Danny Dowling (1927-2021)
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From Danny’s Files: The Haunted Cottage of Glenmore Village
Anyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting Danny Dowling (1927-2021) usually learned that Danny loved ghost stories. Danny stated that when he was a chap ghost stories were told on cold winter evenings when the family and visiting friends were gathered around the fire. Danny said that his brother Pat, of Cappagh, Glenmore, told the best ghost stories. Often young men working for Pat after hearing one of Pat’s ghost stories would admit to being nervous walking home after dark. To celebrate Halloween in 2021 we published “Local Accounts of Body Snatching” and in 2020 we published “The Phantom Coach of Glenmore: Inspiration for a Kitty the Hare Tale?” This year in Danny’s voluminous records we found copies Danny collected of two ghost stories published in 1937 in the New Ross Standard (Fri. 2 April 1937, p. 9). For our international readers, locally one hundred or more years ago, “begor” was how “by God” was pronounced and one was pronounced “wan.” The names of the individuals have been changed from the original publication in 1937 as well as the actual location of the ruins of the haunted cottage.
The Haunted Cottage of Glenmore Village
There was a cottage on the edge of the village of Glenmore belonging to Con Roche. It was certainly haunted. There was a man named Codd that went to the cottage one night when he lost his way as he travelled walking from Waterford to New Ross after the fair. It began to rain very heavily and there was no sign of it clearing at twelve o’clock. After giving Codd his tea Con Roche insisted that Codd stay the night. Con Roche told Codd that there was only one room in the cottage vacant.
“Begor,” says Codd, “wan room is enough. I never use any more than the wan room any night.”
“That is all very well,” says Con Roche, “but this room is haunted.”
“Begor,” says Codd, “that won’t trouble me much, for I don’t believe in the like and never did.”
“Faith,” says Con Roche “You’ll believe it after tonight.”
“Very good,” replies Codd, “but it will be a strange thing if I do, for I never saw anything in my life worse lookin’ than meself.”
Codd took the offered candle and went off to bed. He got into the bed an’ put out the candle an’ lay down to sleep fine an’ comfortable. He was just about dozin’ when he felt himself very cold, an’ he wondered had he left the room door open. So he lit the candle an’ looked over the way the door and saw that it was open. So he went and shut it and got into bed again. He was just going off to sleep again when he felt the cold a second time.
“Begor,” says he to himself, “the door couldn’t have opened of its own accord.” So he went an’ shut the door again. Just after he got into the bed he looked back and saw the door was opened to its full. He waited to see what would the door do. He kept his eyes fixed on the door an’ left the candle lightin’. He saw to his surprise that it was slowly beginnin’ to shut up. It shut up real slow an’ remained shut for about a minute. Then it began gradually to open again, an when it was opened to its full it stayed open for about a minute. It kept on at this for a long time openin’ and shuttin’ real slow, an’ Codd in the bed an’ he lookin’ at it an’ his mouth an’ his eyes wide open.
Codd began to wonder was there such a thing as ghosts an’ gobblins after all. He kept lookin’ at the door an’ wonderin’ what he should do, when all of a suddint the door opened with a bang an’ closed up with another bang. It kept at this then for about half and hour an’ Codd in the bed wondered what the dickens was wrong with the door.
“Maybe,” says he to himself, “it is the wind had to do with it. I’ll put a chair against it an’ see what will happen.” So Codd got a chair from a corner an’ when the door was closed he put it against it, but the moment he laid the chair down the door opened with an awful bang an’ drove it four yards away. It was lucky for Codd he wasn’t in the way.
When the door shut up again, says he to himself, “When it opens again I’ll rush out of the room like billyho.” The door opened real fast an’ out Codd rushed an’ the door closed so quickly that it nearly caught him. He went ahead an’ nothing on him only his nightshirt, an’ he had to pass through the room where Con Roche was sleeping. Codd went into the room an’ Con Roche was readin’ in his bed. Con Roche nearly fainted when he saw the woe-be-gone lookin’ creature standin’ in front of him an’ nothin’ on him only a long nightshirt an’ it hangin’ on Codd the very same as an ould coat on a scarecrow in the centre of a potato field.
Codd’s two eyes appeared as if they could see right though the earth an’ his mouth was half open, an’ the hair standin’ on top of his head. Along with that, he was tremblin’ all through, an’ he was no more like the man that went into the haunted room that night than chalk is like cheese. Con Roche thought at first that Codd was a ghost an’ the first thing he did was to draw the Sign of the Cross on his forehead. After the space of a few seconds he saw that is was his visitor Codd who boasted he never saw anything in the world worse lookin’ than himself, and he asked Codd what was the matter with him.
Codd soon told Con Roche the whole story, an’ then Con Roche told him that the best thing he could do was to get into the bed with himself. So Codd got into the bed, and after about half a hour he fell asleep an’ never wakened until mornin’. When he awoke Codd found himself in the ruin of an old cottage with no roof and one old door that opened and closed shut in the wind. Confused Codd shook his head to clear his cobwebs. When he left the ruin he saw the bell tower of the Village church. On his way to the church he met a man who was leading a cow. After greeting the man Codd told the man that he was a friend of Con Roche and would like to speak with him. The man eyed Codd up and down and finally said, “Con Roche was murdered in his bed wan stormy night nigh on forty years back by a stranger from Wexford.” The man pointed to the ruin and said, “That is Con Roche’s place.” Codd shook his head again, made the Sign of the Cross, looked at the cottage ruin an’ ran up the hill to St. James’ Church. Codd refused to leave the church until Father Walsh agreed to escort him to New Ross. Until the day of his death Codd was never heard to say again that he didn’t believe in ghosts.
Happy Halloween!
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Mannion Collection Digitalised
Danny Dowling (1927-2021) often spoke fondly of his friend John Mannion, and they corresponded for decades concerning local people who worked or emigrated to Newfoundland. Professor Mannion, and his wife Maura, were frequent visitors with Danny and Mollie in Glenmore Village. We are pleased to help spread the word that the work to digitalise Professor’s Mannion’s hand written note cards and records has been completed and can be accessed at www.mannioncollection.cawww . These extensive records will be invaluable to anyone reasearching family that emigrated to Newfoundland. Below is a press release for tomorrow that provides more details concerning the records.
Taoiseach launches invaluable “Mannion Collection” records
PRESS RELEASE – SEPTEMBER 5, 2022
Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD was in Cork City Hall today to launch “The Mannion Collection” project, being the digitised version of the very extensive records held by Dr. John Mannion, retired Galway-born Professor of Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland and his wife and research partner, Maura, reflecting their lifetimes’ work on Irish emigration to, and settlement in Newfoundland.
The project was jointly funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade and the Provincial Government of Newfoundland & Labrador and contains almost 160,000 records of individuals and families who migrated from South-East Ireland and settled in Newfoundland, primarily in the years 1765 – 1835.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD officially launched the project in the presence of Patrick Mannion, Cllr. Deirdre Forde, Lord Mayor of Cork and Her Excellency, the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, Ms. Nancy Smyth. Waterford City & County Mayor, Cllr. John O’Leary was also in attendance.
An Taoiseach stated:
“I was delighted to be asked to officiate at this launch which expresses the spirit of the second sentence of Article 2 of our Constitution, revised as part of the Good Friday Agreement, that now reads: ‘‘… the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage.”
Moreover, I thoroughly enjoyed the examples of genealogy and that ‘completion of the circle’ of information which this dataset allows. We are seeing names and details and information here that will go a long way in strengthening relations and cultural ties between our two islands, and that can only be a positive thing.”
The digitisation work was carried out by dedicated technical staff at the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency in St. John’s, the NL Government’s central statistics agency. The project was co-managed and led by the Agency and Memorial University’s Dr. Sean Cadigan, with collaboration and support of the NL Irish Connections and Irish Newfoundland Connections groups.
Visiting Ireland for the launch, chairman of cultural body Newfoundland-Labrador Irish Connections, Councillor Ralph Tapper of Torbay, NL stated:
“The value of this record set cannot be underestimated, both from an Irish viewpoint and from a Newfoundland one … these are records from pre-Famine times that simply don’t exist elsewhere and are now available for researchers at home and abroad to fill in the gaps in their family history.”
The website holds extensive information on the largest single migration from a small confined geographical area – that of Southeast Ireland – to another small confined geographical area in Newfoundland.
The Cork launch was hosted by Waterford based group Ireland-Newfoundland Connections, who since 2005, along with its Canadian counterpart, Newfoundland and Labrador Irish Connections, has operated annual cultural and social gatherings in both places, alternating between South-East Ireland and the Irish heritage areas of Newfoundland, with over 60 communities in Ireland and 40 in Newfoundland and over 1,000 participants taking part so far.
The official launch of the project sees all these records available for the first time on a free to access on-line portal, now available at the URLwww.mannioncollection.cawww
Special thanks to Richard Corcelli for sending this press release to us. The featured emigration drawing above is by Henry Doyle (1868) courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Wallsh
Kilbride, Glenmore (1961)
Today, we are going to feature information that Danny Dowling recorded regarding the residents of the townland of Kilbride, Glenmore around 1961. The Irish for this townland, according to O’Kelly’s, The Place Names of the County of Kilkenny (1969, p. 109) is Cill Bride, or St. Brigid’s church. The townland is comprised of 378 acres. “This long townland stretches from the Ballyfasey (sic) road to within less than a mile of Glenmore village. Carrigan states that the holy well, Tobar Bride, was drained and destroyed in 1842; also that the baptismal font and holy-water stoup of the old church lie in the graveyard. Fields here are Croichtin na g cnemh, little croft of the bones, and Pairc Mhanais, Manus’s field.” For further information on the old Kilbride graveyard click here.
In the 1830 Griffith’s Valuation Applotment Records the townland had three landlords: George Caulfield; Mary Anne Tighe, widow and Hariet Cuffe. The tenants included: Thomas and Michael Freney (93 acres); Thomas Malone (32 acres); James, Laurence and Edmond Mackey (40 acres); John, Mary, Michael Colleton & James Walsh (85 acres); John Colleton, James Reddy, Edmond Hanrahan, James McDonell & Andrew Dunn. It appears that the last group of men held 114 acres in commonage). Eleven years later, Edmond Hanrahan was a witness in an 1841 murder that took place in Kilbride. See our previous blog post of 18 July 2021 regarding the murder, our blog post of 21 July 2021 regarding the trial and lastly our blog post of 24 July 2021 regarding the killer’s sentencing and execution.
Danny Dowling in 1961 recorded 10 families or households in Kilbride. 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, 43 people resided in Kilbride with the population comprised of 22 males and 21 females. The John Culleton family was the largest family with 8 family members in the household. There were 2 households ( James Reddy & Thomas Freyne) where it was recorded that a single person lived alone.
Recorded Residents
Males= 22
Females= 21
Eldest Recorded Resident = The oldest Kilbride resident was James Culleton, Sr. (24 January 1867-23 July 1962 ) who was 94 in 1961. On the 8th of December 2019 Danny Dowling stated that old Jim Culleton was born when the New Ross bridge was knocked down by ice. The New Ross mid-wife was not able to attend at his birth because the bridge was destroyed. For further details see the end of our blog post of 14 December 2019.
Recorded Work
Farmer = 7 (7 males) (including 1 retired farmer)
Farm Labourer/Worker = 5 (5 males)
Carpenter = 4 (4 males) (including 1 retired carpenter)
Building Labourer = 1 (1 male)
Oil Lorry Driver = 1 (1 male)
Butter Maker = 1 (1 female)
KILBRIDE RESIDENTS
[1] POWER
Power, Mary (25 July 1871) (died 20 June 1961)
Synott, Patrick, farm worker
Synott, Anastatia, wife
[2] REDDY
Reddy, James (13 July 1926) Farmer
[3] CULLETON
Culleton, John (18 Oct. 1911) Farmer
Culleton, Margaret (1917) wife
Culleton, James, son, farm worker
Culleton, Johanna, daughter
Culleton, Mary, daughter
Culleton, Patrick, son
Culleton, John, son
Culleton, James, Sr. (24 June 1867) father, retired farmer
[4] CULLETON
Culleton, Michael (18 Oct. 1878) Farmer (died 28 Feb. 1962)
Culleton, Alice (5 June 1895) wife
Culleton, James, son, farm worker
Morrissey, James (6 May 1896) boarder, farm worker
[5] KENNEDY
Kennedy, Patrick (13 Oct. 1890) Retired Carpenter (dead no date recorded)
Kennedy, Johanna (28 Sept. 1892) wife
Kennedy, Martin, son, carpenter
Kennedy, Richard, son, carpenter
Kennedy, Edward, son, carpenter
Kennedy, Margaret (28 Oct. 1929) daughter
[6] FREYNE
Freyne, James (27 July 1905) Farmer
Freyne, Mary Anne (30 Oct. 1908) wife
Freyne, Johanna, daughter, butter maker (married & left home)
Freyne, James, son, farm worker
Freyne, Mary Katherine, daughter
Freyne, Bridget, daughter
Freyne, Margaret, daughter-in-law
[7] GRACE
Grace, William (1917) Farmer
Grace, Ellen (1925) wife
Grace, Mary, daughter
Grace, Margaret, daughter
Grace, Alice, daughter
[8] HANDRICK
Handrick, Patrick (3 Sept. 1907) Building Labourer
Handrick, Margaret (1917) wife
Handrick, Garrett, son
Handrick, James, son
Handrick, Kathleen, daughter
Handrick, Bridget, daughter
[9] MURRAY
Murray, John, Oil Lorry Driver
Murray, Eileen, wife
[10] FREYNE
Freyne, Thomas, Farmer
Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
The featured photo above is the Kilbride graveyard.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Glenmore’s “Thrilling” Motor Accident & Famous Bonesetter
On Friday the 8th of March 1929 the Munster Express published an article entitled “Thrilling Motor Accident in Glenmore” (p. 3). Today, we are going to highlight the colourful and dramatic newspaper article as well as the well-known Glenmore bonesetter who helped injured people before x-rays were commonly available.
The Accident
In what the newspaper dubbed “a rather sensational motor accident” occurred on the Waterford-New Ross road on the 3rd of March 1929. William Hill left his residence, Belmont Lodge, Ferrybank, early in the afternoon, taking with him a man named William Grant who had been injured the day before while working on a steamer at Waterford. Their objective being the home of a well-known Glenmore bonesetter. Accompanying Hill were Miss Hill and Peter Grant, the son of the injured man. The newspaper did not identify the Glenmore bonesetter. It did state that all went well until the party reached a spot known as the “Scorebridge Bend.” We believe that this is a typographical error and should be the Scowbridge. It was noted that the bend was “a well known but perfectly safe turning, with vision at either approach, located midway between Robinstown and Gaulestown.” The Scowbridge is actually located where the stream crosses under the road from Grogan to Gaulestown, but as Danny Dowling (1927-2021) often said newspapers never let facts get in the way of a good story.
When Mr. Hill was one hundred yards from the bend, still on the Waterford side of the bend, he noticed a Ford saloon coming in the opposite direction “going for the turn at a “terrific speed.” “His practised eye realising the corner could never be negotiated safely,” he had to decide in a fraction of a second whether to “stop dead” or “keep going.” He decided to keep going, and “to this fact he owed his safety.”
“Around the bend the Ford came, and, to the terror of the occupants of Mr. Hill’s car suddenly canted over to an angle of 45 degrees, taking the turn on two wheels. For a moment the driver corrected his course, but this only sent her [the Ford] in a mad plunge to the off-side of the road, but gave Mr. Hill the chance to get safely past her, where he came to an immediate stop and was just in time to see her cannoning off the fence in her mad momentum, and plunging once again across the road, not yet even to stop, but once again taking a final leap to the off fence and landing on her head or bonnet, and, poised momentarily in the air, came down with a sickening crash on the road.”
Mr. Hill and the injured Mr. Grant rushed to the crashed car. They expected to find a “mangled mass of humanity,” but were surprised to find the occupants of the crashed car uninjured. They immediately helped two ladies out through the roof of the crashed car and they hauled the driver clear of it. It was stated, “had the petrol fired a horrible death would have been their lot.”
The driver and owner of the car was an elderly gentleman named Rossiter, who lived outside New Ross. “A relief car was secured, and the fortunate survivors were brought home. The remains of the car were left on the road, it being a wreck.” This probably provides a good indication of the amount of traffic in 1929 when a wrecked vehicle could be left on the road near a bend.
Mr. Hill was then interviewed subsequently and surprisingly the newspaper published his opinions regarding the accident and driving in general. Hill said—“It was just a case of speed in the wrong place. The driver must have either been a stranger of the road or else forgot about the turn until it was too late. The danger of modern saloons is that they become overheated, and, unless ventilation is seen to, a drowsy feeling overtakes one. The feeling I had was one of powerlessness, the same as you would realise were you are to meet a runaway horse. Sooner or later, more stringent driver tests must be insisted on, as otherwise the ever increasing motor traffic will bring appalling accidents. I have not the slightest objection to anyone taking driving risks or stunting etc., where he only endangers his own life, but where mine or the public is involved it is altogether another matter. One of the oldest motorist I know said to me his dictum was: ‘It’s the other fellow is going to kill you.’”
The article ends with, “a remarkable feature of the accident was that the car coming from New Ross, after turning over three times, landed on the road facing in the direction from which it had come.”
James Roche (c. 1854-1940) of Haggard, Glenmore
The bonesetter that William Hill was taking William Grant to visit was probably Jimmy Roche of Haggard. According to Danny Dowling’s (1927-2021) notes the Roche’s of Haggard were recognised as good bonesetters. On the 28th of December 1969, Danny interviewed his mother Hannah Dowling née Murphy who related that the Roches farmed 70 acres in Haggard. Hannah recited that Luke Roche was a bonesetter and married Biddie Aylward, of Parkstown, Glenmore. Luke and Biddie had three children: (1) James Roche who also became a bonesetter. James married Kate Aylward, of Ballyfacey. Hannah recalled that James was over 80 years of age when he died in 1940. James had two sisters (2) Bridget Roche, never married and died in her 60’s in about 1939; and the last child was Statia Roche who never married and died in her 75th year in 1945.
According to Hannah Dowling, Jimmy and Kate Roche of Haggard had the following family
(1) Luke Roche, married in Mooncoin; (2) Jack Roche, [never married and farmed the home farm]; (3) James Roche [married a woman named Kearney and worked at the Glenmore Creamery and was also a bonesetter]; (4) Larry Roche, [never married]; (5) Pat Roche, [never married]; (6) Matthew Roche [never married] and (7) Catherine Roche, died as a result of burns from falling into the fire at the age of 5-6 months.
James Roche (c. 1854-1940) died at his residence at Haggard. His obituary in the Munster Express is also colourful. It provides that James was a well-known figure in farming circles and was widely known as a competent bonesetter, “whose fame at this important aspect of manipulative surgery established a name for him ever far outside his own district. His home was at all times a hospitable centre for visitors, and his cheery and kindly disposition endeared him to all who had the pleasure of his genial acquaintanceship. Strong, well-built, and of a commanding personality Mr. Roche was a splendid type of Irishman, and his passing, though coming at the fine old age of 86 years, is deeply and deservedly regretted by his family, relatives and a wide circle of friends.” Deceased was husband of Mrs. Kate Roche, Haggard; father of Larry Roche, the well-known footballer and athlete; James Roche, who is a popular member of the staff of Glenmore Creamery; Luke, John, Pat and Matty Roche, all of Haggard; and brother of Miss Stasia Roche, also of Haggard. Interment took place at the family burial ground at Kilbride (Munster Express, Fri. 13 Dec. 1940, p. 12).
Hannah Dowling also said that Katie Roche née Aylward died in 1946 at the age of 68. An obituary was located for Katie Roche and it revealed that she died in January 1946. She was said to be one of the best-known residents of the parish and was the widow of the late James Roche, “who was widely known in the district as a competent bonesetter the art of which is still being practised by members of the family,” (Munster Express, Fri. 1 Feb. 1946, p. 6).
The last of the Roche family was Mattie who died in 1999 at the age of 77.
The featured photo above in a 1929 Ford Saloon. Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Glenmore: Limestone Kilns [updated]
Unlike other areas of Ireland where subsistence farming was the norm, the farmers of eastern Leinster engaged in commercial agriculture. In other words, crops were being grown to be sold rather than for subsistence. In 1770, the chief trade was in flour sold to the growing city of Dublin. By the start of the Famine crops were being grown for breweries. This commercialisation of the tillage economy is credited with causing a rapid population increase in the early 19th century. Farm labourers who made up about half the population in the region were given a small cottage and around 0.4 hectares of land. These plots were locally known as haggards and were used for growing potatoes and cereal crops by the farm labourers. After the famine farming moved from tillage to grazing. Between 1851 and 1911 arable land in Ireland halved from 1.8 million hectares to 0.9 million. Grazing with live cattle exports to Britain increased from 200,000 animals in the 1840’s to 400,000 animals in the 1860’s. The last decade of the 19th century saw this increased to 800,000 animals (Kevin Whelan, (1997) “The Modern Landscape from Plantation to Present” in Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape, p. 67).
Lime Kilns of Glenmore
The landscape of Glenmore still has the ruins of old lime kilns that long ago were used for the production of quicklime or buntlime. One good example is at the crossroads in Ballycroney. Quicklime was produced by heating limestones at high temperatures in a lime kiln. Quickline was used in agriculture to change the PH of the soil and in building projects for mortar. Farm lime kilns were very common in the 18th and early part of the 19th century. They were replaced in the second half of the 19th century, after the Famine, by industrial lime and brick works. There were two types of permanent farm kilns used in the production of quicklime for agricultural purposes, namely: draw kilns and the less common flare kilns. Both kilns were loaded from the top and had their fire boxes at the bottom. Kilns were usually built into the bank of a hillside and enclosed on the other three sides by a stone-built rectangular shaped structure. The draw-hole or stoke hole was located at the front of the kiln base. It provided draft and access to the fire and was where the quicklime was removed. The draw hole was often built large enough to accommodate two men and sometimes a cart. Draw kilns burned limestone in a continuous process (p.19). Because of the need to generate temperatures in the region of 1000 degrees Celsius for long periods, lime kilns required a large amount of fuel. In the late 19th century in Munster, furze was the main fuel source. In other parts of Ireland furze was used to start the fire or was mixed with other fuels (Muiris O’Sullivan & Liam Downey, “Lime Kilns,” (19)2 Archaeology Ireland (Summer 2005) pp. 18-22).
Danny Dowling (1927-2021) interviewed Nicky “the Miller” Forristal (1888-1979) in November 1977 (DD Notebook 5) concerning the burning of lime in Glenmore. Nicky stated that the local farmers brought limestone from the quarries at Dunkitt, in Kilmacow, up river in a gabbard. “After discharge at the local quays the stones were transported in horse and cart to the lime kilns. They were then spalled—that is to say that they were broken to the size of about 2 hands clenched together. The kiln was then packed in the follow order: 1st furze at bottom to light the culm; 2nd on this was placed a layer of culm; and 3rd next a layer of limestone. After this it was every alternate layer of culm and limestone until the kiln was filled to the top. It was then set alight and it burned for 3 or 4 days.” According to a modern dictionary culm was coal dust.
Nicky went on to state that as a chap he saw the kilns at Ballyverneen Quay, and at Ennett’s in Cappagh, burning lime on a few occasions. Lime kilns were situated at the following locations:
(1) A kiln was located on Kiln Hill which was over Glenmore ½ way up on Neddie Connor’s side in Cody’s field, in the townland of Graiguenakill.
(2) Ballyverneen—at Waterford side of Maid’s Quay on other side of road.
(3) Ballyverneen—at Quay opposite Dick Dunphy’s cottage where Dolan’s later lived. It was fed from the roadroad. Although the kiln is gone its outline can still be seen.
(4) Graiguenakill–on Barron’s Quay below Forristal’s Mill. This Quay was public and was an open space years ago. Paddy Forristal in an interview in 1980 referred to it being on a commons and noted the kiln was gone.
(5) Cappah–at top of Ennet’s Marsh. It is gone.
(6) Jamestown–at top of Main Roche’s Hill in Green’s field. It is gone.
(7) Bishopstown–opposite Richie Hennessey’s cottage.
(8) Bishopstown–at Ballybrahee Lane.
(9) Weatherstown–on the commons.
Given the prominence of the kiln at the crossroads in Ballycroney it is surprising it was not mentioned. We did find it recorded on the Orinance Survey Map. If readers are aware of where other lime kilns were or are located in or around Glenmore parish would you please send the information to glenmore.history@gmail.com ?
[Update 6 Sept. 2022, Martin Forristal identified a lime kiln in Rochestown near the river. See Martin’s comment below for further details.]
[Update 6 Sept 2022, Brian Forristal identified and sent the photo to the right of a lime kiln in Kearney Bay. It is located down the rock Road, past Tom Heffernan’s farm. It is about half a mile from there on the right hand side.]
Life & Death
After lime kilns fell out of use at least one family lived in the Graiguenakill lime kiln. Billy Fleming and his sister Jane Fleming made the Graiguenakill kiln their home (Danny Dowling, Notebook 8 (1955)). Unfortunately, no further information was provided by Danny regarding Billy Fleming or his sister Jane or when they resided in the kiln. A quick search of the parish records presented a possible match. There was a William Fleming baptized at Glenmore on 16 March 1826 to Patrick Fleming and his wife Margaret Barden. No similar record could be located for Jane Fleming, but Patrick and Margaret had another son Peter (bapt. 8 July 1824) at Grangekille (sic) Glenmore.
Lastly, while performing a newspaper search (for something else) the following article was found regarding a kiln operated in Carrigcloney, Glenmore in 1827. This article was found in the Drogheda Journal, or Meath & Louth Advertiser (Sat. 19 May 1827) and appears to have been copied from the Waterford Chronicle. It highlights the dangers associated with lime burning.
Melancholy Occurrence. —On Thursday last, a poor limeburner, named Freeman, while working at a kiln, at Carrigcloney, Parish of Glenmore, County Kilkenny, the man below was drawing the lime, many of the stones above, from being overburned, calcined or adhering to the side of the kiln, when the poor fellow walked on the side of the kiln, and with a pole endeavoured to cause the lime to pass, it immediately shifted, and he, poor creature, got fast in the middle of it. The exertions of four stout men pulling him by the arms, were not aide to disengage him, until they procured rope a short distance off, he burning all the time, by fastening it under his arms they brought him up. He died a short time afterwards in great agony.— Waterford Chronicle.
Freeman is not a common Glenmore name, however in the parish records we did find where a Laurence Freeman, in nearby Rathanure (sic) married Margaret Day, of Rathanure, on 14 January 1824 at Glenmore. Witnesses were Nancy Freeman and Mary Grant. The poor man who was burned in the kiln was not Laurence as Laurence and his wife had 2 children born after May 1827. The couple had Bridget Freeman (bapt. 17 March 1828) and Laurence Freeman (bapt. 15 Dec. 1830). Turning to Griffiths Valuation 1829, a John Freeman of Rathinure is listed. What relationship, if any, the Rathinure Freemans may have had to the deceased limeburner is not known.
Please send any corrections and further information to glenmore.history@gmail.com . The photos of the kiln at the Ballycroney cross was taken last week.
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