James Cassin (c. 1868-1907)

Today, we are going to feature information that Danny Dowling (1927-2021) recorded in 1961 regarding the residents of the hamlet, area or sometimes referred to as townland, of Kilmakevoge, Glenmore. Kilmakevoge is one of the local areas that has been spelled in multiple ways over the centuries.

Background

Kilmakevoge is also the civil parish in which the following Glenmore townlands are located: Aylwardstown, Ballynaraha, Carricloney, Graguenakill, Haggard, Mullinahone  Parkstown and Robinstown.  The Irish for this civil parish and area, according to O’Kelly’s, The Place Names of the County of Kilkenny Ireland (1969, p. 115-116) is Mochaomhóg, which is the name of an early Celtic saint. O’Kelly cites Cannon Carrigan’s work stating that Mochaombóg’s name was Latinized as Pulcherius and the church and nunnery, “long in ruins, were appropriated to the Inistioge Priory in 1240.” For a brief history of St. Mochaombóg (c. 550-656) see his listing in the National Biography 1885-1900.

The hamlet, area or townland of Kilmakevoge is comprised of 211 acres and O’Kelly noted that it is marked on the Ordinance Survey map.

Tenants in 1833

In the 1833 Tithe Applotment Books 1833, the townlands in Kilmacanoge(sic) include: Aylwardstown, Ballynaraha, Bessborough, Carrickcloney, Glebe, Higgart (sic), Higgart Mountain, Killogeenaghan, Kilmackauogue, Kilmackavough, Kilmakevoge, Knockduff, Mullinahone, Parkstown, Parkstown Kearneystown, and Robinstown.

There are 5 tenants listed in the 1833 Applotment Records including: [1] Thomas Mcgrath, 28 acres; [2] James Aylward, 30 acres; [3] Michael Gehan (sic) 30 acres; [4] John Delany, 30 acres; and [5] Patrick Walsh, 1 acre. A notation in the record reveals the names of the landlords,  “those lands are held from Sir John Newport and Major Gahan.

Danny’s 1961 List

In 1961, Danny recorded 2 lists of Kilmakevoge families or households in the hamlet or area of Kilmakevoge. The first list was comprised of the first 5 household listed below. 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, XX people resided in the townland of Kilmakevoge with the population comprised of XX males and XX females. The largest family was the Ryan family with 6 in the household. There was 1 household recorded with a person living alone. All information under residents of Kilmakevoge not in Danny’s original lists have been placed in square brackets[ ].

Recorded Residents

Males= 15
Females= 16

Eldest Recorded Resident

The eldest resident recorded by Danny in Kilmakevoge hamlet or townland was Patrick “Cushey” Grant, a confirmed bachelor farmer. Patrick is said to have earned his nickname Cushey because of his clever, thrifty ways. Patrick “Cushey” Grant was born 10 October 1882 and died 26 November 1961).

The second eldest was James Cassin who was born on 23 December 1899. His parents were James Cassin (c. 1878-1907) and Ellen Cassin née Malone (c. 1879-1963). Young James (1899-1968) was only 8 when his father drowned in 1907. See our previous post of 8 November 2020 regarding the circumstances of the drowning, the rescue attempt and other family members. 

It is believed that James (Jimmy) Cassin (1899-1968) was married to Ellen Synnott, of Weatherstown, Glenmore. Ellen was a talented knitter and made lovely warm jumpers for local school children. See our “C” Glenmore Surnames page for Cassin obituaries. 

Recorded Work

Farmer= 2 (1 male; 1 femle)
Creamery Managers= 2 (2 males)
Creamery Worker= 2 (2 males)
Council Worker = 2 (2 males)
Electrician=1 (1 male)
Blacksmith= 1 (1 male)
Farm Labourer = 1 (1 male)
Fitter = 1 (1 male)
Typist= 1 (1 female)
Hair Stylist= 1 (1 female)
Shop Assistant= 1 (1 female)
Clover Meats= 1 (1 female)

Residents of Kilmakevoge, Glenmore

[1] CASSIN

Cassin, James (23 Dec. 1899) Retired Creamery Worker
Cassin, Ellen (13 Feb. 1913) wife

[2] BARRY

Barry, John (25 Aug. 1907) Council Worker
Barry, Kate (27 Feb. 1914)
Barry, Nellie, daughter, child

[3] JONES

Jones, Michael (10 Feb. 1910] Council Worker
Jones, Bridget (b. 1917) wife

[4] RYAN

Ryan, Dermot, farm labourer [with James Kelly, of Aylwardstown, Glenmore] [c. 1924-1998]
Ryan, Peggie, wife [née O’Neill (c. 1926-2010)]
Ryan, Michael, son, child
Ryan, John, son, child
Ryan, Germiah, son, child
Ryan, Mary, daughter, child

[5] HENNESSY

Hennessy, William (b. 1926)  Blacksmith
Hennessy, Pauline (b.c. 1937) wife
Hennessy, John, son, child
Hennessy, Noleine (sic) daughter, child

[6] GRANT

Grant, Patrick (10 Oct.1882) Farmer, Died 26 Nov. 1961

[7] O’HANLON

O’Hanlon, Bridget (8 Nov. 1893) Farmer,  “Dead”    [no date recorded]
O’Hanlon, Catherine (4 April 1932) daughter, Clover Meats   “married in Gaulestown”

[8] HENNESSEY

Hennessey, William, Fitter
Hennessey, wife [no details recorded]

[9] McBRIDE

McBride, John (12 Dec. 1903) Creamery Employee,  “Dead” [no date recorded]
McBride, Ellen (15 Feb. 1908) wife
McBride, Ellen, daughter, shop assistant           “married”
Connolly, Margaret, daughter, hair stylist
Connolly, Martin, son-in-law, electrician

[10] CUDDIHY

Cuddihy, Thomas (14 Aug. 1900) Creamery Manager
Cuddihy, Kathleen (15 Oct. 1900) wife
Cuddihy, Kevin, son, asst. creamery manager
Cuddihy, Hilda, daughter, typist

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

The featured illustration above is a Player’s Cigarette Card (1929) featuring St. Canice (517-600), a better known contemporary of St. Mochaombóg (c. 550-656).

The featured illustration above, and its reverse on the right, are courtesty of the New York Public Library Digial Collections. George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. “Kilkenny, Cill-Cainnigh” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed February 15, 2023. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/5e66b3e8-7c10-d471-e040-e00a180654d7

Special thanks to David A. McTameney for providing the years of birth and death of Dermot and Peggy Ryan.

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh