20th Century
now browsing by category
All Ireland Reel Champion 1943: Bernie Kirwan (1933-2014) [Updated]
Recently Michael Ashcroft contacted us to correct our blog post of 19 June 2022. While sharing information concerning his grandparents and Glenmore kin he sent the beautiful photograph of his mother as a child with one of her Irish dancing trophies and her medals that covered her skirt. Today we are going to highlight the role of the Gaelic League in promoting Irish dance and feature “Little” Bernie Kirwan and some of her early Irish dance achievements as recorded in local newspapers. [See our corrected blog of 19 June 2020 regarding Bernie’s mother Mary Kirwan née Dillon (b. 1899).]
The Gaelic League & Irish Dancing
The Irish céilí dates back to the end of the 19th century when Ireland was trying to assert itself politically and culturally as a separate nation. The Gaelic League was established in 1893 as a cultural nationalist movement. Its primary objective was to promote cultural nationalism and the “de-anglicisation” of Ireland. It sought to re-establish the Irish language as the primary language of Ireland, to promote Irish literature, singing traditional music and dancing. The Gaelic League established numerous branches both in Ireland and wherever Irish people emigrated (Foley p. 44). A Branch of the Gaelic League was established in Glenmore in 1910. [See our post of 19 Aug. 2020 for details regarding Glenmore and the Irish language.]
Irish céilí events were held in public dance halls, hotels, and community centres. The approved dances were collected from rural areas predominantly in the west of Ireland. The céilí dances were performed to lively reel and jig tunes played by a live céilí band. The names of the dances reflected places in Ireland and historical events and included the popular Ballaí Luimní (Walls of Limerick) and Iosaí na hÍnse (The Siege of Ennis) (Foley p. 46). Gaelic League céilí were popular cultural and social events throughout Ireland and abroad, particularly before and after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 (Foley p. 49).
In 1930 the Gaelic League established the Irish Dancing Commission in order to provide a governing body for the teaching of, and competition in Irish Dance. From the 1940’s on one of the ways in which dance schools defined themselves was through the wearing of class costumes, with specific colours and embroidery motifs. For girls costumes were simple knee length dresses with long sleeves and full skirts with embroidery on the skirt, bodice and cape (Wilson, Costume Society blog). Little Bernie Kirwan danced with the Rolleston School of Dancing of 22 Waterpark, Waterford City from 1940 until about 1946 when she appears to have joined the Troy Dance School of Waterford. In 1947 the younger Kirwan children emigrated with their parents to England. Bernie’s older siblings had previously emigrated to Canada and the United States.
Bernie Kirwan (1933-2014)
Bernadette Kirwan was born on 23 July 1933 at Knockboy, Waterford to William Kirwan (b.1898) and his wife Mary Dillon (b. 1899). William and Mary were married at Glenmore on 16 July 1919. Mary had originally been from Shortcourse, Waterford but was living and working in Gaulestown, Glenmore at the time she married. Bernadette, or Bernie as she was called by the local newspapers, was the second youngest child of the family of 13. Her father William Kirwan was the eldest child of James Kirwan (c. 1872-1941) of Scartnamore, Glenmore and Mary Kirwan née Lowry (c. 1873-1938) of Rochestown, Glenmore.
Rolleston School of Dance
Bernie Kirwan (1933-2014) received her first dance lesson in Ballygunner in 1940 when she was 7 years old (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 13 Oct.1944, p. 5). Bernie belonged to the Rolleston School of Dance. Bernie’s teacher was Mrs. William Denn (c. 1895-1974) who was known in the Gaelic community by her maiden name Mai Rolleston. Mai Rolleston was the winner of the All Ireland Step-dancing Championship at the Oireachtas in 1917. The Waterford Standard labelled the Oireachtas Waterford’s biggest Gaelic Festival (Waterford Standard, Sat. 19 April 1941, p. 3). According to Mai’s obituary she was well known in South Kilkenny where her students performed at many concerts and she gave lessons in many parishes. Her son-in-law Michael Power was a native of Bigwood, Mullinavat and he and his wife lived in New York (Munster Express, Fri. 18 Oct. 1974, p. 18).
The earliest dance award that we could find that was won by Bernie was in June 1940 the year she began dancing. The students of the Rolleston School of Dancing competed in the Dundrum Feis in June 1940, and Bernie achieved a first in the (confined) Jig & Reel (Waterford Standard, Sat. 15 June 1940, p. 9).
In the spring of 1941 Mai Rolleston took four of her pupils to the Father Mattew (sic) Feis in Dublin. Over 1,500 contestants from across Ireland competed in Irish dancing. The newspaper noted that she received “remarkable success” with her students as all four of her students won prizes (Waterford Standard, Sat. 19 April 1941, p. 3). Although Bernie did not participate in the Father Mattew Feis in 1941 she was photographed in a Rolleston School of Dancing photo that appeared in the Waterford Standard (Sat. 16 Aug. 1941, p. 5). The caption for the 1941 photo is Left to right: Front Row—K. Casey, winner of the Bro. Brendon Cup; B. Kirwan, first prize winner under 8 and 10 years, and Betty Bible, winner of numerous first prize medals under 10 & 14 years. Back Row—Sisters Tess and Angela Heery and Master Collins (seated), first prize winners at the Father Matthew Feis, Dublin, the first named winners of the Sean Goulding Cup. (Centre) Miss Mai Rolleston (Mrs. Denn), Oireachtas Championship of Ireland; Bridie Cleary winner of the P.J. Little Cup and two medals; K. Madigan, winner of the Ml. Morrissey Cup. Thus, Bernie is the child in the front centre and it appears that she is wearing 3 medals. Mai Rolleston is standing at the centre of the back row.
In addition to competitions the Rolleston School of Dancing also performed at variety concerts. For example, on St. Stephen’s night in 1942 they entertained troops at the Military Barracks in Waterford City. Topping the bill was Mick O’Shea and his Olympia Dance Band, who performed “a fine selection of popular melodies.” Miss Rosey Power, the well-known vocalist, opened with “Smiling Through.” John “Hal the Great” Roche, described as the “tiny youngster with a high entertainment value kept the audience in a merry mood. His conjuring tricks were of a very high order.” T. Fitzsimmons sang “Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair.” “The Rolleston School of Dancing gave a fine exhibition of a reel and hornpipe and double jig and hornpipe.” Bernie Kirwan was one of nine dancers named in the article (Waterford Standard, Sat. 2 January 1943, Front page).
Just three years after her first dance lesson Bernie participated in the Feis Maitius, held in the Father Maitius Hall, on Church St., Dublin in the spring of 1943. The Rolleston School of Dancing won 22 prizes that day and “received very high praise for their fine display of the traditional art from the adjudicators. Bernie gained an All Ireland honour with a “1st in Reel, under 9 P.W.; 3rd in Hornpipe; and 3rd in Double Jig.” Phyllis Denn, youngest daughter of the teacher Mai Rolleston, won a “3rd in the Babies Jig, under 7; and highly commended in Babies’ Reel.” (Munster Express, Fri. 14 May 1943, p. 2).
The Ferrybank Feis of 1943 was interesting because a new rule was introduced that no medals were to be worn by competitors as some people thought in former years that the display of medals by competitors helped to influence the judges (Munster Express, Fri. 18 June 1943, p. 5). It is not clear from the article whether this was a local or national rule. However, we did locate later photos of dancers wearing medals, but it may have been the case that the medals were not worn during the competition.
In October 1944 the Waterford News & Star congratulated “Little Bernie Kirwan” for winning the Morrissey cup at the Moloney Social Club Aerdheacht (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 13 Oct. 1944, p. 5). Earlier in the summer at New Ross Bernie had taken a 1st in the Jig and Reel (Munster Express, Fri. 2 June 1944).
Bernie continued to dance although it appears in 1946 she joined the Troy Dance School of Waterford.
[Update: Thanks to a Waterford reader we learned that Nancy Parker née Troy started the Troy Dancing School in Waterford. A newspaper search revealed that Nancy Troy commenced teaching Irish dance in October 1944 (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 28 Oct. 1994, p. 19). By June 1945 Bernie was dancing competitively with the Troy Dancing School. At the County Wexford Feis held in Adamstown Bernie received awards in two compeitions: 4 hand Reel under 15—1st place was awarded to the team of Shiela Murphy, Kathleen Tyrell, Betty Bible and Bernie Kirwan; Jig, Reel under 14—2nd place went to Bernie Kirwan (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 29 June 1945, p. 3). We also have a better idea of when Bernie left Ireland in 1947. She was still present in June when the Troy Dancing School at the annual Feis in Youghal (Cork) was awarded 18 of the 18 prizes awarded. Bernie at Youghal took a 1st in Jig, Reel, Hornpipe (under 15); a 2nd in the Jig and Reel (under 15); and a first in the Junior Four Hand Reel (under 15) Set A—with her team of Eveline Kavanagh, C. Keane, and S. Murphy.]
About the same time Bernie left Ireland in 1947 her former teacher Mai Rolleston was flying to New York to attend the annual New York Feis (Waterford Standard, Sat. 24 May 1947, p. 4). In 1958 Bernie married Michael H. Ashcroft (1936-2015) in Liverpool and the couple had four children. Bernie died in 2014 one month shy of her 81st birthday. Her former teacher, Mai Rolleston Denn continued to teach Irish dancing and died in 1974 at the age of 79.
Foley, Catherine E., “The Irish Céilé: A Site for Constructing, Experiencing, and Negotiating a Sense of Community and Identity,” in 29(1) Journal of the Society for Dance Research (Summer 2011) p. 43-60.
Wilson, Valerie, “A Step in Time: The Story of Irish Dance” The Costume Society blog, at https://costumesociety.org.uk/blog/post/a-step-in-time-the-story-of-irish-dance [accessed 10 Sept. 2022].
Special thanks to Michael Ashcroft for his corrections, family information and sharing his wonderful photographs.
Please send any corrections or further information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Flemingstown, Glenmore (1961)
Today, we are going to feature information that Danny Dowling recorded regarding the residents of the townland of Flemingstown around 1961. The Irish for this townland, according to Kelly’s, The Place Names of the County of Kilkenny (1969, p. 109) is Baile Phleimeann, or Fleming’s homestead. The townland is comprised of 196 acres and located in the civil parish of Kilcoan. Flemingstown had a hamlet which is found on the Ordinance Survey. Tobar Chuain, St. Cuan’s holy well, is a quarter of a mile from St. Cuan’s church site, and Tobar Mhuire are in this townland. Tobar Mhuire is the source of the Glenmore Village water. See our blog post of 23 May 2020 concerning the Glenmore Village water works in the 1930’s.
In the 1830 Griffith’s Valuation Applotment Records the townland had two listed landlords namely: Mr. Wm. Dennis of Waterford and Tobias Budd, a minor. Interestingly these two were also the listed landlords for Weatherstown. It was noted that there were no leases in Flemingstown. The listed tenants included: Patrick Mullins (45 acres) Laurence Mullins (18 acres); Patrick Mullins and Patrick Walsh (23 acres); John Butler (18 acres); Thomas Butler (22 acres) John Mullins (18 acres); Patrick Skierivan (12 acres); ? Hartilly (house); Tobias Budd (12 acres); and Bros. Fowd? (house)
Danny Dowling in 1961 recorded only 3 families or households in Flemingstown. Birthdates or birth years are provided for some of the older residents gleaned from available public records. For some time after drafting his notebook, Danny recorded the dates of death or simply recorded that a resident had died or left the townland. The recorded information reveals that in 1961, 16 people resided in Flemingstown with the population comprised of 7 males and 9 females. The Fitzgerald family was the largest family with seven members in the household. There was no household recorded of a single person living alone.
Recorded Residents
Males= 7
Females= 9
Eldest Recorded Resident= James Fitzgerald (1888-1963) who was a native of Knockbrack, Glenmore. At the time of his death in 1963 James was 74 years of age, thus he was 72 in 1961. A copy of his obituary is located on our family page and may be accessed by clicking here. It provides that James was a native of Knockbrach, Glenmore and married Lizzie Burke. According to local farmers James bought the Felix Mullins farm in Flemingstown.
Recorded Work
Farmers = 3 (3 males)
Farm workers = 2 (2 males)
Motor mechanic = 1 (1 male)
Rate collector = 1 (1 male)
Shop assistant = 1 (1 female)
Domestic servant =1 (1 female)
FLEMINGSTOWN RESIDENTS
[1] DUGGAN
Duggan, Richard (12 Dec. 1894) Farmer
Duggan, Mary (26 Feb. 1901) wife
Duggan, Thomas, son, motor mechanic
Duggan, Richard, son, rate collector
[2] MULLINS
Mullins, Nicholas (3 July 1913) Farmer
Mullins, Maureen (1923) wife
Mullins, Mary, daughter
Mullins, Geraldine, daughter
Mullins, Breda, daughter
[3] FITZGERALD
Fitzgerald, James (12 Oct. 1888) Farmer (died 26 Jan. 1963)
Fitzgerald, Elizabeth (8 March 1900) wife
Fitzgerald, Paul, son, farm worker
Fitzgerald, James, son, farm worker
Fitzgerald, Elizabeth, daughter, shop assistant
Pender, Joan, boarder, domestic servant
Fitzgerald, Mary, daughter-in-law
As often happened in the past sometimes in a single townland two or three people shared the same name which often led to confusion. To remedy this nic names were bestowed. Sometimes the reason for the nic names are obvious sometimes they are not. Danny Dowling interviewed Mary Stapleton, of Slieverue in 1977 [DD Notebook 4]. Mary stated that there were three Paddy Mullins in Flemingstown, at the one time in the 19th century. They were known by the following names: (1) Pad Fada—Mary Stapleton’s grandfather [Long Paddy]; (2) Pad Mór—[Big Paddy]; and (3) Pad Beg—[Small Paddy].
For earlier blog posts on former Flemingstown folks click on the dates below:
Fr. John Duggan (1932-2021) of Flemingstown, Glenmore and his connection to the American Football Classic, Superbowl IX (post of Nov. 14, 2021).
James Mullins (1841-1912) of Flemingstown, Glenmore who became the Clerk of the Carrick-on-Suir Union (post of 10 January 2021)
Edmund Hartley (1836-1915) a native of Flemingstown who emigrated to the US and returned for a visit in 1913 (post of 18 October 2020).
Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
The featured photo above was on the front page of the Irish Farmer’s Journal of 9 September 1961.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Glenmore Creamery Featured in Butter Museum’s Latest Video [updated]
The video is on facebook. The fastest way to find it is to go to the Butter Museums webpage and click on the little facebook symbol in the upper right side of the home page.
Here is a link to the video on Vimeo
Cappagh, Glenmore (1961) [Updated]
Today, we are going to feature information that Danny Dowling recorded regarding the residents of the townland of Cappagh, Glenmore around 1961. The Irish for this townland, according to Kelly’s, The Place Names of the County of Kilkenny (1969, p. 109) is Ceapach, which translates to a tillage plot. The townland is comprised of 162 acres. Kelly notes that the townland is “part of the pretty village of Glenmore, a modern village without a public house until very recently, is on the southern border of this townland. Most of the village is in Graiguenakill and the R.C. church and National School are in Robinstown.”
In the 1833 Griffith’s Valuation Applotment Records the townland was referred to as Cappa and located in the Civil Parish of Kilcoan. The landlord of Cappagh and Ballybrahy was George Toie (?), of Waterford. There were 15 tenants listed in the townland: [1] Lawrence Boulger (37 acres); [2] Thomas Boulger (42 acres); [3] Walter Boulger (7 acres); [4] James Cashen; [5] Richard Dumphy (sic) (4 acres); [6] James Forestal (2 acres); [7] Edward Grant (8 acres) ; [8] Patrick Roach (4 acres); [9] Michael Alward (sic); [10] Patrick Henebury (1 acre); [11] Bridget Neil (house); [12] Edmund Shannahan (house); [13] John Butler (house); [14] Michael Conoly (sic) (house); and [15] Thomas Green (house).
Danny Dowling in 1961 recorded six families or households in Cappagh. Birthdates or birth years are provided for some of the older residents gleaned from available public records. For some time after drafting his notebook, Danny recorded the dates of death or simply recorded that a resident had died or left the townland. The recorded information reveals that in 1961, 38 people resided in Cappagh with the population comprised of 19 males; 18 females and one unknown. Two families tied for the largest family of the townland. The Ennett family had eight members in the household as did the Wattie Power family. There was no household recorded of a single person living alone.
Recorded Residents
Males= 19
Females= 18
Unknown= 1 (first name of child born c. 1961 not recorded)
Eldest Recorded Resident = Ellen Cassin (1879-1963) née Malone was a native of Ballyduff, Piltown. She moved to Glenmore after her marriage. Ellen died in 1963 at the age of 88 and had been a widow since 1907. Her obiturary is located on our families page click here to access it. Her husband James Cassin’s tragic drowning was the subject of a blog post of 8 November 2020.
Recorded Work
Farmer = 1 (1 male)
Farm Labourer/Worker = 1 (1 male)
General Labourer = 1 (1 male)
Shop Keeper = 1 (1 female)
Shop Assistant = 1 (1 female)
Creamery Worker = 1 (1 male)
Creamery Shop Assistant = 1 (male)
Motor Garage Worker = 1 (1 male)
Motor Panel Beater =1 (male)
Road Worker = 1 (male)
National Teachers = 3 (2 females; 1 male)
Postman = 1 (1 male)
Factory Worker (Meat)= 1 (1 female)
Factory Worker = 1 (1 male)
CAPPAGH RESIDENTS
[1] ENNETT
Ennett, Patrick (5 July 1903) Farmer
Ennett, Mary (b. 1921) wife
Ennett, Marguerite, daughter
Ennett, John, son
Ennett, William, son (died 2 April 1962) (1948-1962)
Ennett, James, son
Ennett, Francis, son
Ennett, Desmond, son
[For a recording made by John Ennett, see our post of 7 April 2020]
[See our blog post of 5 August 2020 concerning the memories of Jimmy Ennett of Glenmore in the 1960’s and 1970’s]
[2] POWER
Power, Walter (8 Feb. 1912) Postman
Power, Bridget (29 Aug. 1910) wife
Power, Elizabeth “Elsie”, daughter, shop assistant
Power, John, son, motor panel beater
Power, Patrick, son, farm worker
Power, Margaret, daughter, meat factory worker
Power, Daniel, son, motor garage worker
Power, Michael, son
[3] JONES
Jones, Patrick (5 Feb. 1897) Road Worker
Jones, Alice (5 April 1890) wife
Jones, Patrick, son, creamery worker
Jones, Seamus, son, general labourer
[See our blog post of 25 April 2021 regardjng the efforts of the Jones brothers to save a man from drowning.]
[4] CASSIN/DOYLE/SUTTON
Cassin, Ellen (15 Feb. 1879) Retired (“died”—no date of death provided)
Doyle, Anastatia (15 Nov. 1906) daughter
Sutton, John, grandson-in-law, factory worker
Sutton, Ellen, granddaughter [of Ellen Cassin]
Sutton, Margaret, great-granddaughter
Sutton, Anne, great-granddaughter
Sutton, (no first name provided) (Suttons “gone to live in Ferrybank”)
[5] HEFFERNAN
Heffernan, Eileen (b. 1923) Shop Keeper
McEvoy, Helen, boarder, National Teacher
McEvoy, Morgan, boarder, National Teacher
Shanahan, Mary, boarder, National Teacher
[6] WALSH
Walsh, William (2 March 1912) Creamery Shop Assistant
Walsh, Margaret (b. 1917) wife
Walsh, Patrick, son
Walsh, Eamonn, son
Walsh, Marion, daughter
Walsh, Anne, daughter
Walsh, Monica, daughter
[See our post of 27 February 2022 written by Mrion Cody Hendrick née Walsh regarding the entertainment businesses of Bill Walsh (1912-1985).]
Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com. The featured drawing above depicts women’s fashions at Easter 1962 (advertisement by Shaw’s) Munster Express, 30 March 1962, p. 5).
[Update 4 Nov. 2022: Special thanks to Jackie Walsh for sharing the photo of her mother (Margaret Ryan) and her siblings.]
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Danny Dowling: 1991 Kilcolumb Church Ruins
Last month I was able to go home and had a couple of old VHS tapes digitalized. One tape contained video from a 1991 trip to Glenmore when I met Danny Dowling (1927-2021). It also contained footage of Danny giving a little tour of the ruins of Kilcolumb Church, the oldest Kennedy headstone in the parish, and the famous “headache stone.” Danny also provided a brief history of Kilcolumb Church and its patron Saint. Also featured in the video is my future husband’s father, Tom Walsh (1908-1992) a native of Davidstown, Glenmore and late of Rathinure, Glenmore and my future sister-in-law Elsie Walsh.
This is our first you tube video, so fingers crossed, click here.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
One Hundred Years Ago: August 1922
As the month of August 1922 unfolded the local newspapers seemed to have settled on names for the two warring sides. The troops of the pro-treaty, Free State were generally referred to as the Irish Army or National troops, and the troops of the anti-treaty Republicans were generally referred to as Irregulars. Glenmore did not feature in any local newspapers in August 1922, so today we will highlight various local events our ancestors read about in local newspapers. In August 1922, Waterford City was under the control of the Irish Army which continued to push south and west to capture other cities and towns. As the Irish Army advanced the Irregulars relied more on guerilla activities, honed during the War of Independence, such as blocking roads, destroying bridges, laying ambushes and disrupting communications. Although the National Troops during the month appeared to have driven the Irregulars out of various districts, towns and cities the Irregulars continued to operate in these areas. Notwithstanding the strife events such as the Tramore Races proceeded although the railway link to Tramore was not operating due to the activities of the Irregulars.
Disruption of Communications
A notice was posted on the 2nd of August in the window of the Waterford GPO advising the public that the arrival of mails was uncertain. Telegram communication was open via Dublin for Great Britain and the greater portion of Ireland. Waterford was in communication with Kilkenny, Abbeyleix, New Ross, Wexford, Passage East, Dunmore and Tramore. Telegrams could not be accepted for Counties Cork and Kerry, Limerick and district, places round Waterford, Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel, Cahir, Tipperary, Dungarvan, Fermoy, and Kilmacthomas (Munster Express, Sat. 5 Aug. 1922, p. 6).
The Palace railway bridge was blown up on the night of the 31st of July. A train went up from New Ross to bring down the passengers and mails from the down mail train on Tuesday the 1st of August, and during the day the trains proceeded to the broken bridge and passengers transferred at the bridge. When the down mail was unable to proceed to Waterford on Tuesday morning news agents in Waterford, accompanied by a number of newsboys, drove to New Ross, and on to Palace to get the newspapers (New Ross Standard, Fri. 4 Aug. 1922, p. 5).
As the Irish army pushed west toward Carrrick-on-Suir arrests were made in Mullinavat in the course of a search. Roving bans of Irregulars had been operating in the district blocking and trenching roads and cutting the railway communications between Waterford and Kilkenny. A bridge on this line was blown up at the end of July. The damage was more extensive than at any previous time. The line remained closed for several days. The mails from Dublin coming over this line on Saturday had not reached Waterford by Friday (New Ross Standard, Fri. 4 Aug. 1922, p. 3).
Cost of the Siege of Waterford
It was noted at a meeting of the Waterford No. 2 District Council, chaired by R. Delahunty, that losses sustained prior to and during the recent armed conflict in Waterford totalled over £25,000 in claims submitted by the clerk to the Council (New Ross Standard, Fri. 4 Aug. 1922, p. 3).
In addition to property loss people injured during the siege of Waterford continued to die in August. For example, John Doyle, aged 22, a member of the Irregular forces, died on the 10th of August from injuries he sustained during the siege at the GPO (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 11 Aug. 1922, p. 4). See our previous blog of 17 July 2022, regarding the Siege of Waterford.
The National Troops continued to arrest suspected Irregulars in Waterford City, and on Monday the 13th of August “a large batch of prisoners arrived in Kilkenny by train from Waterford.” They had a strong military escort and were marched from the railway station to Kilkenny prison (Kilkenny Moderator, Sat. 19 Aug. 1922, p. 8). On the same day, Daniel McDonald, Tullogher, the well known weight thrower, and P. Fleming, the Swan, escaped from Kilkenny Prison at 1:30 a.m. on Monday the 13th. The circumstances of McDonald’s arrest and escape were not disclosed (Kilkenny Moderator, Sat. 19 Aug. 1922, p. 4).
Carrick-on-Suir & Dungarvan
On Thursday the 10th of August in an official bulletin from the Irish Army it was reported that troops occupied Carrick-on-Suir. On the way to Carrick-on-Suir, Comdt. McCarthy’s forces cleared Callan, Mullinahone, Nine Mile House, Kilmogany and Winegap of Irregulars. The Irregulars in Carrick-on-Suir, estimated at about 300 crossed the river and retreated. They blew up the bridges as they retreated. One of the bridges, the John Dillon Bridge was built in the 1880’s and named after a prominent member of the old Irish Parliamentary Party. Its erection cost several thousand pounds. The other bridge dated back to the 14th century, and was regarded by the inhabitants as one of the town’s historic landmarks. Efforts by the townspeople to save the old bridge, that had been spared by Cromwell, fell on deaf ears. De Valera arrived in town and remained for a few days before the town was abandoned by Irregular forces (Munster Express, Sat. 12 Aug. 1922, p. 4).
Also, on the 10th a gentleman who arrived in Waterford from Dungarvan stated that the Irregulars cleared out of Dungarvan on the evening of the 8th. The barracks were destroyed. Some Cork Irregulars, who constituted the major portion of the garrison, left the town by two trains which they seized at the Dungarvan railway station. They travelled in the direction of Cork, and when they had passed through Capoquin another party of Irregulars arrived in the town by motor and blew up the rail and road bridges (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 11 Aug. 1922, p. 7).
Although the Irish Army had reported that it had cleared Mullinahone, an 18-year-old Free State Volunteer was shot in the head and killed while he was visiting his uncle’s home in Mullinahone on the 19th of August. An Irregular named Patrick Egan “rushed into the house and shot him through the head at point blank range. Egan was about to fire a second time when a lady intervened.” Egan was the leader of the Irregulars of the area. Volunteer Grace was with the Mullinahone Company of Volunteers (Munster Express, Sat. 26 Aug. 1922, p. 6).
Another young man was fatally shot during a raid on a pub owned by Mrs. Maria Dowling of Blackmill Street, Kilkenny. National troops were carrying out a number of raids in the vicinity of the Kilkenny City prison. While passing Mrs. Dowling’s premises at about 1 a.m. they heard activity in the pub. The troops surrounded the building and after about ten minutes the door was opened to their knocking. Eleven young men were arrested. Shots were fired to frighten the young men who were trying to escape. Samuel Oakes, aged 17, was later discovered in the garden. He had been shot in the head and died in the pub’s kitchen (Dublin Evening Telegraph, Tues. 1 Aug. 1922, 5).
Fatal Ambush Near Mullinavat
A party of eleven National troops traveling by lorry from Carrick-on-Suir to Waterford with supplies were ambushed about a mile and a half on the Carrick side of Mullinavat on the 16th. Trees had been felled and were blocking the road. When the troops reached the obstruction Irregular forces opened fire on the lorry. The Irregulars repeatedly called upon the National troops to surrender, but they refused. When the Irregulars attempted to rush the lorry “they were beaten back.” Eventually more National troops arrived from Waterford and Kilkenny. John O’Keefe, a married Waterford man, and the father of six children was shot dead. He was a civilian traveling with the troops from Carrick back to Waterford. The newspaper noted that he was the brother of James O’Keefe, manager of the Waterford offices of the “Independent” newspapers. Volunteer Hogan of the National forces was wounded in the leg and arm (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 18 Aug. 1922, p. 5). Before the end of the month a public subscription fund was opened to aid the widow and six children of the late John O’Keefe (Munster Express, Sat. 26 Aug. 1922, p. 6).
The Kilkenny Moderator reported that the National troops from Kilkenny succeeded in capturing five of the Irregulars, all from Thomastown and district. The captured five included: James Mullins, Thomastown (brother of the late Nicholas Mullins, shot and killed by British forces at Coolbawn, Castlecomer, last year); James Bookle, Brownsbarn; Thomas Bourke, the Rower; ___ Hennessy, Kilmurry; and __ Whelan. At the time they were arrested they were in possession of five rifles, about twenty bombs, and large quantity of ammunition. It was also stated that the group had been involved in two other local ambushes (Kilkenny Moderator, Sat. 19 Aug. 1922, p. 4).
“Time for Silence Gone”
August saw the death of Arthur Griffith, the founder of Sinn Féin, followed by the killing of Michael Collins in an ambush on the 22nd near Bandon, Co. Cork. In a New Ross Standard editorial, it was stated “In the hour of her greatest trial Ireland has lost the man whose services she most needs. The death of Arthur Griffith was a heavy blow, but the nation consoled itself that Michael Collins was left to guide the destiny of the new Ireland. Michael Collins is dead, his fellow countrymen having struck the blow that two years ago might have earned forty thousand pounds for an agent of England…” (Munster Express, Sat. 26 Aug. 1922, p. 6).
One local killing in August caused the Bishop of Waterford to speak out. On the 15th Lt. Comdt. Eamon O’Brien responded to an alarm raised by two young girls around midnight regarding a fire. He rushed into Barrack street and was shot and killed by a waiting sniper. He was 21 years of age. The Bishop, Most Rev. Dr. Hackett, in the week following the killing, in the Waterford Cathedral, announceed that the time for silence was gone. He condemned the killing particularly as the victim had no time to prepare for meeting his Maker. He stated that the present Irish government was established by the will of the people. To the persons who participated in the killing he stated, “You cannot maintain that because you think a thing is right that it is” (Munster Express, Sat. 26 August 1922, p. 2).
Local Criminality
It is difficult to know whether certain crimes reported in the local newspapers were associated with the Civil War or were the result of criminals taking advantage of the unrest. For example, on the 2nd of August between 11:30 and midnight shots were fired in new Ross. They came from Jones’ Hill, Mary Street and Rosbercon. The firing lasted about ten minutes (New Ross Standard, Fri. 4 Aug. 1922, p. 5). The following week one of the carters employed by Cherry’s Brewery, New Ross, was held up on the Enniscorthy-New Ross road. Thirteen pounds were taken during the robbery (New Ross Standard, Fri. 11 Aug. 1922, p. 8).
In the early hours of the 12th the bonded store known as Hutchinson’s, The Quay, New Ross was entered and seven cases of spirits, comprised of whiskey and brandy were taken. The locks of the store had been wrenched off. The military guard stopped two men who were carrying boxes at the time and questioned the men. The men stated that they were moving drink for their employer who was a publican. They were released, but later returned and one of the men “tendered a bottle of whiskey to the guard asking him to join them in a drink.” In the morning when the military learned the bond store had been burgled, they went to the house of brothers Edward and Arthur O’Connor of Mary Street, New Ross and recovered three unbroken cases. Also arrested were John O’Neill, Chapel Lane and Patrick Doyle of Lady Lane. On Sundar the O’Connor’s were allowed out on bail. The value of the drink not recovered was valued at £40 to £50 including the duty (New Ross Standard, Fri. 18 Aug. 1922, p. 5). Before the end of the month the four men were on trial before the New Ross magistrates. It was held that there was not enough evidence to convict the O’Connor brothers. O’Neill and Doyle were convicted. O’Neil was sentence to 6 months and Doyle to one month. The magistrates made a point of noting that the sentences were without hard labour (New Ross Standard, Fri, 25 Aug. 1922, p. 8).
Dr. M. Walsh, New Ross, while returning from a distant call in county Kilkenny was held up about nine miles from his home by armed men (New Ross Standard, Fri. 4 Aug. 1922, p. 5), and masked men held up the mail train on the Waterford and New Ross line near Slieverue on the 16th. In addition to stealing the mail the men took tobacco and cycle parts (New Ross Standard, Fri, 18 Aug. 1922, p. 5).
Local Life Went On
Notwithstanding the strife, trenched roads, destroyed bridges and violence, local people attempted to get on with their lives. Mrs. M’Kee was appointed midwife of the Mullinavat dispensary district at a salary of £45 per annum (New Ross Standard, Fri. 4 Aug. 1922, p. 3). The monthly Thomastown fair was held on the 2nd of August. There was a large supply of cattle and sheep offered for sale and a fair attendance of buyers. It was noted that prices were better than the previous fair and a large number of cattle and sheep changed hands. Cattle in good condition were sought. Fat sheep and lambs also found a ready sale. Although there was a large supply of young pigs, there was little demand for them. Pigs that did sell were £5 18s. per cwt (per 100 weight which actually was 112 pounds in weight) (New Ross Standard, Fri. 4 Aug. 1922, p. 3). The New Ross Fair was held on the 9th and it was described as dull. There was a large supply of stock, and prices in general were down. For some classes of cattle, the prices were down a couple of pounds per head (New Ross Standard, Fri. 11 Aug. 1922, p. 5).
It was announced that the delayed New Ross Agricultural Show would be held on Wednesday the 13th of September and entries poured in (Munster Express, Sat. 26 Aug. 1922, p. 5). Although there was no train service for Tramore, due to the tracks being damaged by the Irregulars, the Tramore Races were held. Ironically while it was published that the unrest caused the demise of tourism in Ireland the Cook’s office in Dublin reported that their offices were crowded and a brisk business was done. The travel agency was busy arranging holidays for Irish citizens outside of Ireland (Munster Express, Sat. 12 Aug. 1922, p. 6).
Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmil.com.
The featured photo above is Lt. Comdt. Eamon O’Brien (c. 1901-1922) (Freeman’s Journal, Thur. 24 Aug. 1922, p. 3).
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh