1930’s
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Prosperity, Pollution and the 1931 Glenmore Waterworks
Danny Dowling this week was able to identify five known hand operated public water pumps in the Village of Glenmore. One pump was located in front of where the Glenmore pub is now located. This was a deep well. Another pump was later located across the road at Rita Cummins née Hennessy’s gate on the footpath. A third pump was located outside the old National Boys’ School. Danny also stated that he was told that Gaffneys had a pump, but Danny did not know if it was in front of the buildings or at the side or rear of the property. Today, next to the Coach House a pump painted red still remains in the Village.
As previously discussed in our post of the 9th of May 2020, the Glenmore Co-opertive Creamery was established and commenced operating in 1905. According to the newspaper coverage at the time the site was chosen because it contained a spring and a stream. An expert who advised the founders noted that a creamery needed a good supply of clean spring water and a fast moving stream to carry away the waste generated by the operations of the Creamery. The stream at the Creamery went under the road; into Hanrahan’s field where the original Glenmore chapel was located; it ran down the hill under the Village Street to meet the stream from Mullinahone at the pub side of the bridge; flowed behind the Coach House into Cappagh; on to Graiguenakill and out into the Ballyverneen marshes and into the Barrow River.
On the 23rd of October 1931 the New Ross Standard featured a long article regarding the opening of the Glenmore waterworks.
“For some years Glenmore was faced with a serious problem in its water supply. The old pump had done its duty for generations, but in all material things the wear and tear of time inevitably leaves its impress. Gradually the old fundamental work became faulty and gave grounds for misgivings as regards the purity of the water feeding the storage vault. Shortly the situation was clarified when it was proved that the water was no longer safe for human consumption.”
Although the article implies that the water became unfit due to the wear and tear on the pumps, the article also reveals that the water in the Village pumps had become so unfit that farmers would not allow their horses to drink it. Danny believes that the discharges from the Creamery polluted the stream and then the nearby wells. It was reported that anxiety arose in 1929 in the Village concerning the state of the Glenmore water. The Very Reverend, Canon Holohan, P.P. and the Very Reverend, Dr. Gibbons, Curate out of concern for their parishioners set out to find a supply of good water for the Village. They wrote to Mr. Dooley, a member of the Kilkenny County Council and Mr. Flanigan, the engineer for the County Council. Mr. Dooley and Mr. Flanigan travelled to Glenmore on a very wet day. They examined the water, the old pump, took up buckets of water, and found that it was absolutely unfit for human use.
Originally a suggestion was made that another pump be sank in the village, but this was rejected as the likelihood was that the water in a new pump would also be polluted. Finally, the priests hit on a new source of water for the Village. Danny said that they chose the Tobar Mhuire Holy or blessed well in the Flemingstown Townland on the lands of Mrs. Mary Mullins, née Walsh. [Mary Mullins, née Walsh was the daughter of Patrick and Margaret Walsh, of Davidstown, Glenmore the couple who gave the sanctuary lamp to the Glenmore Parish Church during the 1910-1912 renovations that travelled to Crosspatrick Church.] Danny explained that Tobar Mhuire translates as St. Mary’s Well. The site of the well was considered ideal because it was at a good elevation over the village and thus would ensure a good pressure. It was reported that the water was pure and abundant.
The priests wrote the Board of Health, and correspondence went on for some time between them and the board. Mr. Flanagan, engineer, then drew up plans, specifications, and an estimate for the proposed work, and submitted it all to the Board of Health. The Board agreed to the plan and guaranteed that it would pay for the work. The work started in March 1931 by the contractor, Mr. Power. This work included the running a mile of pipe to the Village. According to Thomas Mullins, of Flemingstown, grandson of Mrs. Mary Mullins, the original pipe was cast iron and subject to leaks. The newspaper article indicates that fountains or faucets were placed in the Village and several of the houses in the village and the schools immediately connected as did some houses outside the Village that were adjacent to the main pipe. It was noted that it was predicted that in a short time the scheme would be a source of substantial revenue for the Health Board and would recoup the £1,200 expended on it. At the opening ceremony Councillor Dooley was thanked for working tirelessly to get the Glenmore scheme sanctioned, and for also securing a £300 grant for the project from the Government when President Cosgrove visited Kilkenny.
A couple of hundred people attended the opening ceremony held at the well. Speeches were given by various politicians and Father Holohan blessed the water. One politician told a joke concerning a thirsty man that provides a glimpse into the humour of the time. A thirsty man was working hard under a blazing sun. He went to a neighbouring house for a drink of water. He was handed a glass of water and asked if he would have a little stick in it. “What do you mean? How could a bit of stick improve it?” asked the thirsty workman in surprise. The householder explained, “In this part of the country a bit of stick means a little whiskey.” The thirsty man replied, “Well, if that is the case then, put a telegraph pole into it.” After the ceremony had concluded, Mrs. Mullins, who so generously gave the concession of land, was handed the apparatus, and she formally turned on the water to the main at the stopcock, midst applause.”
Although various works have been performed to the system over the past 89 years, and the Village has grown, the water supply to the Village of Glenmore is still the Tobar Mhuire Holy well. [UPDATE on 28 June 2020–The New Ross Standard reported on Thursday the 28th of June 1990 that “[t]he old metal pipes which were laid 60 years ago when the Village of Glenmore got its first water supply, are currently being replaced by the outdoor staff of Kilkenny County Council. The supply is provided by a well at Flemingstown.]
On a separate matter—with the partial lifting of the lockdown this week I drove to a socially distance visit with Danny. He was in very good spirits. On my way through Cappagh I spied a May Bush in front of Pat Dowling’s house. It was nice to be out of the house, visit with Danny and see this old tradition on the approach to the Village. Apologies for the quality of the photo.
Special thanks to Thomas Mullins, of Flemingstown for providing details concerning the well and waterworks.
The featured photo is the Village Stream taken at the water pump looking toward Cappagh, Glenmore.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Tobar Mhuire Holy Well in 2020
Glenmore Village in the 1930’s [updated]
Tucked in Notebook 24 were three loose pages of handwritten notes Danny Dowling started regarding the Village of Glenmore in the 1930’s when he was a boy. Special thanks to Jacqueline Walsh for the old photos of the Village. [At the request of a reader a map of the Village is attached below with numbers inserted into the text to correspond to the map. The map is not to scale.]
Throughout the decade of the 1930’s, the Village of Glenmore was mainly situated in the townlands of Graiguenakill, Cappagh and Robinstown. Danny refers to the area around the present pub as the original village area. This original village area was at the T in the roads where the road called the Churns ran down the hill from the New Line (now N25) into the village and intersected with the main Village road that ran between Cappagh and up the hill past St. James’ Catholic Church. A village pump was located in this area in the 1930’s just in front of where the pub is now located.
In the original village area commencing with the buildings that lined the main Village Road (and facing up the Churns road) the building closest to the stream was Jim Fluskey’s shop[1]. His wife was Mollie Murphy, of Davidstown. Fluskey’s shop was the busiest and most thriving in the whole Village. They 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. The second Glenmore Post Office was in these premises.
The next building (toward the Church) was Dowling’s house [2]. This was the house where Danny was born in 1927. Previously Mary Hanrahan, née Murphy (1863-1938) owned the house along with a farm of nearly forty acres. Both her husband, James Hanrahan (1875- ), and her son, John Hanrahan, were dead. Mary Hanrahan née Murphy gave the premises and land to her niece Hannie Murphy (1903-1989) of Ballinlammy who went on to marry Pat Dowling, (c. 1900-1945) of Jamestown. John Hanrahan had been a cooper by trade and the Hanrahan family had their cooperage in the townland of Robinstown on the other side of the road opposite to the Gaffney premises and corn mill. [3]
Gaffney’s once had the next buildings toward the church. The last of the Gaffney’s sold out and moved to England before 1905. The premises in the 1930’s were in the possession of the Heffernan—Walsh family. [3] In addition to a shop there was a dance hall established in 1937. Lizzie and Minnie Heffernan were sisters. Lizzie was married to James K. Walsh, of Ballybrahee, and they had three children: Eric, Hal (Harry) and Etta. Etta Walsh married Pat Fitzpatrick who was a superintendent in the Garda Force. Minnie was not married and lived in the shop while Lizzie and her family lived in the attached dwellinghouse next door which was known as J.K’s. The dance hall was at the rear and accessed from the Mullinahone Road. [3a]
Across the main Village Road (opposite the present pub) at the bottom of the Churns there were three attached houses. The middle house belonged to John Cody, [5] the local postman, his wife Allie and their three daughters; Maryanne, Katie and Alice. Alice Cody married John Ryan from County Carlow. Alice had the post office after Fluskey for a number of years, thus the third Glenmore post office was here. [5] Next door, going up the hill, lived the Jones family. [6] [Danny’s notes do not indicate who lived in the corner house [4] but I was able to verify with Noeleen Fogarty, née Hennessey that her father was born in this house in 1926. It is believed that previously the Flynn’s her grandmother’s people resided here.]
Further up the hill on the same side of the road were the shoemaking premises of Jim Scanlon and his son Jack [7]. They manufactured man made boots and shoes for heavy work and repaired shoes. In busy periods, Scanlon’s workshop employed journeymen shoemakers. Jim Scanlon was reputed to produce work which was considered to be first class. Jim Scanlon was a native of Knockbrack, Glenmore and started his shoemaking business in Glenmore about 1920 or earlier. Jim Scanlon died in 1931 and that was the end of the shoemaking business. His son Jack remained in the shoe repair business until after the Second World War.
A little further up the hill toward the New Line there were two small houses built together [8 &9]. Doolans lived in one of the houses. Later O’Keefe’s lived in the other. [Per Jo Doyle, née Mernagh one of these houses was split and then there were three houses. Jo in the early 40’s went to school with Biddy Doolan who lived there and Wattie Walsh lived in the other house. It is believed that Wattie was the son of Jim Walsh who also had a couple of step-daughters.]
Across the Road (next door up the hill from the current pub) was Jim B’s. [10] James Walsh, a native of Ballyfacey, was the local carpenter who did all kinds of work including the making of farms carts. He operated a workshop from his premises and lived here with his wife and family. Where the pub is now were outbuildings. The pub was established in 1963 by Seán Walsh and is currently operated by Michael Barron, of Carrigcloney. At the bottom of the hill across from Fluskey’s stood Mackessy’s stage house or grain store[11]. Previously a forge was located across from Fluskey’s.
Crossing the Mullinahone stream into Cappagh, Mackessy’s coach house [12] was the first building on the stream side of the road. Opposite the coach house in the 1930’s the first house was occupied by Patsy Ryan. [13] The next house was occupied by Paddy Jones [13a], who was married to Alice Dunne and the couple had two sons Pakie and Seamus Jones. Mrs. Cashin [14] had the third house . Her husband drowned in the River Barrow. The Cashin’s had four children. Jimmy Cashin was the engineman in the Creamery; Mick Cashin was in London; Ellie Cashin married John McBride and Statia Cashion married a man named Doyle from New Ross. Statia worked with P.N. O’Gorman Auctioneers and Valuers, of Rosbercon, for several years until O’Gorman’s death. Statia Doyle [15] lived next door to Heffernan’s shop. Prior to Mrs. Cashin the house was occupied by Miss Bolger who had a dressmaking business there.
The next building was Heffernan’s shop [16] which was operated by Mikey Heffernan and family. His wife was a native of Co. Tipperary and was principal of the Girl’s National School. Previous to being a shop the building served as accommodation for the married police in the Village. Single officers had accommodation provided in the Barracks. The last house before leaving the Village was a two-storey house occupied by Maggie McGuniesse. Maggie was married to Patsey Walsh and had a large family. [17]
Going up the main Village road, from the original village, the hill at the Barracks [18] (at the corner of the intersection with the Mullinahone Road just past J.K.’s) was called the Barrack’s hill. In the 1930’s the next house on the same side of the road as the barracks was Forristal’s. [19] When James O’Donovan, the first Creamery manager, first came to Glenmore he lodged at Forristal’s. The next house going up the hill on the main village road was the Sacristan’s house [20] in the front corner of the church yard. Across the road from the Sacristan’s house was Pat Hanrahan’s premises. [21] Much later Hanrahan’s became the location of the 4th and final Glenmore Post Office.
At the end of Hanrahan’s house, the Vee road intersects with the main village road. On the Vee road opposite Hanrahan’s field (this field is where the first Glenmore Chapel was located prior to 1813) the Glenmore Creamery [23] was located in the 1930’s. When the creamery was established in 1905 it was situated in the townland of Kilmakevoge. When the creamery was extended the shop and corn storage facilities were situated in Robinstown.
Further up the Vee road hill toward the Old Line the next building in the 1930’s was the tiny shop of Bridie Doolan [24] also located in the townland of Kilmakevoge. Danny expressed in November 2019 that when he was a boy Christmas stockings were hung in the window of the shop and he spent a lot of time admiring the Christmas stockings. The next building up the hill was where John Hennessey [25] had his forge. This premise is directly across the valley from St. James.
At St. James church, [22] on the main Village road, the next building up the hill was the Curate’s [26] two-storey house. A little further up the main Village road, on the same side as the Church, there were three houses (across from the old Boy’s and Girl’s National Schools.) Heading out of the Village in the 1930’s, Powers [30] lived in the first house. Henry Bevins, N.T. [31] lived in the second house, and the O’Donovan sisters [32] lived in the third house. The O’Donovan sisters were sisters of the first Creamery Manager. Later Daisy and Pat Irish lived in this house.
Across the main Village road from the Curate’s house, and up the hill a bit, was the school teacher’s house [27]. It is believed that Mrs. McCarthy (Mariah Deady) lived in this house in the 1930’s. Prior to this the Curran’s lived in this house. On the same side of the road up the hill further was the Boy’s National School [28] and then the smaller Girl’s National School [29]. In the 1930’s this was considered the end of the Village.
If anyone can add to the information or has corrections please send them to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Our next blog will highlight events that transpired 100 years ago at Easter at the Glenmore Barracks.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh [updated 9 April 2020]