John O'Donovan (1806-1861)
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Native of Ballinclare, Glenmore: Richard Canon Aylward (1872-1954)
Today, we feature Richard Canon Aylward (1872-1954) a native of Ballinclare, Glenmore. Canon Aylward had a love of the Irish language and from 2009 has a biographical sketch in the Dictionary of Irish Biography written by Lesa Ní Mhunghaile. Unfortunately, the biographical sketch has his birthplace wrong. Canon Aylward was born and reared in Ballinclare, Glenmore, not Aylwardstown, Glenmore.
Historian Julian Walton wrote an article regarding Canon Aylward which was published in the Old Kikenny Review in December 1978 (p. 349-351). Julian Walton sent a copy of his article to Danny Dowling (1927-2021) Glenmore’s historian with a note to Danny stating “With Compliments.” This article is now available on line.
Early Life
Canon Aylward was born at Ballinclare, Glenmore on 26 January 1872 to Edmund/Edward Aylward (c. 1835-1908 and his wife Johanna Phelan (1834-1922).
Ballinclare has two Aylward families. According to locals the two Aylward families were the same family going back. Another Richard Aylward was baptized at Glenmore on 23 January 1871 to Thomas Aylward and his wife Judtih Hennessy. This has proved difficult for some people tracing their family trees who have wrongly identified Canon Aylward as a married man with three children.
Canon Aylward wrote in 1927 that both his parents could speak Irish, but they did not speak Irish to their children (Walton, p. 349). Canon Aylward noted that after he became a priest and learned “a few books of O’Growney”…”they really delighted to speak it to me” (Walton, p. 350).
Siblings of Canon Aylward
Edmund/Edward Aylward (1835-1908) a farmer of Ballinclare married on 13 Feb.1868, at Glenmore, Johanna Phelan (1834-1922) of Ballyfacey. Edmund’s father was John Aylward (farmer) and Johanna’s father was Richard Phelan (farmer). To this union we have found in parish records that six children were born:
[1] Mary Aylward (b. 27 Nov. 1868)
[2] John Aylward (9 Feb. 1870—6 Jan. 1956) [Per death register John never married.]
[3] Richard Aylward (26 Jan. 1872—1 Dec. 1954) [Canon Aylward]
[4] Edmund Aylward (25 May 1873—19 Dec. 1904) [Died aged 30 of suspected T.B.]
[5] Michael Aylward (29 Oct. 1874—3 March 1961) [Married Maryann Irish of Ballinlammy on 11 July 1907 in Waterford City].
[6] Johanna Aylward (25 July 1878—8 April 1890) [We believe that Johanna died at the age of 12 of influenza at Ballinclare. Michael Aylward was present when she died].
Obituaries
Several newspapers published obituaries for Canan Aylward outlining his education and work. Below is the obituary from the Kilkenny People (Sat. 4 Dec. 1954, p. 7) which perhaps unsurprisingly provides the most detail concerning his education and work. Additional information gleaned from other sources has been added in square brackets [ ].
Other obituaries for Canon Aylward not cited elsewhere in this post include: Irish Times (Fri. 3 Dec. 1954, p. 7); Irish Independent (Fri. 3 Dec. 1954, p. 10); Irish Examiner (Fri. 3 Dec. 1954, p. 4); and Evening Herald (Thur. 2 Dec. 1954, p. 1).
Death of Very Rev. Richard Canon Aylward, Native of Glenmore (Kilkenny People, Sat. 4 Dec. 1954, p. 7)
We very deeply regret to announce that the Very Rev. Richard Canon Aylward, P.P. Durrow, died at Aut Even Hospital, Kilkenny, on Wednesday. He had been in failing health for some time past and was in Aut Even for about 6 weeks before his death. [Per the death register Canon Aylward died of a cerebral thrombosis or blood clot in the brain. He suffered with it for 6 weeks]. By his death the Diocese of Ossory has lost one of its best-known priests.
Education
Born 82 years ago in Glenmore, Co. Kilkenny, he received his early education at the local Schools [Glenmore National School per Fr. M. Mernagh, (2000) Glenmore Times, p. 41] and at the old Classical College, Kilmacow. He later went to St. Kieran’s College and Maynooth. [Per Fr. M. Mernagh he studied for the priesthood at Maynooth.] He was ordained in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny on June 9, 1898.
Appointments
His first appointment was to the curacy of Dundee, Scotland, and on his return to his native diocese he was appointed Bishop’s Secretary [Canon Aylward was secretary to Bishop Brownrigg (Munster Express, Fri. 10 Dec. 1954, p. 8)]. [Before taking up his role as Secretary to the Bishop he was curate of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny (New Ross Standard, Fri. 10 Dec. 1954, p. 2)].
In 1905 Canon Aylward was appointed first Professor of Irish in St. Kieran’s College, and in 1919 he succeeded Very Rev. C. Canon McNamara, P.P., VF. Castlecomer, as President of St. Kieran’s. His appointment to the Presidency came at a very critical time when the minds of people were turned away, to some extent, from educational natters, but his sterling qualities of mind and health fitted him admirably for the responsible work which he was called upon to perform.
[Per Lesa Ní Mhunghaile, Canon Aylward in 1920 wrote a document “strongly criticising the educational standards attained by boys entering the college, as he believed that they had not received in national school the basic training required for entry to St Kieran’s. During his presidency the college was raided on more than one occasion by crown forces in search of evidence of students or staff being involved in subversive acts.”]
In 1925, he was appointed Parish Priest of Durrow, being succeeded as President of St. Kieran’s by Father Patrick Collier, now [in 1954] the Bishop of Ossory. In Durrow, Canon Aylward succeeded a man of similar interests, the Very Rev. Canon Carrigan [(1850-1924)] whose History of the Diocese of Ossory is the leading work of its kind.
Irish Revival Movement
Canon Aylward took an early interest in the Irish Revival Movement and it was while Professor of Irish in St. Kieran’s that he was asked by the local branch of the Gaelic League to give a lecture on his great kinsman, John O’Donovan [(1806-1861)] of Slieverue, whose greatest work The Annals of the Four Masters, is numbered among the Irish classics.
Canon Aylward’s interest in O’Donovan was aroused at an early age and he spent many years of his life in research on the subject. The fruits of his labour will be seen when his original work, The Life of John O’Donovan will be published.
[According to Julian Walton (1978) after Canon Aylward’s death his work was given to Father Peter Birch and Professor Delargy, with a view to having it published. Father Birch later became the Bishop of Ossory. Scholars who reviewed it all agreed that it represented a vast amount of work, but it was too long and cumbersome and full of transcripts of materials published elsewhere. No publisher would touch it. “So the work on which Canon Aylward had lavished so much care over so many years remains unpublished to this day.”]
The Irish language was ever dear to Canon Aylward’s heart. He was one of the foundation members of Ring College [Waterford, officially recognised in 1907], and was appointed to the committee of Management of that college in 1920. The Chalice presented by him is still used. [He spent many years as teacher in the summer courses at Ring College and while there presented a chalice which is used in the chapel (Kilkenny Journal, Sat. 4 Dec. 1954, p. 7)].
As a Parish Priest
Canon Aylward was not only a great priest but a great Irishman, imbued as he was with all the qualities that go to make an Irish priest. He was quiet and unassuming to the point of shyness, and it was characteristic of him that in 1948 on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of his ordination, at his own request, no public demonstration was held to mark this event other than the prayers of his parishioners. He was fond of his books, but scrupulously exact in his attention to his duties of his state.
His kind and gentlemanly character won for him the love and devotion of his people. His special friends were the children of the parish, whom he loved tenderly and for whom he always had a wonderful attraction. [According to the Nationalist & Leinster Times (Sun. 11 Dec. 1954, p. 22) Canon Aylward during “his 30 years ministry in the South Laois parish…endeared himself to the parishioners. His charity knew no bounds and his saintly ways were an edification.”]
Parish Building Projects
As Parish Priest of Durrow he was responsible for the renovation of Cullohill schools the building of Gurteen new school, the extension of Durrow cemetery and securing of sites for a new boys’ school and parochial House in Durrow.
Survived By
Canon Aylward was survived by two brothers Messrs Michael and John Aylward, Ballinclare, Glenmore. He was uncle of Sister Alphonsus [Mary Aylward (1913-1992)], Presentation Convent, Kilkenny, and Sister Philomena [Catherine Aylward (1918-1997)] of California. He was a first cousin of Mother Gerard, Mother-General of the Order of the Sacred Heart, Marymount, United States, and a distant relative of Mother Mary Butler of the same Order, the Cause of whose Beatification is being promoted. He was also a cousin of Rev. John Hoynes [(1916-1978) native of Ballybrahee] C.C., Callan. [Fr. Hoynes paternal grandmother was Margaret Hoynes née Aylward of Ballybrahee, Glenmore.]
[The Bishop of Ossory, Most Rev. Dr. Collier presided at Office and Requiem Mass in Durrow Parish Church, after which the funeral took place (Irish Press (Sat. 4 Dec. 1954, p. 11)].
Canon Aylward’s Glenmore Grandparents
Canon Aylward’s paternal grandparents were John Aylward (Ballinclare) and Mary Walsh (Davidstown). They were married at Glenmore on 4 Feb. 1834.
Canon Aylward’s maternal grandparents were Richard Phelan and Judith/Joanna Dunphy. Richard Phelan and his wife Judith/Joanna Dunphy were also the grandparents of Mother Gerard (1873-1960). Canon Aylward’s mother, Johanna Aylward née Phelan (1834-1922) was a sister of Mother Gerard’s father John Phelan (bapt. 1832).
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See our post of 28 Jan. 2021 regarding the Very Rev. Mother Marie Gerard Phelan (1873-1960).
See our post of 24 Jan. 2021 regarding Nicholas F. Phelan (1857-1941), Mother Gerard’s brother and family.
See our post of 13 March 2021 regarding John O’Donovan (1806- 1861).
See our post of 17 Sept. 2021 regarding William Canon Carrigan (1860-1924).
Please send any corrections or additional information or photos to glenmore.history@gmail.com .
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
The photo above of a young Richard Canon Aylward (1872-1954) was taken from his memory card.
The Connawee Monument of Davidstown, Glenmore
Today, as our seventh and final excerpt from Canon Carrigan’s, The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory,( v. 4 p. 98-100 (1906)) we feature the story of Glenmore’s legend, the Connawee or yellow hound. Canon Carrigan’s coverage of this legend is from O’Donovan’s Ordinance Survey letter of 30 Sept. 1839.
Canon Carrigan wrote in 1906 “the small field called ‘the Cunnia-wvee’ is situated on Davidstown hill, at the bounds of the townland of Attateemore. There is nothing remarkable about it, at present, but two small cairns, or heaps of stones, one about the centre of the field, the other close to the fence, at the north side. The former merely consists of loose stones thrown carelessly together. The later is of the same description, and measures 6 or 8 feet across; in its upper surface are embedded two large, rough blocks of stone, one having an artificial bowl 1 foot in diameter and 1 foot deep; the other having a similar bowl 1 foot in diameter and 4 or 5 inches deep. The deeper bowl always contains some water and is known as Thubber Phaudhrig, or St. Patrick’s Well.”
“The curious legend connected with this place is known over the whole Barony of Ida. It is embodied by O’Donovan in his ordinance survey letter dealing with this civil parish of Kilcolumb, in which he himself was born.” Cannon Carrigan then provides the full text of O’Donovan’s letter, but we are going to just provide the extract concerning the legend.
O’Donovan’s letter of 30 September 1839
“In the townland Baile Dhathi or Davidstown in this parish, not far from the High Road which divides it from Blackney’s part or Attatemore, is a monument of great antiquity called Gluin Phadruig…It consists of a blind well and a heap of stones on which is placed a larger stone with two remarkable hollows said to be the impressions of St. Patrick’s knees. The following legend is told to account for the origin of the monument.
“When St. Patrick was traversing Ossory for the purpose of building churches, congbhails and cities he came to this beautiful elevation called Conna bhuidhe, and being struck with the amenity of the place and the beauty of the prospect (for he was a great admirer of the scenery) he came to the resolution of building there a Cathedral and city which he afterwards, for reasons which will presently appear, placed at Waterford.”
“He employed labouring men to dig the foundations of the Cathedral and houses, and masons to build them, and continued the work with cheerfulness and vigour for some days. At last a pagan woman out of Ballinchrea (whose name is fortunately forgotten, but it is supposed she is ancestress of Nicholas Bacach, the Garsun Balbh and Sawney Ribby) came to him with an offering of a dish of roasted meat for his dinner, which Patrick received with many grazagams.”
“On uncovering the dish he did not like the aspect of the meat, and thought that he perceived the paw of unclean animal. He was immediately struck with nausea, and kneeling upon the net stone to him he laid his two hands over the roasted animal in the dish, in the form of a cross, and prayed to God to restore whatever animal it was to its original life and shape. And lo, he had no sooner finished his prayer than a yellow hound (cuin bhuidhe) started into life and leaping out of the dish ran in the direction of Waterford!”
“Patrick was struck with disgust and horror at the sight and turning to the working men he said in a solemn voice: ‘Pursue and kill that hound, for she will kill every man and beast which she will meet in her course.’ The men pursued her with their spades, shovels and pickaxes, and overtaking her on the lands of Treanaree about a mile to the east of the place whence she started, succeeded in killing her there. There they buried her, and over her grave a small stunted white-thorn bush is now to be seen, called Sgeithin na con, i.e. the little thorn of the hound. The stones near this bush are impressed with the marks of a grey-hound’s feet, and one of them exhibits the figure of a grey-hound in miniature.”
“In consequence of this ominous occurrence St. Patrick abandoned his project, but erected this heap of stones as a memorial of his intentions, placing on the top of it the stone on which he knelt whilst he prayed and which was stamped the impression of his two knees. He called the place Connawee in memorial of the resuscitation of the hound and pronounced an awful malediction [curse] on the woman who had thus profanely insulted him, and on her descendants, and place of abode [Ballincrea, Slieverue].”
The Curse
O’Donovan provided 12 lines in old Irish, the translation is:
Accursed be Ballincrea’s people
From whom the hound was sent to me
As long as bell shall ring in steeple,
As long as man and time shall be.
Accursed the black breed of the woman,
Who served to me this filthy hound
From their wry mouths thenceforward, no man
Shall hear but foul, impious sound,
Accurs’d the place! Behold I strike it
With my red bolt and seal its doom
May all good men for e’er dislike it,
May it be curs’d with deaf & dumb.
“It is believed that the malediction of the great Patrick still remains in full force, as the inhabitants of Ballincrea are remarkable for blaspheming, and it has not been since the memory of tradition without a lame, dumb, or wry-mouth man. I could say more about the present inhabitants of Ballincrea, but I leave them under the patronage of St. Patrick, who will take care of them.”
The School Collection
The Schools’ Collection, contains statements and local items collected by school children in the 1930’s. Thus 100 years after John O’Donovan recorded the legend in his letter, John Knox of Ballinlaw, Slieverue, aged 76, for the Slieverue School Collection recounted the legend and curse for the project almost verbatim to O’Donovan’s original account.
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Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
The feature drawing of a hound above is courtesy of the New York Public Library from the 15th century. Spencer Collection, The New York Public Library. “Miniature of a hound, with text and 1-line blue initial” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1475 – 1480. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-eb96-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
A Glenmore Dispute: The Location of Leacht Ui Deaghaidh
Today, as our sixth excerpt from Carrigan’s, The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory,( v. 4 p. 97-100 (1906)) we feature Canon Carrigan’s coverage of his correction of acclaimed Irish scholar John O’Donovan. Carrigan’s correction of O’Donovan was based upon two interviews Carrigan conducted in 1900 of a Ballyrahan, Glenmore native Peter Grant (1811-1902). Although we could not find a headstone or obituary for Peter Grant, he is forever immortalised in Canon Carrigan’s work.
John O’Donovan (1806-1861)
In previous posts we covered various aspects of John O’Donovan’s early life. His mother was from Rochestown, now in the Parish of Glenmore. After his father’s death in 1817 John spent a substantial amount of time with his paternal uncle Patrick O’Donovan, of Donovan’s Mill, at Ballyrowragh, Slieverue on the border of what is now Glenmore Parish. O’Donovan is said to have started his education in a hedge school and then attended the Hunt Academy in Waterford City. His father, Edmund O’Donovan died in 1817, and a few years later at the age of 17 O’Donovan went to Dublin.
For further information regarding O’Donovan’s early life see our post of 9 Sept. 2023.
Schoolmaster O’Donovan
According to Carrigan, John O’Donovan started a school about 1822 “in his native district.” He gathered a number of pupils some were several years older than himself. “Of the alumni of this modest academy the last survivor was blind old Peter Grant, of Ballyrahan, Glenmore, whom the writer met on two occasions, in the year 1900, and spoke of his old master, ‘poor Johnnie Donovan,’ with the greatest admiration and affection.” (Carrigan, vol. 4, p. 356). If this and other information concerning when he moved to Dublin is correct, O’Donovan was a schoolmaster for about a year. Nothing has been found in any of Danny Dowling’s (1927-2021) transcribed notebooks concerning John O’Donovan being a schoolmaster in Slieverue or Glenmore.
Although a place was secured for O’Donovan to study at Maynooth he declined to go there because he did not wish to become a priest. O’Donovan’s first job was in the Public Service Office where he translated and transcribed ancient manuscripts (Munster Express, 10 Nov. 2006, p. 13). From 1830 to 1842 O’Donovan was employed on the first Ordinance Survey researching place names. He was sent into the field and travelled across Ireland. From around Ireland, O’Donovan sent letters to his boss containing descriptions of local lore, traditions and antiquities. These letters were placed in 103 volumes and became known as the “O’Donovan Letters.”
O’Donovan’s Incorrect Birthdate
Carrigan pointed out that O’Donovan incorrectly wrote that he was born in 1809 when he was actually born in 1806. In volume 4 Carrigan printed a copy of the Slieverue Parish Register proving that O’Donovan’s baptism occurred in 1806 (Carrigan, vol. 4 p. 356). Certainly, in that time before passports, driving licenses or even the State registered births and deaths many people provided incorrect ages or years of birth.
We all learn our age and birthdate from our parents. Prior to modern times little importance was attached to birthdates. Also, incorrect dates of birth for persons born in the early 19th century were probably due in large part to the fact that a sizable proportion of the population were unable to read or write. Penal laws were only fading when O’Donovan was a boy.
Notwithstanding Carrigan’s public comment that O’Donovan had utilized an incorrect year of birth, Carrigan failed to check the year of birth of Peter Grant, of Ballyrahan, Glenmore. Carrigan had access to the Parish Records, but did not find that Peter Grant was baptized on 30 June 1811. In 1900 Grant was not “over 90 years of age” as Carrigan claimed. Peter Grant was 88 or 89 when he was interviewed by Carrigan twice in 1900. Peter Grant (1811-1902) was the late Jimmy Reddy’s (c. 1926-2011) grandfather.
O’Donovan’s Letter of 30 Sept. 1841
Carrigan reprinted O’Donovan’s entire letter of 30 Sept. 1841 (Carrigan, vol. 4, p. 98-100). There were four sentences that appear to have caused Carrigan concern. After speaking with Peter Grant, Carrigan concluded that O’Donovan was wrong concerning the place where the Leacht Ui Deaghaidh was located.
“In the townland of Scartnamo about a half mile to the north of the Mill of Ballyrowragh and immediately to the left off the old road as you go from Waterford to New Ross, is shown the site of a monument called Leacht Ui Deaghaidh, i.e. the monument of O’Day, whom tradition calls the Ridire O’Day i.e. the Ritter or Knight O’Day. The site of his house is pointed out in a field on the other side of the road not far from the site of his leacht, but in a different townland, viz, in little Gaulestown…(O’Donovan’s Letter, 30 Sept. 1841)
Carrigan’s Location of O’Dea’s House and Leacht
“In the late Peter Grant’s Moon a’ Ridhizha (locally translated, the Baronite’s Bog), low down on the slope of Ballyrahan townland, and close to the old frowning rock of Corriganurra, is shown the site of “the Ridhizha O’Deaw’s house.” Who the Ridhizha O’Deaw, or O’Dea, is not quite clear. If we have to credit tradition, he was lord or owner of the whole Barony of Ida, and gave it the name of the Barony, viz., Ida, Eedeaw, or Ui-Deaghaidh, represents not the name of an individual after the adoption of surnames, but the name of the tribe that occupied it in much earlier times (Carriagan, p. 97).”
“The site of Ridhizha’s house was something more than half an acre in extent, and was covered over with foundations and low mounds, till it was levelled and tilled by the late owner, about 1840. It is now clothed with the greenest grass. The remainder of the field is low lying and boggy, and hence its name, Moon a Ridhizha. There was formerly a well here called Thubber-a-Ridhizha, or the ‘Baronite’s well.’”
“Leachth Ee Deaw, that is O’Dea’s monument bush, or ‘lone bush’ as they call it here, is on the roadside, opposite the Half -Way House in Aylwardstown, one mile and a half north of Moon-a-Rihizha. The bush was formerly surrounded by a little mound or earthen ring, which has been broken down by the trampling of cattle. Here rests ‘Brian O’Deaw,’ sometimes identified by tradition with the Ridhizha O’Deaw, who lived in Moon-a-Ridhizha. The Leachth field commands a view sublime in its extent and variety.”
“O’Donovan incorrectly placed Leachth Ee Deaw on the bounds of Scartnamore and Ballyrahan. There is, no doubt, a leachth, or lone bush on the spot he indicates, but it has never been known as Leachth Ee Deaw. It was planted there a great many years ago by a man named Kierevan, in memory of his deceased mother. The late Peter Grant, of Ballyrahan, when over 90 years of age, assured the present writer that this leachth was never called Leachth Ee Deaw; and that if it had any name at all it should be Leachth Ee Kierevawn or Kierevan’s Leachth, from the man who planted it, and was still living in his own early days.”
Peter Grant (1811-1902) of Ballybrahan, Glenmore
Peter Grant died the 10 August 1902 at Ballyrahan. He was a widower, a farmer, and aged 95, according to the death register. His daughter, Johanna Reddy, was present when he died.
Peter Grant was baptized 30 Jun 1811 at Ballinguile?, Glenmore, the son of John Grant and Bridget Aylward. Sponsors were William Grant and Mary Grant. His sister Anastatia Grant, baptized 10 June 1809, was born at Ballavrahen (sic), Glenmore and his sister Margaret Grant bapt.12 April 1807, the record reflects the address again as Ballinguile.
Peter Grant’s father is found in The Tithe Applotment Books (1829) for the townland of Ballyrahan. Plot 55 was comprised of 18 statute acres and John Grant was the tenant.
It is believed that Peter Grant (1811-1902) married Anne Grace of Glenpipe on 12 Sept 1846 at Rosbercon. Johanna Reddy (daughter of Peter Grant per the death register) married James Reddy on 24 Feb. 1881. Her address was recorded as Gaulestown. Their son John Reddy (1882-1961) married Margaret Hennessey (1886-1970) of the Rower. One of her sisters was the mother of May Roche (c. 1918-2001) of Scart, Glenmore. John and Margaret’s son, James Reddy (c. 1926-2011) married Kitty O’Hanlon of Newtown, Glenmore. Kitty died on 18 July 2021. The couple had no children.
Who Was Correct?
Generally, historians rely upon the earliest reliable written record, yet in this case both O’Donovan and Canon Carrigan were relying upon what they were told. O’Donovan was from the area and was an Irish speaker, and did not indicate where or when he obtained his information. Carrigan was not from the area and did not speak Irish. However, Carrigan found an elderly life-long resident who was about the same age as O’Donovan and provided what he had been told about the lone sceach. Relying on living boundaries or monuments is fraught with difficulties as trees fall are cut down etc. Loose stones are also easily moved or trampled by cattle.
It appears that O’Kelly (The Place Names of the County of Kilkenny Ireland (1969, p. 112)) agreed with or followed Carrigan’s view. It seems unlikely that we will ever know definitively who was correct, if either, but O’Donovan and Carrigan were agreed that the local tradition put an O’Dea house and monument in Glenmore.
For a brief outline of Canon Carrigan’s (1860-1924) early life and work see our post of 17 Sept. 2023
For a brief history of O’Donovan’s (1806-1861) early life see our post of 9 Sept. 2023 and our post of 13 March 2021.
Please send any corrections or further information to glenmore.history@gmail.com. The featured photo above is Donovan’s Mill taken in 2023.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Did Cromwell Camp in Glenmore?
Recently when we published a short article on Kilmakevoge, Glenmore, Richard Fitzgerald, of Aylwardstown, forwarded a short newspaper article printed in 1943. This article appears to have been printed in a newspaper or trade paper called Irish Travel. It appears that Irish Travel was an Northern Irish publication. The 1943 article is entitled, “Kilkenny Buttermilk Stopped Cromwell,” and recites local Glenmore folklore concerning how a woman from Kilmakevoge [now Glenmore] stopped the burning of her home with a churn of buttermilk. This story is not the usual sort of Irish story associated with the much hated Cromwell and his troops.
“Kilkenny Buttermilk Stopped Cromwell”
The Exile or tourist visiting Kilkenny county now cannot fail to be deeply impress with the change of scenery, brought about by the increased tillage, wherein the former grassy slopes of the undulating hills and green-carpeted plains have given way to the soft brown silky furrows in the wake of the farmer’s plough. It is a pleasing sight to take a look over the wide ridges and rolling plains of this fertile county, down the happy valley of the Nore, with miles and miles of the richest land, well streaked with the trail of industrious cultivation from Urlingford, in the North, to the golden vein of the Sur valley in renowned Mooncoin, home of some of Ireland’s greatest Camán players in the past.
A field recently to come under the plough is one at historic Kilmakevogue, Glenmore, owned by Mr. Richard Fitzgerald, M.C.C., which has not been tilled for a period of two centuries. An interesting little bit of local history is associated with this field. It appears that when Cromwell and his army were marching from New Ross to Waterford in 1650, they encamped in this field, adjacent to the little hamlet of Kilmakevogue. They did not get a very friendly reception, and, incensed by this attitude of the people, Cromwell ordered his soldiers to burn the cluster of houses which comprised Kilmakevogue, and they set about doing so in callous fashion. One woman whose home adjoined the field, implored Cromwell’s men to save the house as her husband was seriously ill, and offered them a churn of fresh buttermilk if they would do as she wished. Eventually her pleading had the desired effect; they accepted the gift and spared the house, which still stands amidst the ruins, and is the object of interest to passing tourists.
The cyclist making his way down the excellent roads, a tribute to the County Surveyor and his staff, will find many a local tale and quaint sport like that on the road in Kilkenny (June 1943, Irish Travel). Richard Fitzgerald was able to identify the field and where he thinks the house in question stood. “There was a ruin of a house where Kathleen Aylward now lives opposite Pat Ryan in that field in front of Kilmakevogue old church, this could have been her house. The field across the road is called Sheanstraid there were houses there too.” [Kilmakevoge Church ruins is also referred to as Kilivory locally.]
Brief Background to Cromwell’s Invasion
Irish Rebellion 1641
In 1641 an Irish rebellion took place leaving most of Ireland under the control of the Irish Catholic Confederation. Demands included an end to Anti-Catholic laws, greater self-governance and the return of confiscated lands. During the 16th and 17th centuries land in Ireland was seized by the Crown and then colonised with men from Great Britain. It was hoped that the plantations would control, anglicise, and civilise the Irish.
Both King Charles I and Parliament wanted to stop the Irish rebellion but neither side trusted the other with control of an army. Some English troops landed in Dublin in December 1641 and recaptured much of the Pale. A large area around Cork was also re-captured. In March 1842 the Adventurer’s Act was enacted which was “for the speedy and effectual reducing of the rebels …in Ireland.” The Act allowed for the funding of military operations by the seizing of rebel land. In April 1642 an army landed in Ulster and quickly captured most of the eastern side of Ulster. Especially in Ulster the rebellion led to the death or eviction of Protestant settlers who responded in kind. Protestant settlers formed a militia in Donegal and controlled the northwest of Ulster. Outside of the Pale, Cork and Ulster the remainder of Ireland was not controlled by the Crown.
The Irish Catholic Confederacy 1642
Ireland’s Catholic Bishops met in Kilkenny in May 1642 and took steps to gain control of the rebellion with the Catholic nobility. The Irish Catholic Confederacy government was formed. The Irish Catholic Confederation remained in place for almost a decade mainly due to the fact that the first English Civil War commenced in August 1642. This led to the second English Civil War and ultimately the execution of King Charles I on 30 January 1649.
In early 1649, the Confederates joined with the English Royalists, who had lost the English Civil war. The English Royalists were led by Charles II, the eldest son of the executed Charles I. Charles II was proclaimed King of Ireland in January 1649 following his father’s execution. The Royalist forces in Ireland were led by the Marquis of Ormond, James Butler, of Kilkenny Castle. He later became the first Duke of Ormond.
Invasion of Ireland
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) with his New Model Army, invaded Ireland in 1649. Although much has been written and said about Cromwell he actually only campaigned in Ireland for 9 months. In that short period he took 28 towns and cities. This was accomplished because he made an example out of cities or towns that refused to surrender such as Droheda and Wexford. “He offered generous terms elsewhere and honoured them to the letter whenever they were accepted. Most remarkable was his restraint at Clonmel. He lost 2,000 men in a foiled assault there. He then took the town on terms and honoured them, although perhaps 200 retreating soldier were chased and killed” (John Morrill (2000) “Was Cromwell a War Criminal?” The Cromwell Association Website www.olivercromwell.org).
New Ross
Cromwell arrived at New Ross on 17 October 1649. The governor of New Ross, anxious to avoid the fate of Drogheda and Wexford persuaded the Marqus of Ormond to allow the town to surrender if Cromwell succeeded in breaching the city walls. On the 19th of October Cromwell’s artillery began bombarding the town walls resulting in a breach. The Governor sought terms. Cromwell in order to demonstrate that he would grant lenient terms in order to induce other towns to surrender, allowed the Governor and his soldiers to leave with their weapons. He also stated that the town would not be plundered and the civilians could remain unmolested or leave with their belongings. However, the practice of Catholicism would not be tolerated.
It took Cromwell’s troops about two weeks to build a bridge of boats across the Barrow. Cromwell’s field army was reduced to about 5,000 men as men were posted to garrisons to hold captured towns and fortresses. When Cromwell and his army crossed the Barrow they entered Co. Kilkenny on 15 November. Cromwell was ill. While other officers took the troops toward Kilkenny City they were forced to return to New Ross because Royalist troops had destroyed the bridge at Thomastown. A large group of calvary were sent from Thomastown to Carrick-on -Suir. The town fell without Cromwell losing a single soldier. The bridge at Carrick allowed Cromwell an easy route from New Ross into County Waterford, to approach the City of Waterford from the west along the southern side of the River Suir.
Did Cromwell Pass Through Glenmore?
Cromwell was not able to take Waterford City in 1649. The following year Cromwell’s son-in-law did succeed in taking the completely isolated Waterford City. Per the Down Survey Map the most direct route from New Ross to Waterford was the old road through Glenmore that was still in use in 1798. However, it does not appear from the history books that Cromwell used this direct route in 1649. He and his troops apparently went to Thomastown then turned to take Carrick-on-Suir. The Glenmore road would also have been the most direct route to Carrick as well as Waterford, but we have not been able to locate any texts that provide any route from New Ross other than Thomastown. If the incident in Kilmakevoge occured during the second attempt to take Waterford in July 1650, Cromwell was not present as he returned to England on 26 May 1650.
Cromwell’s Legacy
By May 1652, Cromwell’s army defeated the joined Confederate and Royalist army, and occupied Ireland bringing to an end the Eleven Year’s War or Irish Confederate Wars. Plague then swept across the battered country. Cromwell passed a series of Penal Laws against Roman Catholics and confiscated their lands. The Act of Settlement 1652 legalised the change of land ownership with over two thirds of land in the country changed hands. The displaced were sent to Connaught, deported to the continent, or sold into indentured servitude on the Caribbean sugar plantations.
Last year Sarah Covington’s, The Devil from Over the Sea: Remembering and Forgetting Oliver Cromwell in Ireland was published. In this interesting work the author explores the many ways in which Cromwell was both remembered and pointedly forgotten in Ireland over the centuries after his conquest. The author investigates his continued presence in folklore, the landscape, in ruins and curses. What emerges is how successive generations have remembered or forgotten Cromwell and his legacies to shape and re-shape Irish political discourse and history. The author commences her book with an oral tradition found in County Meath concerning Cromwell.
John O’Donovan and Cromwell’s Legacies
Amazingly the author reveals some local information provided by the Irish scholar John O’Donovan (1806-1861) concerning his own ancestors and Cromwell’s legacies. (For information on O’Donovan’s family see our post of 13 March 2021.)
John O’Donovan recalled an ongoing dispute that his ancestor had with Robert Snow, of Snowhill, accusing Snow of being “descended from a weaver who came over with Cromwell and his pickpockets.” Snow “who was a very sensible man,” argued that in the end “all bloods were equally red and equally old; and that it would be found that all bloods were good or bad according to the kind of food the possessor used.” To this William O’Donovan, O’Donovan’s great-grandfather replied “families settled by Cromwell had never any food but what they stole or earned by mean trades.” Sarah Covington (2022) The Devil from Over the Sea: Remembering and Forgetting Oliver Cromwell in Ireland, p. 162-163; citing John O’Donovan, “Ancient Tribes and Territories of Ossory,” No. II, Transactions of the Kilkenny Archaelogical Society.”
O’Donovan alleged that his mother, Eleanor Hoberlin (sic), of Rochestown, [later to become Glenmore] was descended from a soldier who came to Ireland with Cromwell. She married Edmond Donovan and freed herself from the grasp of “puritanical preachers, converted to Rome and strange to say, learned to hate and despise Cromwellian settlers.” (Sarah Covington (2022) The Devil from Over the Sea: Remembering and Forgetting Oliver Cromwell in Ireland, p. 163, citing John O’Donovan, Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland, by the Four Masters, vol. 3 (Dublin: Hodges and Smith, 1848, p. 2158).
The featured photo above is from the Down Survey Map (1656-1658). The map is available at Trinity University. The drawing of Cromwell is courtesy of the New York Public Library, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. Oliver Cromwell. Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-3223-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.
Special thanks to Richard Fitzgerald, of Aylwardstown, for sharing his newspaper clipping and information.
Please send any corrections or further information to glenmore.history@gmail.com. Are there any other oral traditions regarding Cromwell in Glenmore?
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
John O’Donovan (1806-1861) and Genuine Irish Proverbs
As we approach St. Patrick’s Day 2021, we wanted to provide a few Irish proverbs to readers. In our quest for proverbs, we discovered a paper written in 1832 by the well-known Irish scholar John O’Donovan (1806-1861) who was born and reared in the former united Catholic parishes of Slieverue and Glenmore. For a concise biography of O’Donovan and his important work see, https://libraryireland.com/biography/JohnODonovan.php .
As Danny Dowling explained, in some of our earliest posts, the parish of Glenmore did not exist until 1846 when the Catholic parish of Slieverue was split. The old civil parish of Kilcolumb was divided unequally between the Catholic parishes of Slieverue and the new Catholic parish of Glenmore. John O’Donovan’s mother was Elleanor Haberlin, from Rochestown townland, now in Glenmore. She married on 6 October 1788 Edmond O’Donovan, of Atateemore townland, Slieverue. Atateemore was where John O’Donovan was born in 1806. During the 1846 division, Attateemore although in the civil parish of Kilcolumb, and alongside Rochestown, remained in Slieverue Catholic parish.
John O’Donovan is said to have started his education in a hedge school and then attended the Hunt Academy in Waterford City. His father, Edmund O’Donovan died in 1817 and a few years later at the age of 17 O’Donovan went to Dublin. Although a place was secured for him to study at Maynooth he declined it because he did not wish to become a priest. O’Donovan’s first job was in the Public Service Office where he translated and transcribed ancient manuscripts (Munster Express, 10 Nov. 2006, p. 13). From 1830 to 1842 O’Donovan was employed on the first Ordinance Survey researching place names. He was sent into the field and travelled across Ireland. From around Ireland, O’Donovan sent letters to his boss containing descriptions of local lore, tradition and antiquities. These letters were placed in 103 volumes and became known as the “O’Donovan Letters.” “They are not heavy with more erudition, but are enlivened with flashes of humourous anecdotes and many a merry ‘quip and crack and jest.’” (Catholic Encyclopedia, available at https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11210c.htm ). From 1842 until 1861, from time to time, O’Donovan continued to perform work on the Ordinance Survey when requested.
by Bernard Mulenan (wiki)
In 2014 Professor Michael Herity, presented to the Royal Irish Academy a lecture entitled “John O’Donovan’s Work for the Ordinance Survey 1830-61” the slides are available at Prof. Michael Herity, MRIA, ‘John O’Donovan’s work for the OS’. 29-10… (slideshare.net). In addition to highlighting the work undertaken see, slide 23 which highlights an interesting excerpt from one of O’Donovan’s letters. “There is a tradition here that the Goldsmiths are descended from a foreign friar who came to Ireland about a couple of centuries ago, and who seeing every inducement to embrace the Religion of the state broke his vows of chastity, poverty etc. and became a Minister legens. And hence the family were called by the old Irish in their own language lioct maga laide an tean báta, which I avoid translating for the sake of decency. This may or may not be true, but it is worthy of remark that the family are remarkable for lasciviousness and that almost all of the Goldsmiths now living here are illegitimate…All this has little to do with topography.”
Irish Proverbs
In 1832, while working for the Ordinance Survey, John O’Donovan’s article entitled “Irish Proverbs,” was published in the Dublin Penny Journal (Nov. 1832, p. 158-19 available at URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/30003762). A proverb is usually a short saying of popular wisdom to provide practical advice or teach a lesson. O’Donovan noted that from ancient times proverbs were recorded by Plato, Aristotole and Plutarch. “Proverbs owe their origin to the sayings of wise men, allusions of ancient poets, the customs and manners of nations, they are adapted to common use as ornaments of speech, set rules of instruction, arguments of wisdom, to which time has given assent, and maxims of undeniable truth. The peculiar veneration which the Irish have for their ancient proverbs, has given rise to a well known assertion: Ni feider an sean-fhocal do sharúghadh. It is impossible to contradict the old word (proverb.)”
O’Donovan lamented that for a people who entertain such a high opinion of proverbs, it should be expected that a trace of wisdom would appear in the printed collections of proverbs. However, he found that “amongst all the nations of the world,” the proverbs attributed to the Irish, were “the most vulgar, awkward, incoherent, and ridiculous, indicating a lowness of sentiment, and a total lack of mental refinement.” O’Donovan expressed disbelief that no one had previously objected to the proverbs attributed to the Irish. He referenced the Ray collection and re-produced a list of seven “modern English-Irish proverbs of the lowest order, and rudest nature” found in the Ray collection. John Ray (1627-1705) in 1670 published a collection of English proverbs. His book continued to be published through the 19th century long after his death. The new editions were updated and expanded to include proverbs from other countries including Ireland. The seven offending proverbs identified by O’Donovan in Ray’s collection include:
- She is like a Mullingar heifer, beef to the heels.
- He is like a Waterford merchant, up to the ___ in business. [Unfortunately, the blank was not filled in.]
- His eyes are like two burnt holes in a blanket.
- Full of fun and foustre, like Mooney’s goose.
- He looks as angry as if he were vexed.
- ‘Tis as bad as cheating the devil in the dark, and two farthing candles for a halfpenny.
- He’d skin a louse, and send the hide and fat to market.
O’Donovan then listed 84 “genuine Irish proverbs, that he translated principally from Hardiman’s Irish Mintrelsy…” Below is a selection of the “genuine Irish proverbs.”
1. An t-scod dofhaghála’s I is áilne. The rare jewel is the most beautiful.
2. Air li ni breíth fear gan suilíbh. A blind man is no judge of colours.
3. Anuair a bhidheann an cat a muigh bidheann na lucha a g rainnceadh. When the cat is out, the mice dance.
5. Bidh ádh air Amadán. Even a fool has luck.
6. Beul eidhin a’s croidhe cuilinn. A mouth of ivy, a heart of holly. [O’Donovan offered the following explanation “The leaves of ivy are soft and smooth, those of holly rough and prickly—a metaphorical proverb.”]
9. Bidh boirbeacht in-geal ghaire. There is often anger in a laugh.
11. Buaine clú na saoghal. Fame is more lasting than life.
13. Bocht an Eaglais bhios gan cheol. The church that has no music is poor indeed.
17. Claoidheann neart ceart. Force overcomes justice.
18. Caomhnann dochas ant-ingreamach. Hope consoles the persecuted.
22. Dearbhrathair leadranachta clachán. Drunkeness is the brother of robbery.
30. Feárr dreoilin in-dorn ‘ná corr air cairde. A wren in the hand is better than a crane out of it.
31. An te Chidheann amiúgh fuaruigheann a chuid. He who is out, his supper cools.
46. Is treise gliocas ‘ná neart. Wisdom exceeds strength.
47. Is milis fion, is searbh a ioc. Wine is sweet; to pay for it bitter.
50. Is Dall an gradh baoth. Foolish love is blind.
61. Ni fhuil gaol ag aon re saoi gan scun. No one is related to a man without prosperity.
64. Ni fhuil ro aosta re foghuim crinachta. Never too old to learn wisdom.
65. Ni fhuil saoi gan locht. There is no one without fault.
69. Righ miofhoghlamtha is asal corónta. An ignorant king is a crowned ass.
70. Saruigheann Eagna gach Saidhbhreas. Wisdom exceeds riches.
71. Soightheach folamh is mo torann. An empty vessel makes most noise. [O’Donovan noted this was applied to a talkative man.]
72. Saidhbhreas sior subhailce. Virtue is eternal wealth
73. Sgeitheann fion firinne. Wine pours out the truth. [O’Donovan noted that this is applied to a drunken man who foolishly “blabs” out his secrets.]
77. Tosach coille a’s deirc móna. The beginning of a wood; the end of a bog.
79. Fion a n-diu, uisge amarach. Wine today, water tomorrow.
82. Dearg anoir is ionann a’s sioc. Red [sky] in the east [dawn] is a sign of frost.
83. Bogha fliuch na maiden, bogha tirm na trathnona. A rainbow in the morning is a sign of rain; in the evening, of dry weather.
When I first visited Glenmore thirty years ago there were two sayings that I heard that were so expressive that I have never forgotten the sayings or the Glenmore people that said them. While the first saying might be labelled a proverb the second would never be recognised by O’Donovan as a genuine proverb .
- You can’t put a old head on young shoulders.
- Fur coat; no knickers. [For our international readers knickers in Ireland refers to underwear/panties.]
Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2021
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
For information concerning John O’Donovan’s family see, Canon Carrigan, “John O’Donovan and His Immediate Relatives: From the Registers of the Formerly United Parishes of Slieverue and Glenmore, in the County Kilkenny,” Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (6th series, 30 Sept. 1915, p.167-169). Available at https://www.jstory.org/stable/25514417.