19th Century
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Glenmore 19th Century Sports: Cricket and Weight-Throwing
Most people today know that Glenmore produced some high achieving athletes. The 20th century hurling and football teams, and indeed a four legged Glenmore bred athlete that won Cheltenham gold, are well known. Today, at the request of a reader we are going to highlight two of the lesser known Glenmore sports of the 19th century, cricket and weight-throwing and hope that readers might be able to provide more information.
Cricket
In the late 1950’s Danny Dowling interviewed Jim Culleton (1867-1962), of Kilbride, Glenmore who at the time of the interview was one of the oldest members of the parish of Glenmore. When Jim died a few years later in 1962, he was 95 1/2 years of age. Jim informed Danny that in his father’s time Kilbride had a good cricket team. Jim’s father, John Culleton (1836-1882) died aged 46 in 1882. Jim stated that prior to the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), being established cricket was very popular in Glenmore. (For a concise history of the organisation see, https://www.gaa.ie/the-gaa/history/ ). Jim Culleton was able to recite a verse from a local song, “Kilbride Cricketers” that was composed in honour of the team.
“I have been at Kilbride Crickets on the 8th April last, I have been in many places during thirteen summers past, Pleasures sure, I always had but pleasure I cannot describe, I enjoyed them beyond measure on the green hills of Kilbride.”
Although an extensive newspaper search was made for any matches played by the Kilbride cricket team, or a Glenmore parish cricket team, none could be located. However, there are reports in newspapers in the 1890’s concerning the Raheen and Rosbercon cricket teams. Although fields have been identified as the practice fields for later Glenmore Gaelic football teams, no field was ever identified to Danny as the field where cricket was played in Glenmore.
According to the Cricket Ireland website, cricket by the mid 1850’s had become the most popular sport in Ireland and was blind to class or creed. In 1855, the first team to represent Ireland beat the English team by a 107 run “thrashing.” (See, https://www.cricketireland.ie/about/history ). While cricket may have become popular in Ireland by 1855, a review of newspapers articles from the south east suggests that it was more popular and commonly reported on in urban areas. The Waterford Steamship Co. announced on 18 June 1879 that it was running “their favourite river Steamer ‘Ida’ to New Ross” on the 1st of July for those who wished to attend the cricket match at Ross. “Several metropolitan amateur athletes intend coming down to see what they can do…1 s. 6 d. for the double journey.” (New Ross Standard, Wed. 18 June 1879). It is believed the athletes referenced were coming down from Dublin.
Although it has been asserted that cricket was blind to class an article in 1879 clearly indicates that engagement in sport was a luxury not provided to the poor. Most of Glenmore was in the Waterford Poor Law Union which meant that children of the Glenmore poor were taken to the Waterford workhouse. In 1879 a motion was made to provide a playground for the boy inmates of the workhouse to play sports such as cricket. At a special meeting of the Poor Law Guardians a motion was made to set aside half an acre on the grounds of the workhouse to provide a playground for healthy recreation. The proposer reminded the other Guardians that the boys were “inmates” through no fault of their own. “It was a pitiful site to see those poor boys caged like prisoners within the precincts of the workhouse without anything to relieve the dull monotony of their lives.” It was decided by these civic leaders of the day, that the duty of the Guardians was to provide training to make the boys into farm labourers and therefore useful members of society. Teaching them to play cricket or football was not necessary. One Guardian warned that the boys might regard the workhouse as home and seek to return to it if a playground was allowed. A vote was taken and the Guardians rejected the playground by a vote of 10 to 6. (Waterford Standard, 5 Nov. 1879).
Weight Throwing
According to Paul Rouse the author of Sport and Ireland: A History (2015, OUP, Kindle Ed.) weight throwing and running and jumping were woven into the fabric of rural life. Men gathered on Sunday evenings or during long summer evenings and competed. “Weight throwing was perceived to be a great form of exercise and was practiced in many variations across the countryside.” (Rouse 2015, p. 139). It was only in the 1860’s and 1870’s, that formal athletic events and associations were organized in towns, cities, and villages across Ireland. A contemporary and very condescending article on Irish athletics was published in London in the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News on 6 May 1875. With respect to Irish weight throwing, heavy weight throwing was considered good, however the 16 pound or hammer throwing was considered bad “as it is little practiced.” Notwithstanding the 1875 opinions concerning Irish weight throwing, Rouse notes that the tradition of weight throwing in Ireland “…was the back story to the extraordinary success enjoyed by Irishmen in the Olympic Games throwing competitions after 1896” (Rouse 2015, p. 139).
No newspapers accounts of weight-throwing events in Glenmore were located. However, the New Ross Standard of 14 Sept. 1889 does provide information concerning the events of the programme held in the Rower, Kilkenny. There were 21 events, 14 of which were open to all comers. There were two weight throwing events, slinging 56 lbs between legs without follow, in “the usual way in which this weight is thrown when a number of young fellows meet for ‘diversion,’ and throwing 7 lbs with follow.”
(c) Illustrated London News Gr.
Within ten years the local newspapers covered a greater number of weight throwing events and results. For example, in 1899 an all-round weight throwing and jumping competition was held in Carrick-on-Suir. “The weather was most unfavourable, yet the competitors decided to have the issue tried out, and the contest was held amidst a heavy downpour of rain. Kiely had three firsts—7 lbs (standard 78 ft), 80 ft 3 in; hammer from 7 ft circle (standard 115 ft), 142 ft 6in; slinging 56 lbs unlimited run and follow (standard 30 ft.), 35 ft 6 in. Horgan had also three firsts—throwing 14 lbs (standard 48 ft), 50 ft 9in ; putting shot, 7 ft circle (standard 35 ft), 42 ft 5 inches ; putting 28 lbs (standard, 29 ft), 33 ft 4in.; Phelan, Mullinahone, was the third with a trio of events: pushing 56 lbs (standard 20 ft), 21 ft 2 in; slinging 56 lbs between legs with follow (standard 25 ft), 27 ft 8 in; slinging, 56 lbs over bar (standard 12 ft), 12ft 3in.” (New Ross Standard, Sat. 4 Nov. 1899).
A weight-throwing champion from Glenmore is found recorded in the National Folklore Collection. In 1935 young Paddy Kennedy (1922-1997), of Rathinure interviewed his father Patrick Kennedy, Sr. (c. 1868-1951) concerning a Glenmore weight-thrower named William Forristal, of Ballyverneen. (Nat’l Folklore Collection UCD, The School’s Collection, vol. 845, p. 13, Ringville School Roll 6621.)
Patrick Kennedy, Sr. stated that 60 years previously William Forristal, of Ballyverneen was noted for his strength. He was a champion weight thrower for several years. Once he threw in Wexford. To get there he had to cross the River Barrow and then walk seven or eight miles. He was put against the Wexford champion. After several heavy throws he was awarded the title which he never lost. He walked a further ten miles and was put against a man named Pat Kent who was champion of Belfast “and William’s success was never doubted.”
An extensive newspaper search was conducted but no articles could be located concerning William Forristal, of Ballyverneen or Pat Kent and weight-throwing. It is likely that these men competed before weight-throwing events were well organised and covered in newspapers.
A search then was conducted to determine if the William Forristal, of Ballyverneen, the weight-thrower circa 1875, could be identified. In the Tithe Applotment Books (Griffith’s Valuation 1830) there were only two tenants named Forristal in Ballyverneen; James Forrestal and Patrick Forrestal. The Glenmore parish records indicate that James Forristal of Ballyverneen married Bridget Dunhy and had a son William baptized on 23 June 1857. Patrick Forrestal (c. 1816-1901), of Ballyverneen married Ellen Kennedy (c. 1819-1887) and had a son named William baptized on 13 May 1851. The parish records reveal that in 1857 the James Forristal family moved to Graiguenakill as all the children born after 1857 are recorded in Graiguenakill. Thus in 1875 the only known William Forristal, of Ballyverneen was the son of Patrick Forristal and Ellen Kennedy.
Thus, it is very likely that William Forristal, the weight-throwing champion circa 1875, recalled by Patrick Kennedy, Sr., of Rathinure in 1935 was his first cousin Billy Forristal (1851-1931) who died at Mount Ida, Rochestown a few years earlier. Billy Forristal remained in Ballyverneen from his birth in 1851 until 1919 when he sold his farms in Ballyverneen and Rathinure to purchase Mount Ida, in Rochestown, Glenmore. Further, Tom Walsh (1908-1992) of Rathinure, formerly of Davidstown, often repeated stories he heard concerning young Billy Forristal. Tom Walsh’s father was also a first cousin to Billy. Billy was described as a big, strong, rough kind of man. Fairs were often rowdy affairs. When Billy was a young man attending the Waterford Fair with his father a dispute arose which was a common occurrence at fairs. As young Billy squared off to fight the other fellow to settle the dispute, his father Paddy, offered a wager to all on the outcome of the fight– “5 pounds on my Billy.” That was a great sum of money before 1900, and it is said that Paddy did not lose his money.
The featured photo above is the earliest drawing found depicting a weight thrower in the 19th century. It is a drawing of George Stephenson (1781-1848) throwing a hammer. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. George Stephenson throwing the hammer. Retrieved from http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c5831e4d-c31d-1ecb-e040-e00a18067b87.
The cover of Ireland and Sport features a weight thrower.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Creative Boycotting in Late 19th Century Ireland
Long before old newspapers were available on-line, Danny Dowling spent a substantial amount of time visiting libraries in Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny, pouring over the old newspapers, and making notes or copies of various articles about Glenmore or other subjects or places that took his interest. One area of interest was boycotting. Although protests and the joining of ordinary people to shun, or place economic pressure on another person, in an effort to change behaviour, probably goes back to the beginning of humans living together, and forming societies, the term boycott to describe such a protest only came into popular use in 1880. The verb boycotting came about due to Captain Charles Boycott, a land agent in County Mayo.
Charles Stewart Parnell advocated non-violence and the banding together of tenant farmers and labourers to stop the abuses associated with evictions. In 1880, Boycott, a retired army officer, raised the rent on his tenants and evicted a number of families. The newly formed local Land League pressured local farmers, labourers and tradesmen to refuse to work for or deal with Boycott. What started as a local protest soon garnered international news coverage after Boycott wrote to London newspapers complaining about his treatment. With no workforce willing to bring in his harvest several hundred Protestant farmers from northern Ireland journeyed to Mayo and clashed with local Land League members. By the end of the year Boycott left Ireland and died 123 years ago on the 19th of June.
Within a short time of 1880 Land League Branches were established in parishes across the country and boycotting became a common means of protesting evictions. Not only were landlords and their agents targeted, but people who took up cottages and farms where evictions occurred were identified as “land grabbers.” By placing pressure on prospective tenants not to take up evicted farms this reduced the economic benefit of the landlord to evict existing tenants. In some instances when farms sat idle deals were brokered and evicted tenants were returned to their previous holdings. As reflected in our earlier post on 8 March 2020 “The Glenmore Land League and the Ballyfacey Evictions” the local Parish Land League Branches were formed and influenced by the clergy. Father Cody, born in Glenmore, and the curate of Mullinavat, was arrested and tried for engaging in boycotting against Darby Walsh.
Generally boycotting included not associating with or engaging in any business with the landlord, his agent, and the “land grabber.” Often the “land grabber” was the only local person that people could influence. When the “land grabber” came into the local village or town he was followed around the village or town by a bell ringer to warn local people and businesses that he was present. The Waterford Standard of the 22nd of December 1880 reports that when Darby Walsh arrived in Mullinavat the Railway Bell was rung and he was followed up the street by a large crowd, amid shouts of “boycott him.” The newspaper stated “much excitement prevailed.” As time went on people became creative in how they protested or boycotted. In addition to “land grabbers,” people were also identified and shunned for “grass grabbing.”
Shortly after the Ballyfacey, Glenmore failed evictions in 1885, Father Patrick Neary, the Parish Priest of Mullinavat, attended and spoke at a “monster meeting” at Portlaw, Co. Waterford. The meeting was held to consider the action to be taken against a local farmer and cooper named Michael Hickey. The meeting was chaired by Rev. T. Aherne the Parish Priest of Portlaw and sitting with him on the stage were four other priests including Father Neary. Also present were two MP’s and “a number of minor lights in the National ranks.” Father Neary was introduced to the meeting by the chair as the “unconquered and unconquerable hero of Mulllinavat.”
After speeches a usual resolution of boycotting was unanimously adopted, “[t]hat we, the labourers and farmers of this Branch, resolve to have no dealings with Michael Hickey in the way of labour, lime, milk, or cooperage, and call on the surrounding Branches to take due notice of this resolution particularly.”
What occurred next was reported widely across Ireland and England and resulted in another unanimous resolution. “Miss Margaret Sheehan came forward and said—Reverend Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, it is with no ordinary feeling of gratitude that I present myself here as a lover of my oppressed country, as a sympathiser with her coerced children, and as far as is in my power a vindicator of her rights. To serve Erin has been, and must always be, the cherished wish of my heart, but words of mine are not adequate to express the gratitude I feel for the honour conferred on me by being chosen to propose a resolution to this monster meeting—a meeting whose unanimous voice will condemn any man whose desire is like that of Michael Hickey, to crush the spirit of the poor labourer—the labourer who by the sweat of his brow produces the fruits of the earth. I certainly feel honoured by the warmth of your reception; but by adopting the following resolution you will afford me far more pleasure—”
“That we the young girls of Waterford, Tipperary and Kilkenny resolve and promise this day, before this vast multitude, to treat with scorn and contempt any matrimonial proposals from Michael Hickey, as punishment for his high handed hostility to the poor labourer Burke and his young and helpless family of seven.” (Waterford Standard, 18 September 1885).
Although a large number of evictions and boycotts were reported in the newspapers sometimes evictions did not result in boycotts or other actions by the local Land League Branch. The New Ross Standard of the 17th of June 1893 reported that on the 10th of February 1893 a faction fight took place on the streets of Rosbercon resulting in the arrest of fourteen people including two women. The cause of the faction fight was an eviction in Busherstown, Glenmore in 1891. It does not appear that the Glenmore Land League Branch engaged in boycotting when this eviction took place. However, as illustrated by four other newspaper accounts of assaults and arrests the fighting between the two families continued for some time.
Danny had a mark next to the reference to the following article which provides another example of a creative boycott and the involvement of the clergy in carrying it out. The Kilkenny Moderator of the 2nd of January 1889 reported the following:
“SANGUINARY IN CHAPEL. An extraordinary scene occurred in Dungloe chapel, near Londonderry, before Mass on Sunday last, on two boycotted men named Condy Boyle and Charles Gallagher attempting to take their accustomed seats. At the annual auction of pews on Sunday week the boycotted men had been dispossessed, and their seats given to men who had been imprisoned for refusing to attend the so-called “Star Chamber” inquiry. On the arrival of the opposing factions at the chapel they found the doors locked, and a crowd assembled, which the priest let in through the sacristy until the disputed pews were filled. When the boycotted people entered the gallery they were violently assaulted. Blood flowed freely, eight combatants being injured. The chapel had to be re-consecrated, and the police called in.”
In the twentieth century boycotting was widely used and became an effective means by various groups including civil rights, animals rights, trade unions and environmental groups. Today it continues to be an important means of non-violent protest. However, the more creative 19th century boycotting involving pews and matrimonial proposals appear to be resigned to history alongside pew auctions.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Forristal’s Mill of Graiguenakill, Glenmore
Danny Dowling interviewed Nicholas Forristal, of the Mill, Graiguenakill concerning the mill twice in 1957 and once in 1979. Danny also interviewed Nicky’s son, Patrick Forristal in 1984. Throughout the greater Glenmore area Nicholas was referred to as Nicky the Miller and his son was known as Paddy the Miller.
The corn mill at Graiguenakill was built in 1813 or 1814 by a man named Murphy. He had £1200 and he spent the entire sum building the mill, farmyard and premises and equipping the mill. When it was completed the landlord raised the rent both on the mill and the farmyard and premises. Unfortunately, Murphy was not doing well and coupled with the raising of the rent Murphey had to leave. Although Paddy the Miller identified Mackessy of Waterford as the landlord, last week Danny stated that he is not certain that Mackessy was the landlord in the early part of the 19th century.
At one time in Glenmore three mills were being run off of the Glenmore Stream. Gaffney’s mill was in operation at the time of the 1798 Rebellion and there was a mill located upstream in Mullinahone. The Graiguenakill mill was the last mill on the stream. At least one other mill was built in the early 19th century in Glenmore Parish. [ Correction 19 July 2020–the mill at Ballyrowrah is not in Glenmore Parish. It is in Slieverue Parish. The Mill is built very close to the border of the two parishes.] It was Donovan’s Mill at Ballyrowragh on the old Waterford to New Ross post road today generally referred to as the High Road. In the 20th century the Creamery also operated a mill that was not dependent on water for milling.
The Graiguenakill mill was built about the same time as St. James Catholic Parish Church was being built in Robinstown’s Townland in the Village of Glenmore. The stones used to build the mill came from a quarry in nearby Ballyverneen. In 1957, Nicky the Miller stated that the stones were quarried in the cliff under Jim Linegar’s cottage in Ballyverneen. He also stated that Bridget Henneberry’s grandfather, Mártín Henneberry remembered when the mill was being built. When Mártín was a youngster he went into the Ballyverneen quarry and took a pick in his hand which he let fall on his foot putting the blade right through his foot. This very man was working in the Ballyverneen Brick Marches during the Famine and on one occasion he worked nine days with nothing to eat but green cabbage.
The man who built the mill race for the Graiguenakill mill was a man named Cleere, who was a native of Kilkenny City or near Kilkenny City. He was a mill race constructor by trade. Cleere contracted to supply water for an overshot wheel. Cleere dug and constructed the mill race from Glenmore Village, to bring the water supply to turn the mill wheel. Although the mill race constructed by Cleere was about a mile long an overshot wheel was not installed. An overshot wheel proved to be impossible because of the lowness of Glenmore. Where the mill was built in Graiguenakill was tidal. To put in an overshot wheel would have required the mill to have been built beneath the level of the stream or pill with the result it would be stopped when the tide rose to that point which would be quite often. In the end a breast shot wheel had to do the work which was incapable of doing the same work as an over shot wheel. Failing to adhere to the terms of his contract Cleere never received any payment for his work. Nicky the Miller, identified Tommy Cleere, of Tinakilly, near New Ross as a descendent of the unpaid builder.
[A helpful reader who is a civil engineer kindly explained that a breastshot wheel is designed where the water enters the wheel usually at the level of the axis of the wheel. Breastshot water wheels were used extensively in England and Germany in the 19th and early 20th centuries. See, Muller, G.U. and Wolter, C. (2004) The breast shot water wheel: design and model tests. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Engineering Sustainability, 157 (4), 203-211 where tests in this century showed that breastshot waterwheels are an efficient and eco friendly converter of hydraulic energy with the potential for further development.]
James Cardiff a miller from Wexford came to the Graiguenakill mill. On the 28th of September 1871 his daughter, Margaret Cardiff (c. 1853 -c 1904) married Patrick Forristal (1849-1931), a farmer from Ballyverneen. It is believed that shortly after their marriage James Cardiff and his family moved to New Ross. When his grandson, William Forristal (1881-1899) was born Patrick Forristal and his wife were residing in Graiguenakill and on William’s birth cert Patrick was listed as a farmer. By the time their son Nicholas “Nicky the Miller” Forristal (1888-1979) was born in February 1888, Patrick was listed on the birth cert as a miller and farmer. Thus by 1888 the Graiguenakill mill was being run by Patrick Forristal and the Forristals continued running the Graiguenakill mill until it closed completely in about 1958.
There were three pairs of grinding stones in the Graiguenakill mill. Two of the pairs of mill stones were for oats and a third pair was for grinding wheat and maize. Every mill stone set is made up of a bottom stone called a bedstone and the top stone of the pair is called the runner. Although the bedstone was stationary the runner rotated on a spindle that ran down through the bedstone. This spindle was embedded in a brass cup in an upright position. These stones were dressed about once a month, if working constantly. The shelling stone was a light stone about 6 feet in diameter, and about 5 inches thick. This stone was used for dehulling oats. The oatmeal stone was a grinding stone, about 5 to 6 feet in diameter, and about 6 inches or more in thickness. The above thicknesses referred to the runners.
For grinding raw corn the hard French Birr (sic) stone was used. The French Birr millstone that ended up in Nicky Forristal’s yard in Graiguenakill had an iron plague on it. Danny recorded the inscription on the plague “Millstone Balance, Patent _____, Clarke & Dunham 1859.” Nicky the Miller explained to Danny that the hard French Birr stones were imported as they were deemed the best of stones. Small stones were cut and bound together with iron hoops. According to Penn State University, The Grist Milling Process in Colonial Pennsylvania French buhr stones were very sought after and expensive. The French quarried the stones, shaped them to fit together and bound them with heavy iron bands. (For a concise explanation of how milling was performed see, Penn State, The Grist Milling Process at https://www.engr.psu.edu/mtah/articles/grist_milling_process.htm).
Although the Graiguenakill mill did not have an overshot wheel it did have something that no other mill in Glenmore Parish had; next to the Graiguenakill mill was Barron’s Quay that allowed North American maize to be landed next to the mill. According to Paddy the Miller the grain was imported by R & H Halls, of Ferrybank, who placed about 40 tons of the grain on smaller boats that could come up the pill on high tide to Barron’s Quay. The grain was stored in the mill lofts and ground as required. The ground maize was supplied to Fluskey’s and Hanrahan’s shops in Glenmore and sometimes to Doyle’s shop in Rosbercon. The maize was a great feed for all the farm animals: pigs, calves and poultry. It was boiled by the farmers into a porridge and mixed with bran or pollard.
Paddy the Miller in an article he wrote for Glenmore Times (2000) stated that they worked from October until the end of May everyday except Sunday. His father, Nicky the Miller, told Danny that they often milled during the summer months so long as the stream allowed it. Before the grain could be ground it had to be dried. The mill had a kiln that dried the grain. The fire for the kiln had to be constantly watched from seven in the morning until ten at night when it was damped down for the night. If a farmer brought in 14 stone of oats, to be ground into meal he would bring home about 7 stone of meal because the drying and shelling removed about half of the initial weight of the oats. [For our international readers a stone is a British Imperial weight of 14 pounds.]
In the Glenmore Times (2000) article Paddy the Miller related a near fatality which occurred at the mill. A boatload of corn came to Barron’s quay and there was a rush to unload the boat. The mill was put into motion to work the hoist. When the three lofts were loaded the beams gave way and at least the top loft collapsed. A young man, John Walsh, was looking out the top loft window when the floor under him collapsed. He survived the collapse and emigrated to the US. In about 1930, John Walsh returned as a 70 year old man and visited the mill.
Between the World Wars the charges at the Graiguenakill mill was £3 per barrel for oaten or wheaten meal. During the Second World War the price increased to £5 per barrel. The last time oaten meal was ground at the Graiguenakill mill was in 1950. The mill closed completely about 1958. Nicky the Miller stated that in the last few years the mill was only used to crush oats and barley for animal feed and he ground a bit of yellow corn for Jim Fluskey.
After the mill closed Nicky the Miller and his wife continued residing in their home until their deaths. During the building of the N25, from Waterford to New Ross, in about 1994 (when the main road was removed from going past the Pink Rock) the entire Graiguenakill mill and the Forristal house were removed. Barron’s quay was also removed, but it is not known exactly when this occurred. There are no known photos of the Graiguenakill mill but for Glenmore Times (2000) Paddy the Miller drew a sketch of the Graiguenakill mill buildings. Today, the new Glenmore roundabout in Graiguenakill Townland, that connects the old N25 to the recently opened Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy bridge, is just north of where the Graiguenakill mill stood for about 180 years.
For further information and photos of old Irish mills and millstones etc. see, The Society for the Preservation of the Ancient and Traditional Irish Mills at https://www.millsofireland.org/ .
[Explanations above provided on 7 June 2020 after the post was initially published.]
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
A Double Drowning at Rochestown Point in 1899
Beginning in earnest in the 1950’s Danny Dowling interviewed and recorded the memories of the elderly residents of Glenmore and nearby areas including New Ross and Waterford. The two people Danny interviewed the most as reflected in the notebooks transcribed to date are his mother, Hannah Dowling née Murphy; and Nicholas Forristal, of the Mill, Graiguenakill, Glenmore. Danny generally refers to Nicholas Forristal as Nicky the Miller, and Danny’s face lit up this week when he recalled his old friend. Having spent a lifetime collecting information concerning the Parish of Glenmore and its people it isn’t often that Danny learns something new particularly concerning Nicky the Miller. The revelation came out of a homework assignment in the 1930’s completed by a boy from Rathinure, Glenmore for the Irish Folklore Commission.
Although Irish folklore was collected prior to 1935, in that year the Irish Folklore Commission was established by the government. A scheme was developed where schoolchildren would be given questions and asked to interview their parents and neighbours. From 1937 to 1939 each week of the academic year teachers across the country would select a heading and read out the questions and the children would copy it down and conduct their interviews. The Commission continued its work until 1971 when it was superseded by the Department of Irish Folklore at the University College Dublin. On our links page we have included links to the transcribed pages of local school Folklore interviews.
Paddy Kennedy (1922 -1997) of Rathinure, Glenmore when a chap attending Ringville School, as part of the Folklore project, interviewed his father Patrick Kennedy, Sr. (c. 1871- ). This is what young Paddy recorded:
In the year 1889 a very tragic boat accident occurred in which two young men were drowned. Their names were William Forristal and Pat Connolly. One Sunday they were visiting their friends in Cheek Point. Their boat came into collision with another boat as they were going to get a tow from her. The news was soon discovered and the river was immediately searched, but to no avail. On the second day their bodies was (sic) discovered. When they were taken ashore they were a pitiful sight. (National Folklore Collection UCD, The School’s Collection (vol. 845. p. 103) Ringville School, Roll 6621.),
A search of local newspapers did not reveal any recorded drownings in 1889 of men named Forristal or Connolly. However, a small article was located in the Waterford Chronical on Wednesday the 2nd of August 1899. It reported that on Sunday afternoon two men drowned in the Barrow river named John Forristal and Michael Connolly, natives of the Glenmore district. Their bodies had not been recovered.
Several other newspapers covered the incident and identified the two drowning victims as Patrick Connolly and William Forristal. The following facts were gleaned from a number of newspaper listed at the end of this post.
About one o’clock Sunday, the 30th of July, Patrick Connolly, William Forristal and two brothers named Kelly left Glenmore in a small boat that was called a “prawng” by the New Ross Standard. They headed down the Barrow River and arrived without incident at the fishing Village of Cheekpoint. Cheekpoint is located at the confluence of the rivers Barrow and Suir on the southern shore. It is downriver from Waterford City which is on the Suir River and also downriver from New Ross which is on the Barrow River. The Glenmore men started upriver for home between five and six p.m. On reaching Rochestown Point on the Barrow River, about six or seven miles south of New Ross, they were overtaken by the Lady Annette tug which was pulling two “Grand Canal lighters” or barges with excursionists up river. There were a couple hundred people from Graiguenamanagh on the barges. It was reported that the excursionists had spent the day in Duncannon, Waterford.
The Lady Annette tug boat was built by Malcomson and launched from the Neptune Iron Works of Waterford City in April 1875. She was described in a newspaper account of her launch as a handsome little steam vessel of 85 feet in length, 13 feet in beam, 7.5 feet in depth, and 30 tons register. (Waterford Mirror and Tramore Visitor, 28 April 1875). The Lady Annette and the two lighters or barges she was towing upriver were owned by the Barrow Navigation Company. See generally, Andrew Doherty, Waterford Harbour Tides and Tales entries including; “The Lighters: Work Boats of the Suir” at https://tidesandtales.ie/the-lighters/.
“Sometimes boating parties effect a tow from passing steamers, and in this case the occupants of the prawng, although only a little more than a mile from their destination, directed their course so as to intercept the excursion party, whose craft were moving at full speed. There are different versions of what happened, but the more generally accepted one is that when the prawng came close to the lighter some of the men in the former tried clamber aboard the Canal boat, and that so a result this proceeding the prawng was engulphed. Anyhow, owing to imprudence on their part, the four young men were instantly swamped, and it is stated that Forrestal and Connolly passed under the lighter and were never seen again. Once the cry was raised the captain of the Canal steamer slowed up in as short a time as possible, and the Kelly’s were saved.” (New Ross Standard, 5 August 1899).
It was reported elsewhere that the two Kelly brothers succeeded in clinging to the bottom of the boat until rescued by a fisherman named Richard Whelan. Whelan rowed to the spot at once and took the brothers into his boat. Forrestal and Connolly were, lost to view immediately and after a search presumed drowned. The newspapers reported that the fate of the young men was greatly deplored the neighbourhood of their residence. It was reported that William Forristal, was the son of Patrick Forrestal, miller and farmer, and Patrick Connolly, was a labourer. None of the newspaper reported the first names of the Kelly brothers.
It was stated that the drowning cast a gloom over Glenmore. The two young drowning victims were described as very respectable young men, and Connolly was the only support of his poor widowed mother. “It is a consolation to think that both were in a state of sobriety when they lost their lives. As a matter of fact Connolly was a teetotaller.”
The search for the bodies continued all day Monday when twenty cots and trawlers were engaged in the search. At eight in the evening, just under Ringville, and near where the drowning occurred, Richard Cahill, of Ballycroney, and Patrick Forristal, of Ballyverneen, recovered the bodies, which were close to each other. The corpses were immediately conveyed to their respective homes in Graiguenakill, where they were waked till the following evening. It is believed that the Patrick Forristal, of Ballyverneen, who discovered the bodies was a nephew of Patrick Forristal, of the Mill, the father of the drowned William Forristal.
On Tuesday morning Dr Hackett, coroner, for the northern district of Kilkenny (in the absence of the South Kilkennv coroner) accompanied by Dr Walsh, of New Ross, arrived at Glenmore and viewed the bodies. Sergeant Stapleton had a jury summoned in anticipation of an inquest, but the coroner without explanation did not hold a regular inquest. He held what the newspaper termed an inquiry, with no jury and took some evidence on oath. Mrs Whelan, Ringville, stated that she witnessed the catastrophe from the shore, but could not tell exactly how it happened. The information which the coroner elicited amounted to there were three boats coming up the river. The three boats were overtaken by the excursion steamer. One of the boats got a tow, and it appeared that its occupants got aboard the canal lighter. The other two boats were then on the outlook for a tow. When the boat containing the four Glenmore men got alongside and caught hold of the lighter their boat suddenly jerked from the lighter and half filled with water. Forristal, it is alleged, believing the boat was about to sink, jumped over its side with the intention of swimming to shore, and in jumping into the river capsized the boat. The Kelly brothers held on to the prawng, and young Connolly held on to one of the Kelly’s legs, but only for a short time. Connolly sank, never to rise alive. Forristal, it is alleged, swam for the shore, but was not able to reach it. Patrick Power, of Robinstown, Glenmore and Richard Phelan, of Rathinure, Glenmore saved the Kelly brothers. A man named Manning exerted himself to save Connolly. Forristal, the newspaper stated if he swam a good distance as is now stated, does not seem to have attracted the attention of any of the rescuers.
Not only did the acting coroner fail to hold an inquest it appears that the deaths were never recorded.
A double funeral took place on Tuesday the 2nd of August at 4 p.m. “The whole country side attended as a mark of sympathy and regret. Both young men were laid to rest in Glenmore graveyard and seldom before had so many mourners been seen at any funeral in the district.”
The Four Glenmore Men
William Forristal, of Graiguenakill, Glenmore was born on the 26th of January 1881. His parents were Patrick Forristal (1849-1931) and Margaret Forristal née Cardiff (c. 1853- 1905). Thus William was the older brother of Nicky the Miller (1888-1979). Nicky was only 11 years old when his brother drowned. Although Nicky was interviewed scores of times by Danny and openly discussed people and events, such as his mother’s death and his youngest brother’s emigration, he never once mentioned to Danny anything about William or his death.
Patrick Connolly, of Graiguenakill, Glenmore was born on the 4th of May 1878. He was the son of Thomas Connolly, of Aylwardstown and Kate Ryan. Thomas Connolly was a coachman for the Strange Family of Aylwardstown House. Thomas Connolly died on 19th of April 1886 of TB. His death cert notes he had the disease for 2.5 years. He was 33 when he died. Bridget Heffernan née Kennedy, of Aylwardstown, was present when he died. The 1901 census reveals that Catherine “Kate” Connolly née Ryan was living in Graiguenakill with her remaining son Michael. Michael was 15 and she was a 44 year old widow. Readers may remember Catherine from the blog “What’s a Shebeen” as she was the woman charged and found not guilty of running a shebeen in 1906. She was arrested for having 3 bottles of stout in her house which she claimed were for her son Michael when he came home from working in Waterford.
The names of the two Kelly brothers were never provided and the account of the event that was held in place of an inquest did not indicate their names or whether the brothers attended and testified. The 1906 shebeen case involved two Kelly brothers, Edward and Thomas Kelly. They were visiting Mrs. Connolly when her house was raided and they were arrested for being in a shebeen. Mrs. Connolly described them as neighbours. The 1901 census reveals that there was one family named Kelly in Graiguenakill headed by James Kelly. Although there is a son named Edward in the house in 1901 (aged 28) there is no Thomas Kelly,
Young Paddy Kennedy, when he interviewed his father, and was given information concerning the drownings of Forristal and Connolly, never revealed the family relationship between his father and the deceased William Forristal. Paddy Kennedy Sr. was a first cousin to William Forristal’s father. It is not known whether the children were instructed by the Folklore Commission not to record relationships. Perhaps it was the case that there was an assumption that the relationship was known because in the tight knit parish everyone knew everyone else’s family relationships often for generations. In any event, the father of Paddy Kennedy, Sr. of Rathinure was Tom Kennedy. Tom Kennedy had a sister Ellen Kennedy who married Paddy Forristal. Their son, Patrick Forristal, married Margaret Cardiff. Patrick and Margaret Forristal were the parents of Nicky the Miller and William Forristal.
These tragic deaths were only brought to light because 90 years ago a boy did his homework. The old copy book photo featured above is from the Irish Folklore Commission, School Project.
Special thanks to Kathleen and Patricia O’Connor for the photo of Paddy Kennedy and his brother Larry Kennedy, of Rathinure, with the Aylward children.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Waterford Standard of Wednesday the 2nd of August 1899; Waterford Chronical on Wednesday the 2nd of August 1899; New Ross Standard & Enniscorthy Guardian, Sat. 5 Aug. 1899 (same article)
Glenmore Businessman: Robert Fluskey (c. 1843-1925) and the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word [updated]
When Danny Dowling was a boy in Glenmore Village in the 1930’s he lived next to Fluskey’s Shop which also served as the post-office and telegraph office. At that time Jim Fluskey ran the business with his wife Mollie née Murphy of Davidstown, Glenmore. The Glenmore business was established by his father Robert Fluskey in about 1880. Danny believes that Fluskey purchased the shop from the Walsh family that then relocated to Waterford. One of the Walsh family members who operated the shop in Glenmore later, when quite elderly, lived on Peter St. in Waterford and spoke to Danny about her families shop in Glenmore.
By 1930 Robert Fluskey’s shop was the busiest and most thriving shop in Glenmore Village. This shop sold all types of foodstuffs, bran, flour, and meat such as bacon, cigarettes and tobacco etc. They also sold animal feed such as meal, bran and pollard. Even today the building that served as the Fluskey shop is now a remodelled house and still is referred to locally as Fluskey’s. Although emigration and religious vocations were common in most Irish families in the early twentieth century the Fluskey family was unique in the proportion of the women that joined one order, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.
The first Fluskey to come to Glenmore was Robert Fluskey (c. 1843-1925). Robert, called Bob, by the local people, was originally from Ullard, Graiguenamanagh. He left Graiguenamanagh and was working in Waterford at the Chapman’s on the Quay. He lived on Barronstrand Street and married his first wife, Catherine Power (c. 1835-1880) on 6 May 1878 in Waterford. The marriage records record that the newlyweds were both servants. Robert’s father was listed as James Fluskey, a farmer. Catherine worked as a house-keeper for Egan’s according to Danny’s interview of Nicky Forristal of the Mill, Graiguenakill. Danny on 29 May 2020 stated that Egan’s was where Penney’s is located today. Her father in the marriage records was listed as Walter Power, a farmer. Soon after their marriage they moved to Glenmore. Catherine Power died in Graiguenakill, Glenmore on the 24th of January 1880. She was 45 years of age and she died from an ovarian disease which she had for 2 ½ years. Her husband was present when she died and his profession was listed as grocer. Although Power is a common name in the Parish of Glenmore, Danny does not know if Catherine Power was a native of Glenmore or had family connections here.
Robert Fluskey married his second wife, Catherine Dunne on the 30th of May 1880 at Glenmore. Catherine Dunne was a dressmaker and her father was recorded as the late James Dunne, a carpenter. According to Danny, Robert Fluskey was an able, straight businessman and within a few years of moving to Glenmore his shop was thriving and his business interests expanded. By 1884 he was recorded in the County Directory as the Postmaster of Glenmore.
Robert and his second wife had eight children according to the 1911 census. In 1911 only six children were living.
[1] James Fluskey was born on the 22nd of January 1882. After his father’s death James ran the Glenmore business and became the Glenmore Postmaster. Mollie Fluskey née Murphy died on the Bank Holiday Monday in August 1957. According to Danny’s notes she was about 65 years of age. Jim Fluskey died on the 24th of June 1960.
[2] John Fluskey was born the 28th of November 1883 and died on the 14th of July 1900 at the age of 17. He was ill for two weeks with meningitis and TB.
[3] Terence Fluskey was born on the 29th of January 1885. Terence Fluskey became a clerical worker in Waterford where he was living on the 29th of April 1919 when he married Statia Maher, of Rochestown, Glenmore. The couple were married at Glenmore. Statia was the daughter of Michael Maher, farmer.
[4] Bridget Fluskey was born on the 12th of June 1886.
[5] Kate Fluskey was born on the 11th of December 1887 and died of TB on the 17th of June 1904 at the age of 16.
[6] Mary Ellen Fluskey was born on the 17th of March 1889.
[7] Anna Theresa Fluskey was born on the 1st of August 1891.
[8] Elizabeth Ita Fluskey was born on the 25th of January 1897.
Catherine Fluskey née Dunne died on the 10th of June 1916 of a cerebral embolism at the age of 65. Her son Terence was with her at the time of her death. Her husband, Robert Fluskey, died on the 28th of September 1925. At the time of his death his youngest daughter Lizzie was with him.
An obituary appeared in the New Ross Standard edition of 9 October 1925. Robert Fluskey’s obituary makes interesting reading and is unusual for the time as no chief mourners are listed. In fact none of his children are named not even his three daughters who took religious vows.
OBITUARY MR. ROBERT FLUSKEY, GLENMORE. The regretted death of Mr. Robert Fluskey took place at his residence, Glenmore, Co. Kilkenny, on Sept. 28th. He had reached the ripe age of 82 years, and though he had been in failing health for some time the end came rather unexpected when fortified by the rites of the Catholic Church, of which he was a devout, loyal and faithful, member, he passed peacefully to his reward. The deceased had the distinction of giving three daughters to the Church, and who are nuns in the great Order of the Word Incarnate, U.S.A. He had spent many years in business in Glenmore, where he was regarded as the soul of honesty and uprightness in all his business transactions, and was universally esteemed, which was shown by the very large number who attended his funeral and paid him their last mark of respect at the graveside. The funeral took place to the family burial ground, Glenmore, after Office and High Mass, at which the Rev. M. Holohan, P.P, Glenmore, presided. Celebrant, Rev. C. Bergin, Glenmore; deacon, Rev. Thomas Green, C.C. Rosbercon; sub-deacon, Rev. W. Murphy, C.C, Ferrybank; master of ceremonies, Rev. J. Bergin, C.C. Slieverue. In the choir were the Very Rev. Canon Doody, P.P, Ferrybank: Very Rev. L. Coghlan, P.P. Rosbercon; Rev. J. Madden, P.P, Mullinavat; Rev. M. Halloran, chaplain, Belmont; Rev. N. Hennessy, C.C, Tullogher; Rev. C. Kennedy, chaplain, Kilmacow; Rev. P. Delaney, Dean, St. Kieran’s College; Rev. P. Staunton, C.C. Mullinavat. R.I.P.
A year after her father’s death, Elizabeth Ita Fluskey followed her older sisters and emigrated to the US. Her emigration papers are now available on line. She arrived in the US on the 14th of June 1926 aboard the SS. Cedric. She reported that she was to work as a student nurse at St. Michael’s Hospital of Newark, New Jersey. She had grey eyes, was 5’7” in height and weighed 138 pounds. Unlike her older sisters who became nuns, Elizabeth married Michael McKenna, a native of Monaghan, on the 1st of June 1934 in Brooklyn, New York. The couple had three children Robert, Mary Ann and Betty Ann McKenna. Michael McKenna died on the 2nd of July 1949 and Elizabeth McKenna, née Fluskey died in November 1985. Danny explained that Elizabeth’s daughter, Betty McKenna came to Glenmore from America as a young woman and stayed. She married Sean Walsh and had family.
Fluskey Women of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
Robert Fluskey’s daughters
Bridget Fluskey (1886-1970) joined the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word Order and became Sister Mary, Our Lady of Good Counsel and was a teacher. She died on the 13th of October 1970 at the Incarnate Word Convent in San Antonio, Texas.
Mary Ellen Fluskey (1889-1974) became Sister Mary Irma. Sister Mary Irma died on Christmas Day 1974 at the Incarnate Word Convent in San Antonio, Texas, where she is buried in the convent cemetery. Her obituary in the Antonio Express newspaper states that she was survived by her sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth McKenna, of Brooklyn, New York and Sister M. Ciaran Fluskey S.P. Holy Oaks, Massachusetts. Her death certificate notes that she was a retired practical nurse.
Anna Theresa Fluskey (1891-1980) also became a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word. It is believed that Anna was the Sister M. Ciaran Fluskey listed in Mary Ellen’s obituary above. A Massachusetts death record was found for Anne T. Fluskey that reveals that she died on the 11th of January 1980 at Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Robert Fluskey’s Great-nieces(?)
Alice Fluskey (1904- 1984) was the daughter of Terence Fluskey, of Hoodsgrove, Rosbercon and Kate Fluskey née Haberlin. The 1911 Census reveals that Terence was a laborer and he and his wife had two sons and two daughters. Alice was the eldest at 4; Richard was 3; Thomas was 1 and Mary was two months. Kate Fluskey died on the 20th of May 1915 at the New Ross Workhouse at the age of 41 of gastritis cardiac debility. After their mother’s death Alice and Mary were sent to live with Jim and Mollie Fluskey in Glenmore. It is believed that Terence and Jim were first cousins. The marriage record for Terence Fluskey and Kate Haberlin provides that Terence was the son of Richard Fluskey [corrected 10 May 2022] of the Mile Bush, Rosbercon and Kate Haberlin was the daughter of Thomas Haberlin, a laborer from Forristalstown, Glenmore. James Fluskey and Mary Doherty were witnesses at this wedding. According to the New Ross Standard of 19 September 1924 Alice professed her religious intentions at the Incarnate Word Convent in San Antonio, Texas. She became Sister Mary Ellen.
Mary Fluskey (1911-1999) like her sister Alice, and older Glenmore cousins, entered the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word Order. She became Sister Catherine. Mary was the last of her family and the last of the Fluskey women who entered the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. Her obituary is below and provides a great deal of detail concerning her vocation.
The photos of Eliz. (Lizzie) Fluskey and Michael and Eliz. (Lizzie) McKenna are old passport photos. In the featured colour photo of the Village, Fluskey’s is the two storey bluish building on the left of the photo.
This post was updated on 30 May 2020 after Danny Dowling provided additional details on 29 May 2020.
The photos of the Fluskey grave markers were added 21 June 2020.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
The Attack at the Pink Rock: Glenmore Repeal Supporters and the Shamrock Steamer
Although contemporary newspaper articles can be a useful source of details regarding historical events sometimes they can provide a distorted account of events due to prejudice, political views and other influences. In 1843, just prior to the Great Famine, it was reported in one Waterford newspaper that a mob of nearly 100 men at the Pink Rock, in Glenmore, attacked the river paddle steamer, the Shamrock. However, this account was challenged by another Waterford newspaper.
On Wednesday the 26th of July 1843 the following article appeared on page 2 of the Waterford Mail.
“ATTACK ON THE SHAMROCK STEAMER. Saturday last, the Shamrock steamer was proceeding from this city to Ross, on passing Glenmore, close to Pink Rock, in the Ross river, a mob of nearly 100 fellows, who were collected on the rock, commenced flinging stones at the passengers on board, shouting at the same time ‘Hurrah for Repeal.’ ‘Swamp the b—–y Tories.’ One female is, we are informed severely injured from the effects of a blow of a stone in the back of the neck, that she is confined to bed in consequence. The mob followed the steamer, throwing stones, for about 400 yards, when the course of the river enabled her get out of their reach —The captain from his conspicuous position on the paddle box had several narrow escapes. We understand that a party of the military accompanied by a magistrate were at the scene of the outrage, on Monday morning, in order to afford protection, if necessary, to the Shamrock on her return from Ross. We learn that some of the ringleaders in this brutal assault are known, and it is to be hoped will be dealt with according to their deserts.”
To put the events into context, Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847), referred as the Great Liberator, established the Repeal Movement which sought to Repeal the Act of Union of 1801 and introduce Home Rule for Ireland. It is reported that the repeal movement reached its climax in the mid-1840’s with branches established across Ireland and abroad. The year 1843 has been identified as the “season of the monster meetings.” (Ruddy (2015) “Dublin 1843: O’Connell’s Repeal Meetings,” 68(1) Dublin Historical Record, pp 60-70). During these monster meetings, attended by thousands, O’Connell implored followers to use lawful means. “He who commits a crime strengthens the enemy of his country.” The Waterford newspapers of 1843 contain numerous articles regarding and detailing activities across Ireland including meetings and alleged “outrages” perpetrated by proponents and opponents of the repeal movement. (See generally, Whyte (1959) “Daniel O’Connell and the Repeal Party,” 11(44) Irish Historical Studies, pp. 297-316.)
On Saturday the 29th of July 1843 the Waterford Chronicle, republished the Waterford Mail’s article of the 26th, and stated that the Mail “might as well have told the whole truth…” The Waterford Chronicle alleged that the Shamrock tried to run the rival paddle steamer, the Maid of Erin, onto the Pink Rock. It was due to this “reprehensible conduct of the Shamrock’s Captain” that caused a “few stones” to have been flung on board the Shamrock. There were no shouts of “Hurrah for Repeal.” The Chronicle failed to deny the other shouts of “Swamp the —-_Tories.” The Chronicle recorded that there were “very hostile” feelings between the rival Steam Companies plying between New Ross and Waterford.
The Chronicle alleged that there was no surprise concerning the hostility because in “Orange-land there dwells not more Rabid Miscreants are to be found amongst the gang who patronise the Shamrock.” It was alleged that landlords along the river threatened distraint and ejectment of tenants who utilised the Maid of Erin steamer for travel or “freighting her” with even a sack of potatoes. It was alleged that one tenant had to hide in the engine room when he saw his landlord standing on the river side, and another had “keepers” placed on his property after information was given to his landlord that he sent his wife with a basket of eggs to Waterford on the Maid of Erin.
The Chronicle condemned the tenants who submitted to the “tyranny” of their landlords as deserving their degradation with no recognition that the laws of the time were written by the landlord class that also provided the magistrates and judges. At the conclusion of the article, the Chronicle called upon the Clergy of Glenmore to bring the stone throwing perpetrators to justice. “We will hold their names up to scorn, and take care that if associated, they shall be erased from the lists of the Loyal Repeal Association, for the man who lifts his hand in riot at this glorious and important crisis of his country’s destiny, is a dangerous and deadly enemy.”
It seems evident that the Waterford Chronicle editor was pro-repeal and was trying to distance whatever occurred at the Pink Rock from the Repeal Movement. It is likely that the truth may lie somewhere between the two accounts. It seems unlikely that men just happened to be gathered at the Pink Rock and grabbed stones to pelt the Shamrock when they perceived the Captain of the Shamrock was trying to force the Maid of Erin on the rocks. It seems likely that the captain of the Maid of Erin would have reported to the authorities any attempt to force it on the rocks. Perhaps it was reported to the authorities, but the Chronicle does not state that it was.
Interestingly both paddle steamers were built in Scotland by the same builder, Tod & MacGregow. The Shamrock was built in 1836 while the Maid of Erin was completed in 1839 and first went to Cork. She plied between Cork and Cobh. In July 1841 she collided with a fishing yawl. The yawl sank with loss of three of ten youths who were on board. In 1843 she was acquired by the New Ross and Waterford Steam Investment Company. Although the Shamrock stayed on the New Ross and Waterford route, and was later joined by the Ida, the Maid of Erin returned to Cork in around 1847. (For details concerning the two paddle steamers see, Caledonian Maritime Research Trust webpage, http://www.clydeships.co.uk).
Danny Dowling when interviewing Nicholas Forristal, of the Mill, Graiguenakill, Glenmore in 1951 recorded that the area where the Glenmore Creamery built its coal shed, on the Barrow, was known as Maid’s Quay after the boat. The name of the boat is not recorded in the interview, but it is surmised that the Maid of Erin may have been the ship that used this quay and lent it her name.
The repeal movement lapsed with the death of Daniel O’Connell in 1847. However, the Great Famine had already commenced before his death and for most rural inhabitants the potato blight, starvation and emigration replaced concern regarding the Act of Union of 1801.
The featured image is a google map of the Barrow River at Glenmore. The Pink Rock is at the Kilkenny side of the Rose Kennedy Bridge. The photo to the right is the Rose Kennedy Bridge taken from the Wexford side of the Barrow.
Update: Another notebook has been transcribed and next week items will be added to the various family pages etc. If anyone has a photo or information regarding Glenmore, or a person from Glenmore, that they would like to share, please send same to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh