Glenmore Co. Kilkenny
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A Glenmore Fire & the “Hell Fire Jack” Steam Engine
Today, we are going to highlight a fire that destroyed a Glenmore home on 26 January 1935. Just after the beet train called by the locals, “Hell Fire Jack,” started off from the Aylwardstown station, a fire broke out in the top of a rick of hay in Richard Delahunty’s haggard near the Aylwardstown station. The rick was located near the gable end of the thatched dwelling house. Immediately the residents of the nearby four farmers’ houses were on the scene. The wind was very severe and blowing in the direction of the thatched dwelling house. Despite the valiant efforts of the volunteers the dwelling house burned to the ground, but a portion of the hay rick was saved. (Waterford Standard, Sat. 2 Feb. 1935, p. 5). It was reported that the volunteers were greatly hampered because they did not have any fire fighting appliances, but armed themselves with buckets and threw water on the flames. “Mr. Delahunty’s loss [was] stated to be considerable” (New Ross Standard, Fri. 1 Feb. 1935, p. 3)
The Court Case
Richard Delahunty (c. 1867-1954) filed a case against the Great Southern Railways for £300 damages for the burning of his dwelling house, furniture and effects as well as the hay destroyed due to the negligence of the defendant railway or its servants. The three-day trial before Judge Sealy at the Kilkenny Circuit Court was reported in the Munster Express (Fri, 8 May 1936, p. 2).
In the 1930’s juries were still used for tort or civil cases, and an all male jury was selected to hear the case. The men were drawn from both rural and urban areas of the county and included: James Ryan, Killeen, Graiguenamanagh (foreman), Thomas F. Walsh, Ballykeeffe Castle; John Scanlon, Coolbawn; Laurence Kenny, Ballyvalden; Benjamin Fogarty, Ballyouskill; John Gaffney, Lacken, Bennettstown; Michael Kennedy, Gaulstown, Tullaroan, Denis Buggy, Grovine; Danniel Cullen, Blanchfields Park; Patrick Dwyer, Baysrath; Edward Dunne, Mountgale; and Michael Dunne, Kilbricken.
Opening statement for Delahunty–In 1903 the railway erected the railway line linking New Ross and Waterford. At that time Mr. Delahunty appeared before the compensation tribunal and one of his grounds of complaint was that the railway company were laying the line too close to his house and that sooner or later his place would be burned. Three decades later his prophecy came true. “On January 26, 1935, a goods train entered the station at Glenmore; it was returning to Waterford and as it passed through Aylwardstown it had to go up a fairly steep gradient. While the engine was not the engine invented by Stevenson, the inventor of the first steam locomotive, it was a bit antediluvian, and as it ascended the gradient it expressed its distress in no mistaken manner. It was chucking and staggering, and belching smoke trying to get up the hill, and it was emitting gusts of fire and hot cinders.”
Opening statement for the Great Southern Railway—An ordinance survey map was produced with the scene of the fire marked. In November 1935 the defence barrister inspected the area and found a burned three-roomed house with a barn adjoining it. From the railway line to the point of the hayrick nearest the house was a distance of 118 feet 9 inches, and the distance between the rick and the house itself was 5 feet 6 inches. The house had been thatched. There was a gradient in the railway line at Glenmore and when passing by Mr. Delahunty’s farm towards Waterford a train would be going uphill. He estimated it would cost £142 18s. to reconstruct Mr. Delahunty’s house.
Richard Delahunty’s case consisted of six witnesses including himself. Richard Delahunty, testified that he owned 60 acres of land. He lived in the house his entire life. At the time of the construction of the railway he protested because the line was being placed too close to his haggard and there was danger of a fire. In fact in 1905 or 1906 there was a little cock of straw burned. On January 26, 1935, about 4:30 p.m. he was in his house and about two minutes after he heard a train pass he saw the hay rick on fire. The day was dry but there was big gale of wind from the direction of the railway line toward his house. Four tons of hay burned. He often saw showers of sparks coming from engines passing by and he often saw grass and bushes 15 yards from the line burning from the sparks. About 20 years before, on a wild day, a shower of sparks fell around him while he was in his haggard.
Andrew Hefffernan (c. 1893-1975) testified that his farm adjoined the plaintiff’s. On day of the fire there was a northerly wind blowing. On that evening he was in his yard and heard a goods train. He knew it was a goods train from the puffing noise it made going slowly up the hill. A couple of minutes later his son told him that Delahunty’s rick was lighting. He immediately went into Delahunty’s haggard and the rick was burning at the top at the end nearest the house. He rejected the idea that a spark from the dwelling house caused the fire. A spark from the dwelling house would have had to go against the wind to reach the rick. He testified that he often saw sparks being emitted from engines drawing trains in the direction of Waterford, and he knew the sparks were carried a distance of 20 yards from the railway line.
John Connolly (c. 1889-1972) of Scartnamore, Glenmore, stated that on the day of the fire he was loading beet at the Aylwardstown railway station. About 4:30 a beet train came into the station and after some shunting operation proceeded to Waterford. He did not know how many wagons were attached, but the engine was very heavily loaded. The train went out of the station “hard pressed” travelling very slowly. When asked if the train was puffing the witness replied “As far as I could see she could not puff anymore.” A few minutes after the train left the station, he saw the rick in Delahunty’s haggard on fire. He testified that at night he was often able to see sparks flying out and in some instances more than sparks—partially burned coal. Locally the beet train was called “Hell Fire Jack.”
James Delahunty, son of the plaintiff, testified that the beet train that evening was overloaded and he formed this opinion from the noise the engine was making and its slow progress from the station. Within a few minutes of the train passing he saw the hay rick on fire.
Sergeant Nicholas Garvey (1895-1960) Glenmore, stated that when he received a report regarding the fire, he went to the scene about 6 p.m. The roof of the dwelling house was smouldering between the walls and the rick was on fire. About a quarter of the rick was destroyed and the rest saved. There was no fire or signs of fire in the boiler-house. There was a very strong wind blowing from the railway station across to Delahunty’s haggard. About a week before the fire he had patrolled that section of the railway line and saw sparks coming from an engine travelling toward Waterford. He could not say how far the sparks travelled, but it was a calm night. He also observed small bits of partially burned coal along the railway line. Sgt. Garvey did not indicate how or why he was patrolling the railway line, but the line does run near Rathinure where as was highlighted in the blog last week, Sgt. Garvey went courting.
Robert N. Tweedy a consulting and electrical engineer from Dublin testified that he inspected the engine that was used on the beet train the evening of the fire. He testified that the design of the engine allowed small pieces of burning coal to be emitted into the air. In North America spark arresters were required, but he admitted that a spark arrester would considerably increase the cost of running an engine. Another solution would be to increase the size of the smoke box and at the time of the trial smoke boxes being fitted on engines were 50 percent larger. He testified that this was a light goods engine, and starting up with 16 trucks of beet in order to pull the Glenmore gradient the throttle would have to be fully opened. This increased the risk of live coals being blown out of the coal box. This engine was never fitted with a spark arrester and given the weather conditions in his opinion a piece of live coal could have been ejected a sufficient height to land on the hay rick. On cross-examination the railway sought to show that spark arresters and other alterations to its fleet of engines would be extremely expensive for the railway. The expert witness replied that the practical thing to do would be for the railway to scrap its 59 old engines “because they have lasted long enough and have paid for themselves” or stop using inferior cheap coal.
The defence case by the Great Southern Railway generally consisted of a dozen railway employees testifying and often contradicted each other. Arthur Plumer, engineer with the GSR for 15 years testified that the gradient nearest plaintiff’s house was about 1 in 200. He admitted on cross examination that he knew very little regarding the train which slipped her brakes years before on the same stretch of line. Mr. Batmont, draughtsman, produced the plan of the engine which depicted a brick arch in the engine designed to stop sparks from passing up through the funnel. William Finn, shed foreman, Waterford, said that he examined the arch in this particular engine which was renewed on 6 November 1934. After the Delahunty fire the arch was examined and was in perfect condition. John Wyse, fitter’s helper, also examined the arch and found it to be in perfect condition. F. Johnson, assistant divisional loco. Supt. Waterford, said after he received a report of the fire he too looked at the engine and found the arches to be perfect. He admitted that the life of arches varied from two days up to three months. The fire took place almost three months after the engine was allegedly renewed.
Ernest G. Cox, the New Ross stationmaster, said the train left his station and would arrive in Glenmore about 4:30. It was the beet train and was for the Thurles Sugar Factory. The total weight of the contents of the 16 wagons according to the advice notes was 104 tons, 7 cwt. 3 qurs, plus the weight of the wagons. The weight was disputed by another defence witness, Michal Carroll, weighbridge check, who said the actual weight was 204 tons, 8 cwt. 1 qr. Denis Doyle, Halt-keeper, testified that the train took on two wagons of beet at Glenmore. Given that two wagons were added at Aylwardstown station no railway defence witness could testify correctly to what load the engine had when it left the Aylwardstown station.
Perhaps the most interesting of the railways witnesses was James Reale, the driver. He testified that he arrived at Glenmore at 4 o’clock, where he had to do some shunting at the New Ross end of the platform. “The engine was not overloaded. If he had been given an overladen train he would not have taken it.” He went on to testify that the engine did not leave the Aylwardstown station under great pressure. On cross examination he said that he was not offended that his train was described as “Hell Fire Jack” as all beet trains were called that. When pressed further he said that he did not know why they were called “Hell Fire Jack” and perhaps realizing the significance of the name added, “They might be the ‘Ghost Train’ for all that.” William Madigan, guard on the train, produced the train log. The train arrived at Glenmore at 4:12, left at 4:30 and arrived in Waterford at 5. John Barker, the fireman, said he did not notice the engine emitting sparks and the engine was not under any particular strain. Thus, all the employees of the railway denied that “Hell Fire Jack” was under any strain in Glenmore or emitting sparks.
C.E. McCreery, auctioneer and valuer, inspected the ruins of the dwelling house for the defence. He described the house as made of cobblestones, mortar and yellow clay. He estimated the value of the premises at £100. The value of the furniture £23 and the value of the hay at £10. In his opinion the house could be reconstructed for £40. (In 1936 McCreery & Sons were located at 40 Parliment St., Kilkenny.) Edward Bredin, the chief works manager of the railway stated that it would cost a total of £37,000 for all renewals as suggested by Mr. Tweedy. From his standpoint the brick arch used was the most efficient. Michael McGinnity, assistant to the chief mechanical engineer, stated that an engine running from Glenmore to Waterford would be capable of carrying from 360 tons to 370 tons. The engine in question would be capable of carrying 33 full wagons up the gradient at Glenmore without the engine labouring or being distressed. Engines of this type covered 2.5 million miles. Several other “experts” employed by the defendant were called who all testified that the measures employed in North America would not work here. The most interesting alleged expert was Col. Owen O’Brien who testified that he worked for English railways for years and visited France, the United States and Italy to conduct experiments regarding the various types of spark arresters and the reduction of sparks. The newspaper article does not indicate if Col. Owen O’Brien published the findings of his alleged experiments.
After the three day trial the jury found for Richard Delahunty and awarded £175 with costs and expenses.
Unfortunately, this was not the end of the fires in Glenmore caused by the steam trains pulling loads to Waterford, but no buildings were destroyed in later fires. On several occasions the banks along the railway caught fire. In the late 1950’s a fire spread from the railway bank up as far as Michael Roche’s slotted unit on the east edge of Rathinure. A few years later another fire burned several fields and ditches.
Special thanks to Jacqueline Walsh for the photo of the Aylwardstown, Glenmore railway station. Please send any and all corrections, or further information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Sergeant Garvey (1895-1960) and His Glenmore Bride
Last week we highlighted the determination of the Garda Siochána to have a presence in Glenmore as well as a list of the sergeants that served in the Glenmore Garda Station over the years. One of these sergeants was Nicholas Garvey (1895-1960) who, according to the list Danny Dowling put together, was the Sergeant in Glenmore from 1936 – 1938. Today, we are going to highlight how Sergeant Garvey’s duties in Glenmore brought him to Rathinure to meet the woman who was to become his wife, Mary Grace (1913-1988). This story provides a glimpse into parish life in the 1930’s.
Prior to coming to Glenmore, Sergeant Garvey tragically lost his first wife, Mary Garvey née Aylward on the 19th August 1934. Mary Garvey née Aylward (c. 1902-1934) was only 32 when she died at her parent’s home on New Street in Carrick-on-Suir after an illness “of some months” duration. (Munster Express, 31 Aug. 1934, p. 8). At the time of Mary’s death Sergeant Garvey was stationed at Ballylanders, Co. Limerick (Irish Independent, 4 Oct. 1934) and the couple had two young daughters, Kathleen and Monica Garvey. With his young children being cared for by their maternal grandparents in Carrick-on-Suir, the widower, Sergeant Garvey was transferred first to Tullogher and then to Glenmore. While at Tullogher the locals made up a verse regarding the Sergeant and his four men, “Garvey let Lyons Loose to catch Salmon on the Shannon.” (This verse or ditty was given to Johnny Garvey by Dick Cotteral (c.1920 -2008) native of Ballycroney, Glenmore).
The petty session records from the 1930’s reflect that the Gardaí in Glenmore spent most of their time issuing summons for public intoxication, noxious weeds, dog licenses and wandering livestock. According to Danny Dowling, as often happened, some of the various Rathinure neighbours fell out with each other although the majority of Rathinure residents were related. During threshing times neighbours generally helped one another. The threshing would commence on one farm and move on to the next until the harvest was complete. Shortly after Sergeant Garvey came to Glenmore, the hamlet of Rathinure and the neighbours, who were generally named Kennedy or were descendants of Kennedy’s, were divided when the threshing was to commence.
The Grant brothers, of Carriganura, Slieverue were threshing for John Sean Óg Kennedy, of Rathinure, Glenmore. On the same day another rival threshing set by the name of Power were threshing for Statia Roche née Kennedy. Statia was a daughter of the late William Kennedy. The Grants were very intolerant of any opposition or competition. Some of the Grant brothers were very fond of the drink, but all were reported to be fond of fighting. Further information on the Grant brothers is below.
With the two rival threshing sets in close proximity, a Rathinure resident notified the Gardaí of the impending breach of peace which may have been termed a faction fight in earlier times. In response, the Glenmore Garda Station was emptied and Sergeant Nicholas Garvey and the four officers proceeded with due haste to Rathinure where they spent most of the day keeping the rival threshing sets from fighting. During the course of the day Sergeant Garvey met Mary Grace, the niece who was living with John Sean Óg Kennedy and his sister Mary Sean Óg Kennedy. According to Danny Dowling, Mary Grace offered the Sergeant a cup of tea and a bit of cake and he was smitten. According to the wedding announcement that appeared in the Munster Express, Mary Grant had lived in Rathinure for 8 years before she married.
Jimmy Roche, of Rathinure (1927- 2018) was just a young fellow when Sergeant Garvey used to walk from the Village to Rathinure. It is assumed that he followed the mass path that provided a direct route from Glenmore Village to the Bushing Fada lane that led to the back of John Sean Óg Kennedy’s house. Jimmy Roche told me years ago that Sergeant Garvey thought that he was not observed arriving via the Bushing Fada lane, but all the local youngsters were gathered in a field to play hurling and observed the courting bound Sergeant Garvey. Within a short time all the Rathinure adults also were observing how often Sergeant Garvey found his way to Rathinure.
Ultimately Sergeant Nicholas Garvey married Mary Grace (1913-1988) at the Pro-Cathedral of Dublin in the summer of 1937. Mr. John Grace, the bride’s brother was best man and the bride “was attended by her niece.” The bride wore cream satin dress with a hat to mach. A wedding breakfast was held in the Ormond Hotel, Dublin and the newlyweds honeymooned in Blackpool. (Munster Express, 16 July 1937, p. 7).
After the couple were married Sergeant Garvey was transferred to Cork. In addition to the two daughters Kathleen and Monica that Sergeant Garvey had with his first wife, he and Mary Grace had 9 children: [1] Patrick Garvey; [2] William Garvey; [3] Margaret Garvey; [4] Johnny Garvey; [5] Frederick Garvey; [6] Mary Garvey [7] & [8] Twins Peter and Paul Garvey (died in infancy); and [9] Bernadette Garvey. When he retired from An Garda Siochana the couple ran a guest house in Tramore. At the age of 15 Johnny Garvey, like his mother before him, moved to Rathinure to work with his great-uncle and aunt, John Sean Óg Kennedy and Mary (Sean Óg) and has remained in Rathinure to this day.
The year 1960 was a very tragic year for Mary Garvey née Grace. Her father, William Grace (c. 1881-1960) died in March (Munster Express, 25 March 1960, p. 2) and her husband, retired Sergeant Nicholas Garvey died in June (Munster Express, Friday 17 June 1960, p. 8). In 1960 according to William’s obituary Patrick Garvey, was with Customs and Excise, in Tullamore, Offaly. William Garvey, was with the Tourist Board, London. Johnny Garvey was farming in Rathinure while Margaret Garvey was employed by London and Newcastle in Waterford. Fred, Mary and Bernie Garvey were living in Tramore.
Mary Garvey née Grace died on 21 July 1988 at the age of 75. At the time of her death Bill Garvey, was working for British Airways, London, and Fred Garvey, was a Garda Inspector, at the Templemore Training Centre. Fred Garvey was the only child to follow his father into An Garda Siochána. Ultimately Fred became a Chief Superintendent based in Tralee and served in one of the stations where his father previously served. Margaret Fitzsimmons née Garvey, Mary Walsh née Garvey and Bernie Martin, née Garvey were all married and living in Dublin (Munster Express, Fri. 29 July 1988, p. 15). Her step-daughters were both married and Monica Clancy née Garvey lived in Carrick-on-Suir and Kathleen Burke née Garvey lived in Dublin.
Ancestors of Mary Garvey née Grace (1913-1988)
Mary Garvey née Grace was born on 29 January 1913, the daughter of William Grace and his wife Margaret Grace, née Kennedy of Ballyhomuck, Big Wood, Mullinavat. William and Margaret were married on 16 February 1909 at Glenmore. Margaret Grace née Kennedy (b. 1880) was 28 years of age when she married and she was the daughter of John Kennedy (c. 1840-1920) and Ellen Kennedy née Walshe (c. 1942-1911) of Rathinure. William Grace and his wife Margaret Grace née Kennedy had five children: [1] William Grace; [2] Ed Grace; [2] John Grace; [3] Ellie Grace and [4] Mary Garvey née Grace. Mary was the only Grace sibling to marry.
Mary Garvey née Grace’s maternal grandparents were John Kennedy ( c. 1840-1920) of Rathinure, and Ellen Walshe (c. 1842-1911), of Jamestown, Glenmore who married on 10 Feb. 1879. The bridegroom was the son of John Kennedy and the bride was the daughter of Walter Walshe. The couple had five children: [1] Margaret Kennedy (b. 24 Feb. 1880) married William Grace; [2] Mary Kennedy (13 April 1881-8 Feb. 1971); [3] Anne Kennedy (b. 11 Jan. 1883) (Church record Honor) Hannie Sean Óg married James Donovan the first creamery manager in Glenmore. [4] John Kennedy (John Sean Óg), 11 Feb. 1885-11 Feb. 1962); [5] Patrick Kennedy called Patsy Sean Óg (20 Jan. 1887-5 Nov. 1951) (married Catherine O’Grady, 22 Nov. 1939 Chicago Cathedral).
Parents and Siblings of Sergeant Nicholas Garvey
Nicholas Garvey was born 10 October 1895 at Mornington, Co. Meath son of Patrick Garvey (c. 1855-before 1931) and his wife, Kate Garvey née Reynolds (c. 1858- 1931). At the time of his birth, Patrick Garvey gave his profession as pilot. Mornington is a coastal village on the River Boyne estuary and means “Town of the Mariner.” In 1895 a pilot worked on a ship. Ships took on pilots who were responsible for navigating the ship into port or up a river. Nicholas Garvey was the youngest of the children listed in the 1901 Census. [1] Mary Anne Garvey (aged 24); [2] John Garvey (aged 20); [3] Peter Garvey (aged 19); [4] Patrick Garvey (aged 19); [5] Bridget Garvey (aged 17); [6] Anastatia Garvey (aged 15); [7] Lawrence Garvey (aged 12); [8] Philomena Garvey (aged 10); [9] William Garvey (aged 8); and [10] Nicholas Garvey (aged 6).
The Grant Brothers
The Grant brothers were all big, rough men. There were five brothers and none of them married. Their parents were John Grant and Anne Aylward who were married on 13 February 1899 in Waterford. The couple were married by Rev. Father Thomas Grant, C.C. of St. Dominick’s. John was the son of William Grant. Anne Grant née Aylward was born on 12 August 1870 to Thomas Aylward and Ellen Henebery of Ballytasnia, Ballyhale. According to the 1911 census of Carrignurra, Slieverue John Grant was 11 years older than his wife.
The first four Grant brothers were born at Ballytasnia, Ballyhale. [1] William Grant (8 Oct. 1902-19 July 1956); [2] Thomas Grant (2 Feb. 1905-4 Jan. 1973); [3] James Grant (b. 20 Nov. 1906) and [4] John Joe Grant (8 June 1908-7 April 1987). [5] Richard Grant was born on 20 August 1917 at Carrignurra, Slieverue and died on 18 January 2001. This information was obtained from the birth registry and the Grant headstone in Glenmore cemetery.
Special thanks to Johnny and Breda Garvey for sharing their family photos and providing family information. Please send any and all corrections, omissions or further information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
From Danny’s Files: The Glenmore Garda Station [Updated]
Danny Dowling in his quest for information concerning Glenmore and its people corresponded with various agencies from the Naval Historical Center of the U.S. Navy to the Garda Siochána Archives. Although Danny was unable to verify that a Glenmore native was killed while serving on the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbour in 1898, Danny was able to obtain correspondence concerning the early Glenmore Garda Station. This correspondence not only provides information concerning the local Garda Station, but it also gives a fascinating glimpse into the early workings of the Free State. Lacking in the correspondence is any indication as to why the presence of Garda in Glenmore was so important to generate the correspondence where the “occupation” of Glenmore was deemed important. As we highlighted in a previous post of 11 April 2020, the Glenmore R.I.C. Barracks was burned in 1920 by the Glenmore Company of the old I.R.A.
Occupation of Glenmore
In early February 1924 a memo was sent to the Garda Commissioner regarding the “Occupation of Glenmore.” Notwithstanding this interesting choice of words, it was noted that the Board of Works apparently located a temporary accommodation in Glenmore but the owner was not willing to rent the house. The Board of Works wanted to know whether it should proceed to “commandeering under the Acquisition of Premises Act.” In turn on 21 February 1924, a letter was written to the “Minister of Home Affairs” noting that there was no suitable accommodation in Glenmore for the Garda except for a cottage belonging to Mr. Dalton, of Waterford. The owner offered the house for sale but refused to rent it to the Garda. “Under the circumstances the Commissioner is of the opinion that the Board of Works should be urged to negotiate for the rebuilding of the old R.I.C. Barracks at Glenmore so as to provide accommodation of a suitable permanent nature for the Garda.” Then 11 days later, on 4 March 1924, a second letter was sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs stating that the Commissioner was of the opinion that the “provision of the Civic Guard (Acquisition of Premises) Act 1923 should be brought into operation in order to secure the vacant cottage belonging to Mr. Dalton, for the use of An Garda.” Although it is not clearly stated in the correspondence one interpretation could be that the Commissioner was seeking both a temporary and permanent accomodation in Glenmore to provide immediate services to an area without police since 1920.
The Garda Commissioner received a response letter dated 22 March 1924, where it was queried if “it has been definitely decided to have a Garda Station permanently at Glenmore…” The Board of Works had stated that the “landlord of the old Royal Irish Constabulary Barrack has received compensation for the destruction of the house. He will not rebuild but is understood to be willing to sell the site and ruins.” If a permanent Garda Station is required for Glenmore the Board of Works would be instructed to open negotiations with the landlord with a view to submitting the proposal to the Ministry of Finance for authority to purchase the site and ruins and to restore the building as a permanent station for the Garda. The owner of the site and ruins was Lord Bessborough although his name does not appear in the letter.
Two days later the Commissioner wrote to the Kilkenny Chief Superintendent informing him that the Board of Works were of the opinion that securing Mr. Dalton’s premises “would scarcely be worthwhile.” The Chief Superintendent on the 24th stated he only recommended it “owing to the very urgent necessity for the Guards in this area.” He noted that the purchase and rebuilding of the old R.I.C. barracks would require a couple of years. Ultimately the Board of Works concluded terms for the purchase of the site and ruins in late November 1924 and on 3 December 1924 the Commissioner was advised that “the legal steps for the conveyance are now in progress.”
On 23 December 1924 the Chief Superintendent received a letter from the Thomastown Superintendent that a vacant house was located in Weatherstown, Glenmore for Garda accommodation. The house was visited and Mr. Fitzgerald, the owner, agreed to rent it for £25 per year. The house was located 1.5 miles from the Village and 3.5 miles from the Glenmore Railway Station, 6 miles from Tullogher, 5 miles from New Ross and 7 miles from Mullinavat. After erecting a “dry closet” (a.k.a. outhouse/privy) the Weatherstown Garda Station received three gardai from Thomastown on the 24th of January 1925. For the first time since 1920 there was an operating police station in the parish of Glenmore.
Repairs to the Old R.I.C. Barracks were completed and on the 3rd of November 1925, the key of the Weatherstown Garda Station was returned to Mr. Fitzgerald. The only item not completed at the Glenmore Village Garda Station was the installation of a cooking range. “Although the Barrack is suitable for the permanent accommodation of An Garda, married quarters are not available.” Within 20 days of occupation a request was made for the installation of a telephone. It was noted that the “cost of installation would be small as the wires pass close to the barracks.” (Letter DC/1806/23 dated 23 Nov. 1925).
[Update 10 April 2022: Amazingly the Civic Guards taking over the old R.I.C. barracks at Glenmore was reported in the New York newspaper The Advocte (Sat. 18 Dec. 1925, p. 5). It was noted that these barracks were “wrecked during the troubled times and recently repaired.]
The Glenmore Water Scheme
A lull in correspondence occurred until an article was published in the Kilkenny People on 21 March 1931. The article stated that the Board approved a new water supply for the Village of Glenmore as the public water available was unfit for human consumption. The article was attached to letter dated 26 March 1931 asking the Commissioner to approve the Glenmore station for “private water supply” at the estimated cost of £2 per annum. This letter, written by J. Murphy, provides interesting details concerning the conditions in the Station. “The old village pump is situate about 140 yards down a steep incline from the Garda barracks,” and under the new scheme it is here that the public tap would be provided. For information on the pollution of the Glenmore public water, we previously published an article on the Glenmore water scheme on 23 May 2020.
During the summer months it was reported that about 30 gallons of water was needed in the Glenmore station for domestic and other purposes. “The Barrack servant provides only what is necessary for household use, and the remainder is provided by the Station party at an expense of approximately £3.10.0 per annum. I was not aware until now that the Station party were paying for the carriage of water to the Station…The expense is not shown in the Mess Book as the money is paid from a reserve fund on hand at the Station as a result of discount received on mess bills.” Thus the Station had a servant who carried the water from the Creamery to the Station. The village pump was located in front of where the pub is now and described in the letter as being on a “steep incline.” Instead the water came from the local creamery pump which “is situate about 300 yards from the Station, with the consent of the manager.” No mention is made of the steeper incline between the Station and the creamery or further reference to the “reserve fund.”
When J. Murphy did not receive a response he sent a memo dated 14 May 1931 to Commissioner “A” noting that should his recommendation that a private water supply be provided to the Glenmore Station it would be necessary to advise the contractors as the work on the scheme had commenced. He noted that “…special piping to which connections can be linked up will only be provided where ordered…” In December 1931 a private water supply was approved for the Glenmore Garda Station and the connection was made in January 1932.
In August 1934 the Glenmore Garda Station made a request for a “bucket or receiver for use in closet.” It thus appears that although the Station received running water in 1932 no sanitary improvements such as a flushing toilet followed. In October 1934 a list of works and repairs was made. In addition to the painting and distempering of various walls and ceilings in the kitchen, day room, hall, stairs and sergeant’s office and bedrooms the strong room walls required white wash. The strong room was a cell which was located at the back of the building. It was also noted that the water supply should be extended to the wash house with three basins and taps to be provided. “The lavatory is of the pail type and is unsuitable owing to its close proximity to the kitchen door a flush lavatory or septic tank should be provided.” The Board of Works invited tenders for repairs and the contractor hired was M. Bailey of New Ross with work to be completed on the 5th of December 1934. However, the extension of the waterline to the washhouse and the lavatory were recommended but not approved for tender.
In March 1936 the request to extend the water line to the wash house and the provision of flush lavatory and septic tank was renewed. It was also requested that two window blinds be fitted to the bedroom windows as the rooms face the street and have neither shutters nor blinds. Here the correspondence file ends. It is believed that the station did obtain a flushing lavatory, but it is not known when this occurred.
Lastly, the file contains a handwritten list of Sergeants stationed in Glenmore from 1932 to 1997:
1932-1935 John Mullane
1935 Corneilius Tully
1936-1938 Nicholas Garvey
1939-1956 John Dalton
1957-1964 James Flynn
1965 VACANT
1966-T.D. Malone
1967-VACANT
1968 D.F. Bulger
1969-1970 M. Murphy
1971-1974 A.J. Hallissey
1975-1976 J. O’Sullivan
1977-1979 P.F. M’Govern
1980-1981 F.J. Stafford
1982-1985 No Directories
1985-1997 VACANT
Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com. Special thanks to Jackie Walsh for the photo of the the Glenmore Barracks after it was set on fire by the local Company of the Old I.R.A.
Next week we are going to highlight Garda Sergeant Nicholas Garvey and the story of how he met his Glenmore bride.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Glenmore Centenarians [Updated]
During the summer of 2020 when the headstones in the Glenmore cemetery, adjacent to the parish church, were being recorded only one headstone recorded that a person had attained the age of 100. This distinction belongs to Kathleen Hoynes née O’Connor. When Danny Dowling was reviewing the recording work that summer he said that he only knew one native of Glenmore to have attained 100 years of age. Quite a few people came close, but he could only recall one who made it. A recent newspaper search revealed a second candidate and readers are invited to forward information on any other Glenmore natives who celebrated their 100th birthday.
Kathleen Hoynes née O’Connor (1917-2018)
Kathleen was born on 24 September 1917. She was the third child born to George O’Connor (1881-1965) and his wife Bridget O’Connor née Maddock (1886- ) of Ballyfacey. There were ten children in the family: [1] John O’Connor (b. 1914); [2] Bridget O’Connor (1916-1974); [3] Kathleen O’Connor (1917-2018) [4] Michael O’Connor (b. 1919); [5] Patrick O’Connor (b. 1921); [6] Margaret O’Connor (b. 1923); [7] Mary O’Connor (b. 1925); [8] Edward O’Connor (b. 1927); [9] Luke O’Connor (b. 1929) and [10] Stephen O’Connor (b. 1931). Further information on the Maddock family, and a copy of a 1907 photo of Bridget O’Connor née Maddock and her family may be found on our post of 21 February 2021.
Kathleen attended the old Ballyfacey National School. When it came time for secondary school she attended the Holy Faith in New Ross and cycled the 13 km from her home every day. Kathleen then went on to study nursing at the County and City Infirmary in Waterford. She moved to England and took a job at a boys’ boarding school in Nanwich, Cheshire before moving to London. Kathleen was in London during World War II and in her work nursed soldiers and civilians who were traumatised and injured during the war and the bombing of London. In our previous blog of 27 March 2021, we highlighted another Glenmore native who trained as a nurse at this time and the hard training regime for nurses prior to World War II.
In 1947 Kathleen married Phil Hoynes (c. 1918-1990) of Ballybrahee, Glenmore and the couple had ten children: [1] Michael Hounes; [2] Mary Hoynes; [3] Bridget Hounes; [4] Anna Hoynes; [5] Gerard Hoynes; [6] Margaret Hoynes; [7] John Hoynes; [8] Carmel Hoynes; [9] Paddy Hoynes; and [10] Rita Hoynes.
A woman of a deep and abiding faith, it was said that no matter how busy she was at home or on the farm Kathleen always attended Mass in Glenmore every morning. In 2014 Kathleen was awarded the Bene Merenti Medal for her committed service to the Church and parish. It was stated that she took the shocks of life in her stride and “embraced every day with great positivity and purpose.” She drove an automobile well into her nineties and attributed her longevity to eating porridge every morning and before bed every night. Kathleen’s last two years were spent at the Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Joseph’s Nursing home in Ferrybank. Kathleen died on 12 August 2018 six weeks shy of her 101st birthday (New Ross Standard, 4 Sept. 2018, p. 13).
Mary Murphy née Rigby (1832?-1923)
When Kathleen was six years of age, Mrs. Mary Murphy, of Moulerstown, Glenmore died and the New Ross Standard (26 Oct. 1923 p. 8) published the following article:
“A REMARKABLE CENTENARIAN. The death took place at Glenmore during the week of Mrs. Mary Murphy at the great age of 102 years. An instance of her remarkable health was that she was able to walk to Mass up to a short time ago, and was moving about up to a few days before her death. Her recollections of the stirring events of the past 100 years were most interesting. Her varied accounts of the famine of ’48 and ’49 would make interesting reading. She was a young woman then and saw many cases of death from slow starvation; it was a common thing for people to supplement their dole of Indian-meal with cabbage and nettles in order to procure a full meal, and she witnessed men employed in the public works then organised, leaving their homes in the mornings with only a pint of thin gruel for their dinner, the gruel being generally boiled in a large pot at some particular farmstead, the meal and pot being supplied by the authorities. There were no National schools then; the master taught his little class in an old house, or beside a hedge; no trains, no motors or bikes, much less flying machines. She knew men having to go to Dublin to walk the journey to and back because of not having the money to avail of the mail coaches. In her young days when tea was as rare as ten shilling gold pieces are now, the family able to procure a pound of it at Christmas were considered well off people. She was held in great respect and the funeral was largely attended by the people of the village and district.”
Unfortunately, the article did not provide Mary Murphy’s maiden name. The only older Mary Murphy found in the Glenmore 1911 Census was Mary Murphy, of Moulerstown. Her age is listed as 80 and she resided with her husband Patrick Murphy aged 76. The 1911 Census provides that the couple were married for 42 years and that two children were born to the marriage and both were living in 1911. A marriage record dated 30 September 1869 was found in the Glenmore parish records for Patrick Murphy (widower) of Ballynooney East and Mary Ribby (sic) of Moulerstown. Patrick was the son of James Murphy (farm labouorer) and Mary was the daughter of Laurence Rigby (deceased farm labourer).
The 1901 Census provides that Patrick Murphy was aged 67; his wife Mary was 69 and his deaf and blind sister-in-law Alice Ribby (sic) was aged 66. Alice Rigby died on 10 August 1901 at the age of 67. Her sister Mary Murphy was present when she died at Moulerstown. Baptismal records were found for Ally Ribby (baptized 7 July 1835, at Ballavorea, Glenmore) and John Ribby (baptized 3 August 1828) the children of Laurence Ribby and his wife Bridget Rigby née Millea. If Ally is Alice Rigby and she was born in 1835 her sister Mary Murphy née Rigby should have been born about 1832. A baptismal record was located for a Mary baptized at Glenmore on the 7th of March 1832 to Laurence Rilly (sic) and Bridget Blea (sic), the townland of residence was recorded as “B.vooling”. Another name for Moulerstown was Ballyvoulera. Based upon the two census records and the parish records it appears that Mary Murphy née Rigby was born in 1832, and thus was 91 years of age when she died in 1923.
[Update: Thanks to Patty Lee Brown who located the marriage record for Laurence Ribby (sic) and Bridget Mallay (sic) in Kilmacow dated 16 April 1809. Both parties provided addresses as Clume. Patty Lee also sent the names and baptismal dates for four more of Mary’s brothers: James Rigby bapt. 11 May 1815 at “Nowlerstown,” Glenmore; Thomas Rigby (bapt. 28 Dec. 1817); Michael Rigby, (bapt. 30 July 1819); George Rigby (bapt. 22 Dec. 1821). Thus there were at least 7 children born to Laurence Rigby and his wife Bridget Rigby née Millea.]
Mary’s husband Patrick Murphy died 5 April 1912 at the age of 74 in Glenmore. His daughter Bridget Jones was present at his death. Baptismal records for the two children of Patrick Murphy and Mary Murphy née Rigby were found. Bridget Murphy was baptized at Glenmore on 20 June 1870 and John Murphy was born on 12 April 1872 and baptized at Glenmore on the following day. John Murphy (b. 1872) married Bridget Walsh at Rosbercon on 13 February 1901. At the time of his marriage John was living in Guilcogh and working as a servant. His bride, was the daughter of Edward Walsh of Ballalog. His sister, Bridget Murphy (b. 1870) married George Jones, of Weatherstown on 16 August 1894 at Glenmore. For further information concerning the Jones family see our previous blog of 21 April 2021 highlighting two of their grandsons Pakie and Seamus Jones.
Thus, it appears that to date only one Glenmore native has been identified who lived to be 100 years of age. Notwithstanding the error concerning Mary Murphy’s age when she died in 1923, the lives of Mary and Kathleen overlapped by 6 years. They came from the same side of the Parish and between them they lived in three centuries and witnessed the Great Famine, the Easter Rising, the Irish War of Independence, the founding of the Republic, two World Wars, man walking on the moon, and 9/11 etc.
If anyone knows of any other Glenmore native, in addition to Kathleen Hoynes née O’Connor, who reached the 100 year milestone please send the information to glenmore.history@gmail.com. Please send any corrections, further information, photos etc. to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Special thanks to Michael Hoynes for all the information on the Hoynes and Maddock familes.
[Update 9 Oct. 2021–thanks to Martin Forristal we have received another contender for centenarian status was Catherine Forristal née Doherty. The family headstone was erected by her grandson, Thomas Forristal (c. 1846-1925). Thomas had recorded that his grandmother Catherine died aged 100 on the 2th of July 1875. A death cert was located for Catherine Forristal, widow, who died on 4 August 1875 at Ballyverneen, Glenmore at the age of 102. Mary Forristal was present at her death. To verify the correct age a search was made of the parish records. We were able to verify that Catherine Doherty, of Forristalstown, married Patrick Forstal (sic) of Ballyverin (sic) on 1 March 1808. No baptismal record could be found for a Catherine Doherty baptised between 1770 and 1780. We did locate a baptismal record for Catherine Doherty (bapt. 13 January 1781) of Forristalstown, the daughter of Thomas Doherty and Madge Murphy. We also searched for the children of Patrick Forristal and his wife Catherine Forristal née Doherty and found 5 baptismal records: [1] Thomas Forristal (bapt. 3 Sept. 1809) at Ballyverneen; [2] Patrick Forristal (bapt. 4 March 1814) at Bearstown; [3] Thomas Forristal (bapt. 23 Dec. 1815) at Bearstown; [4] James Forristal (bapt. 25 Sept. 1818) at Bearstown and [5] William Forristal (bapt. 6 April 1822) No residence recorded. From the information we have been able to glean from the parish records it appears that Catherine Forristal née Doherty was born in 1781 and when she died in 1875 she was 94.5 years of age. A very elderly age for that time.]
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
From Danny’s Files: The Lyrics to “Fluskey’s Motor Car” [Updated]
Found in Danny Dowling’s voluminous files are lyrics entitled “Fluskey’s Motor Car.” The humorous song concerns the Irish War of Independence and an automobile belonging to James Fluskey (1882-1960) of Glenmore Village. An extensive newspaper search was conducted, but no newspaper account could be located regarding James Fluskey and his volunteering his motor car or having it commandeered. The name of the author of the lyrics is not recorded and the music is also absent. It is believed that Jim B. of Glenmore Village may have been the author and sang this song.
[Update 18 Sept. 2021…Thanks to Nicholas Hogan we have further information concerning the lyrics. The original song was written about a true event that occured in Ulster in 1921 and was entitled “Johnston’s Motor Car” written by William Gillespie. According to wikipedia it was first recorded by the Clancy Brothers in 1963 and the Dubliners a decade later. “Fluskey’s Motor Car” is a local version. For the original and another version, see generally, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnston%27s_Motor_Car ].
Here is a you tube link to the Dubliners performing the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOcEGXBWul8.
At the conclusion of the lyrics we have listed and provided links to the previously published Glenmore verses and information on the Fluskey family.
Fluskey’s Motor Car
I.
It was down Fluskey’s corner, One evening I did stray, It was there I met Jack Scanlon, And this to me did say, "I’ve orders from the Captain, To assemble and go far, But how can we assemble, Without a motor car?"
II.
"Oh, Scanlon dear be of good cheer, I’ll tell you what we’ll do, The Black and Tans are plenty, While we are only few, I’ll ring up Jamesy Fluskey, Before we’ll get that far, And we’ll give the boys a jolly spin, In Fluskey’s motor car."
III.
When Fluskey got the wire my boys, He soon stuck on his shoes, Says he my case is urgent, And I’ve got no time to lose. He wore a velvet Chester hat, And on his breast a star, You could hear the din, going to Ballyquin, In Fluskey’s motor car.
IV.
But when we got to Mullinavat, We met the die-hards there. The game he knew was up with him, And at them he did stare, Say’s he, "I have a permit, To take me near and far." "We don’t want your English permit, We want your motor car."
V.
They got the car in motion, And filled her to the brim, With guns and shining bayonets, And Fluskey he did grin. Then Scanlon hoisted the Sinn Fein flag. We shot off like a star, We gave three cheers for the I.R.A., And Fluskeys’ motor car.
VI.
"What will the sergeant say of this, When I will reach Glenmore? To have my car commandeered, By those rebels from the Rower." "We’ll give you a receipt for it, And signed by Dinny Meagher, And when Ireland’s free, It’s then we’ll see to Fluskey’s Motor Car."
VII.
And when the Sergeant heard of this, Like a trooper he cursed and swore, Says he, "I’ll meet those blokes halfway, Before I will give o’er." They searched all Bishop’s Mountain, And the hills of Ballinclare, But the I.R.A. were far away, In Fluskey’s motor car.
VIII.
So now my song is ended, I’ve got no more to say, But here’s to Jamesy Fluskey, A hero in his day. So stand up to attention, And give a ringing cheer, Long life to Jamsey Fluskey, And his rattling open gear.
James “Jim” Fluskey (1882 -1960) was the son of Robert Fluskey and his second wife, Catherine Fluskey née Dunne. See the blog post of 28 May 2020 for details regarding the Fluskey family. Jim Fluskey is not listed as one of the members of the Glenmore Company of the old IRA. The list of known members of the Glenmore Company of the old IRA may be accessed by clicking here.
According to the birth register, John “Jack” Scanlan, of Glenmore Village, was born 1 November 1889 to James Scanlan (shoemaker) and his wife Anastatia Scanlan née Fitzgerald. However, the Glenmore Parish records record his birth as 30 October 1889 and his baptism was on 1 November 1889. According to Danny Dowling’s notes Jack Scanlan never married and like his father worked as a shoemaker. Jack Scanlan is not listed as one of the members of the Glenmore Company of the IRA.
No local records could be found for “Dinny Meagher” in the IRA. However, during the Emergency (World War II) a man bearing that name was involved in the Black Market and sold difficult to obtain items, like tea, to Glenmore residents. My father-in-law, Tom Walsh (1908-1992) told the story of how the Custom Officials visited Pat “Cushey” Grant, of Robintown, Glenmore asking questions concerning Dinny Meagher. It was said that Cushey replied to their queries that he did not trade in Dinny Meagher’s shop, but if they saw Dinny Meagher would they tell him to call to him (Cushey) because he (Cushey) owed Dinny Meagher some money.
If anyone has any corrections or further or different information concerning the lyrics, author or the persons named in the lyrics please send same to glenmore.history@gmail.com. Special thanks to Nicholas Hogan for sending on the wikipedia article.
Other Local Verses, Rhymes and Lyrics
On 11 January 2020 we published an article entitled Glenmore Verses, Rhymes and Lyrics , and on 23 September 2020 we published the Glenmore Version of the Ballad of Carrickshock. To access the old blogs just click on the titles. Lastly, guest author Dick Claridge shared the local versus he has collected. Click here.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
From Mullinahone, Glenmore to the Somme & Back: Patrick Condon (1898-1989) [UPDATED]
In a previous blog we highlighted some of “the firsts” Danny Dowling recorded regarding Glenmore inhabitants. For example, John Condon was the first person in Glenmore to own a bicycle and it was a penny farthing. Recently, Frank Condon made contact and shared information concerning his father Patrick Condon and his grandfather John Condon. Today, we are going to highlight the Condon family of Mullinahone, Glenmore and particularly Patrick Condon (1898-1989) who served in the Somme during the First World War. This family is an interesting example of how a family name appeared and disappeared from Glenmore in just one generation.
John Condon (1859-1934)
According to the information provided by Frank, John Condon (1859-1934) left his home in Mitchelstown, County Cork, to pursue “the rambling trade as a journeyman tailor.” This is how he found himself in the little village of Glenmore. “Just a bit down the lane from the village was the home of the master tailor Mr. Malone. Malone’s business was thriving and so he was glad to employ another experienced tailor. Here John Condon settled down in that Malone home doing business in that cottage in Mullinahone. The young Miss Margaret Malone…was pleased with her father’s new tailor. In the passage of time Margaret Malone and John Condon fell in love and married. In time their family consisted of six girls and three boys.”
A review of the Glenmore parish records revealed that John Condon married Margaret Malone on 10 February 1881. The father of the bride was Philip Malone (tailor) and the father of the groom was David Condon (deceased tailor). The bride, Margaret Malone, was baptized at Glenmore on 13 April 1857, the daughter of Philip Malone and his wife Bridget Malone née Grace, of Mullinahone. Philip Malone and Bridget Grace were married on 25 April 1844 at Slieverue, both parties resided in Mullinahone. Four siblings of Margaret Condon née Malone (1857-1913) were found in the records [1] Mary Malone (bapt. 14 Mar. 1845); [2] Patrick Malone (bapt. 2 Mar. 1847); [3] William Malone (bapt. 7 May 1850); and [4] Johanna Malone (b. 6 Mar. 1860). Based upon the information provided on the headstone in Glenmore cemetery John Condon was born about 1859, and a baptismal record was found for John Condon (bapt. 1 Jan. 1859) the son of David Condon and Mary O’Brien, of Furrow, Mitchelstown, County Cork.
Ten birth records for the children of John Condon (1859-1934) and Margaret Condon née Malone (1857-1912) were located: [1] Mary Condon (b. 19 Mar. 1882); [2] David Condon (b. 6 Nov. 1883); [3] William Condon (b. 5 Nov. 1885); [4] Bridget Condon (b. 1 Aug. 1887); [5] Ellen Condon (b. 3 Oct. 1889); [6] Edmund Condon (b. 17 Oct. 1891); [7] Johanna Condon (b. 14 March 1894); [8] Margaret Condon (b. 18 May 1896); [9] Patrick Condon (b. 13th May 1898); [10] Catherine Condon (b. 4 June 1900). It is believed that the eldest two children of the family died prior to 1901. Mary and David could not be located in the 1901 Census and in the 1911 Census it was reported that 10 children were born to the marriage, but only 8 were alive in 1911. In 1901 two elderly lodgers: Patrick Byrne (65) a farm labourer and Mary Washington (70) a domestic servant were residing with the family. By 1911 only the three youngest children were living at home: Margaret (15); Patrick (13); and Katie (11). The death registry provides that Margaret Condon née Malone died on the 16th of December 1912 of TB.
Private Patrick Condon (1898-1989)
Patrick Condon was the youngest son of the family and worked at the Glenmore creamery in his youth. Frank reported that a local constable by the name of Halpin encouraged his father to “take the English shilling. Four months later my father found himself in a muddy, water filled trench in Flanders.” According to Frank his father was involved in communication. “He was a top class signaller in ‘Aldis Lantern,’ wireless and semaphore signalling which was accomplished with flags. However, by 1916 semaphore signalling fell out of use on battlefields. For an interesting article on W.W. 1 communications see, “Innovating in Combat: Telecommunications and Intellectual Property in the First World War.”
According to the British National Army Museum records, Patrick Condon enlisted at New Ross on 21 March 1916 with the Royal Munster Fusiliers. His place of birth is listed as Glenmore, New Ross, Kilkenny and he listed his father, John Condon, Mullinahone, Glenmore, Kilkenny as his next of kin. His army service number was 7211530. The World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards states that Patrick Condon entered the “theatre of War” 19 December 1915.
When Patrick was discharged his address was still Glenmore and his character on discharge was recorded as “exemplary.” In his 1989 obituary it is noted that his only legacy from his active service in the Battle of the Somme where half a million British soldiers died, and from the battle of Ypres was a foot swelling problem known as “French feet” (trench foot). (New Ross Standard, 21 Dec. 1989, p. 6). While searching contemporary newspapers an article was located entitled “The Munsters in the Retreat from St. Quentin, 27 March 1918.” It is not known if Patrick was involved in this event, but in this harrowing account the Munster Fusiliers were trapped 9 miles behind enemy lines and fought their way toward the safety of the British trenches. In order to reach the British lines they had to cross the Somme on a bridge, between Chipilly and Céristy, held by the Germans. Under the cover of darkness they observed the bridge and overheard the password used by the German sentries. The Munsters boldly marched in formation up to the bridge where a German sentry halted them and demanded the password. The Munster adjunct who could speak a little German called out the password. The Munsters then stormed the bridge and crossed before the surprised Germans could regroup (The Sphere, Sat. 16 November 1918).
According to Frank, at the conclusion of the war Patrick’s regiment was transferred to Palestine. While in Palestine Patrick was able to complete his secondary education. In 1922 with the establishment of the Free State the Irish Royal Regiments such as the Dublin and Munster Fusiliers were disbanded. Patrick returned to Ireland and joined the Free State Irish Army. According to the British National Army Museum, it is estimated that half of the Irish National Army, formed in 1923, were former members of the Munsters.
Frank revealed that his father was much perturbed when he discovered that he had to buy his own boots. He resigned his enlistment with the Irish Free State army after an incident when a sentry nearly shot him when he went to relieve the sentry. Frank noted that at this time the electrification of Ireland was underway. His father secured a job building the massive pylons for the cables. Ironically Patrick found that he was employed by a German company that got the contract to erect the pylons.
Civilian Patrick Condon (1898-1989)
On 31 October 1927 Patrick Condon, (labourer) of Glenmore married Johanna Henneberry, of Michael Street, New Ross. Patrick Henneberry was the father of the bride and Elizabeth Henneberry was one of the witnesses.
In 1985 the following article was published in the New Ross Standard (Fri. 1 Nov. 1985, p. 9) regarding Patrick Condon and his bride–
“58 years married—One of New Ross’s oldest couples, Patrick and Annie Condon, Bullawn, will celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary on Thursday (today). Married in the Parish Church, New Ross, on 31st of October 1927, Thursday will also mark a further anniversary for Annie Condon (nee Henneberry), for she will be 88 years old. A retired milk roundsman who worked with Sutton’s Dairy Company, Patrick Condon is a native of Glenmore, while his wife is from Michael St., New Ross. Both are the last surviving members of their families.”
Patrick Condon died on 16 December 1989 at the age of 92. He was survived by his wife and the following children: John Condon, of New Ross; Frank Condon of Sheffield; Bill Condon of Swindon; Noel Condon of London and Anne Foley née Condon of Knockmullen, New Ross. Patrick was the last surviving member of his family. The obituary that was published in the New Ross Standard may be found on our obituary page.
Patrick Condon’s Siblings
It proved difficult to find information on the siblings of Patrick Condon. Thanks to the information provided by Frank we know that William Condon is buried in Carrick-on-Suir. During the early years of the twentieth century William Condon played on the Glenmore Junior Football team and a William Condon was located in the Waterford City Census, living in the Glen, aged 24, single, born in Kilkenny.
There in only one headstone in the Glenmore cemetery bearing the name Condon and it was erected by Margaret Condon and it contains references to her parents as well as her sister Kate. Catherine “Kate” Condon (1900-1971) married Patrick Walsh (1899-1965) at Glenmore on 13th August 1929. The groom was the son of William Walsh (labourer) of Glenmore. We believe that Patrick was born on 31 October 1899 the son of William Walsh (labourer) and Katie Walsh née Aylward of Robinstown, Glenmore. Lastly, Johanna Condon lived and worked for James and Hannah Culleton of Kilbride, Glenmore (1911 Census).
[Update 9 Oct. 2021: In a previous update a helpful reader believed that Mary Reddy née Walsh, known as Mary Walsh of the Chapel, the Glenmore sacristan, was a daughter of Patrick Walsh and Kate Condon. Frank Condon contacted us and said that Kitty Walsh was the neice of Paddy Walsh and Kate Walsh née Condon. Paddy Walsh and his wife Kate Walsh née Condon had no children. Their niece Kitty Walsh married Watty Murphy.]
Special thanks to Frank Condon who shared information concerning his father and grandfather. Please send any corrections, additional information, or photos to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
The photo of the Royal Munster Fusilier’s cap badge is courtesy of the © National Army Museum, Army gallery available at https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1970-12-236-10.
The drawing of the Munsters storming the bridge over the Somme was by D. MacPherson (The Sphere, Sat. 16 November 1918).
UPDATED 28 Oct. 2021, Special thanks to Frank Condon who sent the photos of his parents, the photo of himself and brothers in uniform and Kitty Murphy née Walsh, as well as photos of the members of the New Ross Condon line. Unfortunately due to space limitations we are only able to publish a few here, but hope to share the others in future posts.
