son of Pat Sullivan) formerly of Butterbridge and Raheen.

The drawing to the right is courtesy of The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. (1780 – 1950). Violin from Horní Lužice. Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/f5fc8920-c558-012f-b833-58d385a7bc34

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh