William Grant (b. 1902)

The infamous Grant Brothers, of Ballyvarring, Glenmore were known for being big, rough men . They were not born in Glenmore. However, in the first half of the 20th Century they engaged in threshing around the Glenmore area, and they had two or three steam engines. Danny Dowling (1927-2021) collected several stories about the Grant Brothers including a 1948 criminal case that was reported in the Kilkenny People (Sat. 20 Nov. 1948, p. 3). For another incident involving the Grant Brothers, see our post of 3 October 2021. At the end of the post we attempt to reveal how the Grant Brothers came to Glenmore.

In the Circuit Court in Kilkenny on the 15^th of November 1948 Thomas Grant of Ballyvarring, Glenmore stood trial charged with three criminal offences. It was alleged that he (1) had a shotgun in his possession without having a firearm certificate; (2) “he maliciously by gun-shot ammunition caused an explosion likely to cause serious injury to property” and (3) having in his possession a shotgun with the intent to cause serious injury to property. Mr. T.L. Doyle, B.L. represented the State. The newspaper account did not record that the Defendant, Thomas Grant, was represented, but a Mr. D’Arcy questioned several witnesses. It is assumed Mr. D’Arcy represented the Defendant. The jury was comprised of men from across the county.

The State’s Case

Patrick Halligan, a farmer, lived with his wife, Annie, in a remote house in Ballinlaw, Slieverue. On the night of 29 June 1948, Patrick Halligan went to bed at 10 o’clock. Annie was in the kitchen. He awakened by a noise which he thought was some of the rendering falling off of the ceiling. “He then heard three shouts by a man coming from the direction of Ballinlaw.” This was about 11 p.m. He went back to sleep.

The next morning Annie found that one of their kitchen windows had been shot. The glass was broken and there were pellets in the window sash. This was the window near where they ate their meals. Patrick searched the area and found several pellets on the ground below the broken window as well as an empty cartridge on the road about 55 yards away. He also found some wads between the road and the broken window.

Witness Patrick Halligan

In response to questions from Mr. D’Arcy, Patrick Halligan stated that there was no light in the kitchen when the shot was fired. He lived in the house for about 20 years. Patrick Halligan testified that he knew the defendant, Thomas Grant for over 30 years. He had trouble with the Grants back in 1935 when they tried to stop him threshing. The Grants were taken to court. After that incident they were no longer on speaking terms, but over the 13 years since the threshing incident there was no repetition. He was at a loss why it “should heat up again.”

Witness Annie Halligan

Annie Halligan testified that at about 11 p.m. she was in the bedroom preparing to go to bed. She heard a shot and about 5 minutes later three shouts. The sounds were coming from the road at the back of the house. She knew the defendant and his brothers for over 30 years. They were always on good terms until they had the threshing incident. In response to Mr. D’Arcy she was not frightened when she heard the shot that night. However, the next morning when she saw the window she did become frightened. When it was suggested that someone was hunting rabbits, she replied that at one time there were a lot of rabbits. However, she said there were not many rabbits now.

Witness Richard Vereker & Thomas Menton

Richard Vereker testified that the defendant and his brother John Joe did some ploughing for him. John Joe owned the tractor and Thomas helped him. Vereker stated that he had bought an old single barrel shotgun from Thomas Menton and gave it to John Joe Grant in part payment for the ploughing.  The value of the shot gun was £4 10s. In response to a question from the judge he stated he never discussed the shotgun with the Defendant.

Thomas Menton, of Waterford, testified that he sold the shotgun to Vereker about six months before the trial.

Detective Sgt. J. Hanafin

Detective Sgt. J. Hanafin stated that on 30 June he visited the Halligan home. After observing the damage to the window and holes in the wall of the house he collected various pellets. He went to the Grant house on 1 July and all four brothers were interviewed. The defendant denied that he had a shotgun. The police carried out a search and found a number of empty cartridge cases and some ammunition. No shotgun was found. At a later date he returned to the Grant home and told them that he had a statement from Dick Vereker that Vereker has sold the gun to John Joe and he gave them 10 minutes to consider.

The Defendant then took them through several fields and showed them where the gun was hidden. Notwithstanding the fact that the Defendant had originally stated that they had no gun, he persisted in stating that he was no where near the Halligan house on the night the window was shot. Sergeant Dalton testified that he had not issued a firearms certificate to the defendant.

Witness James Walsh

James Walsh, an employee of a Waterford business testified that the Defendant sometime in the early summer produced a license for a box of cartridges in the name of William Knox. He gave him the box.

The Defence Case

The Testimony of the Defendant Thomas Grant

The Defendant testified that he lived with his four brothers. William owned the farm. Thomas worked for his brother John Joe. He admitted that he had not been on friendly terms with the Halligans for 13 years. He admitted that he and John Joe did work for Dick Vereker in the Spring and part of their pay was the shot gun that was given to John Joe.

The Defendant insisted that he never used the gun and it was not his. On the 29^th of June he was in Waterford and got home at 4:30. At 8:30 he went to Halligan’s pub in Ballinlaw. He left at closing time. After talking for sometime he took the shortcut home across the fields. Along the way he met Patrick Moore and they walked together. He did not go near the Halligan’s house.

The following day he heard from Sgt. Dalton that a shot had been fired at Halligan’s house. He shifted the shotgun from the thresher in the yard to a field. He originally told Sgt. Hanaflin that he did not have a gun. However, when he returned with a statement from Dick Vereker he brought the detective to the gun. He told the officer that the gun was his, he got it, but had not used it. He also admitted buying a box of cartridges for William Knox. However, he denied shooting at the Halligan house.

In reply to Mr. Doyle he said that they had three threshing sets, a tractor and other machinery. They farmed about 120 acres. He stated that the 1935 dispute arose from Halligan getting someone else to thresh for him. He and his brothers went down to stop it. He stated that they were more against the owner of the thresher than the Halligans. Mr. Doyle responded, “You are the Stalin of Ballinlaw?” The defendant stated, “I thought we were more entitled to the threshing than a man 60 miles away.”

The Judge noted that the defendant appeared to admit possession when he moved the gun from the thresher to the field.

Testimony of Grant Brothers

William Grant stated that the Defendant was home when he arrived home before 11 p.m. new time on June 29. John Joe Grant admitted to Mr. Doyle that he lied when he said he knew nothing about the gun. He also admitted stating that “they made me do it,” when in fact his lies were voluntary. Richard Grant testified that while his brother took the short cut home on the 29^th he had a bicycle and cycled home via the road. Thomas was in bed when he got home. He did not recall telling the Guards that he was not sure what time Thomas got home.

Other Defence Witnesses

Martin Kneeffe testified that the Defendant walked home over Knox’s Lane. In reply to Mr. Doyle he said he too went home by Knox’s Lane, but Grant was in front of him. He admitted he did not tell the Guards that Grant walked home ahead of him. He told the Guards that he left the Defendant in the taproom.

Patrick Moore stated that he was on his way through Conway’s farm when he met the Defendant. Defendant told him the pub was closed and he then went back with the Defendant to the Grant house.

William Knox testified that the Defendant bought 25 cartridges for him in Waterford. When asked why he did not tell the Guards Knox replied that they never asked him.

Verdict & Sentence

After a short absence the jury returned a verdict of guilty to the first charge of having a shotgun without the required firearm certificate.  The Defendant was found not guilty of the other two charges. The Judge imposed a fine of £10, or alternatively a month’s imprisonment. He also ordered that the shotgun was forfeited.

How the Grant Brothers Came to Glenmore

The Grant Brothers home place was Ballyvarring, Glenmore. Locals recall that they obtained this farm from a relative. In the 1911 Census, James Grant (aged 55) was living in Ballyvarring, Glenmore with his wife Catherine Grant née Ennett of Cappagh (aged 45). The couple had been married for ten years but had no children. The couple were married on 20 November 1900 at St. John’s of Waterford. The father of the groom was William Grant and the father of the bride was Patrick Ennett. James Grant (c. 1853-1915) died in 1915.

The Grant Brothers were born in Ballyhale. They were the sons of John Grant (c. 1859-?) and his wife Anne Grant née Aylward. On the marriage cert Anne’s address is Ballytarnia. To this marriage at least five sons were born: [1] William Grant (b. 1902); [2] Thomas Grant (b. 1905); [3] James Grant (b. 1906); [4] John Grant (b. 1908) and [5] Richard Grant. No record could be located for Richard Grant. John Grant (c. 1859-?) and Anne Aylward married on 13 February 1899 in Waterford. John was from Ballyvarring, and his father was listed as William Grant. Thus it appears that the Grant Brothers came to the Ballyvarring, Glenmore farm sometime after the death of their uncle James Grant (c. 1853-1915).

Interestingly, the 1911 Census revealed that the Grant Brothers were residing in Carriganura, Slieverue in the home of their maternal grandmother Ellen Aylward née Hennebry (aged 70). Anne Grant née Aylward (c. 1872-? ) was 39 and her husband John Grant (c. 1862- ?) was 48. John Joe Grant obtained a farm in Carrignurra, but he eventually lost it and returned to Ballyvarring. It is not known if this was the Aylward farm. Ellen Aylward née Hennebry died in 1926 at the age of 84 in Ballyvarring, Glenmore.

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

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh

The featured photo is from The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “Hired man working tractor engine used for threshing on farm of Alfred Shaffner, a farmer in the submarginal area of Sugar Hill, near Townsend, Connecticut.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1940. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/f2614c80-ebb6-013d-4c72-0242ac110002