19th Century
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Glenmore Folk Remedies For Humans & Animals
From the beginning of time people have attempted to treat illnesses with home or folk remedies. Today, many of the remedies that were employed 100 years ago may be unknown to most of us. In 1955, Walter Power of Jamestown, Glenmore was interviewed by Danny Dowling regarding folk remedies that Wattie observed prior to 1900.
Three times over the door or Trí hárd don doras
This was a rite to cure weakness or sudden illness and was observed in the parish of Glenmore down to about 1895. This remedy consisted of kneeling on the doorstep with one knee on each side of the trestle and at the same time picking a wee bit of dust from the outside of the threshold and dropping it into a small drop of water in a cup which was held in one hand. Another pinch of dust was taken from the middle of the top of the threshold and likewise deposited into the water. The third and final pinch was taken from the floor inside the threshold. When this was deposited into the water, the water was given to the sick person to drink three sups of it whilst what was left of it was emptied on the back of the fire in the kitchen. Wattie reported that this remedy never failed to revive a sick person. It used to be given to a person with amackum (bad appearance).
Cure for Rickets
Another cure which was in vogue up to about 1895, was that for rickets. This consisted of getting an ass and bringing him into the kitchen and giving him something to eat. The patient had to creep right under his (the ass’s) belly from one side to the other and back again. Then the patient went round to the ass’s head whence he crawled between the front legs right under it, and out under the hind legs and again back in under the hind and out beneath the front. This was repeated three times and corresponded to making the sign of the cross three times. Wattie Power told Danny that he went through this treatment when young and remembered it vividly.
In 1975, Danny Dowling interviewed his brother-in-law Tom Barron of Ballyconway, Thomastown, regarding some folk remedies that Tom had witnessed people use.
Measles
A cure or treatment for measles was sheep saffron (dung) and white wine mixed together. The mixture was then given to the patient to drink.
Warts
If you happened to find a stone with a hole in it containing water that water could be rubbed on warts to get rid of the warts. It was always a cure so long as the stone was found without looking for it.
Ringworm on Calves
Ringworm on calves was treated with waste oil and black sulphur mixed together and spread on the affected parts.
Worms in Cattle-tails
If a cow had a worm in her tail, a slit would be made in the skin of the tail and a bulb of garlic inserted. According to Tom Barron this was always a success.
Foot Rot in Cattle
To cure foot rot in cattle the farmer would watch where the animal let down the affected foot on the ground. The sod would then be cut in the shape of a half diamond on the spot, and the sod would be turned upside down, and the sod squeezed back into from where it was cut. As the grass withered away, the foot is at the same time curing. According to Tom Walsh of Rathinure this treatment was referred to as treasluach in Glenmore (pronounced tras-loock).
Farcy in Horses
To treat farcy in horses the farmer would get two small pieces of the she dog root, slit the skin of the horse’s forehead, and then insert the two small pieces of the she dog root in the form of a cross. According to Tom Barron this was a great cure.
Sores & Cuts on Cattle or Humans
Nicholas Forristal, of Graiguenakill, Glemore, in 1977 reported to Danny that urine was a common remedy for sores on cattle, but humans also used it. If a man cut his finger the cure was to urinate on it a few times. For sore hands, “got from binding corn,” the old people always used to put urine on their hands. It was a sure cure. Nicholas Forristal believed it was the salt content of the urine that healed the sores and cuts.
Remedy for Rheumatism
Joseph Flynn, late of Busherstown, Glenmore, but then of Grantstown in Co. Waterford, in an undated interview, provided the following remedy for rheumatism.
1 ounce cream of tartar
1 ounce epsom salts
One lemon.
Put the lot into one pint of water, and bring to boil. Then allow it to simmer until the lemon is dissolved. Then strain into a bottle which must be kept corked. A wine glassful of the liquid must be taken each morning before breakfast.
Abuse of Remedies
In 1989, Tom Walsh of Rathinure, Glenmore was interviewed by Danny and provided information concerning the “cunnawee” for the treatment of warts, the headache stone of Kilcolumb, and misadventures that befell individuals who abused the cures.
The “cunnawee” (yellow hound) was said to be served to St. Patrick by the inhabitants of Ballincrea in an effort to poison St. Patrick. Before St. Patrick began to eat he blessed the meal presented whereupon the hound instantly came alive. The hound jumped off the plate and crashed into a stone leaving the imprint of its head in the stone. Water was always supposed to be present in the impression. People with warts went there to put the water on their warts and it would get rid of the warts. Often offerings were left.
A man named Murphy from Davidstown, who was very fond of drink, went to this stone at the “cunnawee” to see if he could find any offerings. He found seven pence and a halfpenny with which he went to the pub and drank it. Sometime afterwards, he got a sore throat that turned out to be cancerous from which he died. The locals used to say it was on account of taking the offering money from St. Patrick’s stone.
Saint Columbcill’s stone is in the field west of the Kilcolumb church ruins in the townland of Rathinure. The stone has three large hallowed out bowls and originally had two small holes in one side of the stone. It is believed that this stone was the holy water font of the church and it was removed from the church during penal times and dumped in the field where it has remained. Local lore has it that any person who can place his head in the centre “bowl” at the same time placing one knee in each of the other two “bowls” will never suffer from headaches. This was a common cure for headaches in the old days. Tom Walsh related that one of the small “holes” where a thumb was able to fit in, by persons desiring to rid themselves of headaches, was knocked off by the swing of the plough striking against it. It appears that the man was ploughing the field and kept so near the stone that the damage was caused. He was dead before the next morning.
Update–New family information was added to the family page over the past week. To date 19 of Danny’s notebooks have been transcribed and only information from three notebooks has been placed on the family page so far.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Dying, Funerals & Wakes in Glenmore
There is nothing more certain than death, and nothing more uncertain than the time of death. Thomas Payne
Danny Dowling’s notebooks contain several references to the folklore and customs surrounding dying, funerals and wakes in Glenmore prior to the twentieth century. While some of the folklore and customs are similar to those found elsewhere in Ireland some appear to be unique to this area.
Banshee Announces Death
The notebooks contain local examples of the warning of the Banshee announcing death. For example, Nicholas “Nicky the Miller” Forristal (1888-1979) of Graguenakill, Glenmore reported to Danny in June 1957 that the banshee alerted relatives to the death of Peggy Kennedy of Rathinure. The Michilín Kennedy’s had a farm of about 40 Irish acres in Rathinure, Glenmore. There were four siblings including Michilín, Paudín, Risteardín and Peggy. None of the siblings married. The last of the family was Peggy Kennedy who sold the farm to Billy Forristal of Ballyverneen for £400. Billy was a distant cousin to Peggy.
Nicholas Forristal stated that he saw Peggy Kennedy a few times. She was aged between 80 and 90 years of age when she died in about 1877. It was widely reported that the night she died the banshee passed through Billy Forristel’s yard in Ballyvarneen at about 1 o’clock. He was in bed and heard the screeching. Billy said to the wife “gor Peggie must be dead.” He got up saddled a horse and rode to Rathinure. When he arrived he found that Peggy was “just after dying.” Another local example was provided by Alice Mackey, nee Power of Glenmore. Alice told Danny in March 1989 that she was minding Main McCabe in Jamestown. Alice heard the banshee screech once inside the house and then Main died.
The Wake
In Glenmore after a person died the mirror in the house would be covered with a cloth. Sometimes the mirror would be turned into the wall. Clocks were stopped at the time of death. The deceased was laid out on his/her bed and waked for two nights. The body was never left unattended by close family. Friends would call to the house to pay their respects. Pipes, tobacco, snuff and whiskey were provided to those calling to the house.
Wattie Power, of Jamestown in his 1956 interview revealed, that at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, wakes were events for all types of pranks. He said that James Power at big Mary’s wake in Clune lifted her corpse out of the bed for a prank. The farmers’ barns were the usual venue for games, when the wake happened to be in a farmer’s house. Nicholas Forristal, of Graiguenakill, in 1977 recalled that Blind Jack and Blind Man’s Bluff were games played at wakes. Blind Jack consisted of blindfolding one man with a púcín and then asking him to guess who struck him across the jaw, from those in the group.
The Rahawn
The deceased would be placed in a coffin usually on the morning of the third day. The coffin would be placed on four chairs outside the door. After removal of the coffin the chairs were turned upside down until after the deceased was buried. Nicholas Forristal in July 1957 also recalled that at the funeral of his grandfather, James Cardiff, a keener was present. He noted that a rahawn, was the word used to describe the keen or rhyme that was sung concerning the deceased’s good points. A keener or group of keeners would sing at the wake and funeral. The grave for the deceased would be dug by neighbours and friends. The grass on the grave would be carefully skinned off and the skinned grass would be rolled up and placed to one side.
Funeral Procession & Prayers at Crossroads
Before professional undertakers the coffin would be carried by the pall bearers to the churchyard. The old churchyards around Glenmore were in use well into the twentieth century when all burials took place in the churchyard adjacent to St. James Parish Church. According to Nicholas Forristal until the 1880’s the coffin would be left down at certain locations where prayers would be said usually at crosses (crossroads). For a history of St. James see our post of 19 November 2019.
Danny recalls being told that stones were thrown at certain monumental sceachs as the funeral procession passed. This occurred at the crossroads of Jamestown there were two old sceach growing in Greene’s haggard where the shed is now. When a funeral passed this spot on the way to the churchyard, the chief mourners always fired a stone at the sceachs over the ditch from the roadside. Danny never saw a stone being thrown at these sceachs, but he does remember a heap of stones at the bottom of these sceachs. The area was cleared about 70 years ago for the erection of the shed. It is believed that the throwing of the stones was a symbolic gesture of keeping evil away from the deceased.
No Chapel or Priest
The funeral procession would bring the coffin straight to the Glenmore churchyard where it was carried around the churchyard before interment. The chapel was not used for funeral services, and no priest attended the burial. This was not unique to Glenmore. (See, James Mooney, “The Funeral Customs of Ireland,” 25(128) Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society (July-Dec 1888) pp. 243-296, available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/983061). Andy Heffernan, of Aylwardstown, was married to Bridgie Roche of Rathinure. He told Danny that one morning at a funeral in Glenmore churchyard for a deceased of Rathinure they saw the priest ride by on his horse on the way to join the hunt. The priest did not stop, acknowledge the funeral procession, or offer any prayers for the deceased.
Month’s Mind
Danny noted that a month’s mind or requiem mass was held one month after the death if the family could afford it. Before the twentieth century it was held in the house of the deceased. In some areas a year’s mind was sometimes celebrated in the chapel on the first anniversary of the death. After the interment in the Glenmore churchyard the rolled up grass would be unrolled and placed on the new grave. This was referred to as putting the “green quilt” on the grave.
Workhouse Deaths
Circumstances for the poor were very different. Some of the deceased who were poor were buried at night without any wake. If a Glenmore person died in the workhouse in Waterford the deceased would be put into a large bag by the Workhouse. The bagged corpse could be collected by a family member and it was common for the corpse to be transported to Glenmore on the back of the family member who collected it. Today, Danny recalled the often repeated story of the two men who collected a corpse at the Waterford Workhouse. The corpse was carried to Slieverue where it was left outside the pub while the men went in. They collected the corpse and carried it on their backs to Kilcolumb graveyard where they buried it. Today, Danny said that there is a Stranger’s plot in the Glenmore churchyard. It is at the very back of the churchyard in the right hand corner where strangers who died in Glenmore were buried.
Undertakers
According to Danny there was never an undertaker in Glenmore. However, Tom Fitzgerald, a native of Weatherstown, Glenmore, was an undertaker with premises in New Ross in the first half of the twentieth century. He also owned a butcher’s shop. Charlies Linegar when interviewed in 2005 noted that Dead Man Kielthy worked on Tom Fitzgerald’s hearse as a helper. He also had a covered car which held about four persons. If his covered car was utilised for important persons such as the gentry Fitzgerald would place plumes on the horses. Danny believes that Kielthy was from Gaulestown in Glenmore. With the coming of the professional undertaker horse drawn hearses, and later motorised hearses, replaced the walking funeral procession in Glenmore.
It is believed that one of the last funeral processions where a coffin was carried by pall bearers from the deceased’s home to the Glenmore churchyard occurred during the winter of 1947. Bridget Heffernan née Kennedy of Alwardstown died at the age of 93 and the roads were drifted shut with snow. Her coffin was carried by pall bearers across the fields from Alwardstown to Glenmore.
Glenmore Grave Robbing?
In Glenmore after a funeral the chapel door would be left open and the chief mourners would spend a certain number of nights in the chapel to ensure that the new grave would not be robbed. Danny stated today that Nicholas Forristal told him that prior to around 1880 a man who lived at the bottom of the “churns” in Glenmore used to dig up a fresh corpse, place the corpse in a large basket in a horse drawn cart, drive the corpse into Waterford and sell it to a doctor who would use the corpse for training new doctors. The man on his return trip from Waterford was said to fill the basket with bread and bring it back to Glenmore. It is not known if grave robbing actually occurred in Glenmore or if it was fireside story based on grave robbing occurring elsewhere and reported in newspapers.
Wearing the Clothes of the Deceased
Alice Mackey née Power in 1989 described the custom of people wearing the clothes of the deceased. She said that it was a common practice the Glenmore area for generations but was dying out. When Main Gaule, of Busherstown, was dying she gave Alice instructions that Statia Brennan of Shanbough was to wear the clothes, shawl, blouse and skirt for Main’s soul after Main died. Statia Brennan was to bring to Main’s clothes to Main’s house before mass and put them on. After Mass she was to return and take them off before returning to her own home.
This was to be repeated on the two following Sundays. According to Alice, Statia Brennan, didn’t carry out the instructions to the detail as instructed. After wearing them for the first Sunday, she brought them to her own home in Shanbogh. For the purpose a new shawl had to be purchased in Watt Holden’s in Ross. Today, Danny said that as a chap he was told that the wearing of the deceased’s clothes was to ensure that the deceased would not be naked in the hereafter. He recalled that the Holden’s of Clune wore the clothes of a deceased for an entire year.
The Will of Peg Freany
Perhaps one of the most interesting entries in Danny’s notebooks concerns the Will of Peg Freaney of Tory Hill, Mullinavat. Nicholas Forristal, in his June 1957 interview stated that Peg died about 1882 and stipulated in her Will that a gallon of whiskey for every £100 she left should be drank at her wake. Peg left £1300 and her wishes were carried out.
Special thanks to Louise Walsh for the photos of the graveyards.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
The Glenmore Post Office: Its Rise and Demise
Stephen Ferguson, the author of The Post Office in Ireland: An Illustrated History noted that the Irish Post Office was established by an Act of Parliament that separated it from the British Post Office in 1784. At that time there were 145 post towns in Ireland, and by 1814 the number of post towns increased to 379. Ferguson also highlighted the difficulties of transporting the mail. He quoted from the diary of Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin, a hedge-school master from Callan, who wrote in 1829 that the post coach from Dublin to Cork took 21 hours. Ó Súilleabháin found this an improvement because 50 years earlier the post coach from Kilkenny to Dublin took up to 2 days to arrive. However, it would be a further 50 years before Glenmore would obtain its first post office.
Two Post Coach Roads
Although two post coach roads passed through the parish of Glenmore, the Village of Glenmore did not obtain a post office until around 1870. The most prominent post coach road was the Waterford to New Ross road. Part of this route is easily found today if one follows what locals refer to as the “High Road.” The High Road runs through Scartnamore, Rathinure, Aylwaystown to Graiguenakill. The Halfwayhouse in the townland of Aylwardstown still bears the name of the midway point on the Waterford-New Ross post road where coaches stopped to change horses.
In 1989 Danny Dowling interviewed Tom Walsh (1908-1992) of Rathinure, formerly of Davidstown, who noted that the “Mountain Road” was formerly part of the Thomastown-Waterford Post Coach Road. The route was via Mullinarrigle, Ballyfacey, Haggard, Ballinlammy, the Árs Mhor and the Mountain Road to Slieverue where it joined the New Ross to Waterford Road. The cross or connecting road between the Mountain Road and the Main Waterford-New Ross Road at Gaulstown was known as the Grugán.
In 1836, the “New Line” was opened providing a more direct road through the parish from Waterford to New Ross, and today the N25 still follows sections of the “New Line” above the Village of Glenmore. Eventually post coaches were replaced with lighter horse drawn cars and until the post office in Glenmore was established the Waterford and New Ross mail car would stop along the route at points where inhabitants would gather to collect their letters and packages. The speed of delivery was greatly increased with the opening of the Ross-Waterford railway in 1904 with a small station established in Aylwardstown.
In 1977 Danny interviewed Dan Doyle, formerly of Ballyverneen who worked as a ganger on the building of the Ross-Waterford railway. Dan Doyle stated that in 1919 he was working in the New Ross station and the fixed time train table brought 11 trains into New Ross daily. At 10:25 a.m. a train carrying mail from Dublin arrived and at 3:15 p.m. a train carrying mail from Waterford for Dublin arrived in New Ross. Even after the coming of the railway local mail was still collected from and delivered to the railway station in Aylwardstown in horse drawn vehicles or bicycle and delivered to Glenmore inhabitants via bicycle.
The First Glenmore Post Office
The first Glenmore post master was William Powell a retired policeman. He first came to Glenmore as a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary, and was stationed in the Glenmore Barracks. When Powell retired he opened in his dwelling house the first Glenmore post office in about 1870. The first Glenmore post office was situated on the opposite side of the road up the hill from the Barracks. At the time of the first post office the inhabitants of the parish had to collect their mail at the post office. The Powell house no longer exists, but if it did it would be directly opposite Francis O’Brien’s house. William Powell, died on the 1 August 1880, aged 72 and his widow Bridget Powell died in Robinstown on 9 August 1891.
The Second Glenmore Post Office
The second Glenmore post office was located in the shop of Robert Fluskey. While the post office was in Fluskey’s shop the services expanded to include a delivery service and the local telephone exchange was established. Edward “Ned” Kehoe of Aylwardstown was the first man ever appointed to deliver the post in Glenmore. He had a bicycle to travel around and was provided with a whistle to indicate he was in the area. Ned Kehoe would visit various areas of the parish on designated days, stop at a cross roads or group of houses and blow his whistle. The local inhabitants would gather to collect their mail. Ned Kehoe was born about 1875 and was the son of Patrick and Kate Kehoe of Aylwardstown. Ned Kehoe was known as being an industrious fellow. In addition to being a post man he farmed his 10 acre farm and also worked on various projects including the building of the chimney at the Creamery.
The Third Glenmore Post Office
The third Glenmore post office was located in Alice Ryan’s dwelling house which is opposite the pub. It is believed that delivery to each house in the parish on a daily basis began either during the later years of the second post office or at the beginning of the third. Today, many of the older inhabitants recall Foxy Wattie Power and Tommy Power who delivered daily in Glenmore. Each man was responsible for delivering to half of the parish.
The Fourth Glenmore Post Office
The fourth and last post office was Hanrahan’s located opposite and down the hill from the Church. The Glenmore post office closed in November 2018 upon the retirement of Kathleen Hanrahan, thus ending almost 150 years of the Glenmore Post Office. At the time of the closure the range of services provided by the post office was extensive including a variety of savings accounts, social welfare payments and payment of licence fees and utility bills etc.
Today all that remains is the post box outside the Village Shop which is run by Noeleen Fogarty née Hennessey at Hanrahan’s. A post box at the cross roads just above the old Aylwardstown railway station is still visible in the wall. An examination of the old post box reveals that it was made during the reign of Edward the VII (1901-1910) and was later painted green. It was established at the time of opening of the railway station as a convenience for travellers. Today it bears a notice that it is no longer in service.
Special thanks to Jacqueline Walsh for the old photos of the second Glenmore Post Office, and Louise Walsh for the recent photos.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
A Brief History of Glenmore’s St. James Catholic Church
A visitor to Glenmore might find a concise history of St. James Catholic Church on a stone plaque inserted into the wall over the sacristy door of the church.
Anno Domini 1813 This chapel was built by the inhabitants of Glenmore Revd. John Fitzpatrick P.P. Revd. William Grant Coad. A.D. 1910 Rebuilt Rev. Thomas Phelan P.P. Rev. M.A. Crotty C.C.
This concise history does not reflect the struggles the parishioners encountered in practicing their faith and building this church.
St. Patrick & Early Glenmore Celtic Churches
The roots of the parish go right back to St. Patrick. Legend has it that when St. Patrick, whilst on his travels throughout Ireland, in the fifth century, preaching and converting the native to the new Christian religion, he passed through the area which is now Davidstown, that is today in the Parish of Glenmore. The prospect and amenity of the area so pleased him that he decided to build a church there, which decision he later abandoned after some days work on the site.
Whether or not St. Patrick, ever arrived in this place on his visitation through Ossory, is not certain. However, what is certain, is that the Christian Religion was in widespread practice here in early times, as is evidenced by the numerous Celtic Churches which were used as places of Worship. These early edifices were located in Rathaglish, Davidstown, Rochestown, Ballycroney, Ballygurrim, Kilmakevoge, Kilbride, Kilquan and Kilcolumb. Of all these only the ruins of Ballygurrim, Kilmakevoge, and Kilcolumb still survive, and the foundations of what was Kilbride.
Danny Dowling has noted that there has been a strong oral tradition in Glenmore with the passing of historical information from one generation to the next. For example, according to this oral tradition, Ballygurrim was a settlement containing a good number of houses. Wattie Power, late of Jamestown, was interviewed in the 1950’s and noted that when he was a lad he often heard from the older people of the area that there was a large village of houses in the church field which surrounds Ballygurrin graveyard. During a plague most of the inhabitants of the village died and were buried in a large trench in Merrigan’s bog across the road. Wattie Power as a young man was asked to plough the church field. It had not been ploughed in the memory of living people. He ploughed the field, and in the lower half of the field nearest to Glenmore the plough turned up numerous areas of black earth, ash and cinders, besides numerous hearthstones. All these items indicate that a village existed in this field.
Penal Times
In addition to plague, politics impacted on the early Glenmore churches. Most were forced to close during penal times after Cromwell arrived in Ireland in 1649. It is known that Kilivory was in use right up until penal times with some of the priests of Slieverue being buried there. Kilcolumb in the townland of Rathinure was converted to Protestant use. Oral tradition provides that during the troubles associated with the Cromwellian confiscation the sacred vessels of Ballygurrim Church were buried under an ancient sceach in the church field on Dowling’s farm in Jamestown. The ancient sceach, fell around 1950. It was located about midway between the line of the mass path (which passed through this field from opposite Clune Lane) to the corner of the field adjoining the Ballygurrim to Glenmore Roadway.
During penal times the people persevered in following their faith often holding mass in secret in houses as was the practice in Forristalstown or open air masses were held. The faithful also continued to bury their dead in the old church yards of Kilivory, Kilcolumb and Ballygurrim. Tradition states that open air masses were held in Kearney Bay and in Bolger’s field in Ballycroney. On one occasion in Bolger’s field the priest was saying mass. As was essential some of the faithful were on watch for soldiers. The scout on this occasion apparently didn’t see the oncoming soldiers until they were very near. He immediately gave word to the priest, who asked the congregation to disperse and go their own way as best they could, and “I’ll go mine.” When the soldiers arrived, the commanding officer said, “The wolf was here but he is gone.” The soldiers passed and didn’t see anyone. It was said that the faithful were rendered invisible by the power of God.
The Church in Hanrahan’s Field
Sometime around 1711 a Catholic church was built in Hanrahan’s field directly across from the Creamery about 1/3 of the distance from the Creamery to the now closed post office. The name of the church has been lost, but the description of the church has been passed down. The church building was made of stone, had a thatched roof, no floor and no furniture. The faithful brought straw with them to kneel on the damp ground. It is believed that this low spot in the valley and the shed like building with no floor or furniture was to conceal its function as a Catholic church during the penal years.
Most of the penal laws were removed by 1793, and shortly thereafter the present parish church, dedicated to St. James, the apostle, was built in 1813. The site of the church is on a hill making the tall structure visible for a considerable distance. No contractor was hired to build the church. Instead the parishioners built their church providing the labour and donating most of the materials. The shell of a Chapel in Glenmore, was built at a cost of £100 in 1813. Old Johnnie Gaule of Busherstown, gave this information to his nephew Mickey (Specks) Power of Busherstown, who used to work with Wattie Power of Jamestown who gave it to Danny. Father Grant was the Curate in charge of St. James. Father Grant was a native of Ballyvarring in the Parish of Slieverue.
[Update–Oct. 2025, Land Given for the Glenmore Church
Just five years after the 1798 Rebellion the Earl of Bessborough gave an acre of land to the Parish of Glenmore to build the Catholic Church of St. James. Danny Dowling (1927-2021) often remarked that the Earl must have been a kind man because he did not in any apparent way punish the family of William Gaffney (c. 1762-1798) the executed Glenmore miller and leader of the local United Irishmen.
“The Earl of Bessborough has very liberally granted an acre of land in the parish of Glenmore, in the County of Kilkenny, to erect a chapel on, for the Divine Worship and adoration of the Author of All Good, for which his Lordship has received the sincere thanks of the Rev. Dr. Malley, P.P. and the Roman Catholic gentlemen, farmers, and inhabitants of the parish” (Saunders’s News-Letter, Thur. 27 Oct. 1803).
We believe this gift was from the third Earl of Bessborough, Frederick Ponsonby (1758-1844). He inherited the Bessborough title and lands upon the death of his father, William Ponsonby, the second Earl of Bessborough, in 1793. For further details regarding Frederick Ponsonby, his wife, Lady Henrietta Spencer and their daughter Lady Caroline Lamb’s scandalous affair with Lord Byron, see Marjorie Bloy, A Web of English History website.
Birth of Glenmore Parish
The years 1845 to 1850 are primarily associated with the Great Famine, but in Glenmore the year 1846 is also remembered for the birth of the parish. Prior to 1846 the present parish of Glenmore, was part of the parish of Slieverue. Parish Priest Rev. Edward Walsh, on his becoming Bishop of Ossory, made Glenmore a separate parish from Slieverue. In this form Glenmore has remained although with the shortage of priests there is currently consideration being given to combining parishes.
Since 1813 St. James Church has undergone renovations including the removal of the gallery, but the last major renovation of the church was its rebuilding in 1910 as reflected on the stone plaque over the sacristy door. George Nolan a Builder in Waterford was awarded the contract for the re-build in 1910, and Michael Doran was a monumental sculptor, who worked for George Nolan. Michael Doran, at the age of 86 when interviewed by Danny, recalled that in 1910 he cut the stone for the present belfry. For further information regarding renovations see our post of 2 May 2020.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
This past week we added local Irish words to the website as well as local families, and special thanks to Jacqueline Walsh who sent a number of old photos of Glenmore including those of St. James.
Took to the Road Around Glenmore
In 1955 Danny Dowling recorded a list of men and women who “took to the road” and regularly visited the Glenmore area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These usually homeless people were often referred to as tramps or beggars. In the days before social welfare, they travelled from place to place stopping and staying, and perhaps doing odd jobs, for a day or two in exchange for food and a place to sleep. They were usually accomodated in an outbuilding, stable loft or boiler house. Some of the names recorded by Danny include: Mick the Sweep; Corduroy Hat (Pat O’Hara); and Jack the Barrow (who travelled with a wheelbarrow).
Danny obtained details concerning some of these men and women when he interviewed Nicholas Forristal of the Mill, Graiguenakill, on 17 November 1974. Nicky Forristal was born in Glenmore on 1 February 1888. He worked at his family mill in Graiguenakill which was near the main road. He was well placed to speak to and observe people travelling to and around Glenmore.
Dicky “The Stallion” Walsh
Dicky the Stallion was a harmless man. His name was Dick Walsh, and was so called Dicky the Stallion from the fact that his father kept a stallion horse. Paddy the Stallion was his brother. Paddy the Stallion was also a harmless man but not as much so as Dicky. Dicky and Paddy were natives of around Bigwood, Mullinavat area. Their father had a farm, got broke and lost it.
Dicky the Stallion, after his father lost the farm, stayed at the Mill in Graiguenakill, where he got lodging. Dicky also used to stay at Johnnie Ennetts of Cappagh, sometimes. On one occasion he was in Ennetts in the barn, one morning after staying the night when Johnnie asked him, “is he gone yet?” Dickie replied, “I’ll be gone soon sir.” After some time Johnnie called again and said “You’re not gone yet,” to which Dickie replied “Sure I must stand on Ireland’s proud anyway boy—as I have nowhere to go.” Dicky and Paddy Walsh were going around until about 1900. Nicky described them as low size blocks of men with cropped beards. Nicky stated that they had plenty of talk but never spoke ill of anybody.
Paddy “Go Easy” Gorman
Paddy Gorman, known as Paddy Go Easy was a native of New Ross. Paddy Go Easy came out about once a fortnight to the Glenmore area. He always called to the mill. Nicky Forristal noted that “he was in it about 70 to 80 years ago.” Nicky described Paddy Go Easy as a big tall man who walked fast and was clean shaven. He carried a big long stick like a pike handle and wore a wide Jerry Hat. Paddy Go Easy didn’t talk much.
Paddy Pencil
Paddy Pencil, was from the Rower where his father had a farm. Paddy Pencil was in it before Nicky Forristal’s time. Paddy came to Ross to work and got fond of the drink. He remained on in Ross. He was not a travelling man, only hung about the town getting an odd job holding horses and carrying parcels all for a few pence to buy drink.
When Paddy’s father died he left the farm to Paddy’s brother. The brother then gave Paddy the father’s clothes to wear for his soul. Paddy returned from Ross one night shortly afterwards wearing his father’s clothes. He went into the yard and stood in the middle of it and called his brother—imitating his father’s voice.
Paddy’s brother came to the window and thinking it was his father calling from the dead, and he asked his father, “What trouble are you in?” Paddy replied—still imitating his father, “Give the money of the two stacks of wheat in Haggard to Paddy in Ross.” Paddy’s poor brother thought he’d never have the stacks of wheat threshed soon enough in order to give the money to Paddy. He thought this necessary so his father’s soul would rest. When Paddy’s brother had the wheat threshed and sold he immediately gave the money to Paddy. Paddy had a great time drinking for about 3 weeks.
Jack the Ink
Jack the Ink moved around Glenmore before Nicky Forristal’s time. Peggy Gaffney, who had the little shop in Glenmore, told Nicky that Jack the Ink called to her shop. On one occasion Jack bought and ate 12 penny buns in the shop. Jack used to talk to himself and lodged here and there around Glenmore. Jack was regarded as clever. “As clever as Jack the Ink,” the people used say. He made straw hats for 1 ½ d. each.
John “Tail of the Comet” Dalton
John Dalton was known as Tail of the Comet and was from “up Co. Kilkenny.” A big tall man about 6 feet tall. John had a bit of a meegle (goatee). John Dalton “used be after the wedding cee caws in Glenmore.” (This was a custom after a wedding where coins were thrown into the air.) John Dalton carried a switch and used to belt the women on the knuckles in the scramble. He was a clever old daw and was in circulation until the 1930’s. He was about 70 years of age then. Paddy Forristal, Nicky’s son, saw him calling to Glenmore School, when Paddy was a pupil. John used to lift the latch and open the door and put in his head and say “How you Mister Beevins?” He called Mr. Bevans, the headmaster, Mr. Beevins. John always got a couple of pence from Mr. Bevans. After getting the money John would say, “Happy harvest to you now sir” and remove his hat. John also called to the priests, and was reasonably well dressed.
Gentle Annie
Gentle Annie was going when Nicky Forristal was a young man, and he remembered her as “The Lady All Round.” She appeared to be old then and she was called Nurse Whelan. She lived and died at Nelly Grawsheens, where Hanrahan’s shop is now, in Robinstown, Glenmore. She was a big, tall, old woman when Nicky Forristal knew her. It appeared she was a nurse in a hospital in her time. After her death, the union hearse came from Waterford and took her away. Nicky Forristal was going to school when she died about 74 years ago. They had a great night at her wake even though there was no drink. Nicky Forristal related that they “had a bonfire inside, they tore the boards down off the loft and burned” them. All the local boys were there and there was a dance as well. That same night they nearly roasted Mick Breen of Graiguenakill, and Nicky noted that Breen’s real name was Butler.
Others
Other persons Nicky Forristal recalled in 1974 were: Foxy Ned Grace (a Crimea War Pensioner); Blind Woman (who was dead over 70 years); George Lackey (who had been in India) and Jim Arse who “was in it” about 80 years ago, and worked with Tom Nolan at the Redhouse in Shanbogh.
Biddy the Pipes was an old woman when Nicky Forristal was a chap. She used have about three pipes on her for smoking. She used to regularly call to the mill for a bit to eat.
Billy and Jane Fleming lived in a lime kiln in Graiguenakill. Billy and Jane used to pick furze seed in order to get a bit to eat. Billy once carried 4 stones of furze seed to Kilkenny and back to Waterford on his back. Billy used to say, “Shut the door and let me in.” He died before 1890.
Jack the Bird McGrath was a cattle drover. In the Glenmore area he stopped in Whelan’s Bog, Shanbough; Grants, Ballyvarring and Mullin’s of Flemingstown. In 1974, Nicky Forristal noted he was dead about 50 years or more.
Bolliky Bill’s real name was Bill Coffey. Nicky Forristal when interviewed stated that “he was one of the last tramps to roam this area,” and was in it up to about 20 years ago. He was usually dressed in rags, almost in his skin. Bill had a kind of English accent, but never spoke very much.
First Burial in St. James
It is believed that the first person to be buried in the cemetery attached to St. James, the present Glenmore church, was a woman named Reilly who took to the roads and travelled around the Glenmore area. She was stopped at Dunphy’s in Ballyverneen, Glenmore when she died. This information was provided to Danny Dowling by the late Luke Gaule of Slieveconagh, Rosbercon, who heard it from Michael Gaule of Killespy, Slieverue and late of Jamestown, Glenmore. The present churchyard opened in 1805 eight years before St. James was built in 1813.
The feature black and white photo was taken of a Rathinure local in 2019 on the Kilcolumb Church Lane. The other photo is courtesy of the digital collection of the New York Public Library. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “”Bum blockade.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1936. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4adae4b0-73d3-0136-0397-1ba7cc681344
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh