From Danny’s Files: Animal Antics

Today, we are going present some of the newspaper clippings that Danny Dowling (1927-2021) collected while conducting research on Glenmore. Although the clippings do not involve Glenmore people they were found in the Munster Express and undoubtedly became the topic of conversation around the parish wherever people met.

Visiting Bovines

The first clipping printed in 1910 involves a cow in Belfast. Following it the Munster Express added a Waterford bull story. Everyone who has ever had the pleasure of working with bovines knows that they are curious animals.

“Cow Walks Upstairs—On Wednesday a cow, while being driven through Chichester street, Belfast, suddenly bolted into the offices of the rent agency of Mr. Manderson. Much to the amusement of the spectators, it made its way up the steep stairway, and calmly laid down before the office door on the first landing. Quite a crowd gathered to watch the efforts to evict the intruder, and no easy task it proved. Eventually she was obliged to descend, and on reaching the street was greeted with an enthusiastic cheer.”

“It is only the other day that a bull was being led along one of the principal thoroughfares in Waterford, when he suddenly took it into his head to walk into a chemist’s shop, which he did despite the persuasions of his custodian. Having sniffed round the emporium and scrutinised the many coloured phials, Master Taurus was coaxed back without further adventure to the open world again. He was evidently not looking for medicine” (Munster Express, Sat. 4 June 1910, p. 8).

Profitable Piggies

Prior to the middle of the twentieth century nearly every Glenmore household kept a pig or two. For the people breeding pigs, many a night was spent holding vigil awaiting a sow having bonhams. For our international readers bonhams are piglets. Large litters were widely discussed. The following article from 1962 reflects that details regarding large litters were still found in mainstream newspapers.  

Record for Bonhams—During the course of a programme sponsored by Messrs. Whelans of Finglass, Dublin, from Radio Eireann during the weekend it was stated that a sow with a litter of 28 bonhams (25 of which survived), was considered an Irish record. This the Munster Express disputed. Paddy Phelan, of Ballykeohan, Kilmacow, had a sow that gave birth to 31 bonhams last August. A total of 29 of the bonhams survived (Munster Express, Fri. 13 April 1962, p. 14).

Horse Takes a Horse Less Carriage

With the advent of the motor car the newspapers were full of mishaps between the new motor cars and horse drawn vehicles. The Munster Express in 1903 published the following snippet concerning a young French horse who hitched a ride in a motor car.

In Rheims, a young horse was startled by a passing motor car. In a panic he ran toward another car and leaped into the tonneau. [I’m certain that word caused head scratching amongst local readers.]  Fortunately, no one was occupying the passenger compartment. However, in leaping into the vehicle the horse’s forelegs struck the driver and thew the driver into the road. The horse was now the sole passenger of the motor car, but he did not seem to like it. He made several attempts to jump down, but appeared afraid. The vehicle was traveling at a fair speed along a broad, straight road. “Finally, the car, overtaxed by the weight of its unwanted occupant, came to a halt at a bit of steep hill. The horse scrambled out…” unhurt (Munster Express, Sat. 11 July 1903, p. 7).

Novel Bullfight

It wasn’t long before farmers recognised the benefit of the new motor cars. In the newspaper clipping below a farmer had a 10 hp Pick car in 1903 which may have been able to achieve 25 to 35 miles per hour. The Pick Motor Company of Stamford, Lincolnshire was a British motor vehicle manufacturer that operated from 1899-1925.

Mr. John Phillips, a modern Essex farmer, had several farms spread across a considerable distance. He decided that a motor car was the “most practicable means of doing his day’s work in a day. He invested in a ten horse Pick car” and learned to drive it. He began to use it to make his rounds. One morning on the road near one of his farms, “he met a vicious bull…described as a record bull, having killed two men and injured others.”  The bull had broken out of his enclosure “and was stalking sullenly along in search of adventure…” When John Phillips tooted his horn the bull became enraged. “Down went the great head as he charged. There was no escaping the encounter, so the farmer likewise put on speed. The two met with a crash. The bull went down. He got to his feet and returned to the attack.” This time John Phillips turned suddenly and struck the bull in the rear. The bull went down again, but when he stumbled to his feet he decided that he had had enough. He fled bellowing, the motor car pursuing him until he was driven into a corner and captured. After this encounter it was reported that all the fight was taken out of the bull thanks to “meeting with an adversary he never bargained for” (Munster Express, Sat. 11 July 1903, p. 7).

How Much?

It is not known whether the small clipping below involved the local meat factory, Clover Meats. During its long existence Clover Meats provided much needed local employment. Below is the cutting published in the Munster Express in 1939.

An old farmer took a very decrepit looking cow into the factory yard. The foreman looked at the old cow. The foreman asked the farmer, “How much do you want for the old frame.” The farmer responded, “Here, have the frame, handlebars and all for fifty bob.”  Munster Express, Fri. 11 August 1939, p. 2).

[In old money a bob was 1 shilling. There were 20 shillings in a £ (pound). Thus 50 bob represents £2.5 (pounds).]

Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.

For previous posts regarding newspaper clippings see our post of 28 July 2021 regarding 19th century Glenmore newspaper articles or our post of 3 June 2020.

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh