Motor cars

As the first of the New Year approaches we decided to list some of the firsts recorded in Danny Dowling’s notebooks. If you know of any other Glenmore firsts please feel free to share them.

Pat Cody, of Glenmore, in his November 1955 interview  with Danny discussed the earliest local and parish men who owned bicycles. The Dooley’s of Hoodsgrove, Rosbercon were the very first in the area to get a Penny Farthing bicycle. James Dooley cycled to Dublin and back on a Penny Farthing. Although Pat Cody did not reveal when this trip to Dublin and back took place, Penny Farthing bicycles were popular in the 1870’s and 1880’s and were replaced by chain driven “safety bicycles” that had similar sized tyres in the early 1890’s.

According to Pat Cody, John Condon was the first man in Glenmore Parish to get a bicycle and it was of the Penny Farthing type. Jack Doherty of Milltown was the first to get the solid type safety bicycle. Mr. Dobbyn of Mullinavat got it for him. Mr. Dobbyn was the son of stationmaster of Mullinvat. Richard Grace of Kilbride was the first in Glenmore to get a pneumatic tyred bicycle shortly followed by Jack Power of Clune who also got a pneumatic tyred model.

In 1968 Danny interviewed Mrs. Alice Power, née Curran, (widow of Walter “Wattie” Power).At the time of her interview Alice Curran Power was 87 years of age and identifiedKatie Ennett of Cappah and Minnie Heffernan of Glenmore, as the first women in Glenmore to own and ride bicycles. She stated that John Condon of Mullinahone, Glenmore had a Penny Farthing a long time before the ladies obtained bicycles. Alice and her sister Maggie Curran were the next girls to get bicycles in Glenmore. They bought Rudge-Whitworth bicycles around 1900. At that time bicycles were not being sold in New Ross. The bicycles had to be purchased in Wexford and cost about £11 or £12 each. Alice noted that a few years afterwards bicycles got very plentiful and that Bridget Gaffney also likely had an early bicycle as she was great friends with Katie Ennett and Minnie Heffernan.

Walter “Wattie”Power, of Jamestown, in 1956 informed Danny that the first man ever to get a motor car in Glenmore was his brother-in-law, Nick Curran N.T. (national teacher) in about 1923. It was a Singer. He also recalled that the first radio in Glenmore was obtained by Fr. Bergin, C.C. and shortly thereafter Nicholas Curran also got a radio. Wattie identified Peg Purcell, of Busherstown, Glenmore as the first person “in the district” to get a treadle (foot powered) sewing machine about 1870. Peg Purcell, was Main Gaul’s mother) and was a dressmaker. Peg Purcell died when Wattie was a small child and he recalled that she wore a white bordered bonnet on her head. The make of the treadle sewing machine is not recorded.

In 1958, Danny identified the earliest motor cars and owners in Glenmore that he recalled as follows:

1. Thomas Aylward, Haggard—blue Model T

2. J.K. Walsh, The Village—two tone Morris

3. James Vereker, Grogan—Armstrong, brown

4. Michael Heffernan, The Village—Armstrong Siddey[?] blue

5. Dick Murphy, Robinstown—red, Model T

6. Dan McCarthy, Ballyfacey—Morris, green

7. Jim Walsh, The Village—black, Model T

8. Jim Donovan, Creamery Manager—black, Overland Whippet

9. Mrs. Henrietta Curran, Robinstown—Singer, red with yellow wheels

10. Julia & Ciss Donovan, Robinstown—black, Austin 7

11. Pat & Jim Hanrahan, Robinstown—grey, Ford Model B

12. Dr. Michael Gibbons, C.C.— two seater

13. Ned Grace, Forristalstown—Morris 8

Danny believes that the first steam thresher in Glenmore belonged to Martin Walsh of Ballybrahee, and Dick Murphy of Robinstown had the first tractor in Glenmore parish. He also believes that the first telephone belonged to Jim Donovan the first creamery manager. According to Danny the first electricity in Glenmore was generated by the creamery and the creamery supplied electricity to the Village during Tom Cudihy’s time. Tom Cudihy was the second Glenmore Creamery Manager and came around 1932. Danny believes that he had the first television in Glenmore and he obtained it when he lived in Jamestown. He recalls that people came all the way from Ross to watch it.

Update (24 Feb. 2021) According to the obituary of James Hannigan published in the Kilkenny People (Fri. 30 Sept. 1960, p. 5) James Hannigan, a native of Glenmore Village was the first person in Glenmore to own a phonograph.

Happy New Year to all of our readers!