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A Brief History of Glenmore’s St. James Catholic Church
A visitor to Glenmore might find a concise history of St. James Catholic Church on a stone plaque inserted into the wall over the sacristy door of the church.
Anno Domini 1813 This chapel was built by the inhabitants of Glenmore Revd. John Fitzpatrick P.P. Revd. William Grant Coad. A.D. 1910 Rebuilt Rev. Thomas Phelan P.P. Rev. M.A. Crotty C.C.
This concise history does not reflect the struggles the parishioners encountered in practicing their faith and building this church.
St. Patrick & Early Glenmore Celtic Churches
The roots of the parish go right back to St. Patrick. Legend has it that when St. Patrick, whilst on his travels throughout Ireland, in the fifth century, preaching and converting the native to the new Christian religion, he passed through the area which is now Davidstown, that is today in the Parish of Glenmore. The prospect and amenity of the area so pleased him that he decided to build a church there, which decision he later abandoned after some days work on the site.
Whether or not St. Patrick, ever arrived in this place on his visitation through Ossory, is not certain. However, what is certain, is that the Christian Religion was in widespread practice here in early times, as is evidenced by the numerous Celtic Churches which were used as places of Worship. These early edifices were located in Rathaglish, Davidstown, Rochestown, Ballycroney, Ballygurrim, Kilmakevoge, Kilbride, Kilquan and Kilcolumb. Of all these only the ruins of Ballygurrim, Kilmakevoge, and Kilcolumb still survive, and the foundations of what was Kilbride.
Danny Dowling has noted that there has been a strong oral tradition in Glenmore with the passing of historical information from one generation to the next. For example, according to this oral tradition, Ballygurrim was a settlement containing a good number of houses. Wattie Power, late of Jamestown, was interviewed in the 1950’s and noted that when he was a lad he often heard from the older people of the area that there was a large village of houses in the church field which surrounds Ballygurrin graveyard. During a plague most of the inhabitants of the village died and were buried in a large trench in Merrigan’s bog across the road. Wattie Power as a young man was asked to plough the church field. It had not been ploughed in the memory of living people. He ploughed the field, and in the lower half of the field nearest to Glenmore the plough turned up numerous areas of black earth, ash and cinders, besides numerous hearthstones. All these items indicate that a village existed in this field.
Penal Times
In addition to plague, politics impacted on the early Glenmore churches. Most were forced to close during penal times after Cromwell arrived in Ireland in 1649. It is known that Kilivory was in use right up until penal times with some of the priests of Slieverue being buried there. Kilcolumb in the townland of Rathinure was converted to Protestant use. Oral tradition provides that during the troubles associated with the Cromwellian confiscation the sacred vessels of Ballygurrim Church were buried under an ancient sceach in the church field on Dowling’s farm in Jamestown. The ancient sceach, fell around 1950. It was located about midway between the line of the mass path (which passed through this field from opposite Clune Lane) to the corner of the field adjoining the Ballygurrim to Glenmore Roadway.
During penal times the people persevered in following their faith often holding mass in secret in houses as was the practice in Forristalstown or open air masses were held. The faithful also continued to bury their dead in the old church yards of Kilivory, Kilcolumb and Ballygurrim. Tradition states that open air masses were held in Kearney Bay and in Bolger’s field in Ballycroney. On one occasion in Bolger’s field the priest was saying mass. As was essential some of the faithful were on watch for soldiers. The scout on this occasion apparently didn’t see the oncoming soldiers until they were very near. He immediately gave word to the priest, who asked the congregation to disperse and go their own way as best they could, and “I’ll go mine.” When the soldiers arrived, the commanding officer said, “The wolf was here but he is gone.” The soldiers passed and didn’t see anyone. It was said that the faithful were rendered invisible by the power of God.
The Church in Hanrahan’s Field
Sometime around 1711 a Catholic church was built in Hanrahan’s field directly across from the Creamery about 1/3 of the distance from the Creamery to the now closed post office. The name of the church has been lost, but the description of the church has been passed down. The church building was made of stone, had a thatched roof, no floor and no furniture. The faithful brought straw with them to kneel on the damp ground. It is believed that this low spot in the valley and the shed like building with no floor or furniture was to conceal its function as a Catholic church during the penal years.
Most of the penal laws were removed by 1793, and shortly thereafter the present parish church, dedicated to St. James, the apostle, was built in 1813. The site of the church is on a hill making the tall structure visible for a considerable distance. No contractor was hired to build the church. Instead the parishioners built their church providing the labour and donating most of the materials. The shell of a Chapel in Glenmore, was built at a cost of £100 in 1813. Old Johnnie Gaule of Busherstown, gave this information to his nephew Mickey (Specks) Power of Busherstown, who used to work with Wattie Power of Jamestown who gave it to Danny. Father Grant was the Curate in charge of St. James. Father Grant was a native of Ballyvarring in the Parish of Slieverue.
Birth of Glenmore Parish
The years 1845 to 1850 are primarily associated with the Great Famine, but in Glenmore the year 1846 is also remembered for the birth of the parish. Prior to 1846 the present parish of Glenmore, was part of the parish of Slieverue. Parish Priest Rev. Edward Walsh, on his becoming Bishop of Ossory, made Glenmore a separate parish from Slieverue. In this form Glenmore has remained although with the shortage of priests there is currently consideration being given to combining parishes.
Since 1813 St. James Church has undergone renovations including the removal of the gallery, but the last major renovation of the church was its rebuilding in 1910 as reflected on the stone plaque over the sacristy door. George Nolan a Builder in Waterford was awarded the contract for the re-build in 1910, and Michael Doran was a monumental sculptor, who worked for George Nolan. Michael Doran, at the age of 86 when interviewed by Danny, recalled that in 1910 he cut the stone for the present belfry. For further information regarding renovations see our post of 2 May 2020.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
This past week we added local Irish words to the website as well as local families, and special thanks to Jacqueline Walsh who sent a number of old photos of Glenmore including those of St. James.
Took to the Road Around Glenmore
In 1955 Danny Dowling recorded a list of men and women who “took to the road” and regularly visited the Glenmore area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These usually homeless people were often referred to as tramps or beggars. In the days before social welfare, they travelled from place to place stopping and staying, and perhaps doing odd jobs, for a day or two in exchange for food and a place to sleep. They were usually accomodated in an outbuilding, stable loft or boiler house. Some of the names recorded by Danny include: Mick the Sweep; Corduroy Hat (Pat O’Hara); and Jack the Barrow (who travelled with a wheelbarrow).
Danny obtained details concerning some of these men and women when he interviewed Nicholas Forristal of the Mill, Graiguenakill, on 17 November 1974. Nicky Forristal was born in Glenmore on 1 February 1888. He worked at his family mill in Graiguenakill which was near the main road. He was well placed to speak to and observe people travelling to and around Glenmore.
Dicky “The Stallion” Walsh
Dicky the Stallion was a harmless man. His name was Dick Walsh, and was so called Dicky the Stallion from the fact that his father kept a stallion horse. Paddy the Stallion was his brother. Paddy the Stallion was also a harmless man but not as much so as Dicky. Dicky and Paddy were natives of around Bigwood, Mullinavat area. Their father had a farm, got broke and lost it.
Dicky the Stallion, after his father lost the farm, stayed at the Mill in Graiguenakill, where he got lodging. Dicky also used to stay at Johnnie Ennetts of Cappagh, sometimes. On one occasion he was in Ennetts in the barn, one morning after staying the night when Johnnie asked him, “is he gone yet?” Dickie replied, “I’ll be gone soon sir.” After some time Johnnie called again and said “You’re not gone yet,” to which Dickie replied “Sure I must stand on Ireland’s proud anyway boy—as I have nowhere to go.” Dicky and Paddy Walsh were going around until about 1900. Nicky described them as low size blocks of men with cropped beards. Nicky stated that they had plenty of talk but never spoke ill of anybody.
Paddy “Go Easy” Gorman
Paddy Gorman, known as Paddy Go Easy was a native of New Ross. Paddy Go Easy came out about once a fortnight to the Glenmore area. He always called to the mill. Nicky Forristal noted that “he was in it about 70 to 80 years ago.” Nicky described Paddy Go Easy as a big tall man who walked fast and was clean shaven. He carried a big long stick like a pike handle and wore a wide Jerry Hat. Paddy Go Easy didn’t talk much.
Paddy Pencil
Paddy Pencil, was from the Rower where his father had a farm. Paddy Pencil was in it before Nicky Forristal’s time. Paddy came to Ross to work and got fond of the drink. He remained on in Ross. He was not a travelling man, only hung about the town getting an odd job holding horses and carrying parcels all for a few pence to buy drink.
When Paddy’s father died he left the farm to Paddy’s brother. The brother then gave Paddy the father’s clothes to wear for his soul. Paddy returned from Ross one night shortly afterwards wearing his father’s clothes. He went into the yard and stood in the middle of it and called his brother—imitating his father’s voice.
Paddy’s brother came to the window and thinking it was his father calling from the dead, and he asked his father, “What trouble are you in?” Paddy replied—still imitating his father, “Give the money of the two stacks of wheat in Haggard to Paddy in Ross.” Paddy’s poor brother thought he’d never have the stacks of wheat threshed soon enough in order to give the money to Paddy. He thought this necessary so his father’s soul would rest. When Paddy’s brother had the wheat threshed and sold he immediately gave the money to Paddy. Paddy had a great time drinking for about 3 weeks.
Jack the Ink
Jack the Ink moved around Glenmore before Nicky Forristal’s time. Peggy Gaffney, who had the little shop in Glenmore, told Nicky that Jack the Ink called to her shop. On one occasion Jack bought and ate 12 penny buns in the shop. Jack used to talk to himself and lodged here and there around Glenmore. Jack was regarded as clever. “As clever as Jack the Ink,” the people used say. He made straw hats for 1 ½ d. each.
John “Tail of the Comet” Dalton
John Dalton was known as Tail of the Comet and was from “up Co. Kilkenny.” A big tall man about 6 feet tall. John had a bit of a meegle (goatee). John Dalton “used be after the wedding cee caws in Glenmore.” (This was a custom after a wedding where coins were thrown into the air.) John Dalton carried a switch and used to belt the women on the knuckles in the scramble. He was a clever old daw and was in circulation until the 1930’s. He was about 70 years of age then. Paddy Forristal, Nicky’s son, saw him calling to Glenmore School, when Paddy was a pupil. John used to lift the latch and open the door and put in his head and say “How you Mister Beevins?” He called Mr. Bevans, the headmaster, Mr. Beevins. John always got a couple of pence from Mr. Bevans. After getting the money John would say, “Happy harvest to you now sir” and remove his hat. John also called to the priests, and was reasonably well dressed.
Gentle Annie
Gentle Annie was going when Nicky Forristal was a young man, and he remembered her as “The Lady All Round.” She appeared to be old then and she was called Nurse Whelan. She lived and died at Nelly Grawsheens, where Hanrahan’s shop is now, in Robinstown, Glenmore. She was a big, tall, old woman when Nicky Forristal knew her. It appeared she was a nurse in a hospital in her time. After her death, the union hearse came from Waterford and took her away. Nicky Forristal was going to school when she died about 74 years ago. They had a great night at her wake even though there was no drink. Nicky Forristal related that they “had a bonfire inside, they tore the boards down off the loft and burned” them. All the local boys were there and there was a dance as well. That same night they nearly roasted Mick Breen of Graiguenakill, and Nicky noted that Breen’s real name was Butler.
Others
Other persons Nicky Forristal recalled in 1974 were: Foxy Ned Grace (a Crimea War Pensioner); Blind Woman (who was dead over 70 years); George Lackey (who had been in India) and Jim Arse who “was in it” about 80 years ago, and worked with Tom Nolan at the Redhouse in Shanbogh.
Biddy the Pipes was an old woman when Nicky Forristal was a chap. She used have about three pipes on her for smoking. She used to regularly call to the mill for a bit to eat.
Billy and Jane Fleming lived in a lime kiln in Graiguenakill. Billy and Jane used to pick furze seed in order to get a bit to eat. Billy once carried 4 stones of furze seed to Kilkenny and back to Waterford on his back. Billy used to say, “Shut the door and let me in.” He died before 1890.
Jack the Bird McGrath was a cattle drover. In the Glenmore area he stopped in Whelan’s Bog, Shanbough; Grants, Ballyvarring and Mullin’s of Flemingstown. In 1974, Nicky Forristal noted he was dead about 50 years or more.
Bolliky Bill’s real name was Bill Coffey. Nicky Forristal when interviewed stated that “he was one of the last tramps to roam this area,” and was in it up to about 20 years ago. He was usually dressed in rags, almost in his skin. Bill had a kind of English accent, but never spoke very much.
First Burial in St. James
It is believed that the first person to be buried in the cemetery attached to St. James, the present Glenmore church, was a woman named Reilly who took to the roads and travelled around the Glenmore area. She was stopped at Dunphy’s in Ballyverneen, Glenmore when she died. This information was provided to Danny Dowling by the late Luke Gaule of Slieveconagh, Rosbercon, who heard it from Michael Gaule of Killespy, Slieverue and late of Jamestown, Glenmore. The present churchyard opened in 1805 eight years before St. James was built in 1813.
The feature black and white photo was taken of a Rathinure local in 2019 on the Kilcolumb Church Lane. The other photo is courtesy of the digital collection of the New York Public Library. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “”Bum blockade.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1936. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4adae4b0-73d3-0136-0397-1ba7cc681344
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
The Story of Glenmore by Daniel Dowling (1927-2021)
Like any other Irish Parish, the history of Glenmore is the story of its people, how they lived and the conditions they had to endure, in the various centuries of time that have gone by.
Situated in the undulating countryside which forms the south eastern part of County Kilkenny, it is located roughly midway between the seaport towns of Ross and Waterford. It covers an area of 13,529 acres, and is bounded by the parishes of Slieverue, Mullinavat and Rosbercon, and by the River Barrow which separates it from County Wexford. A land of contrasts of sheltered valleys and exposed hillside, but all blending together to form a landscape, rich, both in its picturesque beauty and in its soil, which has provided countless generations of its sons and daughters with their means of livelihood.
Across the centuries man has worked and shaped the landscape here and what the eye beholds today is a memorial to the toils and endeavours of those hardy God fearing people. The exact length of time that man has been here is rather difficult to determine, but the discovery of cyst burials containing cremated remains at Haggard, Ballinlammy and Ballygurrim, indicate that the area was inhabited in the Bronze Age which covered the period of time from approximately 2,000 to 500 B.C. The numerous raths or rings forts which have dotted the countryside here were the dwelling places of our early farmers, and those habitations were in use from Bronze Age time to about A.D. 1100. Unfortunately a number of those monuments have been cleared away, and it is hope that those who have control over the few that remain, will pass them on to posterity as part of our heritage.
Legend has it that the great Apostle himself, St. Patrick came to Davidstown, but whether or not that ever happened, is a matter of conjecture. What is certain, however, is that the Christian Religion was in widespread practice here in early times, as is evidenced by the numerous Celtic Churches which were used as places of Worship. These early edifices were located in Rathaglish, Davidstown, Rochestown, Ballycroney, Ballygurrim, Kilmakevoge, Kilbride, Kilquan and Kilcolumb. Of all these only the ruins of Ballygurrim, Kilmakevoge, and Kilcolumb still survive, and the foundations of what was Kilbride.
The present Parish Church, dedicated to St. James, the apostle, is located in the townland of Robinstown, which forms part of the village from which the parish has derived its name. Built in 1813 it replaced an earlier church which was located nearby in the same townland. What is regarded as the present parish of Glenmore, is an ecclesiastical unit dating from 1846, when the then Parish Priest Rev. Edward Walsh, on his becoming Bishop of Ossory, made it a separate parish by dividing it from what are now the parishes of Slieverue and Ferrybank. In this form it has remained ever since.
The present population of the parish is about 1300 which is a little over a quarter of what it was at the time of the Great Famine in the 1840’s. The Census of 1841, showed a resident population of 4,480, while twenty years later the Census of 1861 gave the figure as 2,611, which was a drop of 1869 persons or a percentage decrease of 41.75. This clearly demonstrates the sizeable population movement from the area in that period, and the pressures which brought about changing circumstances in which large numbers of people were forced to emigrate in search of work and livelihood. By 1881, the population had declined to 2,152 while over half a century later in 1936, the figure stood at 1,543 persons. Again 25 years further on in 1961, with the Second World War having taken place in the meantime, the resident population had further diminished to 1,251 persons which was percentage decrease of 27.98. Since then the balance has change and there is now an upward trend.
Even before the Famine Period there was emigration from the area to places like Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and other areas of the North American continent, in addition to the new industrial centres of Britain. Australia too, got its sprinkling of our kith and kin. The Missionaries also had their quota from the Parish, and Glenmore priests, nuns and brothers were to be found in the forefront of the advance of Christianity, particularly in the areas of the new frontier in North America and Australia. Illustrious names like Nicholas Cardinal Wiseman (1802-1865), first Archbishop of Westminster, and first Cardinal in England since Reginald Pole died in 1588; Dr. Michael Kelly (1850-1941) Archbishop of Sydney in Australia and Thomas Francis Meagher of the Sword, come to mind from the list of worthies associated with the Parish.
Farming has always been the traditional livelihood of the people, and since the Creamery which was founded by cooperative effort in 1906, greater emphasis has been placed on dairying. Today it is a mixed farming area with dairying, tillage and dry stock raising being the chief pursuits. Brickmaking was an industry long associated with the area, and the Barrow, in days gone by, provided a livelihood for the numerous local boatmen who plied its waters in their “gabbards” transporting merchandise.
The Irish language persisted longer here than in most other parts of County Kilkenny, apart from the Tullogher area. Thomas Lacey, a Surveyor for the Waterford-Wexford-Wicklow and Dublin Railway Scheme, who was engaged in survey work in Glenmore in November 1844, mentioned that the Irish language was very generally spoken in this part of Co. Kilkenny. The great John O’Donovan, Topographer, Antiquary and Scholar Extraordinary can justly be claimed as a son of the Parish, his mother being a native of Rochestown, and he himself having been born in the parish before it was divided. The last native speaker in the parish died at Jamestown in 1941. Even today numerous Irish words can still be found in the vocabulary of the older residents. Irish as it was spoken was of the South Kilkenny dialect with its soft R.
Celt, Viking, Norman, Cromwellian, Jacobite and Williamite have passed this way in their respective periods over the long course of recorded history and others before them in prehistoric times. All have contributed in one way or another to the character of those hardy industrious people who today inhabit the Glenmore landscape.
Introducing Glenmore Historian: Danny Dowling (1927-2021)
Daniel Dowling, more popularly known in the parish of Glenmore as Danny, has been interviewing and recording the information provided by a range of people concerning events and people of the South East for nearly 7 decades. Danny has become the recognised historian of Glenmore, and both local and people from all over the world, have sought his help in tracing their ancestors. On 28 September 2019 the tables were turned and Danny was interviewed.
Danny’s Early Life
Danny was born on 15 February 1927, the eldest of l2 children of Patrick Dowling of Jamestown, Glenmore and his wife Hannah Murphy Dowling who was originally from Ballinlammy, Glenmore.
Danny candidly admits that he was not interested in education as a boy. He attended the boys’ National School in Glenmore and was sent as a day student to Good Council in New Ross for secondary school. Danny only lasted a year or two at Good Council and then went to work on the Dowling farm in Jamestown. Eventually, after the death of his father in 1945, Danny went to Dublin to take a course in Public Health at the National College. Upon graduation he sat a civil service exam and did very well. He was offered four jobs and took a post in County Kildare where he stayed for a year. He then transferred to Waterford in 1951 or 1952 where he remained employed as a Public Health Inspector until his retirement in 1988.
Public Health Inspector
Danny described his job as a Public Health Inspector as requiring him to enforce laws regarding housing. His duties included all housing, not just council houses, as well as trying to find housing for the homeless. He noted that he observed some terrible living conditions in the early years of his career. Danny recorded the condition of the housing and made recommendations concerning it.
Interest in Local History
Notwithstanding his disinterest in education as a boy, from an early age Danny had an interest in history particularly local history. He evolved from listening to the stories told by the older inhabitants of the area to jotting down notes. To date, 15 of Danny’s notebooks have been transcribed and a number more have yet to be transcribed. These notebooks contain a treasure trove of information concerning local customs, events, families, local Irish words, Irish field names etc. Danny recalls that he began taking notes and interviewing people before he went to work in Waterford. In addition to writing two books for the Waterford Corporation, historical articles by Danny have been published Kilkenny and Waterford journals.
When asked to give advice to any person who is interested in local history, Danny responded that the best approach is to start talking and recording the memories of people you know.
Glenmore History Blog will contain weekly articles from the notes that Danny has taken over the years and Danny hopes that his work will be shared, preserved and generate interest among younger people.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh