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Fun Facts Regarding Glenmore Cemetery
The cemetery adjacent to St. James Catholic Church was surveyed in July 2020. Glenmore-History.com volunteer, Louise Walsh drafted the pdf document containing all the photographs and inscriptions of the headstones/markers as well as a map of the graves. This document may be accessed from the home page under the “Roots” drop down menu. Below are some interesting and fun facts Louise uncovered while conducting the cemetery survey. The church was built in 1813 and Danny Dowling said that burials began in the adjacent churchyard about this time. For details regarding local funerals and wakes customs see, https://glenmore-history.com/dying-funerals-wakes/ published in December 2019.
There are 516 headstones/grave markers
10 of these are illegible
3 graves are defined, but have no marker
66 headstones/grave markers are Celtic crosses
1909 persons are referenced on the headstones/grave markers
845 or 45% are female
1041 or 55% are male
Top 10 Surnames accounting for 35% of all persons reflected on headstones/markers
| Walsh | 136 |
| Forristal | 75 |
| Power | 68 |
| Fitzgerald | 65 |
| Murphy | 64 |
| Phelan | 53 |
| Doherty | 48 |
| Aylward | 47 |
| Roche | 46 |
| Kirwan | 35 |
| Gahan | 35 |
Top Girls Names accounting for 649 or 76% (!) of all girl names reflected on headstones/markers:
| Mary | 164 |
| Ellen | 132 |
| Bridget | 111 |
| Margaret | 97 |
| Catherine | 64 |
| Johanna | 29 |
| Alice | 26 |
| Ann/Anne/Annie | 26 |
Top Boys Names accounting for 748 or 72% (!) or all boy names:
| John | 152 |
| Patrick (inc 4 x Pat; and 4 x Paddy) | 125 |
| James | 114 |
| Michael | 102 |
| Thomas | 87 |
| Richard | 56 |
| William | 44 |
| Edward | 40 |
| Martin | 28 |
James Aylward (c. 1869 -1909) of Parkstown, Glenmore: Wed and Dead Within a Week
It isn’t often that an event in 1909 resulted in the type of sensationalised headlines that became much more common in the last decades of the twentieth century. However, the tragic death of a Glenmore bridegroom in 1909 resulted in headlines such as “Wed and Dead Within a Week,” “Married and Buried Within a Week” and “Shrovetide Sensation.” Amazingly all the older Glenmore residents that were contacted this week knew the story of the Glenmore man who died on his honeymoon. Much less is known about his widow.
The man behind the headlines was James Aylward, of Parkstown, Glenmore. James was married in the neighbouring parish church in Mullinavat on Monday the 15th of February 1909. His bride was Catherine “Kate” Gaule, of Ballynooney, Mullinavat. James Aylward died in Cork City during their honeymoon on Saturday, the 20th of February 1909 and was buried in Glenmore on Monday the 22nd of February 1909. Danny Dowling preserved the diary of James Aylward, of Ballyhobuck, Glenmore. James Aylward, of Ballyhobuck, recorded in his diary the following: James Aylward, Parkstown and Kate Gaule, Ballynooney married 15 February 1909 and James was buried the following week.
The death cert for James Aylward reveals that James died on the 20th of February 1909 of acute peritonitis and suffered with it for 36 hours. Thus he began becoming unwell on Wednesday only two days after getting married. Peritonitis is often associated with a ruptured appendix.
The following two newspaper accounts provide details concerning the honeymoon as well as how the widow after only five days notified her in-laws concerning James becoming ill and dying.
“Sad Death of Glenmore Bridegroom. MARRIED AND BURIED WITHIN A WEEK. On Monday were laid in graveyard, Glenmore, the mortal remains of Mr. James Aylward, Parkstown. Glenmore, a large farmer, in the prime of life, who was married only that day week. Mr Aylward had most auspicious marriage and went for a most extensive tour on the honeymoon. Himself and his wife went to Cork, via Loughren, County Galway, where a relative of Aylward lives. They reached Cork nearing the weekend. On Friday evening Mr. Wm Aylward, shopkeeper, Waterford, a brother of the bridegroom, was startled by receipt of a telegram from Mrs Aylward that her husband was taken suddenly ill. This wire only prepared for the worst, for shortly afterwards came the sad news that James Aylward was dead. The intelligence was grievously shocking for the deceased’s brother and all the friends, and the misery of the young bride alone in a hotel in Cork with her husband turned to clay can only be faintly imagined. The remains reached Waterford at ten o’clock on Saturday night, whence they were taken home by hearse and a sad cavalcade at a late hour. Interment took place on Monday, and concurrence is regarded as the saddest which visited the parish for a very long time.” (Waterford Mirror and Tramore Visitor of Thursday the 25th of February 1909).
“A SHROVETIDE SENSATION. – The sad sudden death, whilst on his honeymoon, of a young and well-known Glenmore farmer, the sad particulars of which are narrated elsewhere, shocked the neighbourhood and district. Last Monday week James Aylward, the owner of a large farm, and in good circumstances, left his home a happy. bridegroom. Last Monday finds his remains under the green sod in Glenmore graveyard. Death reached him in Cork on Friday evening. The return of the dead bridegroom to his home in Parkstown furnishes one of the saddest episodes that could well be imagined, and certainly the mournful spectacle made the deepest impression on the people. From bright gaiety to blackest tragedy is often but a very short step in this fickle world. The suddenness of the transition here could not well be paralleled except we go to the chronic plague stricken topics, where it is not unusual to meet a person in the best of health in the morning and meet that same person’s funeral in the evening.” (New Ross Standard of Friday the 26th of February 1909).
The bride and groom were both from local farming families from neighbouring parishes.
The Glenmore Groom
It is difficult to determine when James Aylward was born. On the marriage records his age is listed as 40 (c. 1869) and yet less than a week later on his death certificate his age is listed as 42 (c.1867). A review of the 1901 Census provides that James was 30 years of age thus born about 1871). On the marriage records his father is listed as John Aylward, deceased.
The Glenmore Parish records provided several facts concerning the Aylward family of Parkstown. John Aylward, of Parkstown, married Bridget Costello, of Robinstown, on the 7th of March 1859. The witnesses to the wedding were James Walsh and Honora Fitzgerald. Bridget Costello was born the 13th of February 1836. She was the daughter of Thomas Costello and Judy Costello née Aylward.
A baptismal record for James Aylward could not be found for the years 1867 through 1875. However, several other baptisms were recorded for other children born to John Aylward and Bridget Aylward née Costello of Parkstown, Glenmore including: [1] Mary Aylward was born on the 19th of March 1863 and baptized the following day; [2] John Aylward was born on the 1st of September 1865; [3] Patrick Aylward was born on the 26 of May 1868; [4] William Aylward was born on the 10th of November 1870; [5] Bridget Aylward was born on the 25th of October 1875; and [6] Johanna Aylward was born on the 19th of June 1880.
The father, John Aylward, was dead by 1901. The 1901 Census lists the mother Brigid Aylward as 60 years of age and heading up the household that includes: James Aylward (age 30); William Aylward (age 26); Bridget Aylward (age 26) and Hannah Aylward (age 19). The eldest child, Mary Aylward had married Patrick Butler, of Parkstown, on the 26th of February 1895.
As outlined in the newspaper accounts William Aylward by 1909 was a shopkeeper in Waterford City. According to Danny Dowling this week William Aylward’s premises were on O’Connell Street in Waterford. He commenced trading as a grocer and obtained a spirit’s licence. The 1911 Census for Waterford places William Aylward living on O’Connell Street, single, aged 36. He recorded that he was a grocer and publican. Residing with him is his youngest sister Johanna Aylward who was 26 years of age and also single. In 1911 on the Aylward farm in Parkstown the mother Bridget Aylward is 73 and two of her children are residing with her. Patrick Aylward who was not living on the farm in 1901 returned home to take over the farm, was single and listed as 39 years of age while his sister Bridget Aylward’s age is difficult to decipher.
Danny said that Patrick Aylward went on to marry and had a family. A search revealed that Patrick Aylward, of Parkstown, on 1 November 1917 at Rosbercon, married Bridget Doolan, of Shambough. Bridget was the daughter of Dany Doolan a farmer. The witnesses to the wedding were John Aylward and Margaret Doolan. On the 2nd of October 1919 Patrick Aylward and his wife had a daughter Bridget Aylward. Danny identified John Joe Aylward as another child. John Joe Aylward died a couple of years ago (20 February 2018) and his sister Peggy Aylward died about a decade earlier (2009).
The Mullinavat Bride
Catherine “Kate” Gaule was born at Ballynooney, Mullinavat, on the 7th of January 1875, the daughter of Luke Gaule and Margaret Gaule née Corcoran. Luke Gaule, of Ballynooney, Mullinavat, married Margaret Corcoran, of Liserlin, Tullogher on the 13th of June 1872 at Mullinargle (sic). Witnesses to the wedding were Laurence Gaule and Johanna Walsh. Luke’s father was listed as John Gaule, deceased, farmer and Margaret’s father was listed as Edmund Corcoran, deceased, farmer. Kate Gaule had at least two brothers: John Gaule was born 19 April 1873 and William Gaul born on the 23rd of September 1879.
Margaret Gaule née Corcoran died on the 17th of November 1897, aged 60 of heart disease. The 1901 Census provides that Luke was 54 years of age and three of his children were residing with him. John Gaule was 27, Kate Gaule was 25, and William Gaule was 22. John Gaule married Margaret Ryan, of Ballynooney on the 26th of January 1916 at Mullinavat. Margaret was the daughter of Patrick Ryan, a farmer. A William Gaule, of Keatingstown, Thomastown married on the 15th of October 1914, Nora Dalton the daughter of farmer Pat Dalton. William Gaule, of Keatingstown, was a farmer and the son of Luke Gaule.
Kate Gaule married James Aylward in 1909 and became a widow 5 days later. Danny Dowling this week stated that he did not know what happened to James Aylward’s widow. The 1911 Census reveals that she was living with her father and brother, John on the Gaule farm in Ballynooney. In the 1911 Census: Luke Gaule was a widower aged 64; John Gaule was single and aged 36 and Catherine Aylward, a widow was aged 35. It is believed that Luke Gaule died on the 7th of February 1917 at the age of 70. The townland is listed as Ballyvatheen rather than Ballynooney on the death cert, but the person with the deceased was John Gaule the son of the deceased.
While James Aylward’s life was tragically cut short, unfortunately, we don’t know what happened to his widow, Catherine “Kate” Aylward née Gaule. Did she re-marry? Did she live out her life with one her brothers and his family? We hope that a reader has the answer to what happened to the woman from Mullinavat who was widowed 5 days after she was married.
Update: In our blog post of 15 July 2020 we revealed what we learned about the widow.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
The featured image is of an ancient Egyptian funeral.
Forristal’s Mill of Graiguenakill, Glenmore
Danny Dowling interviewed Nicholas Forristal, of the Mill, Graiguenakill concerning the mill twice in 1957 and once in 1979. Danny also interviewed Nicky’s son, Patrick Forristal in 1984. Throughout the greater Glenmore area Nicholas was referred to as Nicky the Miller and his son was known as Paddy the Miller.
The corn mill at Graiguenakill was built in 1813 or 1814 by a man named Murphy. He had £1200 and he spent the entire sum building the mill, farmyard and premises and equipping the mill. When it was completed the landlord raised the rent both on the mill and the farmyard and premises. Unfortunately, Murphy was not doing well and coupled with the raising of the rent Murphey had to leave. Although Paddy the Miller identified Mackessy of Waterford as the landlord, last week Danny stated that he is not certain that Mackessy was the landlord in the early part of the 19th century.
At one time in Glenmore three mills were being run off of the Glenmore Stream. Gaffney’s mill was in operation at the time of the 1798 Rebellion and there was a mill located upstream in Mullinahone. The Graiguenakill mill was the last mill on the stream. At least one other mill was built in the early 19th century in Glenmore Parish. [ Correction 19 July 2020–the mill at Ballyrowrah is not in Glenmore Parish. It is in Slieverue Parish. The Mill is built very close to the border of the two parishes.] It was Donovan’s Mill at Ballyrowragh on the old Waterford to New Ross post road today generally referred to as the High Road. In the 20th century the Creamery also operated a mill that was not dependent on water for milling.
The Graiguenakill mill was built about the same time as St. James Catholic Parish Church was being built in Robinstown’s Townland in the Village of Glenmore. The stones used to build the mill came from a quarry in nearby Ballyverneen. In 1957, Nicky the Miller stated that the stones were quarried in the cliff under Jim Linegar’s cottage in Ballyverneen. He also stated that Bridget Henneberry’s grandfather, Mártín Henneberry remembered when the mill was being built. When Mártín was a youngster he went into the Ballyverneen quarry and took a pick in his hand which he let fall on his foot putting the blade right through his foot. This very man was working in the Ballyverneen Brick Marches during the Famine and on one occasion he worked nine days with nothing to eat but green cabbage.
The man who built the mill race for the Graiguenakill mill was a man named Cleere, who was a native of Kilkenny City or near Kilkenny City. He was a mill race constructor by trade. Cleere contracted to supply water for an overshot wheel. Cleere dug and constructed the mill race from Glenmore Village, to bring the water supply to turn the mill wheel. Although the mill race constructed by Cleere was about a mile long an overshot wheel was not installed. An overshot wheel proved to be impossible because of the lowness of Glenmore. Where the mill was built in Graiguenakill was tidal. To put in an overshot wheel would have required the mill to have been built beneath the level of the stream or pill with the result it would be stopped when the tide rose to that point which would be quite often. In the end a breast shot wheel had to do the work which was incapable of doing the same work as an over shot wheel. Failing to adhere to the terms of his contract Cleere never received any payment for his work. Nicky the Miller, identified Tommy Cleere, of Tinakilly, near New Ross as a descendent of the unpaid builder.
[A helpful reader who is a civil engineer kindly explained that a breastshot wheel is designed where the water enters the wheel usually at the level of the axis of the wheel. Breastshot water wheels were used extensively in England and Germany in the 19th and early 20th centuries. See, Muller, G.U. and Wolter, C. (2004) The breast shot water wheel: design and model tests. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Engineering Sustainability, 157 (4), 203-211 where tests in this century showed that breastshot waterwheels are an efficient and eco friendly converter of hydraulic energy with the potential for further development.]
James Cardiff a miller from Wexford came to the Graiguenakill mill. On the 28th of September 1871 his daughter, Margaret Cardiff (c. 1853 -c 1904) married Patrick Forristal (1849-1931), a farmer from Ballyverneen. It is believed that shortly after their marriage James Cardiff and his family moved to New Ross. When his grandson, William Forristal (1881-1899) was born Patrick Forristal and his wife were residing in Graiguenakill and on William’s birth cert Patrick was listed as a farmer. By the time their son Nicholas “Nicky the Miller” Forristal (1888-1979) was born in February 1888, Patrick was listed on the birth cert as a miller and farmer. Thus by 1888 the Graiguenakill mill was being run by Patrick Forristal and the Forristals continued running the Graiguenakill mill until it closed completely in about 1958.
There were three pairs of grinding stones in the Graiguenakill mill. Two of the pairs of mill stones were for oats and a third pair was for grinding wheat and maize. Every mill stone set is made up of a bottom stone called a bedstone and the top stone of the pair is called the runner. Although the bedstone was stationary the runner rotated on a spindle that ran down through the bedstone. This spindle was embedded in a brass cup in an upright position. These stones were dressed about once a month, if working constantly. The shelling stone was a light stone about 6 feet in diameter, and about 5 inches thick. This stone was used for dehulling oats. The oatmeal stone was a grinding stone, about 5 to 6 feet in diameter, and about 6 inches or more in thickness. The above thicknesses referred to the runners.
For grinding raw corn the hard French Birr (sic) stone was used. The French Birr millstone that ended up in Nicky Forristal’s yard in Graiguenakill had an iron plague on it. Danny recorded the inscription on the plague “Millstone Balance, Patent _____, Clarke & Dunham 1859.” Nicky the Miller explained to Danny that the hard French Birr stones were imported as they were deemed the best of stones. Small stones were cut and bound together with iron hoops. According to Penn State University, The Grist Milling Process in Colonial Pennsylvania French buhr stones were very sought after and expensive. The French quarried the stones, shaped them to fit together and bound them with heavy iron bands. (For a concise explanation of how milling was performed see, Penn State, The Grist Milling Process at https://www.engr.psu.edu/mtah/articles/grist_milling_process.htm).
Although the Graiguenakill mill did not have an overshot wheel it did have something that no other mill in Glenmore Parish had; next to the Graiguenakill mill was Barron’s Quay that allowed North American maize to be landed next to the mill. According to Paddy the Miller the grain was imported by R & H Halls, of Ferrybank, who placed about 40 tons of the grain on smaller boats that could come up the pill on high tide to Barron’s Quay. The grain was stored in the mill lofts and ground as required. The ground maize was supplied to Fluskey’s and Hanrahan’s shops in Glenmore and sometimes to Doyle’s shop in Rosbercon. The maize was a great feed for all the farm animals: pigs, calves and poultry. It was boiled by the farmers into a porridge and mixed with bran or pollard.
Paddy the Miller in an article he wrote for Glenmore Times (2000) stated that they worked from October until the end of May everyday except Sunday. His father, Nicky the Miller, told Danny that they often milled during the summer months so long as the stream allowed it. Before the grain could be ground it had to be dried. The mill had a kiln that dried the grain. The fire for the kiln had to be constantly watched from seven in the morning until ten at night when it was damped down for the night. If a farmer brought in 14 stone of oats, to be ground into meal he would bring home about 7 stone of meal because the drying and shelling removed about half of the initial weight of the oats. [For our international readers a stone is a British Imperial weight of 14 pounds.]
In the Glenmore Times (2000) article Paddy the Miller related a near fatality which occurred at the mill. A boatload of corn came to Barron’s quay and there was a rush to unload the boat. The mill was put into motion to work the hoist. When the three lofts were loaded the beams gave way and at least the top loft collapsed. A young man, John Walsh, was looking out the top loft window when the floor under him collapsed. He survived the collapse and emigrated to the US. In about 1930, John Walsh returned as a 70 year old man and visited the mill.
Between the World Wars the charges at the Graiguenakill mill was £3 per barrel for oaten or wheaten meal. During the Second World War the price increased to £5 per barrel. The last time oaten meal was ground at the Graiguenakill mill was in 1950. The mill closed completely about 1958. Nicky the Miller stated that in the last few years the mill was only used to crush oats and barley for animal feed and he ground a bit of yellow corn for Jim Fluskey.
After the mill closed Nicky the Miller and his wife continued residing in their home until their deaths. During the building of the N25, from Waterford to New Ross, in about 1994 (when the main road was removed from going past the Pink Rock) the entire Graiguenakill mill and the Forristal house were removed. Barron’s quay was also removed, but it is not known exactly when this occurred. There are no known photos of the Graiguenakill mill but for Glenmore Times (2000) Paddy the Miller drew a sketch of the Graiguenakill mill buildings. Today, the new Glenmore roundabout in Graiguenakill Townland, that connects the old N25 to the recently opened Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy bridge, is just north of where the Graiguenakill mill stood for about 180 years.
For further information and photos of old Irish mills and millstones etc. see, The Society for the Preservation of the Ancient and Traditional Irish Mills at https://www.millsofireland.org/ .
[Explanations above provided on 7 June 2020 after the post was initially published.]
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
A Double Drowning at Rochestown Point in 1899
Beginning in earnest in the 1950’s Danny Dowling interviewed and recorded the memories of the elderly residents of Glenmore and nearby areas including New Ross and Waterford. The two people Danny interviewed the most as reflected in the notebooks transcribed to date are his mother, Hannah Dowling née Murphy; and Nicholas Forristal, of the Mill, Graiguenakill, Glenmore. Danny generally refers to Nicholas Forristal as Nicky the Miller, and Danny’s face lit up this week when he recalled his old friend. Having spent a lifetime collecting information concerning the Parish of Glenmore and its people it isn’t often that Danny learns something new particularly concerning Nicky the Miller. The revelation came out of a homework assignment in the 1930’s completed by a boy from Rathinure, Glenmore for the Irish Folklore Commission.
Although Irish folklore was collected prior to 1935, in that year the Irish Folklore Commission was established by the government. A scheme was developed where schoolchildren would be given questions and asked to interview their parents and neighbours. From 1937 to 1939 each week of the academic year teachers across the country would select a heading and read out the questions and the children would copy it down and conduct their interviews. The Commission continued its work until 1971 when it was superseded by the Department of Irish Folklore at the University College Dublin. On our links page we have included links to the transcribed pages of local school Folklore interviews.
Paddy Kennedy (1922 -1997) of Rathinure, Glenmore when a chap attending Ringville School, as part of the Folklore project, interviewed his father Patrick Kennedy, Sr. (c. 1871- ). This is what young Paddy recorded:
In the year 1889 a very tragic boat accident occurred in which two young men were drowned. Their names were William Forristal and Pat Connolly. One Sunday they were visiting their friends in Cheek Point. Their boat came into collision with another boat as they were going to get a tow from her. The news was soon discovered and the river was immediately searched, but to no avail. On the second day their bodies was (sic) discovered. When they were taken ashore they were a pitiful sight. (National Folklore Collection UCD, The School’s Collection (vol. 845. p. 103) Ringville School, Roll 6621.),
A search of local newspapers did not reveal any recorded drownings in 1889 of men named Forristal or Connolly. However, a small article was located in the Waterford Chronical on Wednesday the 2nd of August 1899. It reported that on Sunday afternoon two men drowned in the Barrow river named John Forristal and Michael Connolly, natives of the Glenmore district. Their bodies had not been recovered.
Several other newspapers covered the incident and identified the two drowning victims as Patrick Connolly and William Forristal. The following facts were gleaned from a number of newspaper listed at the end of this post.
About one o’clock Sunday, the 30th of July, Patrick Connolly, William Forristal and two brothers named Kelly left Glenmore in a small boat that was called a “prawng” by the New Ross Standard. They headed down the Barrow River and arrived without incident at the fishing Village of Cheekpoint. Cheekpoint is located at the confluence of the rivers Barrow and Suir on the southern shore. It is downriver from Waterford City which is on the Suir River and also downriver from New Ross which is on the Barrow River. The Glenmore men started upriver for home between five and six p.m. On reaching Rochestown Point on the Barrow River, about six or seven miles south of New Ross, they were overtaken by the Lady Annette tug which was pulling two “Grand Canal lighters” or barges with excursionists up river. There were a couple hundred people from Graiguenamanagh on the barges. It was reported that the excursionists had spent the day in Duncannon, Waterford.
The Lady Annette tug boat was built by Malcomson and launched from the Neptune Iron Works of Waterford City in April 1875. She was described in a newspaper account of her launch as a handsome little steam vessel of 85 feet in length, 13 feet in beam, 7.5 feet in depth, and 30 tons register. (Waterford Mirror and Tramore Visitor, 28 April 1875). The Lady Annette and the two lighters or barges she was towing upriver were owned by the Barrow Navigation Company. See generally, Andrew Doherty, Waterford Harbour Tides and Tales entries including; “The Lighters: Work Boats of the Suir” at https://tidesandtales.ie/the-lighters/.
“Sometimes boating parties effect a tow from passing steamers, and in this case the occupants of the prawng, although only a little more than a mile from their destination, directed their course so as to intercept the excursion party, whose craft were moving at full speed. There are different versions of what happened, but the more generally accepted one is that when the prawng came close to the lighter some of the men in the former tried clamber aboard the Canal boat, and that so a result this proceeding the prawng was engulphed. Anyhow, owing to imprudence on their part, the four young men were instantly swamped, and it is stated that Forrestal and Connolly passed under the lighter and were never seen again. Once the cry was raised the captain of the Canal steamer slowed up in as short a time as possible, and the Kelly’s were saved.” (New Ross Standard, 5 August 1899).
It was reported elsewhere that the two Kelly brothers succeeded in clinging to the bottom of the boat until rescued by a fisherman named Richard Whelan. Whelan rowed to the spot at once and took the brothers into his boat. Forrestal and Connolly were, lost to view immediately and after a search presumed drowned. The newspapers reported that the fate of the young men was greatly deplored the neighbourhood of their residence. It was reported that William Forristal, was the son of Patrick Forrestal, miller and farmer, and Patrick Connolly, was a labourer. None of the newspaper reported the first names of the Kelly brothers.
It was stated that the drowning cast a gloom over Glenmore. The two young drowning victims were described as very respectable young men, and Connolly was the only support of his poor widowed mother. “It is a consolation to think that both were in a state of sobriety when they lost their lives. As a matter of fact Connolly was a teetotaller.”
The search for the bodies continued all day Monday when twenty cots and trawlers were engaged in the search. At eight in the evening, just under Ringville, and near where the drowning occurred, Richard Cahill, of Ballycroney, and Patrick Forristal, of Ballyverneen, recovered the bodies, which were close to each other. The corpses were immediately conveyed to their respective homes in Graiguenakill, where they were waked till the following evening. It is believed that the Patrick Forristal, of Ballyverneen, who discovered the bodies was a nephew of Patrick Forristal, of the Mill, the father of the drowned William Forristal.
On Tuesday morning Dr Hackett, coroner, for the northern district of Kilkenny (in the absence of the South Kilkennv coroner) accompanied by Dr Walsh, of New Ross, arrived at Glenmore and viewed the bodies. Sergeant Stapleton had a jury summoned in anticipation of an inquest, but the coroner without explanation did not hold a regular inquest. He held what the newspaper termed an inquiry, with no jury and took some evidence on oath. Mrs Whelan, Ringville, stated that she witnessed the catastrophe from the shore, but could not tell exactly how it happened. The information which the coroner elicited amounted to there were three boats coming up the river. The three boats were overtaken by the excursion steamer. One of the boats got a tow, and it appeared that its occupants got aboard the canal lighter. The other two boats were then on the outlook for a tow. When the boat containing the four Glenmore men got alongside and caught hold of the lighter their boat suddenly jerked from the lighter and half filled with water. Forristal, it is alleged, believing the boat was about to sink, jumped over its side with the intention of swimming to shore, and in jumping into the river capsized the boat. The Kelly brothers held on to the prawng, and young Connolly held on to one of the Kelly’s legs, but only for a short time. Connolly sank, never to rise alive. Forristal, it is alleged, swam for the shore, but was not able to reach it. Patrick Power, of Robinstown, Glenmore and Richard Phelan, of Rathinure, Glenmore saved the Kelly brothers. A man named Manning exerted himself to save Connolly. Forristal, the newspaper stated if he swam a good distance as is now stated, does not seem to have attracted the attention of any of the rescuers.
Not only did the acting coroner fail to hold an inquest it appears that the deaths were never recorded.
A double funeral took place on Tuesday the 2nd of August at 4 p.m. “The whole country side attended as a mark of sympathy and regret. Both young men were laid to rest in Glenmore graveyard and seldom before had so many mourners been seen at any funeral in the district.”
The Four Glenmore Men
William Forristal, of Graiguenakill, Glenmore was born on the 26th of January 1881. His parents were Patrick Forristal (1849-1931) and Margaret Forristal née Cardiff (c. 1853- 1905). Thus William was the older brother of Nicky the Miller (1888-1979). Nicky was only 11 years old when his brother drowned. Although Nicky was interviewed scores of times by Danny and openly discussed people and events, such as his mother’s death and his youngest brother’s emigration, he never once mentioned to Danny anything about William or his death.
Patrick Connolly, of Graiguenakill, Glenmore was born on the 4th of May 1878. He was the son of Thomas Connolly, of Aylwardstown and Kate Ryan. Thomas Connolly was a coachman for the Strange Family of Aylwardstown House. Thomas Connolly died on 19th of April 1886 of TB. His death cert notes he had the disease for 2.5 years. He was 33 when he died. Bridget Heffernan née Kennedy, of Aylwardstown, was present when he died. The 1901 census reveals that Catherine “Kate” Connolly née Ryan was living in Graiguenakill with her remaining son Michael. Michael was 15 and she was a 44 year old widow. Readers may remember Catherine from the blog “What’s a Shebeen” as she was the woman charged and found not guilty of running a shebeen in 1906. She was arrested for having 3 bottles of stout in her house which she claimed were for her son Michael when he came home from working in Waterford.
The names of the two Kelly brothers were never provided and the account of the event that was held in place of an inquest did not indicate their names or whether the brothers attended and testified. The 1906 shebeen case involved two Kelly brothers, Edward and Thomas Kelly. They were visiting Mrs. Connolly when her house was raided and they were arrested for being in a shebeen. Mrs. Connolly described them as neighbours. The 1901 census reveals that there was one family named Kelly in Graiguenakill headed by James Kelly. Although there is a son named Edward in the house in 1901 (aged 28) there is no Thomas Kelly,
Young Paddy Kennedy, when he interviewed his father, and was given information concerning the drownings of Forristal and Connolly, never revealed the family relationship between his father and the deceased William Forristal. Paddy Kennedy Sr. was a first cousin to William Forristal’s father. It is not known whether the children were instructed by the Folklore Commission not to record relationships. Perhaps it was the case that there was an assumption that the relationship was known because in the tight knit parish everyone knew everyone else’s family relationships often for generations. In any event, the father of Paddy Kennedy, Sr. of Rathinure was Tom Kennedy. Tom Kennedy had a sister Ellen Kennedy who married Paddy Forristal. Their son, Patrick Forristal, married Margaret Cardiff. Patrick and Margaret Forristal were the parents of Nicky the Miller and William Forristal.
These tragic deaths were only brought to light because 90 years ago a boy did his homework. The old copy book photo featured above is from the Irish Folklore Commission, School Project.
Special thanks to Kathleen and Patricia O’Connor for the photo of Paddy Kennedy and his brother Larry Kennedy, of Rathinure, with the Aylward children.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Waterford Standard of Wednesday the 2nd of August 1899; Waterford Chronical on Wednesday the 2nd of August 1899; New Ross Standard & Enniscorthy Guardian, Sat. 5 Aug. 1899 (same article)
Glenmore Businessman: Robert Fluskey (c. 1843-1925) and the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word [updated]
When Danny Dowling was a boy in Glenmore Village in the 1930’s he lived next to Fluskey’s Shop which also served as the post-office and telegraph office. At that time Jim Fluskey ran the business with his wife Mollie née Murphy of Davidstown, Glenmore. The Glenmore business was established by his father Robert Fluskey in about 1880. Danny believes that Fluskey purchased the shop from the Walsh family that then relocated to Waterford. One of the Walsh family members who operated the shop in Glenmore later, when quite elderly, lived on Peter St. in Waterford and spoke to Danny about her families shop in Glenmore.
By 1930 Robert Fluskey’s shop was the busiest and most thriving shop in Glenmore Village. This shop sold all types of foodstuffs, bran, flour, and meat such as bacon, cigarettes and tobacco etc. They also sold animal feed such as meal, bran and pollard. Even today the building that served as the Fluskey shop is now a remodelled house and still is referred to locally as Fluskey’s. Although emigration and religious vocations were common in most Irish families in the early twentieth century the Fluskey family was unique in the proportion of the women that joined one order, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.
The first Fluskey to come to Glenmore was Robert Fluskey (c. 1843-1925). Robert, called Bob, by the local people, was originally from Ullard, Graiguenamanagh. He left Graiguenamanagh and was working in Waterford at the Chapman’s on the Quay. He lived on Barronstrand Street and married his first wife, Catherine Power (c. 1835-1880) on 6 May 1878 in Waterford. The marriage records record that the newlyweds were both servants. Robert’s father was listed as James Fluskey, a farmer. Catherine worked as a house-keeper for Egan’s according to Danny’s interview of Nicky Forristal of the Mill, Graiguenakill. Danny on 29 May 2020 stated that Egan’s was where Penney’s is located today. Her father in the marriage records was listed as Walter Power, a farmer. Soon after their marriage they moved to Glenmore. Catherine Power died in Graiguenakill, Glenmore on the 24th of January 1880. She was 45 years of age and she died from an ovarian disease which she had for 2 ½ years. Her husband was present when she died and his profession was listed as grocer. Although Power is a common name in the Parish of Glenmore, Danny does not know if Catherine Power was a native of Glenmore or had family connections here.
Robert Fluskey married his second wife, Catherine Dunne on the 30th of May 1880 at Glenmore. Catherine Dunne was a dressmaker and her father was recorded as the late James Dunne, a carpenter. According to Danny, Robert Fluskey was an able, straight businessman and within a few years of moving to Glenmore his shop was thriving and his business interests expanded. By 1884 he was recorded in the County Directory as the Postmaster of Glenmore.
Robert and his second wife had eight children according to the 1911 census. In 1911 only six children were living.
[1] James Fluskey was born on the 22nd of January 1882. After his father’s death James ran the Glenmore business and became the Glenmore Postmaster. Mollie Fluskey née Murphy died on the Bank Holiday Monday in August 1957. According to Danny’s notes she was about 65 years of age. Jim Fluskey died on the 24th of June 1960.
[2] John Fluskey was born the 28th of November 1883 and died on the 14th of July 1900 at the age of 17. He was ill for two weeks with meningitis and TB.
[3] Terence Fluskey was born on the 29th of January 1885. Terence Fluskey became a clerical worker in Waterford where he was living on the 29th of April 1919 when he married Statia Maher, of Rochestown, Glenmore. The couple were married at Glenmore. Statia was the daughter of Michael Maher, farmer.
[4] Bridget Fluskey was born on the 12th of June 1886.
[5] Kate Fluskey was born on the 11th of December 1887 and died of TB on the 17th of June 1904 at the age of 16.
[6] Mary Ellen Fluskey was born on the 17th of March 1889.
[7] Anna Theresa Fluskey was born on the 1st of August 1891.
[8] Elizabeth Ita Fluskey was born on the 25th of January 1897.
Catherine Fluskey née Dunne died on the 10th of June 1916 of a cerebral embolism at the age of 65. Her son Terence was with her at the time of her death. Her husband, Robert Fluskey, died on the 28th of September 1925. At the time of his death his youngest daughter Lizzie was with him.
An obituary appeared in the New Ross Standard edition of 9 October 1925. Robert Fluskey’s obituary makes interesting reading and is unusual for the time as no chief mourners are listed. In fact none of his children are named not even his three daughters who took religious vows.
OBITUARY MR. ROBERT FLUSKEY, GLENMORE. The regretted death of Mr. Robert Fluskey took place at his residence, Glenmore, Co. Kilkenny, on Sept. 28th. He had reached the ripe age of 82 years, and though he had been in failing health for some time the end came rather unexpected when fortified by the rites of the Catholic Church, of which he was a devout, loyal and faithful, member, he passed peacefully to his reward. The deceased had the distinction of giving three daughters to the Church, and who are nuns in the great Order of the Word Incarnate, U.S.A. He had spent many years in business in Glenmore, where he was regarded as the soul of honesty and uprightness in all his business transactions, and was universally esteemed, which was shown by the very large number who attended his funeral and paid him their last mark of respect at the graveside. The funeral took place to the family burial ground, Glenmore, after Office and High Mass, at which the Rev. M. Holohan, P.P, Glenmore, presided. Celebrant, Rev. C. Bergin, Glenmore; deacon, Rev. Thomas Green, C.C. Rosbercon; sub-deacon, Rev. W. Murphy, C.C, Ferrybank; master of ceremonies, Rev. J. Bergin, C.C. Slieverue. In the choir were the Very Rev. Canon Doody, P.P, Ferrybank: Very Rev. L. Coghlan, P.P. Rosbercon; Rev. J. Madden, P.P, Mullinavat; Rev. M. Halloran, chaplain, Belmont; Rev. N. Hennessy, C.C, Tullogher; Rev. C. Kennedy, chaplain, Kilmacow; Rev. P. Delaney, Dean, St. Kieran’s College; Rev. P. Staunton, C.C. Mullinavat. R.I.P.
A year after her father’s death, Elizabeth Ita Fluskey followed her older sisters and emigrated to the US. Her emigration papers are now available on line. She arrived in the US on the 14th of June 1926 aboard the SS. Cedric. She reported that she was to work as a student nurse at St. Michael’s Hospital of Newark, New Jersey. She had grey eyes, was 5’7” in height and weighed 138 pounds. Unlike her older sisters who became nuns, Elizabeth married Michael McKenna, a native of Monaghan, on the 1st of June 1934 in Brooklyn, New York. The couple had three children Robert, Mary Ann and Betty Ann McKenna. Michael McKenna died on the 2nd of July 1949 and Elizabeth McKenna, née Fluskey died in November 1985. Danny explained that Elizabeth’s daughter, Betty McKenna came to Glenmore from America as a young woman and stayed. She married Sean Walsh and had family.
Fluskey Women of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
Robert Fluskey’s daughters
Bridget Fluskey (1886-1970) joined the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word Order and became Sister Mary, Our Lady of Good Counsel and was a teacher. She died on the 13th of October 1970 at the Incarnate Word Convent in San Antonio, Texas.
Mary Ellen Fluskey (1889-1974) became Sister Mary Irma. Sister Mary Irma died on Christmas Day 1974 at the Incarnate Word Convent in San Antonio, Texas, where she is buried in the convent cemetery. Her obituary in the Antonio Express newspaper states that she was survived by her sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth McKenna, of Brooklyn, New York and Sister M. Ciaran Fluskey S.P. Holy Oaks, Massachusetts. Her death certificate notes that she was a retired practical nurse.
Anna Theresa Fluskey (1891-1980) also became a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word. It is believed that Anna was the Sister M. Ciaran Fluskey listed in Mary Ellen’s obituary above. A Massachusetts death record was found for Anne T. Fluskey that reveals that she died on the 11th of January 1980 at Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Robert Fluskey’s Great-nieces(?)
Alice Fluskey (1904- 1984) was the daughter of Terence Fluskey, of Hoodsgrove, Rosbercon and Kate Fluskey née Haberlin. The 1911 Census reveals that Terence was a laborer and he and his wife had two sons and two daughters. Alice was the eldest at 4; Richard was 3; Thomas was 1 and Mary was two months. Kate Fluskey died on the 20th of May 1915 at the New Ross Workhouse at the age of 41 of gastritis cardiac debility. After their mother’s death Alice and Mary were sent to live with Jim and Mollie Fluskey in Glenmore. It is believed that Terence and Jim were first cousins. The marriage record for Terence Fluskey and Kate Haberlin provides that Terence was the son of Richard Fluskey [corrected 10 May 2022] of the Mile Bush, Rosbercon and Kate Haberlin was the daughter of Thomas Haberlin, a laborer from Forristalstown, Glenmore. James Fluskey and Mary Doherty were witnesses at this wedding. According to the New Ross Standard of 19 September 1924 Alice professed her religious intentions at the Incarnate Word Convent in San Antonio, Texas. She became Sister Mary Ellen.
Mary Fluskey (1911-1999) like her sister Alice, and older Glenmore cousins, entered the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word Order. She became Sister Catherine. Mary was the last of her family and the last of the Fluskey women who entered the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. Her obituary is below and provides a great deal of detail concerning her vocation.
The photos of Eliz. (Lizzie) Fluskey and Michael and Eliz. (Lizzie) McKenna are old passport photos. In the featured colour photo of the Village, Fluskey’s is the two storey bluish building on the left of the photo.
This post was updated on 30 May 2020 after Danny Dowling provided additional details on 29 May 2020.
The photos of the Fluskey grave markers were added 21 June 2020.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Prosperity, Pollution and the 1931 Glenmore Waterworks
Danny Dowling this week was able to identify five known hand operated public water pumps in the Village of Glenmore. One pump was located in front of where the Glenmore pub is now located. This was a deep well. Another pump was later located across the road at Rita Cummins née Hennessy’s gate on the footpath. A third pump was located outside the old National Boys’ School. Danny also stated that he was told that Gaffneys had a pump, but Danny did not know if it was in front of the buildings or at the side or rear of the property. Today, next to the Coach House a pump painted red still remains in the Village.
As previously discussed in our post of the 9th of May 2020, the Glenmore Co-opertive Creamery was established and commenced operating in 1905. According to the newspaper coverage at the time the site was chosen because it contained a spring and a stream. An expert who advised the founders noted that a creamery needed a good supply of clean spring water and a fast moving stream to carry away the waste generated by the operations of the Creamery. The stream at the Creamery went under the road; into Hanrahan’s field where the original Glenmore chapel was located; it ran down the hill under the Village Street to meet the stream from Mullinahone at the pub side of the bridge; flowed behind the Coach House into Cappagh; on to Graiguenakill and out into the Ballyverneen marshes and into the Barrow River.
On the 23rd of October 1931 the New Ross Standard featured a long article regarding the opening of the Glenmore waterworks.
“For some years Glenmore was faced with a serious problem in its water supply. The old pump had done its duty for generations, but in all material things the wear and tear of time inevitably leaves its impress. Gradually the old fundamental work became faulty and gave grounds for misgivings as regards the purity of the water feeding the storage vault. Shortly the situation was clarified when it was proved that the water was no longer safe for human consumption.”
Although the article implies that the water became unfit due to the wear and tear on the pumps, the article also reveals that the water in the Village pumps had become so unfit that farmers would not allow their horses to drink it. Danny believes that the discharges from the Creamery polluted the stream and then the nearby wells. It was reported that anxiety arose in 1929 in the Village concerning the state of the Glenmore water. The Very Reverend, Canon Holohan, P.P. and the Very Reverend, Dr. Gibbons, Curate out of concern for their parishioners set out to find a supply of good water for the Village. They wrote to Mr. Dooley, a member of the Kilkenny County Council and Mr. Flanigan, the engineer for the County Council. Mr. Dooley and Mr. Flanigan travelled to Glenmore on a very wet day. They examined the water, the old pump, took up buckets of water, and found that it was absolutely unfit for human use.
Originally a suggestion was made that another pump be sank in the village, but this was rejected as the likelihood was that the water in a new pump would also be polluted. Finally, the priests hit on a new source of water for the Village. Danny said that they chose the Tobar Mhuire Holy or blessed well in the Flemingstown Townland on the lands of Mrs. Mary Mullins, née Walsh. [Mary Mullins, née Walsh was the daughter of Patrick and Margaret Walsh, of Davidstown, Glenmore the couple who gave the sanctuary lamp to the Glenmore Parish Church during the 1910-1912 renovations that travelled to Crosspatrick Church.] Danny explained that Tobar Mhuire translates as St. Mary’s Well. The site of the well was considered ideal because it was at a good elevation over the village and thus would ensure a good pressure. It was reported that the water was pure and abundant.
The priests wrote the Board of Health, and correspondence went on for some time between them and the board. Mr. Flanagan, engineer, then drew up plans, specifications, and an estimate for the proposed work, and submitted it all to the Board of Health. The Board agreed to the plan and guaranteed that it would pay for the work. The work started in March 1931 by the contractor, Mr. Power. This work included the running a mile of pipe to the Village. According to Thomas Mullins, of Flemingstown, grandson of Mrs. Mary Mullins, the original pipe was cast iron and subject to leaks. The newspaper article indicates that fountains or faucets were placed in the Village and several of the houses in the village and the schools immediately connected as did some houses outside the Village that were adjacent to the main pipe. It was noted that it was predicted that in a short time the scheme would be a source of substantial revenue for the Health Board and would recoup the £1,200 expended on it. At the opening ceremony Councillor Dooley was thanked for working tirelessly to get the Glenmore scheme sanctioned, and for also securing a £300 grant for the project from the Government when President Cosgrove visited Kilkenny.
A couple of hundred people attended the opening ceremony held at the well. Speeches were given by various politicians and Father Holohan blessed the water. One politician told a joke concerning a thirsty man that provides a glimpse into the humour of the time. A thirsty man was working hard under a blazing sun. He went to a neighbouring house for a drink of water. He was handed a glass of water and asked if he would have a little stick in it. “What do you mean? How could a bit of stick improve it?” asked the thirsty workman in surprise. The householder explained, “In this part of the country a bit of stick means a little whiskey.” The thirsty man replied, “Well, if that is the case then, put a telegraph pole into it.” After the ceremony had concluded, Mrs. Mullins, who so generously gave the concession of land, was handed the apparatus, and she formally turned on the water to the main at the stopcock, midst applause.”
Although various works have been performed to the system over the past 89 years, and the Village has grown, the water supply to the Village of Glenmore is still the Tobar Mhuire Holy well. [UPDATE on 28 June 2020–The New Ross Standard reported on Thursday the 28th of June 1990 that “[t]he old metal pipes which were laid 60 years ago when the Village of Glenmore got its first water supply, are currently being replaced by the outdoor staff of Kilkenny County Council. The supply is provided by a well at Flemingstown.]
On a separate matter—with the partial lifting of the lockdown this week I drove to a socially distance visit with Danny. He was in very good spirits. On my way through Cappagh I spied a May Bush in front of Pat Dowling’s house. It was nice to be out of the house, visit with Danny and see this old tradition on the approach to the Village. Apologies for the quality of the photo.
Special thanks to Thomas Mullins, of Flemingstown for providing details concerning the well and waterworks.
The featured photo is the Village Stream taken at the water pump looking toward Cappagh, Glenmore.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Tobar Mhuire Holy Well in 2020