Whether you are climbing your family tree or interested in social history, local place names or folklore we welcome you to Glenmore-History.com and hope that you enjoy your visit.
L A T E S T P O S T S
Glenmore Man Killed 120 Years Ago on the U.S.S. Bennington
-
Maurice Hennebry (1859-1917) Native of Rochestown, Glenmore—Killed on the S.S. Formby
-
Ballyfacey, Glenmore 1913 School Photo
-
From Danny’s Files: A 1911 Haggard, Glenmore, Malicious Injury Case
-
November Updates
-
A Disputed Glenmore Cottage
-
Rev. William “Willie” Brennan (1891-1973) Parish Priest of Glenmore
-
Glenmore Walking Tour 2025
-
Interviews of Andrew Heffernan (1893-1975) of Aylwardstown, Glenmore
-
Glenmore: Upcoming Local Talks & Walk
From Danny’s Photo Album 2.0 [updated]
Last week we had a very good response to the photo readers identified as Forristal’s Mill of Graiguenakill, Glenmore. Today, we are featuring a photo of 11 Glenmore boys with hurleys found in one of Danny’s photo albums. Can you identify any of these boys and when Danny took this photo?
[Thanks to everyone for the speedy responses. So far we have several possible identifications…
From row (left to right) [1] Billy O’Keefe of the Village (?) ; [2] John Shea or Pat Power, the Village (?); [3] John Power, the Village(?); [4] —?—; [5] —?—
Back row (left to right: [1] Neddy Dowling, of Jamestown; [2] Jimmy Phelan (?); [3] Seamus Jones (?) the Village; [4] —?—; [5] Paddy Griffin (?); [6] Packie Jones (?) the Village or Martin Forristal (?) the Village. ]
Update 1 June 2022–back row (chap with glasses) [4] Christy Power, of Carrigcloney
“Glenmore Notes”: A Munster Express Column [Updated]
Commencing in about August 1900 and continuing until the end of 1903 the Munster Express published a column entitled “Glenmore Notes.” The newspaper proudly proclaimed the column was “From our own Correspondent.” Unfortunately, the Munster Express never identified its Glenmore correspondent for the Glenmore Notes (1900-1903).
From the topics covered in “Glenmore Notes” from 1900 to 1903 it is likely that the unnamed correspondent was a local man. An example of the typical column in 1900 was published on Saturday, 8 September 1900 (p.8) and is as follows:
“A great many farmers have their corn safely secured in the stackyard at present. The two new Reaper and Binder Machines, purchased this summer by Messrs Willie Rowe and Pat Fitzgerald, Weatherstown, did splendid work.
[Editor’s note: Thanks to a reader Wm. Rowe has been identified. Wm. Rowe, of Ballyhobuck, was married to an aunt of John Kirwan, of Gaulestown. She died shortly after their marriage. He later married an aunt of Mick and Andy Walsh who was from near Powerswood in Thomastown. Wm. Rowe had no children with either wife.]
[Updated 9 May 2022: Thanks to information supplied by two readers it is believed that William Rowe was a native of Mooncoin. The following information was gleaned from public records. On 11 April 1883 William Roe (sic) married Mary Kirwan of Gaulestown at Glenmore. On the 8th of September 1884, Mary Rowe née Kirwan (c. 1857-1884) died at the age of 27 of pulmonary congestion. William Rowe married a widow Ellen Dollard at Chapel Hill on 28 February 1889. The marriage records reveals that William’s father was William Rowe (deceased) and the bride’s father was Michael Cassin. Both father’s were listed as farmers. William Rowe (c. 1848-1932) died on 29th of July 1932 at Ballyhobuck of pneumonia at the age of 84. His nephew Andrew Walsh was present when he died. Ellen Rowe née Cassin (c. 1859-1937) died at the age of 78 on the 29th October 1937 at Ballyhobuck.]
A collision took place at ” The Churns” on Sunday last between a traveller for a certain machine company and the local postman. Both were on wheels. Except a little shock received everything else was all right. They parted in good humour, one wishing the other good luck for the rest of the day.
A Mullinavat gentleman took a remarkable eel out of the Mullinavat stream with his fishing rod on Tuesday last. He gave the following description of it to a friend of mine at the dispensary door:—Length, 3 feet, without the head; the latter was of a prodigious size, and without eyes. I may mention that he intends making a purse out of the skin.
I noticed four of the Glenmore boys cycling at racing speed along the ‘V’ road on Sunday afternoon. On arrival at the Cross Roads, Mr G. gave the order ‘Turn to the right;’ all obeyed. He did not cry ‘Halt’ until they arrived at Mr. Rockett’s, Slieverue. Of course, all went in. Needless to say their wants were attended to in capital style. After a short stay they remounted, bound for Dunmore, next to Tramore, and back again to Glenmore. At present I’ll say no more.”
The old “Glenmore Notes” from 1900-1903 provides a glimpse into what local people were discussing 120 years ago. Later in the late 1990’s the Munster Express again began publishing a column called “Glenmore Notes” which was written by Billy Forristal (c. 1915-2005) of Rochestown, Glenmore. Billy continued to write his column until January 2001. For further infomation concerning Edward Walsh (1862-1946) the proprietor and editor of the Munster Express, and his Glenmore connections, see our previous blog post of 24 January 2022.
Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
The old cigarette card depicting an eel is courtesy of the New York City Library’s Digital Collection; NYPL catalogue ID (B-number): b15262620 Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): fe260800-c53f-012f-018b-58d385a7bc34; and is part of the George Arents Cigarette Card Collection.
Busherstown, Glenmore (1961)
Today, we are going to feature information that Danny Dowling recorded regarding the residents of the townland of Busherstown, Glenmore, around 1961. The Irish for this townland, according to Kelly’s, The Place Names of the County of Kilkenny (1969, p. 102) is Baile Bhuiséir or Busher’s homestead. This townland is comprised of 345 acres and is situated in the Civil Parish of Ballygurrim.
Griffith’s Valuation 1830
In 1830 Edward Murphy, Esq. was the landlord of Busherstown. Seven tenants are listed, but there is no breakdown of the acreage. The tenants include: [1] Edward Dooling; [2] Joseph Walsh & [3] Cashin (no first name recorded); [4] James Hartilly; [5] Michael Walsh; [6] Edmund Prendergast; and [7] William Purcell.
Interview of Michael Power, of Busherstown, Glenmore
On the 9th of May 1969, Danny interviewed Michael Power, of Busherstown, Glenmore (DD Notebook 4). Michael provided information concerning the “extinct” Tobin’s of Busherstown. The Tobin’s house stood in a field under land over to Hartley’s and Fitzgerald’s. The field contained 1.5 acres. Michael also noted that “Aunty” Matthew’s field of 1.5 Irish acres is at the double turn going up to Weatherstown. In 1969 it belonged to Hartley’s of Busherstown.
Lastly, Michael told Danny about the Busherstown ghost. The “Billy Joe’s” lived in a house where in 1969 the Hartley’s hayshed was located in Busherstown. “Old James Hartley said he saw her (an old lady spinning) sitting on a stool when she was dead and gone.” Unfortunately, no last name was provided for the “Billy Joe’s”.
1961 Busherstown
Danny recorded eight families or households in Busherstown around 1961. 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. The recorded information reveals that 43 people resided in Busherstown with the population of 18 males and 25 females. Two families were comprised of 8 members each. Thus, the Walter Walsh and Hartley/Mullally families tied as the largest families recorded. There were no households recorded of a single person living alone.
Recorded Residents
Males= 18
Females= 25
Eldest Recorded Resident= Anne Power born 4 February 1882. Death register reveals that Anne died on the 19th of June 1962. Thus, Anne was 79 in 1961.
Recorded Work
Farmers= 6 (5 males; 1 female)
Farm/Agricultural Workers=8 (all males)
Meat Factory Worker=1 (1 male)
Carpenter= 1 (1 male)
No women were recorded as being employed outside the home or off the farm.
BUSHERSTOWN RESIDENTS
[1] MACKEY
Mackey, William(12 Aug. 1910) Farmer
Mackey, Alice (1912) wife
[2] WALSH
Walsh, Walter (24 March 1907) Farmer
Walsh, Ellen (1917) wife
Walsh, William, son, farm worker
Walsh, Anastatia, daughter
Walsh, Margaret, daughter
Walsh, Anne, daughter
Walsh, Mary (20 Sept. 1885) aunt, (died 17 March 1962)
Walsh, Jane (3 June 1895) aunt
[3] POWER
Power, Michael (20 Sept. 1884) farm worker
Power, Anne (4 Feb. 1882) wife [died, but no date of death recorded]
Long, Walter, Lodger
Long, Mrs.
[4] HENNESSEY
Hennessey, Richard (1925) Carpenter
Hennessey, Mary, wife
Hennessey, John, son
Hennessey, Hannah, daughter
Hennessey, Margaret, daughter
[5] HARTLEY
Hartley, Bridget (12 June 1911) Farmer
Hartley, Eileen, daughter, (married 30 Aug. 1961)
Hartley, Breda, daughter
Hartley, Loretta, daughter
Mullally, Thomas, son-in-law, farm worker
Mullally, Mary, daughter
Mullally, Thomas, grandson
Hartley, Thomas (3 April 1900) brother-in-law, farm worker
[6] FITZGERALD
Fitzgerald, John (25 March 1897) Farmer
Fitzgerald, John, son, farm worker
Fitzgerald, Patrick, son, farm worker
[7] HOLDEN
Holden, John (17 March 1912) Head, Farmer
Holden, Michael (1921) brother, farm worker
Holden, Margaret (1926) wife
Holden, Mary, daughter
Holden, Helen, daughter
[8] HOLDEN
Holden, Bartley (16 Nov. 1916) Farmer
Holden, Margaret (1921) wife
Holden, Mary, daughter
Holden, Breda, daughter
Holden, Edward (1919) brother, farm worker
[9] POWER
Power, James (1924) Meat Factory Worker
Power, Mary Eliz. (1927) wife
Power, Bernadette, daughter
Please send any corrections or further information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
The drawing of the woman spinning is courtesty ofo the New York Public Library Digital Collection. Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library. “Beauty in a state of adversity” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1813.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Happy May Day!
For a brief discussion of the local May Bush tradition see our previous post of 22 April 2021. Although it has been showery and overcast May Bushes did make an appearance in Glenmore this morning. The feature photo is the small May Bush in the Village. This year yellow and blue ribbons feature to show support for the people of Ukraine.
If you kept the old tradition alive please send a photo to glenmore.history@gmail.com or feel free to post it on our facebook page.
A Glenmore Monday Mystery: A Wayside Cross?
While searching for information for a reader, we came across the following interesting short article in the Limerick Reporter in 1850 that mentions Glenmore.
“There are very few “wayside Crosses” in Tipperary, which is extraordinary, when we consider the many religious monuments it contains in the ruins of Holy Cross, Athassel, the Rock of Cashel etc. The largest crosses of this kind we have ever beheld are Kilcullen, County Kildare, and another between Glenmore and Rosspercon (sic), County Kilkenny” (Limerick Reporter, Tues. 9 July 1850, p. 2).
In Ireland there are a variety of roadside memorials or death markers. Wayside crosses were erected from the early 17th century and were often like headstones with the name of the deceased and date of death provided. Many of the county archaeological inventories document wayside crosses (Una MacConville and Regina McQuillan (2005) “Continuing the Tradition: Roadside Memorials in Ireland,” 19(1) Archaeology Ireland 26, p. 28). The wayside crosses were made of almost any durable material from metal to stone and ranged from simple crosses carved on roadside large stones to imposing Celtic crosses cut by masons. The early wayside crosses were the memorials for the affluent.
An 1865 article in the Kilkenny Moderator explains further. “It was an ancient custom to plant skeoghs, or white thorn trees, on places deemed of a sacred character, or where lives had been lost. Modernly these skeoghs are frequently known as ‘Monument Trees.’ They were to the poor of bygone times what the wayside crosses were to the rich—the memorial which invited a prayer for the soul of the person in honour of whom they had been there placed or planted” (Kilkenny Moderator, Sat. 4 Feb. 1865, p. 2).
Is anyone aware of a “wayside cross” in or around Glenmore-Rosbercon or heard where the wayside cross referenced in 1850 used to reside?
Please post your comments, ideas or memories below or send to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Thank you for your help in solving this mystery.
The featured photo is a road in Glenmore Parish.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh