Forristalstown Castle

Today, we are going to feature information that Danny Dowling recorded regarding the residents of the townland of Forristalstown around 1961. The Irish for this townland, according to Kelly’s, The Place Names of the County of Kilkenny (1969, p. 102) is Baile Fhorastail, or Forrestal’s homestead. The townland is comprised of 316 acres. Kelly noted that the Forrestals lost their lands under Cromwell, and were transplanted to Connaught. Their castle in Forristalstown was demolished about 1800 shortly after the 1798 Rebellion. The hamlet of Forrestalstown (sic) is marked on the Ordinance Survey Maps and part of the roadway is called Clodach, or a miry place.

Danny interviewed Nicky “the Miller” Forristal (1888-1979) on Friday the 13^th of March 1964. Nicky disclosed that the last of the local Forristals to leave during the Cromwellian period left a small son with the Gorman family of Ballycroney. Nicky believed that the Gormans were related to the Forristals. “When the chap grew up he married one of the Gorman girls and it is from this union that the present Ballyverneen Forristal’s descend from.” (DD Notebook 26) During an interview in 1970, Nicky told Danny what Tom Haberlin (1840-1920) of Forristalstown had described as occurring in Forristalstown. There were nine houses situated in Mullally’s field in Forristalstown which was opposite Cullen’s house on the other side of the lane. The Roches lived in a little house in the field. Previously the people in the nine houses were driven out of their houses. This occurred before 1870.  Later, Tom Mullally knocked the derelict houses and used the stones to build his own dwelling house (DD Notebook 2). It is always amazing how accurate Nicky was. He told Danny that Tom Haberlin died between 40 or 50 years prior to 1970 and he was about 80 when he died.  The parish records reveal that Tom Haberlin, of Forristalstown was born in January 1840 and the death register reveals that he died in 1920.

In 1961 Danny recorded ten families or households in Forristalstown. 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 48 people resided in Forristalstown with the population of 25 males and 23 females. The largest family recorded was the Power family comprised of 8 persons and there was 1 household of a single person.

Recorded Residents

Males= 25
Females= 23
Eldest Recorded Resident= James Doherty (1891-1963) although there were two other residents born in 1892. In 1961 James Doherty was  70 years of age.

Recorded Work

Farmers= 6 (4 males; 2 females) (included retired famers)
Farm/Agricultural Workers= 9 (all males) (included retired farm workers)
Labourer= 3 (all males)
Fisherman = 1 (male)
Domestic Servant = 1 (female)
ESB Lineman = 1 (male)
Postman = 1 (male)

FORRISTALSTOWN RESIDENTS

[1] MURPHY

Murphy, Edward (8 Aug. 1913) Builder’s Labourer
Murphy, Bridget (10 Feb. 1913) wife
Murphy, John  son, farm worker
Murphy, Hannah  daughter, domestic servant
Murphy, Edward, son
Murphy, Thomas, son
Murphy, Eileen, daughter

[2] McGRATH

McGrath, Martin (31 Aug. 1906) Farm Labourer
McGrath, Bridget (22 Jan. 1906) wife
Fortune, Alice, daughter
Fortune, Joseph, son-in-law, E.S.B. Lineman

[3] POWER

Power, Thomas (29 Nov.1904) Postman
Power, Anastatia (27 Sept. 1908) wife
Power, Johanna, daughter
Power, Patrick, son, farm worker
Power, Kathleen, daughter
Power, Kieran, son
Power, Angela, daughter
Power, Margaret, domestic servant

[4] MERNAGH

Mernagh, Peter (18 Feb. 1892) Retired Farm Worker
Mernagh, Mary (14 March 1897) wife
Mernagh, Patrick, son, road labourer
Mernagh, James P., son, labourer
Mernagh, N. William, son
Power, John, grandson

[5] DOHERTY

Doherty, James (6 Oct. 1891) Farmer (died 27 Jan. 1963)
Doherty, Margaret (10 Nov. 1901) wife
Doherty, Catherine, daughter
Doherty, Edward, son, farm worker
Doherty, Patrick, son, farm worker
Doherty, Anastatia, daughter

[6] DOHERTY

Doherty, Mary (18 April 1896) Retired Farmer  (died 7 Jan. 1962)
Doherty, James, son, farmer
Doherty,  Mary, daughter-in-law
Doherty, Josephine, daughter

[7] DOHERTY

Doherty, John Joseph (1923) Farmer
Doherty, Ellen, wife
Doherty, Mary Christina, daughter

[8] HABERLIN

Haberlin, Thomas (29 June 1919) fisherman

[9] GRACE

Grace, Anastatia (9 Feb. 1896) Farmer (died 19 March 1965)
Grace, Margaret, daughter
Grace, Mary, daughter

[10] CULLEN

Cullen, James (15 Aug. 1900) Farmer
Cullen, Ellen (8 June 1903) wife
Cullen, James, son, farm worker
Cullen, Edward, son, farm worker
Cullen, Patrick, son
Lannigan, Richard (4 June 1892) brother-in-law, farm worker

The feature photo above is of a coat of arms found on an ancient burial vault behind the east wall of Killivory Church ruins. The photo was sent of this coat of arms to the Heraldry Office and the following information was provided.

“This is indeed a coat associated with several branches of Forstall in the counties Kilkenny and Wexford and the City of Dublin. They all appear to have used the pronominal coat rather than with their proper differences; there was and is a good deal of carelessness about this which generations of heralds have failed to cure.  
The inescutcheon – charged with three helmets – indicates a Forstall marriage to a Kennedy heraldic heiress.  (A lady whose father left no son to continue the name.)  It is borne to indicate that this armiger’s children have part of their inheritance from their mother and after her death might marshall the two coats together by quartering.” (Micheál Ó Comáin, Herald of Arms, 6 June 2020)

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

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh