Lyreacrompane & District Journal #7

NOVEMBER 2OO3

\\'e are proud to presenl issue Number 7 of the L)reacrompane arld Districl Journal, the ljrst onc of this cenlur). w'e hope you r,'i]l enjoy reading it ovcr the winter. This publication fion out own area *ould make an ideal gift for those unable to get homc fbr the Christmas Season. \\'e're surc all Lyre exiles would appreciate a copy. To all people',\ho. since our last Journal. have come to live in thc sencral Lyreacrompane area. \!e extend "A C6ad Mile F:iilte" and we hope thal this Joumal will givc ) ou an insight into the past and present of your new community- Perhaps next year you \\,ill writc an artjcle for it- The collection of material for the next edition starts now. A special thanks to all our ad\.eftisers. Tuatha Chiarrai Teo and all who have contibutcd articles and photographs to this Journal. In anticipation \\'c also thank the nuny oLrllels that will scll our.journal.

Since our last Joumal Llreacrornpane has cntombed its Millennium Timc Capsule. celebmled Dan Paddl Andy with a couple of more successt'ul Fcstivals and will do so again on the August Bank Holiday 200,1. The area also has its o\rn prtch on the world wide Web called \r $ w.lyreacrompane.com In fact you can send ),our a icles aod photographs to us at iournal@lvreacrompale.eelD \\ie hope this wcb site $ill make it easier tbr all Lyreacrompane exiles to keep in contact v/ith and abreast of developmcnts back home.

One of our constant contributors, John B Keane. has passed away since our last journal. John B made Lyreacrompane famous world wide aid Lyreacrompanc dearly rnisses hin1. Go odeana Dia r6cairc ar a anam.

Our last Journal (No.6) was launched by Castleisland Journalist John Reidy uho tillows in thi tbotsteps oI Seiin Mccarthy R.l.P who Jaunchcd .lournal Number l. President Mary Robinson (No 2), Mary Conroy and Miire Begle) ot' Kcrry Rarlio (with the humorous assislance of John B Keane R.LP) (No 3). Jim Connelly, Rural Resettlernent (No:l) and Gabriel Fitzmaurice who launched Joumal No 5.

Finally, I wish to thank lhe Lyreacrompane and Distr-ict Journal Committee who are Kay O'Lcary, Bridie Sheehy, Bddie Quilie. Tonn'ry QuiJie and John Joe Sheehy. C/oe -]

/j-r,z-j {\

Il(lllor

\ckno$ ledgments: Local History Section, Tralee Libtary: The Kcrryrnan: Kery s Eye lrelands Own:

\-.8. .\ \ ol the nmteial.lron this .lournal tunol he repuhlishcd vithoul lh. wt'illetl (o \t tol the I:dilot'or the a thorollhe, oteri4l ct)ttt?1|tcd.

Introduction

Millennium Capsule

Knockalougha School Doran heads the Poll Champion of Champiorls Duagh Llre Conlmunity Games

Duagh School 1879 M^king History Renagown School Revisited John B Keane

Fancy That ChristrDas Vidco in Finuge The Question Is Every Day Phrases Where 10 Next Farnous Timmy Dillion My Home in Sweet Lyrcacronpane The Life and Tirnes of St. Sennn Night Attack on Lixnaw Hall Lenten Regulations for Kerry 1926 Molly Monsters F'arrily First Mass at O Brcnnan A Pathetic Sight Characters we met in Amcrica Hurly s oi Lyreacrompane Education Goes lndoors

I 4 1 ll 9 ll 1,1 l6 t1 20 )4 21 28 29 3l 32 3l 34 3'7 3'7 31 38 38 39 ,15 6I

The Thrasher from Lyre Thc Mill

The Locke Estate Folklore Commission ltems (1930s) Bord nii Mdna Back in Lyre Long Lost Brothers Keelduli Creamcry Burned Patriot and Policeman Beyond The Hill Slip Brakes Visil from Writers week I sh Townland System Limerick City Suppliers to Lyre Creamery Amanda's Diary william Nolan Carpenter From Clare to Here Cloughaneliskert Cerlsus l90l & l9ll Cloughaneagleragh Census l90l & l91l

The Mountcoal F'eis Tloupe 1934 1762 Map Lost in Lyreacrompanc l9l6 Petition to Split Playing Fields around Lyre

6,1 6'1 65 69 '70 71 73 75 75 16 '7',7 11 19 ll0 8t 8l 8,1 86 It7 89 90 9l 92 91

L\re.rrro'rpnnr R.l.(.ltnracks- no$ drnrolished (|horo.oLr e.\ ol .lohn.lr)cShcL'r))

Babl Ann IIirket. l-ilzie \rnrn. \lrme \Iurpht. Eliaheth StarkiD, Sheila Naughton. NIai Crotrin. ltlurdic Rochc..loatr t)onoghur.

Nor$n (llailnl uclllligott..lo Conncll. \larr So'nntrs. llettJ ln'ugblin. Lilctn Keane. llridi$ Horgatr. \Ian Horyan. \lrrrgarcl lluckle). \lar] Ro(he. Phil IIickrr.IInn'iah Rarrr.

.loan hrright. Bridir ll(nonq. Nora Donoghue. \lrrl Krnr. I'hil \aughlon. NIar] t)rtrr)shur. Klthlkn O'ft)ntrtll. Nlcni, (''urin. \larr K{nr. (lhriss (i'nnrll.

LYRE CO}{NIUNICATES WITH PARISHIONERS IN 2099

IJI CoN I)I.]\NEII\

Kcffl'\ L!t' 6llt Ja,tuorr '00

On New Year's Day the Peoplc froln Lyreacrompane and District gathered at thc l)an Paddy Andy Memorial to bur-''- a scaled clpsulc that will remain buried until the last da) of December 2099.

The large capsule \\as encased over ground in a special block & stone urrit. The Lrnit $ill l1o$ be used as a seat in the shadow of the monnmenl erect ed in honour ol Dan Paddy Andy O'Sulli\an. thc last of the great matchmakers. uho died in 1966. Speaking to Kery s Eye at the ceremony the PRO ol the Committcc. Joe Harrington. explained the idea behind the vcnture.

"We arc not going to list the cntire cortcnts of the capsulc bul just mcntioned a t'cw items. \\'e hope when thc capsule is opened in 2099 thal the con tents will be a surTrise and \,"ill rcflect lhe litt and times of this area as lived by people in 1999.'

One item thal is includecl in thc capsule is a Millennium candle and thc orginiTers are confidcnt that the l-yreacrompanc candle will bc the only onc in lreland that will last tbr a 100 years.

The candle was lil at a tirmill meal in the Pa sh over Ch stolas and a note wrapped around the candlc has asked that the candlc be lit al a tamily meal

in the p^rish in 2099. Thc candle is named the "Light ol Lyre down the Centuries".

The contcnts ol-thc Lyre Capsule reflect the life ot' the Parish and contain items tiom many ol the gr'{)ups and organizatiotls in thc region. The Gtll} Club has included a Clay Pigeon while thc children tiorn the local school have lvritten a Christmas card to their pecrs in the ycar 2099.

Thc Committce is called FLAC. which slands for the Fedelation oI Lyre Action Groups and is nrade up of reprcscntatiles tr-om the Dan Paddy Andy Commiltee. thc Llre wrlks Group. Santa in the Foresl and thc Lyre and District Jounill. The cer_ emony on New Yetr's Day also coincided with the bifih of Dan Padrly Andy *hich took placc one hundrecl years ago on Deccnrber lTlh llJ99.

Among those present to witness and help at the bu al of the capsule was Hanna Canty. who represented the oldest person in lhe Parish. while two weeks old Aisling Keane had the honour of being the youngest person to witness this historic event. A special plaque will shortly be erected on the front oi the unit/seat (the seat over the capsule) with instructions on when to open the capsule.

On New Year's E\e Ihe celebrations sta ed \\'ith a Party al the Fou| Ehns Bar lnd in mid Deccmber the Lyre and Distficl Joulnal was launched by well kno$n photographer and scribe John Reidy, fiom Castleishnd. One of the teatures of thc Chis(ma\ season was the visit ol Santa to Lyrc Wood. an event which i\ set to continuc in 2000.

Knockalougha School

Some notes on the early days of Knockalougha Male School.

A 99-ycar lcase was executed on the l,lth of July )878. Thc llLlstees wcre Re! Dean Maile (:)). Re! l, O'Regan and C O Ciillagran Esq. The guatuntor was Richarcl Ronan Chule and the rcll numbcr was 1165,1. The building measurcd 28 feet.nd 6 irches by l5 foot and 9 inches by l2 feet and 9 inches high.

On the 6th of May 1880 lhe board ol works rcquested infor'mation as to trh! contraclols were allowed to lcave defecls such as whitewashing. yard drainage. suitable kcys fo[ gales. out oflices and latch fbr d(x)r rl1' Bovs Room. The reply rcferrcd to thc "tritling delects" which it said \\ould be remedicd by the Ivlilnagcr who will sink a drain

Thomas Casey was the teacher and he had a running battle with authority. On the l9th of October 1880 Thomas Casey was reprimanded on the Io$ proficiency and unsatisfactory progless. A reduction of the results fee was threatened. Four months later he was even more severely reprirnanded regarding the condition of the school and dismissal was threatened. Towards the end of 1883 the school was closed because of an epidemic. Scarletina was prevalent

Conrplaints were obviously being rnade aboul Thomas Casey and ir Catherine l,yons $as infbrlnccl that the Commissioners do not intcrfere in the private al-lairs of lcacheff. In the meirntinlc the Comnrissi{)ners ulged thal more altention bc given {o the Nlanual ol Practical Falning.

1 it

:ffis

Through the 1890s Thomas Casey was consistently in trouble over the condition of the school or bad examination results. On the l,lth of June 1898 Thomas was severely repri manded and fined 3l for neglect of timetable arangements. It was claimed that he timpered with the school clock to conceal this when he saw the School Inspector approach. Although the Inspector caught him in the act he deiied everything. A more serious penalty was threatened if again reported.

As the century drew to a close the Commissioners were concemed at the procedure for selecting monitors and specifically as to how a James Dower had been selected. The usual procedure was to select by way of a cotupetitive examination fiom among pupils who had attended the school. Teachers' children were not to be given preferential treatment.

Late Mr. Matthew Doran, of Lyreacrompane.

A \,ery large and rcpresentative assembll' paid the last tribute of respect at the luneral of Mr. Miltt Domn, of Lyreacrompanc.

Mr. Domn. who had tbr man) ycars serYed the community as a Rural District Councillor and Poor Law Guardian. was uni!ersally csteemed for his beneloIence. Cenial and large-hearted, his men'lory will long be cherished.

Al lhe tuneral to Kilshinane. the principal mourners wcre, MLs. Doran, (sido$). Mrs. Doran. Mrs. McMahon (sistcrs in law), Timothy and willie Loughnane and Daniel Walsh (brothers in law), Patrick. Matthew, Daniel and Thomas Doran. Thomas Walsh and Michael Stack (nephcws). Ciss and Mary Doran. Mrs. Stack, Nellie Stack. Mrs. Sheehy, Ellie Annc. Margaret and Katy Walsh (nieces). William Stack (nephew in-law), Mrs. Michael and Mrs. Stack, Limerick, lnieces in-la\\, ).

(lther relatives were Thomas and Mrs. Doran- William. Jarnes and Matthcu Doran. Katty Doran, Mrs. Patrick Carey, Mis. Mona Dennehy. Mrs. DH Leane. Jailes Crowley PD. Patrick and Mrs. O'Connor. Michael, Daniel and Thomas O'Connor. Dl (J'Connor. Duagh, Michael and Mrs. Molyneaux, Mrs. Doody. Duagh. Thomas. John rnd Cornelius Fitzgerald. Patrick and Mrs. Canty. Michael B Moloney. Michael J and Mrs. Moloney. Patrick Moloney. Jerry and Mrs. Moloncy, Mrs. McElligott.

Rathea, Daniel Lyons. Mrs. T Dillion. Duagh, Patick Sheehy. Willie Nolan, Jerry B Moloney. Mrs. David Dillion. Mrs. J Sheehy. Mrs. T Sheehy. Mrs. Patrick Moloncy. DerIil1daf1e, Jeffrey and Mrs. O'Donoghue. James D Moloncy. Timothy and John Donoghue. Daniel and Mrs. Llons. Ralhea.

Also in a(tendance wcre Mr- J Crou,ley TD. Mr. TJ Walsh PC, Chairman Listo,,rel UDC. Mr. Thomas Connell. UDC, and Mr. J Dennehy etc. ,,!ere also Prcsent.

wires were receiYed from Thomas and Maurice Doran. London. brothers of the deceased. who were unable to traYel owing to the general strike in England.

Tlu'l,ibtratrtr 1926.

DoRAN HEADS THE P1QLL

The Kerryman nelrspaper of November l0th 193:l canied the fbllowing report...

Thc many friends in London and North Kerry of Councillor Mauricc Doran will be glad to hcar ol his success at the reccnt Borough eleclions.

Hc hcaded the poll with a very comfbrtable majority over that of his opponents in the Stamtbrd Hill Borough.

Councillor Doran is a native of Lyreacrompane, Lixnaw, Co Kerry.

I stafi upon the hilltopI am very weak and thin li I was in a battle, I'd ncver ever- win.

No$ I'm getting bigger. I m getting kind of strong. I pick up slones and rocks and twigsI sing a gcntle song.

I am turning very slowJy. I pass through fields and towns Cows begin to drink from me. l'nl moving up and down.

I'm getting vcry wide this time. l\n coming to my end. I'm still very strong and wide, As I tum every bend.

I see my finish and my cnd. It s coming very near. I'm the biggest I have ever been. I'm io thc sea. I'm here.

Also Shrubs & Trees qtqilqbL? .tll \ectr 'round

Hot-Rod racing it takcs placc bc the weather faii or lbul.

On a splendid track that has been laid dorvn in Knockaneenaboul.

On an elevated nountain side $ith a far extended view. Flanked by a grole of lbrest t,-ees with thcir Sreen and pleasanl hue.

The mighry bulk o[ Brandon r|ith thc cloud upon its head, Thc Malrarees out.jutting to where Mucklagh makcs its bed,

And as your gaze it sweeps around by looking orer there. You ll see the broaLl Allanlic break against thc coast of Clare.

Thc villages oI North Kerr) .re plain tin'to bc seen, Ballyhciguc. Ardtirt and Cilusewa) and thc country in betweerl. Ballydutl, Abbeydorncy and Lirnarv so !erdant and so,grand. And Keryhead stands scntinel al the end ol'Banna Strand.

The very bcst drivcrs in the land fiorr Otlirly and Clare.

From watedbrd and Limedck, tis here lhel do rcpair. They come tiom Cork and Kerry and Tipperary too. And they scorch around this farnous truck at specds oi 92

To be Champion ol Champions is the airn fin which they strive, And the roaring of lheir engincs can be heard in oveldrire. This Iitle has 'til recently eludcd our Kerrynten. Like the Powers and Dominic Connor and Carlig's Mickey Quinn

And many nrcre that I could nanle have failed this pl'ize to clasp. For the outside drivers every time have hcld it in their grasp, But a Kcrry challenger-arose and seeing what was at stake. He lefi them all tionr fa| and near-a-toiling in his wake.

Right and left he passed them out and flying like the wind, He hugged the corners every time and left them all behind, Pulling up he passed the chequered flag, our hearts they swelled with joy, As we cheered for Kieran Sheehy, the Lohercannon Bov.

GAMES

Saturdav Novenrber 23rd 2002 $ill renlain il1 our memorics for a \ cry lorg time. Our Conrmunity Garnes area of Duagh-Lyrc achieved the signal honour of Kcrry and Munster Champiorls and National Runner-up in the Area Participation Awards. which were held in Ballinasloe in Co.Galuay.

This success was achicvcd in a relatirel) sho( pe od oltime as Comnlunily Games started in the Parish in 1995. Among thc pio nccrs behind this venturc were Mikc Calmody. Nelius Collins. Joan Nash. Mary O'Donoghue, Teddy Halpin, Ann O'Carroll and Mossy Kelly.

They wcrc advised that success would be slow and it could lake five or six years belorc a competitor qualificd for the Natioral Finals in Mosncy- However a spark had been ignitcd withitl the children and tccnagers of the parish. In the first and second year of participation Mike Nash of L)re won Cold in Grass cycling at the County Finals. He then travelled to Mosney where hc sccured Bronze on both occa sions. A truly lantastic achieve ment against more tancicd opponents- Others lo impress were Serah Janc Monahan. Sandra O Donoghue. Mar-y Burkc and Brcda Halpii $ho won County Gold in ti 15 girls relay. we had man) other medal winners dur ing thi\ earl) period. Loretta \llaher sho$ed her pro[ess in

the cross counuy everts as she qualilied lor the National Finals in 1997/98 winning tearn Gold or both occasions.

This success seemed to spul on the younger athletes and in 1999 a maior br-eakthrough wrs madcOrla Lane won County Cold in girls U l0 200m and tlnishcd fitih in Mosney. John O'Brierl won Cold and set a ne\! county record in the boys U-16 High Jump. He lvon a Ceftificate in Mosney. Then our Girls U-17 Mar'athon team won County Gold and to cap a Iine display Sarah Jane Monahan r-eachecl the National Finals in Mosney. This wasjust reward for Sarah Jane as she had been nn)st unlucky the prcvious year in the I500m final in Kerry when she hild 10 con tend with injuly but still won Silvcr'.

2000 saw our first breakthrough in tcanr evcnts as our girls U- IJ Basketball tearr coached bv Claire Sheehy won Silver in the Countv. Thcn thc Bo)s U-ll lDdool' Soccer tean coached b! Nelius Collins captured Gold 1br the llrsl tilne eler afler a sudden death peDalty shoot out. A fantastic achievement. against some high-class opposition. They progressed lo MLlnster and played Newcastle\\'est in the semi-1lnal. Scores were lied il l-l when Edwarcl Stack scored a fantastic goal only to be ruled out rvith a very clubious decision by the lef. With time almost up Newcastlewest nlade a burst fi)r rlard. (Jne of the player headed the ball on (fiee kick) for his team matcs to score the winner. Everyone expected it t() be disal lowcd, but to their amazement, he allowed the goal to stand. A lery cruel \\,ay to exit lhe conF

petition; however it proved 1() be a valuable lesson learned.

At the County Awards night which was helcl the folkrwing Fcbruary. thc arca was awarded thc Eoin Whytc Trophy for most improvcd arca in Kcrry and thc Radio Kerry award for boys Indoor Soccer. This spuffcd thc area on to more success in 200i. A huge increase in participatio. and a lot more involvemeot in team evenls meant a lot of hard work lor lhe committee members. Holvever the enjoymcnt more than repaid their endea!ourr. Our Adult & U-17 quiz team rvon Silver at County and finished in the Top Ten at the National Finals in Por(umna Co.Galway. Then Iive athletes qualified foI the Cross Country Finals in Mosney. Lorettil Maher won Gold yct again as member of thc Kcrry tcam. In Gr.rnd Prix Road Cycling Kathlcen Keane won County Cold and grabbed Silver in Mosney. A trul) memorable occilsion. Maire Dillon \\'on Cold in Cirls U- 10 Hurdlcs and progressed to Mosney also. In leam eveils lremendous sLrccess was awailing us also. Girls U- l2 won Gold in Olltdoor Soccer and then caplured Gold in U-13 Olympic Handball. Not lo be outdone the Boys U-lJ $,on Gold in Ol)mpic Handball also. Both tearns were coached by Johnny Lane and Claire Sheehy. They rnacle it safely through lhe Munster Finals and in Mosney the girls won Sih,er and boys \\on Bronze. l'here rvere some nolable pedormances ftonl Daniel O'Doroghue und Peler Sheeran as the) scored nurnerous 8oals. This success was achieved through a hu!!e desirc by thc chilc en to prole thal they could compctc at thc highest

level. and was clearly evidenl in lheir c(nnn]ilnlenl lo lrrining.

At the county awards nighl in Febr-uary 2002 the area was hon our.rrd with thc Byrne Fanlily Shiclds fin.Boys and Girls U l3 Olympic Handball. Alts Shield fbr Cirls U l2 Socccr and the bi8 suelisc on the night was the County Participation Arvard. Thc lattcr award rccognises the hard work of ell thc committee and children as it rcwards the area for taking part in thc most events. both individual and teams corlr bined.

2002 \\'as another chaptcr as wc had fou, athletcs travcl to Mosney tbr the National Cross County Finals. Aine Dillon won Bronze. Janres Kcanc and Maurice O'Connor won Bronze and Maire Dillon won Gold.

What a haul fiorn ole weekendlr Nerv records werc sel *ithin lhe county as our Girls U 13 showed r tlcnrcndous hungcr for success. The\ anncxcd thc Olympic Handball title again as well as l door Soccer and Basketball. A lruly remarkable achievement as it covers three dillerent disciplines. This bunch ot' girls also won the Cllmann Na Bun Scoil Mi11i-Se!ens tille for Duagh National School. Two of them participated o0 the Kcrr! Mi,riSevens team. Aine McKenna played in Croke Park on the AllIreland Semi-Finirl day rvhen Kerry deteated Galway and N4ary O'Keelie plaled on AllIreland Final day. we also won Gold in Tennis U-16 and Tcam Gold in Boys U l7 Marathon. John Sheeran arrd Padraig Dillon were deligl'lted !vhcn thcir lcam mate Dan O Connor won lndi!iduirl Bronze also and made il to Mosney as well.

Thc girls had to choose one event in Nlunster and they opted ib. Baskctball. The_,- sailed through the N4unster games and in Mosne! they advanced to the Final against Oranmore of Gal!\rJ, brt had to settle for Sil\er in n vcry tight gane. Al the CoLroly awards night last FebruaD'lhe Area won the Byrne Famill Shield lbt Oirls tJ ll

Ol\mpic Handball, AIB Shield tbr Gills U- I 3 Baskctball. Lucozade Sport Shield tbr Cirls U Il lndoot Soccea Kerryman Shield ti)r 2nd in PR.O. Award. Best O\crall Area Award and Participation Award for Kerry. \\re al\o captured the Munster Area Participation Area Award as well as National Runner up. A lr'uly remarkablc ycar.

2003 began very brightly when our Adult & tl-17 Quiz tcam rvoll Silrer yet again and fin ished sixth ilt rhe National Finrls in Portumna Co. Calway. There has bcen huge success ir thc Art & Model making events also. Aaroi O'Connor won Cold in [J l0 N'lodel Making while Padraig Kcanc won Gold in U-16 Art. Padraig was not ilnished yet and hc duly won Gold in U-14 Grass Cycling. To keep him company in Mosney Erner Scanlon decidcd to win Gold in Girls ll-1.1 Crass Cycling also and this made a nlemorable day in Tralee. On the Sunday Nigel O'Connor won Gold in U I0 Hurdles al1d his brother Mauricc won Gold in U1.1 Hurdles. This meant thal three brothers had now qualihed Ior lhe National Finals in Mosney. Aaron. Nigel and Maurice.

f'antastic!

The ycar is now dmv'ring to a close and thc area has aheady been notified thal we have won the Kcrry Pa(icipation Award lbr 2003 as well as the Best Ovemll Area A\\,ard. This melns we will bc tr velling lo Ballinasloe at the end of November and hopcfully we can llo one beltel than last year and ciipture that elusivc All lreland 'fitle. wirh the trcmcndous support that the commiitcc has got from the people of Duagh ilnd Lyrecrompane as wcll as the wholchcarted endeavoLll ironr the childrcn \\,ho pa icipate each year it would be a great rervard tbr all the effort if the title was heading to the Kingdom. Thc current committee is conp sed of Jim Burke. Nelius Collins, Johnny l-anc, Andy Keane. Liz Keane. Teddy Halpin. Ann O'Crrroll- Ann Dillon- J orn N_ash. Geraldinc McNrmara. Mary O'Donoghuc and Mossy Kelly. Eaclt year we run a range of furdraising activitics. which range ftom Pub QuizTcs to Donkey Derby race nights. The financial suppoll liom through out the parish hrs been of immcnse benefil to the commit tec in ar-r'anging transpo . PlaYing gcar'. hile of traiiing tacili tics and subsidising our compcti tors when they travel to thc National Finals each year-

Many pcople ^sk the question. "What has Cornrnunity Garnes gi!en to our Parish l' Thc ans$,er is very simplc. lI has given lrundreds ol children rhe opporturity to particilatc in a mlriad of iicri!ities. An opportunity, they did not have hcrctofi)r'e. N'lany of lhem may not ha\'c been spolt orientated aod thcl got a chince to experience thc thrill of cornpe-

tition through Art & Model Making. Variety, Choir, Set Dancing, Culture Corner, Projects. Quiz, Chess and Draughts. In all we take pan in over forty different activities each year and in so doing we give each child an opportunity to find an activity that best suits their individual skills. It is ot' the utmost importance to give each child the opportunity to sample every activity and in so doing they can make a more informed choice at a later stage when they decide to concentrate on a single activity that they feel comfortable with. Community Games has also blought children from every comer of the paish. thus creating a more unified community through its work. At the end of each season we hold a local awards night and party for all the children. This has gone from strength to strength and has shown that all our children deserve to be honoured for their commitment throughout the year.

Long may it continue: Jolntrt ltnt.l'.R.o

In 1879 Duagh School had lwo rooms - one lor boys and one lbr girls. The p ncipal was Eliza O'Connor and the assislant was Annie Dowel. 'f he iumber allending the school rarely surpassed 70 the average per quarter to.iustify the paynent of an assistant. This seems t() have been a protracted problem and Annie Dower's salar'y rnay have dcpcnded on charges made on parents bv the Man ger, Fr O'Rcasan.

Along with her t'inancial difticrl ties. Anne sccms to havc had health problcms. On the 28th ol February 188.1 Miss Dower was noted as bcing abscnt "fbr a change of air". Shc passcd away in 1887 and was replaced by Mary Mccarthy who took up duly on the ,llh ol February of th{t year.

On thc 26th ol April I88l the Principrl was cautiored on neg lcct of cxplanation of reading lcssons and dcficicncics in spelling in tlrst and sccond class. Singing was not taught in thc school and financiai conslrainls djctated that "the whitewashing of thc school must wait '-

On the 2nd of August 1887 thc estinated cost of two new classroon'ls was f355 iind the grant on otler was 1236 l3s :td. Thrcc months later the glant was increised by !30. On the 3lst ot' January 1888 thc managcr was asked to cxplain why school was caried on in lenrporary accom modation dLrring fepairs. Thc archives do not contain his answer but in lll88 the new classroom\ \rere cornpletcd and the grant paid.

Albert Roche, publican, Carrigcannon. was summoned for a breach of the licensing laws on wednesday, Nov 10th last at 11.15pm. Supt. Thomas Mulcahy prosecuted and Mr R A MacAulay. solicitor delended. Sergeant Culligan, Knocknagoshal gave evidence.

A tine of l0 shillings was imposed on the defendant with 20 shillings expenses. Fines ranging tiom two to three shillings were imposed on each of the six men fbund on the premises.

I)cccn)bcr I lth l9,l-1

Making History

An bistorical church event 6.000 niles away has a Llrercrompirne conncction, The dioceses of Srcramenlo rD Calilomia is organis ing a synod ihe third in its ll,l verr history. 11 hlrs lallen ro a hcal woman. Mcrcy Sister. Eileen Enright. $hom Bishop Weig.ud appointcd as director lbr synod preparation. to tell the lvorld boul ir.

In the dimese's v"eekll papcr The Catholic Herald' Eileen said "thrt unlike the prc\ ious two synods the mcmbers of this one uill have majorit] ol lay people. wc arc now in the last phase of prepilration which is a process olbringing lo lhe synod thc varioLrs Parish Plans and the prcspects of collabomtire parish e i)rts. lo help in setring dioccsan priorities. goal\ and objectives".

"Thc synod will coornrence on Ocrcber llft 2{X).1 rnd will culmini e ir process which has in\olrcd thousands of people in a grcal de of surveying. consultation and dis cu\\ion" Sisrcr Eilccn concluded.

Thc stnod $ill b.'held in the Holy Ro\ary P.rrish Colnmunit) Centre. wo0Llltmd. Thc Calhcdral in down to\\,n Sacrameno. which was buih by Bishop Patrick Maoogue in the late 1880's. was ck)sed tbr renovLrtion\ in an ehborrtc cercnlony by Bishop William K Weigand. The e!ent wirs rllended by Eilcen's sis ter. Joan Roche of the Four Elms.

Joan who spent t$o weeks with her sisler. Eilcen, had a wonderful ti,ne and wils particularly delighled lo be parl of thc hisrorical occasion in Sacrament.

Renagown School

Revisited

As we put together the Lyreacrompane Joumal for 2003 we hear that Renagown Schoolhouse is up for sale. Sister Bighid Molorey has written about that school in the Journal and in this issue we carry a timely article in which she describes the school and the education that was imparted within its walls.

Four big high windows. t\\,o in the fronl $all and two at thc back lightr the roo . Thc boxrded lloor has two widc arcs of hig brass tacks. Longafier. it clarvnecl on me whence arose lhe expression: "Toe the line". Dcsk\ \\,ith inkwells now covered thc tacks but lines we hacl in plcnty. Along the hillside wall at thc top was hig lable, the tcachcrs amcnity then a row of snall desks fbr thc infants. Right at thc cnd was a tall glass case. Behind that wall. wcll divided. are two privics, cafih closels. de!oid of the customnry lirrnishing. The 'Missus' would tiike a glossy lirtle br-ochure with her but did nol bing il back. An orrlamentarl clock with the piclure ol a manor house and garden belou the dial. hung on the gablc wall.

Thc s,indows had cleep leclges. Thc t'ar onc looked out wesl tolvar-ds Mccngcnaire & Muinrgnarninnanc. On this ledge at mid nrorning the Missus lr,oLlld placc a mug with a beaten up raw egg in it. Onc day a cheeky scholar sncakcd a look and r snitt. The egg was laccd \\,ith "the water of lile'.

The Missus \Lould do the roll clll at loan approximately and write the number of pupils present from dle vadous classes on a boad. At the top was the total.

As thc ycars went by it dwinclled tiom t'ortics to thirties. With the coming of winter we'd be asked to bring a sod ofturf. Some par-ents pretered to bring a rail full. The tud was stored in thc cloak r-oom.

Learning to Read

The Missus tirught the inf'ants reading by holding up letter cards. Then there were shiny booklets with pictures illustrating short phrases like "The cat sits on the mat". (lne day I took my book home. I wanted to rcad on unaidetl. but...could nol. Vilidly I can still remember lhe heart lending fceling. alone in our bedroom. I bcgan to cry. Then resolLltely I pickcd up the book again. Suddenly somc thing clicked... I could read!ll A new and exciting dinrension hr(l come into m! lit-e.

In thc snrall dcsks we leamed lo \\,ritc. On our slates with lhe Missus lcrning over us we tbnned thc letters one by ore. Then our first word;AND. Igot to the middlc oi my slate. Suddenly a light dawned. Delighred. I put an S in front of the AND... SANDI Oh thc pride and joy of it! On I went writing; sanal. srnaI. sxnd down to thc cnd of the slate. The Missus camc hrck. srood hehind me and.... SAID NOTHINC. It was a heavy disappointment but it taught me a lesson - as a teacher. never to omit a word oI praise. Be slow lL) blame tbr children nced their sel[-conlldence to bc built up- They need loving and

chcrishinr:. Life can ha!e crosscs cnourh in st(re for then.

In tirst class. writing lessons began in earncst- We went right through the alphabct, using slanted cursive, beginning with; A sti(lt fu tim! laret nit1e. BLtil.l not your hou.t( on tanrl, Cool, talt ond colleded Do )out dutl tonte that may, Erery picture te s tt stor,t', FortLok .favours llk brave, God help.s those blto llelp themseltes, Heot't is the lteul tltctt \'edfi the Crottr. Idle honds do tht: devil's wtrk, Join Ytur paltns uwl prut, Kind lteorts are txtrth nore than coronet\. Look behre '-ou leap, Mtut hands nu e light work, Narrott is the gute to hearen, Over the moon, Pitt the pt)or ontl a_fJ1kted, Questiotts do nrtl al.ilats have aasrr'ers, Rirrg dtt the old, ring in th? n?\r Sin utld sorrolf dre insepurttble, The eatl'- biftl nn'h?t th., $onn. lln&r the fln lherc is othinS neb, Va\it| breeds contentpt, llaste tnt $Yn| nol F$ ohvious reasons X, Y and Z had no sequences.

Ilccdlcss

For addition there was a circle on the blackboa(d with rows of figLrres like sunrays around it. We sang out our tablcs over and over again. We did very small sums and it was then I began lo listen to lhe reading lesson down in the Mas(er's class. Dickens broughl a tear to my eye. A bad repoll went home: Bridic was heedle,is: inattentivc at lessonsA favourite book ol my tather's was Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. This was the book I kept on ln! lap undcr the desk dipping into it tfhen thc nlirths

lal t)

l)lttnt) t aurtL'.\\' ()t

Thc boys were better at naths than thc girls especially when it was mental arithmetic. Edd! SweeDey's hand would shoot up with the answcr or Tom "Nash' would be tirst to thc blackboard lo solve a theorem. Thc gcomc try equipment was stored in a dmwer 01- the glasscase ncar thc back wall. A peculiar sulphurtlpe smell issued when jt was opened: a thct that puzzles mc to this day. I did manage to cross the Pythagorus Theorem called the 'Ass's Bridge" and even enioyed Algebra.

Our history with the Missus consisted of short accounts of the lir,cs of Patrick, Brighid and Colncille. It was the time the Christian Brothers set out to id our country of west Bril-ism. Our readcrs were cornpiled by them and published by Browne and Nollrn. I telt so proud pro claiming that the Celts \rcrc a handsome. cul(ured people. lndeed the English by comparison were barbar-ians wilh "bushcs tied around their wri\1s". That day I came home and relayed it all. "Nonscnsc". my lather said, "the English are dece0t people and thcir country is beautilul'. He had seen it when travelling liom Dublin to Dover on his way to Lourdcs in 1913.

l (xrteroJ

Fl'lnn time to lime the Mastel \fould rcad out passages of poetrl and prose. These were all nlcmorable. Canon Shcchan's novels we liked the best. Hc also rcld trilvel books and magazines. Copies of the lalest soogs and ballads would be brought to school Ro\emo d Cleeson's wcrc classics. A lioe. of onc

\\enl' \le L1l[ got blue, blue, blintl atrl parul\\it tlrunk th? tlight our house cought _firc".

Of coulse there were always the come-all-yous'. One day I was caught red handed copying out the words oi "My Lovely Irish Boy" uider the desk. The mas ter picked it up and read it out. I \rantcd t() Plug mY cars...

SiI Whlter Scott also featured with verses such asl

The stag nt cw lldth dtunk his-fill Where dun<'ed the mool ott

And rleep his lidnight lair hath lI lone Glet trtnev's haz.el

But $he the sutl llis heaurt rel Htttl kittlLed oe'r Ben|oirleth's 'I he (l?ep nbfihed blootlhound's Resounded up tlrc ftx k\' \ra\'.

We also had the Poem "Fontenoy"

"Ofi l:ott?no), ot1 FonteDo\', like eagles i lhe nfi, Witlt bkndied pluntes. tlrc lrish ttttntl. the JielLl is fougltt und

llvolution

For leligious classes we had the catechism in English and Irish. The Missus helped with th.rt. It had to bc word fbr word. Exile across the Channel or lhe Atlantic lay il1 the tuture of so many that we had to bc able to stand up for our beliefs and practice when mingling with scoffers and ii(heists-

have, so far, not got my hands on a copy.

Music and song

One boy. Ji Swecney from Broughane would lay down his Iile in another war that began and endcd in Europe. Jim wns lrentle. sensilive and hardly cut out to bc a soldier - bul it was a job. Thc Mastel used to tease him that onc da! he would stroll down Broadway wilh his swal bwtail coal and Caroline hat! His brother did and Mary his sis ter.

Thc bible uas then a closed book for most catholics. (Jne flne summel's day I would call a ted letter day il1 my lit-e. I was around eleven Years of age when Fr Fcris tiom Cloher came to inspect the teaching of religion. I1 was runrured that he had some differences with Bishop O'Brien of the Kery f)iocese but he continucd to visit schools. Having sent thl] teachers tor a walk he told us the theory of clohrrion and sct Adan and Ele in that scheme of things. It was many years later that I read I/l? Pltt'nontetnn .rl Mrrr by anothet priest. .r Jesuit namccl FrTeilhard de Chardin. The book got him into houblc with his superiors and he was baiished to fbreign pa(s. Thc reason fbr this was that. as in Fr Fe[is's case. cccle_ sias{ical superiors still main_ tained the thcory that Adam and Eve were spontaneously created by God and not subject 10 grad ual evolution likc the rcst oi lhc universe. Fr Fcrris had said it all in a more simple lanSuage.

At Fr Fenis's next visit we wcre asked k) wdte do\\,n the namcs ofthe districls wc came from and the names ol the fields. wells. hiJIs. gaps, streams. rocks and heaps of stones wc knew or had heard ahout. Later hc collected the notcs llnd wrote .r book. I

We had olher visik)h loo. Onc was a young man with a beaulitirl tenor voice. He soon had had us singing Old McDonnell. ThaI day the ralfters rang as never betbrc. Another da! three members of an itinerant repeftorY conpany, who wcre using Dan Paddy's Hall. camc b entertain us. To guess by his ti)xy hair the youlrgcr man was a she dan. Throwing back his heacl he sang Molly Branigall which included the line "Therc's a hole ilr ny heart you could al,Dost roll a turnip in..." The sketch that lbllowed was aboul a haunted house. Thc spooky part \!as re_ cnacted much time at home atierwards t\ith a while sheet-

One atternoon an old rnan comes in with a violin casc strapped on his back. I was spellbound. Never had I heard such wonderful music. For the first tirne in my lile I erperielced rapturc. Wildly I tooked at the end win dou-. in an impulse to escape. I closcd nry eyes. The old man's exit I did not see. nor have I tbrgottcn. Since thcn I have otten heard the Culin but never again with that fairy lbrt e\pedences.

Th€re is much mor€ about school life at RenagorYn in this article by Sr Brighid and we will carry it in th€ next issue of the Journal.

Everyone knew John B Keane. Perhaps none did so better than the people of the Stacks Mountains. For us that was important but not as important as the tact that John B knew us- He saw Lyreacrompane and its hin terland and those who peopled the hills south ol Listowel as a place and a people woflh obsening. He saw us as we rvere and told it like it was.

John B noted well the individual and collective charxcteristics of the people and how their environment brought out the rebel, the rogue, the strong and the hardness and the softness in them. The elements of disre spect fbr authority he pinpointed in some characters and the

undercurent of a struggle for moral and sexual freedom against a conservative itnd domineering church which he highIighted made the people of the Stacks Mountains the unlikely heralders ol a less oppressive society that lreland has moved towards in the world.

This combination of a great writer and a people whose char acter so sharply exposed the human condition explained life and enriched liles far from the Smearlagh or Dan Paddy Andy's Renagown. The mifor he held up did not always reflect an image we were happy to see but the reflections created in his writings were accurate. He recorded fbrever the existence of a culture - a hidden Ireland warts and all- which otherwise would have, at best passed unno ticed or a worst have been mis understood as being backward

nothing posilive loand havinS contributc.

John B carricd out his work. not es x disintercstcd acadernic- but als a tiiend who valucd a special parlnership. Somconc has said that Lyreacronlpanc will neverbc the sane now that John B is gone. Tha( nuy be so but thanks to his cLutribulion we all. Iocally ancl nalionally. klrow ourselves belter and we can morc ably be thc way we \,"ant to be thanks to John B Keane.

At a personal level Kay and I have happy memodes of the sense of occasion John B brought to joumal launches, monument unveilings and the casual meetings with him in Lyreacrompane or Listowel. To his wite Mary, his family and his many friends we oft'er our sincere sympathy.

Strange Happenings

Mark the Death of a Great Man

Dan Paddy Andy O'Sullivan. the grcat matchmakcr and human hcing. dlcw thc last ol all of his breaths of a bitter March evening in the year ol Our Lord 1966.

Nobody seerns to be cerlain about the exacl dale oi his bi h but certainly it uas betbre the turn ol thc ccntury. On thc day hc dicd. thc Smcarla Rivcr was in good t'ctllc with a hankcr of a flood which swcpt all impurities befbre it in readiness lbr the first of the spring salmon. Thcsc uaited tar down rivcr in thc Cashen estuar) lbr the brown tlood water-s to subside. Dun wo.rld ha!e enjoyed the Smeilrla on such a day- swir'ling pools under the sallies the rich chrrck ling where its waters were tleep esl. the u,hile cre\ted tumult where its passage was roughest ovcr black boulders old as time and the hundred other cadences high and low which all amount to bea if'ully orchestrated music when a mar has a ear ibr iver water.

Sounds

His obsession with the Smeirla rnay well have arisen liom the lacl thal he was never to fully discern the delicate cokrur and shapes of the Stacks Mountains. He therefore turned from the visual aspect of his environment to scck conrpcnsation in the songs and other sounds of thc Smearla.

Dar died lionl heilfl lililure. It hacl lbllou,ecl hiir in his declin-

ing years. rcstrictcd his move nlents to the houscs olhis imme diate neighbours and cont'ined him fbr the most part to his own hear-th. He dicd pcacctully and without any cvidcncc of pain. For scvcral ycars bcforc his death hc was in thc habit of rarr bling to Martin Swcency's house, which was only a short walk liom his own :lho.le. His wife. Kate, would accompany him part of the way and one oi the Sweeney's would \\alk back with him. His sighl was slou,lyl bul surcly dese iig hi around this time

The Swceney's loved his visits. Hc was a grcat st{)ryteller and thcy rvould sit cnraptured while he told and retold thc tales which had madc him a liring legendAlwals those stories would bc coloured by whims) and humour. That slme humour of Dans' still renuins in Renagown. It is part and parcel of every story and every exchange of words. lt can be seen deep in the eyes of the people and ready to surfacc on thc lips.

Rarbcr

Martin Sweeney's brother. Peter. now in America. wxs Dan's personal balber He was once fllling in an enlployrnenl lbm) uhen he came 1() (he question of lrade if any. He uas tenlpted k) wr'ite barber to his Excellency- f)an Paddy Ancly O'Sullivan, Chief oi

Renagown". but he changed his mincl for it was mort than likely that the prospectile elnployers might not see lhe hLrmoua

Pctcr Swecncy would shave Dan regularly and on rarc occasions hc would give him a haircut. Dan retained a fine hcad of curls to the very end and whcn pcoplc would remark Llpon lhis, Dan would always say 'Them are thc curls that brought Katc O'Bricn olf her perch".

It was Kate who fbund him dead. She had been in the haggard checkinS on her hens. She found him l)ing on his bed wilh a look of contentment ol1 his Iace. Shortly afterwards the daughter of a neighbour and tirst cousin, MaIy Hickey. happened to call by chancc. She was dispatched at once fbr hcl fathcr. Mickcy, who- in turn sent uord to the Sweeney's. Mickey Hickcy and Ma in Sweeney came at once. Then came Patsy Cremins and Connie Brosna:t Irom Dromadabeg. The tbur between thcm washed. and shaved Dan and laid him out in his bcst suit. A messenger was scnt to the presbytely in Cloghcr'. Thcn the Litany was recited and bclbre they rose tiom their knees, Father Muehy was on thc scene.

Notitied

It rvas now tilne lbr other maF lers. Ma in Sweene] was dispalched to Al Roche's pLlb. two rniles away- to order drink for the wake. Then Anreica would havc to be contrcted and Dan's sons and daughter notified. This \\,as dore by Nelius Nolan of Lyreacrompane Post Otficc. Others had to be notilicd. fiicnds and relalions all over thc coun tryside.

Rcccntl) l askcd Maftin Srvccncv if hc hcard ol saw anything unusual on the night that Dxn died. 'l di.l.'\ai.l Martin. I heard fierce pillalloing over Jereeo Da\y's inch arnd what cocks there rvere in Lyre crew till the stroke of twe lvc."

Thcrc wcrc othcr happening! of significance. A light t!as seen in Kilbanavan Graveyard in Crstleisland aroLrrd the time Dan gave up the ghost. Nlaltin Swecnev s car refused to sta[. a thing it nelcr did befbre. Furthcr up in tiom Rcoagown in thc house ol Din Joe Mahony of Muingnaminnane the cocks crowed in unison on the stroke of ci-qht. precisely thc time Dan galc ovcr lit'e. By Din Joe s own testiorooy a clock that had been going without tailure lbr se!enty-l!!o years stopped and neler wenl again.

Rlack c.rt

A black cat. ownccl hy thc Mahony's, ran under a bed and could not be coaxed out Llntil il came ol-ils own accord lwo days laleL. In Carrigcannon. accord ing to Joe Sheehy. the lights went out in two houscs and sta)cd out till cockcrolv. f)n the parapel ol the Ivy Bridge in Renagown another light wils seen. There were other happenings and liom these accounts it will be gathered that the humour ol Dan Paddy hrs not gonc intcr the grarc with him.

He uas w.rked well und his children came lcr bury him. He was churched in Clogher. but it was in Kilbanar,an in Castlcisland that hc chosc to be buricd. He had made this clcar long bctbre he died and it wasn't such ablack day afier all when they lowered him into the gmve where lay the two yourl!! sons he k)ved so dear 1y.

In a niche in the Enst \\all of Kilban!\un there i\ a \nrall cros\

erected to his memory and to thc meiloay of his sons. As I lvrite these Iines eleven years aiier his death one cerlainty begins 1(] energe.rnd that is rhal lhere !rill be manl books wrillen aboLrt Dan. Alrcrdy rcscarchcrs are cir' culating around Lyrc and nlorc po\\'cr to thcm. Thcy will find their tasks to be e olmously reNarding and i1 there will be outra!:eoLrs st()ries attribuled (o Dan in the future il is well to rcmemher that all great nlen havc attractcd the same kind of concoctions whcn thcy wcre saftly under thc clay.

Nlarriages

It would be a \\,ork ol the :lrealest impo[ancc if somebody or some group were to record lhe four hundrcd man'iagcs for which Dan was responsibie and to determine as tar as possiblc how lhe ma ixges worked out. The one tailure- which he neler denied, \las not Dan s fault, although hc would always insist that it was or. at lcast bc willing lo share the responsibility tbr the failule. To list these mirriages against the social background of the pcriod and to dra\\ accurate conclLlsions rvould grcatly help our sociel),. It t{ould be the most inportant sociological work ever unde(aken in thal vast area where Dan was sole lnatchmak-

arc sllrc to firllow. OveI the coursc ol Dan's lititime more than halfthe houses and holdings were to disappear altogelhcr lion] the scene. He did his ulmosl to halt lhis de!,astating decline- but the odds were stacked ltx) high against hirn. Still. let it be said b his crcdit that hc ncvcr thrc\! in thc towel.

Young people

Tod!y lionl Renaigown rlone there are nine !oung peollc travelling every morning to take up work in the Burlington iactory in Tmlee. six to Lislowel lo thc huge milk processirlg planl and several ororc to olhcr fecto des in Trrlee arld [-istowc].

There were no factories in Dan's time and so the boys and girls had to go. He kepl fai{h wilh thc f'uture howevcr- and it looks now lhat Rcnagown would. once again, be able to maintain a small dance hall il the people so wished.

Not long bcforc hc died. Dan wes one-dav convclsin{l \\'ith Joh11 Moloney ol- Dronradda.

My own mcmory ol Dan is an abiding onc. Wc got on lamously together lioln the flrst lllolnent we met- I still see lrim phinly sitling on a small rock overiooking the Smearla leaning forward on his stout stick or standing hopefirll) oo Snnday nights out sidc thc hall in Rcnagown endeavourirg to whip up husi ness.

' Come on in boys. Plent)' cotton

All the cotton, alas. was to go and when the girls go the boys

"l am the lasr ol lhe Andy's here.' Dan said. "My sced is scattered wide and doing wcll but this is lny placc and this this is where I \!ant to makc nly goodbyes 1() the enory ol my lather and his father. I have leli my stamp upon this place arrd upon lhcse people and when I'm gonc. as sure as therc's r snipe in Rremore. there will bc talk of me and lny doings tiom tinrc to 1ime."

This artide was contributed by Norah Carmody who had been asked by hcr uncle to mind it for him in 1977

Betbre you went you told us not t() cry on thal sad night. "Lct thc show go on" you said and then "goodbyc". We shouldn't questiolr why you had to die Before you went you told us not to cry

As Writer's Week had opened. For it's thirlv sccond year. Vy'here poet and pcasant mingle To absorb Listowcl's Sood cheer A cloud crossed hill and valley From Carn:ore io M.lin Hee.l. As news went'round our island 'Thc grcat John. B. is dead"

He who walked with King and bcggar Will lifl his pen no more, To bring out the hidden Irelarld Like no onc did bctinc. He banished inhibitions To put insight in their stcadThe world stage is brighter But the "Kingdon's King" is dead.

The dirlogue of two Bococs ls known in every k)wn. Now the Ivy Bridge links Bloadway To the hills ol Renagown. While men of t\\enty emigratc And Sharon's Grare is read. Or a Chastitute 's forlom His memory won't be dead.

The,! stepped out tr-orn the pages 01 lhe Man liom Clare and Sive "lb walk behind his colfin Each character alive. FIis Soul. \\'ith One Way Tickel To Thc Highcst House has sped. And this \rorld has lost a genius; The great John. B. is dcad.

Chor u'.

This song has been put to mLrsic by John Hoban.

The reason why we can'l see colour when it starts to get dark is that the cells in our eyes rhat react k) coloured light called cones only work in briSht light. Mosl ofthc cells in thc cyc sce in black and whitc or grcy. and these. called rods are the oncs that work in the night. We blink to clean and protect our e!es. Each eye is covered with a thin filn1 oI sally water-so every tin1e you blink, the eyelid washes the eyeball and wipes away dust and germs. The waler dmins away through a na[ow tube in the nosc- We also blink k) protect our eyes when something comes too close to it. As blinking is so important, $e do it automatical ly hurldreds oI times each day. Io the l8th and l9th ccnturics befbre artiflcial light was invented people slept around nine to ten hours at night. Now rnost of us try to get by on jLrst seven hours of sleep every nigh(. In Arnerica. it is reckoned that terl per cent of traffic accidents are sleep-ielated and as many as twenty per cent of all drivers have, at least once, f'allen asleep at the wheel.

To eat humble pie mcans to submit to humilitltion. The less appealjng parts ofa deer that was kiiled in a hunt were given to those ol- lower rank and were tbr thal reason called "lhe humbles".

In 1883 a !olcanic eruption blew the Indonesian island ol Krakatoa to smithereens. Oler the whole world the dust thrown into the atmosphere caused the moon to appear blue for- some

time. Occurrences like this iue exceedingly rare. and they gave risc to thc cxprcssion 'once in a blue moon'.

For a long time 'Jack' was x tra ditional name fbr a sailor. It was this which gavc risc to thc expression 'I'm all right, Jack".

The \eteran br'ondcasler Sedn Og O Ceallrchrin. uho hI1s been bringing us the sports results every Sunday nighl since 1953. is probably the only peNon who played in an All Irelnnd flnal. refereed an All Irelenrl linal antl broadcast an All lreland.

Luck

In the l71h and lSth centudes. old Irjsh country folk wcrc great believers in signs. For exanlple, if a tbrk fell, it was thc sign of a stranger. but if a spoon tell it was the sign o[ a lady lisitor. If you were sitting at the llre and sparks flew out, this was a sure sign of nroney- There were also signs of good fortune like tinding a pennv or a horse shoe. If ther'e was a showcr of rain when r funeral was passing it was a great sign. because lhe soul would get to heaven much qnick er. Signs were aids to help pcople through life. For exaorplc. a twist in a belt was a sign of a tlght, as was an itchy nose.

To fall up the stairs was the sign of a wedding. Ifthe two homs of a rainbow were in one lownland it was r sure sign ofdeath. Frolh on a cup of tea was a sign ol' money antl when people washed the sugar bolvl it was a sign of ar visitor that da\,. To rhrow a slipper after a party going on a journey rvas unlucky. It was also unlucky to sweep oul the house at'ter sunsct.

"Uncle Sam "lhe nicknan're ibr the United States was derived frtm Srrmu--l Wilson.a me:rl inspector in New York State. During the War of lSll lthe war clu|ing which the White House \\'as hurned) this man- who had thr: nir:kname I Jncle Sam. stampcd the letters U.S. on n1eat barrcls prepared lbr the American arnry. and this was intclprctcd by some of his workcrs to stand firr their boss "Uncle Sam" and so thc legend grerv.

Roman citizens used () fasl on SarLlrday, while in other Italian cities they used to fast on Frida!when Saint ALrgLrstinc came to Rome. he ioquircd as to which custom he should follow and Saint Ambrose deli\ ercd thc one-liner that has bccome famoLrs lo this day. "When in Rome do as the Romans do".

The Crndidate

Back in Roman days. when a politician lvanted to nlakc a good inlpression on the !otcrs. hc wore while clothcs. Thc Latin "candidatus," meaning a person dressed in white. laler became synonymous with someone seeking public office, and this was how wc sot the rvord candidate.

In Ircland there's a wealth of old stories and folklor-e concernilg love letters. Thc bcst day for writiog love lcttcrs is Friday, as this day bclongs to Venus, the Goddess of LoIc. Love lelters should always be written in ink, oot pencil and should never be posted on Sundays. the 25th Dcccmbcr. 29th February or the Ist of September. It's an er.cellent sign il your hand trembles when wliting a love letter as lhis shows your true strength of ltelings. Accidcntally blotting the

ink on paper is another gratifying sign which shows that the other person has you constantlv in their thoughts.

When you reccive a lovc lcttcr', strlngc as it mav sccm. particular attention should bc paid to the cnvclope. If the llap has come open or if the stanp is not of the conecl ,velue. lhen rll isn'l u,ell. To les( the sincerily ol-lhe sender ofa lo!e -leller the recipient may sel fire 10 itl If the letter burns rith a tall bright flame there is no cause for concern. But should it tlutte. then sadly. your love is doomed.

Nevertheless. it is considered dangerous to burn a love Ieller'as this irlvite! bad luck. And if okl love letters must be destro)_ed, then ifs belter to teir then up. Always remernber never propose by letter-. as this means the chances of a long and happy nlarria8e will hc cxt|cmcly slirn.

l-uck\ Holscshocs

Ever uondeted t\hy little siller horseshoes are pul on wedding cakes and \\'hy they are supposed to be lucky? Mrny yeilrs ago. 51 Dunslan. tfho was ii blacksmith. \\as !isited in his forge by the delil who iisked fo: shoes to be tltted to his tee1. Dunston recognisecl his visitor. While fixing horseshoes to the de\il's teet. he nailed thc shoes to the wxll to tlap him- Although the devil tricd to frcc hirrsclf his cflilts \\,ere in Iain. Befirre agleeing to relerse him. Dunstan maclc the deril promise hc would ncler cnter n llacc q,hcrc thcrc $,rs a hoxcshoc on thc \\'rll. Lltcr this wrs applicd n) \\'cdding cakcs.

\\'hat's In r Namc?

When Frances Gumn] came on slitgc one evcning as a chiid singcr George Jessel the comedian unlntentionally made a ness ol- lhe inlroduction.

Forgetting the gi.l's real nan'le he absent-n1indedly called her Judy (]arland. Onl] a short while earlier he h;rd \enl r note to the rrctress lrrdith Anrlerson the note included the word garland.

Marion Michael Morrison went on to become one ol Hollywood's greats. First however, he changed his name to John Wayne,

Do s \on Kappelholl t\as a pronising singer and Barne) Rapp her bandleader particularly liked the way she sang Day by Day', so he renrmcd her Doris Day.

Ruildings \r'ith a I)iffercnce

JLlles Undersea Lodge is irn undelwater hotel. five lathoms down in Bora L.rgoon in the Fkrrida Ke1s. A converted unclenvaler research statiorl it has a restaurant and two roorns. both u ith private baths. and can accommodate six guests at a time. Each rurm has a giant porthole to enable guests k) obscwe passing tish.

The Icc Hotcl at Juklcasiarvi. Swcdish Lapland, otl'ers the ulti mate in cold conlt'ort - a building constluctcd out of icc \\,herc the a!eragc roo!n tl]mpcratufe is minus four degrees centigrnde. The beds are rnade fiom plckcd snow toppcd with sprncc bonghs and rcindcer skins. Thc hotel rrelts !'\etv April xnd has to bc rebuill the lbllowi0g winter.

In 1872

\'eteran prospectors

Philip Arnold and John Slack boughr some diamonds ir Europe for 535.000 and scattered {hem on land in Wyoming. Thel managed to convince the Bank ol California in San Francisco that they had discoler-ed a clia mond field. Banker Williarn Ralstun paid thern off with $700.000. thinking he had struck a good deal.

Within the space of a few months in 1923 Scotchman

Fergusorl sLrcceeded in selling three dillerent London landlnarks to gullible American lou s(s. He sold Big Ben fbr a 11.000 deposit. Buckingham Palace for 12.000 and Nelsons Colurnn lbl a princely {6.000. He then fled to the United States whcrc he leased the White House for 99 years to a Texan cattle rancher at thc knockdo$,n rcnl of 100.000 dollars a year-the tlrst year''s rent payable in advirnce. His downfall calne when lre lold rn Americrn visiror rhel. hecruse ol a widening schene for New York Harhorrr the Strhre of Liberty rwruld have to be dis mantled and sold. He suggested that the strtue would be perftct ly suited () Sldnev Halbour and the businessnlan was \\'ell on the way to raising the required 51X).000 doliars \\'hen his bank became suspicious. Fergus was al'rested and sentenced () five ycals in jail.

The record number of hands shaken by a politician at an official function was 8,513 by President Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - l9l9) at a New Years Day White House presentation in washington, DC, USA on 1st January 1907. The above certificate show that our Editor did a little better ninety-one years later and what an appropriate day to break the record.

Foot & Mouth hits Lyreacrompane in 2001

The signs of the time!!

rn Regio[al Fisheries Board

Christmas Video in Finuge Pat Brosnan

Mid-Februarr might appear to be an Lrnusual time to celcbrate the Christmas Season. but when Joe Hafiington inlited us to do thc'Christnas Video' tl the Teach Siamsa in Finuge there ulr a big responsc tiom traditional performers both in Lirnerick and Kerry. It was a cold wet and windy nighl in February 2002 when we assem_ bled in Finuge. but this did not dampen the enthusiasm of those taking part.

Franccs Kennedy of Listowel. !!ho is a nalive of Freemount Nofth Cork. tras Bcan a Ti on lhe night. Frunces is a lvell known singcr and reciter and is also a mcmber of thc local Dranl group. The Fear-a-Ti for rhe {)ccx\ion wrs well known hllmoroLrs storyteller Pirt McAulitfe of Kilmallock. Pat. rvho i\ . membcr of Linerick County Council. was also prominent athlete ii his younger days and rcpresenled Ircland as a )nedium distanl runnct in inter_ national cvents.

I1 was r great nights cntertainmenl aod we our'selves cnjoYed taking part and contdbuting to this urrique video. Therc \\,as great music. songs. recilations and there was also some wondcr tlll set diincing, as well as slcp d.rncing and storytelling. There was a warm turf fire burning in the old lashioncd open hearth \,,ith the keltle boiling xnd ready tbr mrking the tca.

\!e also had u goocl autlience kx)king on at the \\'holc perlirm-

ancc and they tq) werc \'er)/ afpreciative of thc ente ainment proridecl, especially \|atching it livc. With all thc Christmas deco'ations. the blazing turf fire and thc friend)y and jovial atnosphcre it all trppcared verY authentic.

A1 the conclusion of the filming Joe Harrington th nked evcry one who took part including Paul Kennelly who had the door of Tcach Siarnsa open and everv thing ready and also paid a trib utc to the late Martin Whelan with whom earlier arrangements had been made about thc loan of Teach Siamsa for the occasion. To\\ards thc erd of the night we were all trcated to a loYcly nleal u,ith lea. sandNiches and home mrde rasin cake. sconcs and apple tart.

Besides n1yself the fbllowing $ere the talented performers who took piln in thc makirg of the video; Frances Kenncdl. Pat M.Arlitlc. Mick McConnell. Jim Conncry. Aisling Neville. Doris Shirc. Patsy KennedyM;rrian ftlsh- Linda O'Meara. Deirtlre Chawke. Mike (J'Gorman. Mike Shinnors. David Bnight. Breda Dundon. Linda Moran. Mcavc Moynihan. John Ryan, Jason Ryan, Caoleras; Patrick Donegan. Jeremiah Donegan and Philip Tindall

Special Effects: Pbilip Tindall. I-l.lired. Directed and Produced b) Billy Donegan. Special Thanks was cxtended to Mary O Leary-. Helena Foley. JP Horga0. Paul Kennelly as well as Siamsa Tire Commitlcc.

'fhe making of the vidco was organised and co-ordinlted ba_

Joe Harringt{)n and Kay O'Lealy. The entertainrnenl provided in this video is just as good as and perhaps even better than any thins lhat R.T.E. might produce in the traditional context. To the bcst ol:ny knowledge copies arc rrill;r\,ailable ancl these would makc an ideal Chrisonas present.

Footnote There is a beautitul rnemor-ial to the late Martin Whelan in the lbrm of a $all plaque at the Teach Siarnsa in Finuge. Ma(in invited me on vadous occusions to recite, sing or read poctry tlrere. He and orher menrbcrs of the Whelan family ha!e becn friends of our's tbr many ycars. His sister, Margaret O'Sullivan. is an estccmed neighbour of ours in Knocknagoma. Martin's unitlue contribution to thc promotion of the lrish cultula] movement is something which will always be remembercd.

Ar Dheis Di go raibh a anam.

I'at llrosna Ilreuottntltrtt & Knotkntgorna

The uestion Is aoa

Ansr,ers ott NeJit PaB?

l-To charge a public oflicial with irnproper conduct bcfore a proper Trihunal is refelred to by what name? 2- What is the name given to a male singing voice bclow a tenorl l- which US city is the centre of count|y and western music? ,1- what is thc name of the scale uscd to measure the magnitutle of an earthquake? 5 A rich fiuit cake covered with almonds is named atter which Scottish city l 6 On t\hat horsc did Lester Piggott win his lasl St. Leger in 19841 7 Whal is the life span of a lurkey who cvades the cooking pot? 8- who pliyed the part of John Boy in that old family favourilc "The Walton's" l 9- which aid to lbotwear was invented by Har!ey Kennedy? 10- Name Ke y's captain when they won the Sam Maguire tbl the fourlh lime in a row in 19811 I l- ln what year was fhe unmarried Mothe^ allowance introduced'l l2- Who was responsible fbr giving us bank holidays ? l3- who uon the firsl All Ireland SH final lo be televised in colour? 1.l-Yellow and blue mixed together gives which colour? l5 In t!hich year was the Breathalyscr test inlroduced in the Republic of Ireland? 16- Whaf is special about the phrtlse "Thc quick brown lbx jumps over the lazy dog? l7- Ho$ many people werc there in Noah's Ark? l8 A fenced tield usecl for keeping horses in is called $hat l 19- In which Irish City is thc treat) stone locatedl 20 Galway won the Sam Maguire cup three times in the 1960s. Enda Colleran $3\ cxPtlin l"\ice. Name the other captain l

Every Da), Phrases

Do you ever chance 10 wondcr about certain phralses as to thcir orjgin l

'|.\ke Bankrupl, tbr cxarnple. Did you rcalise the ter-m originatlrd in ltal) anloig the mone)lcndersl Thcy used to lay out the nx)ncy lhey had to lend on il 'banco" or bcnch. When a mem ber ofthis trade \vcnt out ofbusi re\s. his coun(er was broken up and hc was hither kr known us a bancorotto (hckinS a bench). The \\ord eveilually anglicised as "bankrupt". ln the l6th and l71h centuries in France, btnk_ rupts uere lbrced to wcar Sreen caps as a sign of their disgracc. The firsl la\\, regarding bank ruptcy wirs passcd in 1543.

Spick atd spa is another interesting expres!ion. It is onc which originated among thc weavcrs rl1 old. Whcn the cloth wns taken ftom the loom. il wits laid out on spikes xnd sptnnans. and a piece of nraterial taken from this appffatus $as rcttrred to as being "spick and span new" Gradually thc teml cafile to he

Quiz Answen.

l- Impeach. 2- Baritone. 3Nashville. 4- Richter 5- Dundee.6Commanche Run. 7- 12 years. 8Richard Thomas. 9- Shoelaces. 10Jimmy Deenihan. t1- 1973. 12- Sir John Lubboer (later Baron Avebury) He promoted the Bank Holidays Act in l87l) I3Tipperary. 14- Green. 15- 1969. 16k contains all the lelters of the alphabet. 17- Eight. l8- Paddock. l9- Limerick. 20- John Donnellan

applicd to anything which was pristinc fresh.

Il we don't lislen caretully lo what is being said or don't want to listen wc {e tuming a deaf eal. If we think a lhing is confidential and should not bc over_ heard we talk of the "walls hav ing ears" Anyone who is incxpe ricnced i\ sai.l to be "wel behind thc eilh'. the nretaphor coming ttorn the child who has to be reminded t() dry himselfproperl) alier uashing.

A Cock and hull stoly is a long rambling account which nobody believes. It dates from Aesops tables $herc the aiimals talked to each other. The cock and bull wcrc chamctels who finished off a cautionary tale by discussing its details. Thcre was a later belief that an inn near London called thc Cock aod Bull where holses wcrc changed was also a place rvhere passenger exchanged stories while waiting.

Anolher phrase ii con'lmon use is Awild goose chase to describe a liuitless quest. This was oiginally a dangerous cxercise which was mean{ to unscat ils many horsemen as possiblc. One der would lead Nith the rest spread oLrt hchind him likc geese in flight.

A dead duck is one that has tailed or will do so. This comes from an old Amefican saying, 'nevet wastc powder on a dead duck'. Thc duck ir cricket deriles from the shape of a duck's egg which resembles the "0 agrinst thc plavers name and is said to bc out for a duck'.

cats and dogs rs alwals lsrociatcd with hcavy

downpouts. This seems to be linked to ancient belicf in mythology that cats were associ ated wilh rainstorms and dogs with high wirds. Another expla nation is lhat sevcre ruinstonns in earlier limes would cause floods and a number of cats and dogs would be drowned. Atier rhe storm had passcd it would seem as if they had fallen liom the sky.

As the crow Jlies is sclf explanatory as thc ternl reltrs to tra\'elling in a straighl line. A'crowbar was known simply as a'crow' until the ninetecnth centLlry- One explanation ol the name is that one end of the t(x)l is shaped like a crows beak. Anolher sugges tior is that it is a French deriva tion tionl'cros de fer'i.e. irons hooks. The crow of iron tiom earlier centuries would seem to suPport thc latter exPlanation. Crows and ravens \!ere always legarded as birds of evil omen probably because their colour was associated with death.

Economical \Jith the truth dates back to thc 1800s when phibsopher and writer Edrnund Burke said "we practice thc economy of tturh that $e n1ay livc to tell il longer" Also Mark Twain. US writer is rcported to have said 'Trutlr is a mighty !aluable commodity. we necd to be economical with it.

'|'he eleventh ,,oar simply mcans something being done itt thc last momcnt and alludes to the parablc of the labourers, of whom the last "wer'e hircd at lhe elcventh hour".

It's rairing

l:Jeball to eyelall nreans in close confiontation and the use of the exprcssion dates to the

Missile crises oloctohcr 1962 \!hen the Soriets placcd nlissilcs on Cuban soii. Secretirry ol State, Dean Rusk. speaking to an ABC ne\\s correspondant said ''Remember when you reporl this. lhat eleball lo eleball. lhey blinked lirsl.

7b call a spade a spade is t<t spcak in a dircct or plain manncr. It is thought to havc originated in the mistranslation tionr a C|cck to a Latin proverb in the l6th century. The original mcaning wis "calling i boat a hoat" Thc transl{tor-coifused this wilh a sinrilar Greek word which meunt "to dig". The tul'ther translalion into English became "Calling a spadc a spade' instcad ofa 'boat a hoat".

'l'o ki.k the hur:kct is a Lli:re spcctful wav of speaking ol' sonreonc'\ dcath. Onc cxplana tion is that a suicidc would kick away thc buckct on which he was llanding in order to hang hirrsell. However. suicidcs chose other things to stand on besides buckels. Another suggestion is that pigs befbre being slau!rhtered. on reaching the markel wus suspended lion] a bucket beam. ln their death throcs they would "kick {he hrckcr"

To slick lo one's guns means not 1() be peNuaded away fiom one's conviction and to stick to ones beliefs. In the same way. a soldier in ballle, even though under attack, did not run away but fought on.

To spike someo e's grrr.r is to ptevenl someone's progrcss. In the l71h centur) a spike was ddven inlo the touch-hole of an enemy's cannon to re der it unscr\iiceable.

'lb bite the bullet is s.rid to have its origins in the l9th century rvh.n no lnresthetics u,ere ;lvrilable to ease thc pain of soldiers. The woundcd nlan would be given a hullct k) bite on to prevent him crying out or perhaps 10 ease pair. It now mears "lo accept pain withont sho\\'ing enotion'.

'fo get the ,r//e, means to hc unceremoniously sacked fionl a job or.jilted by .r loler. In the davs when otllcers uere considcrcd to be genllemen. anyone who had deeply disgraced hirDself was handcd a pislol with a single bullet in it Io shoot him sell'

Mn6 na hEireann

In 1898 the vote in local govemment was gmnted to women. The following year 85 women werc elected as Poor Law Guardians. Of these 31 became Rural District Counciilors.

Five of the six women who sat in the first Dril were relatives of men executed in 1916 or killed in the Anglo-Irish war Mrs. Pearse, Mrs. Clarke, Mary Mcswiney, Mrs. O'Callaghan, Dr. Ada English all had suffered the loss of their men folk and Countess Markievicz had been thrcugh the rebellion.

Bridie, Joc & 'lbmmy Quille r Ph,rtlgr.rplr rJl.n rt A r':r\ .rn I ':.uht.rrlin'

Where To Next?

when invited by oLlr esteemed Editor Joc Harringtorl. to wite sonlelhing for thc current loumal I was trying to put into Pcrspective a number of trips I had undcrtaken ovel a number of )reals. the nrost rcccnt of which rvas a ,,isit lo Aras An Uachtarllin.

'fhere was on anothcr occasion a visit ro Kinsealy. thc home of Charlcs J Haughey. and thcrc \ras Florida in 1990. Perhaps nol s inpo art as any of these trips was my lirst visit to Croke Park in the rnid-50s. yet it has rcmained a !l]ry pleasanl memory. Maybe it was bccause at that time (unlike now) you could tiecly rcam the actual playing pilch, setting thc adrenalin llowing. \\'ith,nenlorics of greal player's like Roscommon's Jimmy MLr ay. Pcter McDernlott of Meath- Simon Deig an and John Joe Reilly Calan. Padraig Carnev. Mayo. and Joe Keohane ind Paddy Kennedy Kcrry'. to mention.iusl a leu.

I had a nunber ol visits to Crokc Park in later year-s in viclory arld defeat tbr Kclav yel that firsl trip in lhe mid-50s stands out per haps it \ras being out thcrc on thc pitch rc living again lbr a t'ew precious momcnls the achielements of thosc stllls ol the pasl.

WI'I'H C.I IN KINSEAIJ

The visit to Kinsealy, the home of Charles J Haughcy was befole he achieved the notoriety of lnorc rccenl times. ceftainly there walsn t cvcn a hint ()1 a hrown enrelope. Thrt visit came nhont through lhe good ofliccs of

a good liiend of ours. who of course knew a fr-iend wilh the right conncctions. and hey presto we \{ere on our wa} to Kinsealy. The visit to Kinscaly w s exlensively covered in the l99l Lyre Joln-nrl. I must say it was an Lrntbrgettable trip. E\eryone. including himsclf. were lhe essence ol liierdlincss. and their courtes) knew no bounds. We were givcn an extelsive toLlr ol the Mansion and the estate. I know 1br a lact that Bridie dcrived great pleasure tiom sit ting on his chiiir'. rrrrd fbr a tiw lleeting momcnts perceived herself as the "Real Taoiscach'. It was one of those rare moments whcn lr canlera woLrld have bccn of pricclcss value, unlil(unately. we hcdn't brought one-

I)IS\EY\\'oRI,I)

The trip to Florida was covered in the Lyre Journal No 2 May 91. It was a trip thal Bridie. Tom,ny and I made in associirtion with Shay Kinsella fbundcr of the Limelick based Share A Dream foundation. Set up in association uith Gi\e Kids the Wolld. Founded in 1986 Cive Kids the Wbrld was set up 1() providc joy ful cxperiences lor children who have lift thrcateninS illnesses and whose rvish was to visil Disneyland in Orlando. Florida. To bc among such a coLlragcous bunch of )oungsters. sullting a variely of illnesscs such as Cerebral Palsy. Cancer of the blood. and open heart surgery. was a chastcning experience. and ones own problcms -real or ima,qined - palcd in to insigiifi-

One ofthc most striking leaturcs ol the trip was the care and con (:ern ()l lhe Anrcricans (black or white) for (he handiclpped. It urs rrnhelievahle. At the

Airyorts

,\R,\S .\\ 1:ACHTAR,\I\

and all olel Disneyworld just bccause there was ir persoi on a wheelchair they wcre truly 9rcc1. We could in thi\ country learn a lot fiom then when it comes to people with disabilities. Of all the (rips I ha\c undertaken Florida deiinirely \|as thc ulti tratc one bLlt of paftlcular pleas ure also was x tlip 1() Aras An Uacthtarain in April 2000. Its not c\iery day one has the pri\ilege of visit the Aras. so wc were delighted to get the in!itiitiolr tiom Sean Murph). Lecturer and GAA Hi:brian. to do so and in the company of a party of about 20. Bridic. Tomrny and I took otT lionl l,imcrick.

The trip. (hoogh uncvcntul w s totally cnioyable and relaxing. and our tirst stop on reaching Dublir was in Parkgate Street. at thc $aterins hole of Ned Rae's. Ned had \\on an All Ireland t\ith Lirnerick in l97l (their hst since then), and at Neds there was a big wclconle lbr the Limerick contingent. There to greel us \\'ere Vera and Gcorge Langan. Gcorge was a Ciarda bascd at Headquarlers in the Phoenix Pirk. and e native ol Glosha. Alhea and his $ite was the lbrmer Vera Kiely fr-om Rooska East. Calligkerr!. Ceolgc hacl ilrranged a Garda escorl 1bt-us. so like true VIPS we headed tbr (he Phoeoix Park and the inposing Aras $,hich was fbrmally the official re:irlence ol thc British Viccrov in Leland. ancl l'as br.rilt in l75l b], Nathaniel Clcmcnt-

ln 1802 Rogct woodgale and later Frnncis Johnst(nl tr!11:tbflned thc original dcsign of the housc \\ith the inclusion ol the main BnllroonJstule Reception,

and thc magnit'icent stone south portico.

On arrir al we wele warmly greeted by the President's ADC and ushcrcd in to the State recep tion room. This is where thc Presidenf receives dignitaries and the many groups who are invitcd to meet her- After pa ak ing of light retieshments wc began our tour of this imposing

One of the tlrst things Prcsident McAleese did when she camc into ofTice in Ocroher 1997 $,rs to make Aras An Uachtarain eas ily accessible to all, and its now open every Sunday. Anybody who wants to see the House and the Cardens can do so. the President told us that community groups of one sort or anothcr come in their hundreds.

The Council of State room is breathnking. Here there are por traits of all lhe pasl Presidents bcginning with Dl Douglas Hyde. This is the roorn where the President host meeting's ol thc Council of State, the statutory body that ad!ises the Presidenl.

The Presidential study with the Mesoil House ceiling is r\here she does Inost of her work. and it was here we had the pleasure oI meeting hcr husband Martin. A man of great chalm and courtesy. they have been mafied for over 27 vc^rs being childhood sweethearts. and shc readily confesses that she would not have becomc President had it not been fbr the sacrifices he made for her along the way. A former accountant. he studied dentistry in his thirtics. but gave up a successful carccr to help his wile to beco e President. He also has his own itinerary including spcaking at Dinners and Functions usually

linked to lurthering relations and con.a(1 het\,een h(rh si.les ol the border.

Our tlnal lisit was to the State tlining roorn. That was built in 18.19 tbr a visit by Queen Victoria. In it is a pair of eally l9th century statllarv fireplaces which were oiginally a giti to Archbishop Murray ol Dublin from his flock, and were brought to the house b), the first Governor General. Timothy Healy. who took up residence thcrc atter Independence in 1921. and it hccamc home to the Governors General until thc 1930s. ln 1938 when Douglas Hydc became the fi$t President ol Ileland thc house became Aras An Uachtalain -the homc of the President.

And so it was time k) take our leave and to say that it was a memorable trip would be an undcrstatemenl. We leli with warm memorics of having met a very gmcioLls lady with no airs and graces. Il Nas a particularl), happy moment 1br one member oI oLn- party. Tommy Quille *as meeting his third President having met Palrick HiJlery in Lirnerick in November 1990 in Limerick and Mary Robinson in Listowel fbr thc launch of the second Lyre Journal in 1992.

ln rcccnt times I have been readi0g that President McAleese has yet to decide whether or not she will seek a second term of ot]'icc as permitted under the (--onstitution. t hope she does. tbr in Kcrry there is a saying --Ni Feicimid a Leithcad Aris We shall not look r.rpon her likcs again.

Epilogue. Having these memorablc trips behind rne beggars the qucstion

whcrc to nextl Maybe a visit to Dail Eircann when the deputies iire al their ilost quarrclsome. rhe Grerl Wall of China. or Old Trafford- the Theatre of Drearrs. Drcam on Joe. dream on-

Famous Timmy Dillon

Little Timmy Dill(nr

Was born r[ months ago. But there's something Vcry funny

That I think 1ou'd like to knoq

But fill\t there's more about him, He's very very srnall. Hc liles just down the road tiom me

To him I'm very tall.

I'm sitting in the pub right now Writing down this poem. His Mom and Dad arc here as wellI am waiting to go home.

And now about his funny hair. There's hardly none of it. He s thc hrir of Johnathan Lomu. A tiny black bil.

lf he grows up with hair like this. He'll be a famous boy. He'Il be a rugby player. And he'll score every tr).

Eddie will want him bought. He'll bul him for a million. He'll be the Irish teams win! hack. He'll bc Famous Timmy Dillion-

This poem and another in the Joumal were written by Laura McElligott, Clenoe when she was ten years of age.

"Nl] Honre in Sleet L1rqilqrompirncll

John (Jack) Molyneaux who was bred. bom and reared in Lyreacrompane married and settled down in Killeaney. Glin where he lived happily \\,ilh his wife. Jack and I happened to work together from time to time. He had a great love fbr Lyreacrompane and the compaflions of his yourh and very often related to me the events of his younger days there - so nruch so that I felt I had iiled there myself. I thoughr it would be a pity ro ler il ger losl without recording it in song and as Lyreacrompane had such a poetic, musical sound it impelled me ro compose My Home in Sweet Lyreacrompane. Jack told me that when he sang the song and when the people ol Lyre heard it they fbund il hard to believe that the wriler. who had never been in Lyre. could picture it so accurately.

Honrr in S$crt L\rccromlnne

Far away from my homeland in Keffy I've been for a number of years Although I'm contented and happy My memory it fondly adheres To that dear litde spot by the Smearla Where I firsf saw the light of the dawn And spent the sweet days of lny childhood ln my home in sweet Lyrecrompane,

Oh dear Lyre I can never forget you No matter how long I'm away In my mind you're as fresh as a daisy Or the wind blowing in from the bay. When Ireland was fighting lbr tieedom

To her colours her true sons were drawn And fbught lbr the fieedom of Ircland And their homes in sweet Lyrecrompane

The music and song at the crcssroads I can still hear so clearly today As in fancy my mind often wanders To those days gone so far. far away. There on the flag floor in the kitchen We often danced until dawn God be with the dear days of my childhood ln my home in sweet Lyrecrompane-

ln drcams I am sometimes awakened

By the Smearla that flow5 there beyond where I often fished in its waters

And fine catches of salmon did Iand Those days arc now gone lbrever All the wealth of the world I'd pawn If I could only return as a gorsoon

To my home in sweet Lyrecronlpane.

The Life and Times of St. Senan

St. Senan is thc patron saint of rhe disl ct, which rcprcsents the top end of Lixnaw parish name ly, Iremore and Rathea. So how did a Clareman come to be patron saint of this dishict? Let's go back in time and speciflcally to ,188 AD when Senan gave his llrst bawl at Magh Lacha, lbur rniles north-cast of Kilrush. where a lake and an ancienl church slill bea his name. His father, Ercan. and his mothcr. Congella. wele Christians and farmers. Acurious tale is told that the birth of 51. Senan was tbretold by St. Parrick or top of Mullagh Fidhne (known today as Knockpatrick), as he blessed the land across the Shannon (Clare) and the land beyond to the West (Keff)).

St. Patick was not yet l'inished his husiness in Linlerick. and hc never did manage to gct to Kerry (rumour has it that his trusty donkey was stolen. as he prayed on top of the Hill of Knockpatrick). As he gazed across the mighty Shannon river to Clare, St. Patrick paused and said "there is a child in a woman's womb in your courtry who is chosen by thc Most High to be a vessel of salvation. He shall lead millions of souls to the Heavenly Jerusalem and he shall be patron of Corca Baiscinn and of the Hy Fidhgente."

During Selan's yonth there was a lot of ribal fighting going on in Clare. The local chicl of Corca Baiscinn sumnoned all thc ablc bodicd men in the district to march with him againsl the dis-

tlict of Corcamorc. Plundering. pillage and killing lvere not to the liking ofthe young Senan so dur ing the milrch he slipped away from the army and hid in a hag gard- He fe11 asleep under ! rick of straw. Soon the haggrrd was ablaTc.

The o\\ne, ran to save his $,inter crop and found Senan fast asleep. The famrer and his family seizetl Senan. uho adnlitted to being a nlenlber of the raiding part]. Then a strangc thing happened. As Senan spoke a strangc light seemed to radiate from his face. They believed that Cod was with this young stranger and thcy released him.

Senan tlent back to farming lbr the nexl few years. One day he went to bring cattle fronr an outside family farm on the pcnin sula to the home larnr. As hc was rounding up the ca11le the tide came in and blocked his ua!. cutting him ot] from the road home. Nothing for it only uait unlilthe tide wcnt out again. As it was getting late he called on a house owned by a man narned Milgar and askcd to be put up for the night. He was ret'uscd- He went back 10 the herd and prayed () God. His prayers wcrc heard for the tide slowly ebbcd before him. allowing him to cross sat'cly onto the road home.

However. no sooner was he ^cross than there was a thunderous roar and the tide closed back again. But something else happcned that night also which was to chansc Senan's life forev-

er. Raidcrs visited Milger's homeslead later that night, buming it to thc ground. killing all the men, drove away the stock and took the women and children irlto slavery. When he heard this Senan brokc his spear in two and made a cross out oi ir.nrl declrred thet tiom that momenr on he would scrve God and God only. Take a look at Senan's Cross and you will scc that it is constructed from a soldier's spcar.

Senan's rcligious life started under the guidance of the holy Casidanus. at Irrus in Western Corca Baiscinn. Later he advanced to a mooastcry in Ossary under St. Natalis- Hc excellcd in Canon Law and Theology. However, like all orher nlonks- he had to do his lair shar-e of wor-k around the monastery. Being tiom a fanning background came in hancly as St. Scnan's duties included keep ing the youns calves liom suck ing thcir mothers. They didnt have the modern set-up that the larmers have nowadays. so it was pretty rough going lor St. SenanIn tact. hc hatl to call on divine intervention b help him in his task. He drew two lines between the calves and the cows and theleafier hc had re'er a bit of rrouble. You could say he invented the clectric fence long belbre 'twas cver thought of.

During his tirne under St. Natalis. another inctlent occufted which propelled the nalne of Scnan onto thc lront pages of the local paper. Onc d^y St. Natalis and St- Scnan

were walking along a quiet country road when theY came across a sad sceile the sight ol a colfin beil1g borne to its tinal resting place. It $as the only son ol a local woman. Seeing the two nlonks the woman beseeched thcm to revive her child. Sl. Scnrn took thc child in his arms and prayed. Thc child rosc and walked home wilh his delighted mother. The news travelled fllst and far and widc. People flocked l'rrm all directi()lls to t rch St- Scnan to bc cured. StSen.rn couldn t tike thc publicity and soon he took to lhe road and became a wandcrer and a fbunder of monasleries. He tftrvellcd far and wide, 1o Ferns on the Slaney. throughout his native Clarc. to Limerick, to Kerr). to Rone and Wales. Bul wherever he \\'ent his iarnc tbllowed hinl. [l seemed that there wrls no place that he could go to practjce his prayers in solilude. However. hclp was at hard. a\ an angel took him to a hill olerlooking the Shannon ancl pointed out liis Cathaigh (Scattery Island). 'Behold". the angel declared. 'lhis island is kept hallowed in its plis{ine puri ty since the creation olthe world. No sin has ever been committed lherein. because a sea monster. the Cathach. has guarded it agajnst dle rdvent of men. Enter therein and build achurch ir hon our ol the Most Holy name of God and scrve Him thcrefore the remaindcr of your days".

St. Senan responded immedialely by saying. 'the Lord's will be done on Earth and in Heaven". No sooner had he spoken thosc q,ords than the ngel and the stone. on which they slood. wele transported onto Inis Calhxigh. to a hillock at the centre of the i:land. The hillock is still called

AId an Aingil to this day. But the sea monslel called Thc Cathxch didn't take too kindlY to the unwantcd intruder. lt rushed tiolu its wrtery hold and made for Senan and the cngel to devoul rh.m f(n hreakfast. Senan raised his cross befbre the nad morster and ordered him to depall. Trace 0ol tidings of him was rot seen iom that day to this. Bcfbre departing the angel pronrised Senan that none of his lbllowers would bc drowned $hile cross ing fl-om the mainland to Inis Calhaigh.

Ho\\ever. ne\\'s o[ Senan's landing on lnis Cathaigh reached the ears oI the local King. Maclail, who was not vcry impressed that St. Scnan had not asked his Permission to sct up house there. He ordered two of his servants 10 go 10 the island and irllban St. senrn that the island was his. and he should remo!e himsell tbrth wilh. Thc serlants came back with lheil tails betwcen their lcgs. The king was tirrious. Next he sert his magicirlll to drive St. Senan o11. No go. Nothing for it nou,only to go there himself. Mactail gave St- Senan onc t'inal warning saying that il Scnlln wnsnl off the island by the time he. N'lactail. sailed back honrelhen he would havc hin) thrown offthe island and in() the biggest hole oi water he could find in thc shirnnon. Senan told Mactail thrl he \,,ould nerer rexch holne alive. Mactiil's sons $'ho accomparicd him oo the trip to lnis Cahtaigh. learcd fb: their irLther's life. and bcgged him to rsk St. Scnan to tbrgive him and tbrget the whole thing- Mactail declared that he fear-cd Senan no more than he leared "a baid nts \ctt ewe". Bad move Mactail. As he drolc off in his chariot

fron thc shore of the Shannon. along thc clifl road to his homc in Corcamorc- a bald tussett eu,c jumped out in front of him. causillg thc ho$es to go nlad. Macail \ras thro$n tiom his vchicle iind plunged to his death inl{) a deep hole in thc Shannon.

Scnan lived during the time of the second older ol Ilish saints and therefore. rigidly observed the rule proscribiig woman front entering lhe conlines of a monastery. St. Cannera who was a oative ol South West Cork and who on feeling that her demise was approaching, wished to receive lhe last ritcs tiom Senxn and to be intered in a grave on Inis Cathaigh as a coDsequence of a vision that she had. When she reached the island howcv er. Senan dcclined to allow lter to discmbark but she was ad!ised to go to his mother who livcd nol far distant and where she would be walnrly reccired. Cannera peNevered howevcr and subse quently managed to Persuadc Senan to accede to her wishes. After receiving lhe last sacraments. she succumbed and passecl away and was intcfed bY thc shore of Inis Cathaigh, \\,here her rcsting place can still be pointed ortt.

St. Senan rnade his $ay to Kilshenane (Cill Seannain) during his travels. This is aboul two hundred dnd t'itty yards fron1 KilshcnaneGraveyard. Local legend has it that he lit upon this spot while on lhc run liom priest hunters. He hid oul and for a Pillou he used a green stone rvhich lett the pint of his lace on if. Atiaid to comc out of his hiding placc he had nothing to eat or dlink. He prayed 10 God tirjLrst one drink. Not lulg afierwards

hc heard the ipplc of a slream. St. Senan's well was sprung. News spreads fast around here and it wasn't long bctirre droves ol people with various afflictions werc calling to the strcaln looking tbr a cure. The water tiom lhe sleam is especially good for' those with sore eyes and sores of the skin. Anyone who is to be culed will sce a white trout swimming on k)p of the watcr. Legend has it that a ylrung blind girl was cured herc, but she omitted to thank God and became blind again.

Homage is paid to St. Senan on March 8. Othcr days ol devo tion are d1e SatLlrdays befbre May Day. Mldsummer and Michaelnas. Rounds consist of ninc circuits of the well during which three rosaries are reciled. Each rosary is begun ancl ended kneeling before the well. Most pilgiors bathed their hands iind face in the strcam ii lhe old days. It is said that the $'ater ttonl St. Senan s rell will not boil. Local lore hr.rs it that the priest hunters finally calrght r.rp u ith St. Scnan. killc(l hini \tonc dead (on Nlarch

lst 5,14 AD), quanered hinl and hung his body oll tl whitethom rree he\ide thc strearr. Red flowels only gro\\, on thal tree eveL since. The locals cut him dorvn and huried him in Kilshenrne. fclare folk will tcll you that he is buried on Scattcry Island). It is a fitting tribute to St. Senan thal the fbotballer's of thc area proudly bear his name. as do the dranla and vouth clubs.

'l'hresher from Lvreacrompane

Davy Nolan tiom Carr-igcannon owned a thr-csherand it was with Dav), that Dan Jim MoloncY.4 tuture TD. got his tirst job in t926.

The thr-esher was in three parts and was shifted lrom farm 1() fann by horse. Therc wasn't too much call for Davy's service in I-Yreacrompllnc. The Brosna area providcd much bettel employment lbr a oran \\,ith such terhnology and oats was the main crop.

Ir would ippear thirt Davy, who was man-ied to Cathy Lyons, bought the machine alier losing his arm in a shooting accident. How hc survivcd thc accident at all is a mystcrv. Mikey Doran's tather, Bill, took him b Trrlee Hospital in a horsc and cart.

Da\iy ntust have been mechanically minded to kccp thc thrcsh er in good repair. There rlere no garages or Agri M.rchine Shops those days and the farnily gol used to seeing the nagneto neilr the open [ire.

Apart liom operating the thresher with only one hmd. Daly also hrrilt a horrse and made all its tirrniture. This house is still standing beside Tonr and Jernnla Srlccnv's ncw house.

John Da\! rccalls his father's thrcshing mllchine as seeming to be cnonnous when he was a child but in later ycars hc had to slightly bend his hcad when entering the shed that nscd to house il.

THE MILL

John Ryan, Lotteragh, Nenagh, Co, Tipperary,

There's a special day in all our lives, in our hearts we hold so dear. It may be just a one off elent or it may happen every year

The special day I recall to mjnd, I can see it clearly still. Was when all our neighbours gathered'round, on the day we had the mill.

Whcn the big steam engine turned in our lane. \,'e \{,ould heff it snort and

As i! edged around the middle gatc it could take an hour or nlole. When i1 finall]'rcachcd the haS8ard it would always be quite dllk. So rhey manocuvrcd round until. at last. beside the Rick they'd park

Pat. the driver. and Mick the lireman to the kitchcn would retire. When they polished oIl a good hot meal. rve'd all sit around the fire. Mick sang some rousing ballads - thc words I havc them still. We'd always hxve a great sinS sonS on the night betbre the nrill.

In thc nlorning long befbre lhe dawn. Mick hnd the coal tlrc burninS red Hc d fill the trnk wirh waler. and llrll slexrn ulls soon ahcad. 'Rolnrd hreaklllsl time the siren went. thc mcn canle o'er the hill. With their pilch-forks on thcir shoulders. on the day rve had the mill.

Like r loolball tealn upon r pitch, each man his place was found. Somc cutting shaves. sonle pitching sh-aw. the resl were spread ^round.My fithcr aluavs made the Rick. so neatly irnd so trim. There u as no one in the Parish lhirl could build a Rick like him.

The neighbours helped my modrcr, in the kilchen they did toil. To ticd a gang of hungry rnen. a fine dinner they would boil. From Daly's $c would bonow chairs. liom Riley's plales and knives But Cod help the child who r'ould nlention !his - u,e'd be threatened with our lives.

In the aflemoon lhe womcn camc to fill their sacks with chafl_. And thcy wcre chased aroLrnd the haggard - there wxs many a hearty laugh. we ulwavs hid the day off school, our ticks of chafT to fill ' We'd need u ladder to get into bed. on thc night ue had the mill.

Wcll. the combine now does all the work. the.e isn'l half thc tun. The Job it took ten n]en 1() do now can be donc by one. Therc's no comnrunal spiril Ieft. thcy'vc machinery of their own. 'I hey're xll so indcpcndcnt now. they don't borror,. beg or lotn

I've attended nany galheings i11 strangc places ['ve been. But the,e's none of tlrem could erc compare with this old lDditional

And I'd Sive all I own right now to be in the haggard nearh the hill To meet lhe lriends and hear thc yarns on the day $e had the Mill.

First Mass at O'Brennan Cemetrv

The following oration was delivered by the late Jerry Breen, the 'History man from Caher', on the occasion of the filst mass celebrated at O'Brennan Cemetery on Sunday, November 5th, 1995 at 2.30pm. The celebrants were Fr Pat O'Donnell and the Very Rev.DJO'DohertyPP

My history is tradilional. handcd down from one generation to llnother.

I might as well sta[t a{ rhe beginning. In thc last century. ilusical instluments wcrc uneiirlhed locally and they are oo\\'in the National Museum io DLrblin. The) datc as far back as 600 B.C. We can sec by this thrl civilisation dales back hcrc a long time.

AroLlnd 600 A-D. a voung lnarn named Brendan. who was born at Annagh. was or'dained to the priest hood. He was responsiblc for bringing thc taith to this district.

what ua\ here when he came'l A small population, savage, llerce and wild and thcrc were no houses. They lived like the itinerants on the roadside. relying on hunt ing and iishing lbr sur\ival. Brendan shcltcred in a cave here. They call it Uaimh Bhreanann. That is ho$ this district lot its nanrc. The only things we can flnd irom that era are the cook ing sites. I suppose they were something likc the modem day

which wele the fi.st fixed abodcs. There \!as il church ilnd a corlvent sct up in O'Brennan. O[ the church nothing ren.rins. bul there was a lot written aboul the convent- I1 was across the river in Cahir, roullhly al Jack W. Brosnans house. Rel. Denis

O Donohue PP ol Ardfen wrole a book one hundred ycars ago aboLlt il. He states that the con lenl \\'as atteckcd by e\il peoplc and it vias praycrs to St. Brendan th|t \r!e(l ir This was one of the miraclcs credited lo St. Brendan.

O Brennan was Dcsmond telrilory. with McElligott {t Carraignafeela. tsetween thc Earl ol f)esmond and McElligott. O'Brennan was qlite safe. The troublc stafied in 1570 rficr the Refbrrnation. when King Hcnry and hi\ daughter. Elizrbelh. gave an order that all the leaders shouldjoin the lew party or lose their property. The Earl and Mc Elligott refuscd to do this. Thc Earl was hidirg in the distict and wils beheadcd at Clounrgccnty on the lSth day oi Novembcr. 1583. McElligott and the olher leaders ucrc lost in battle and Carrxignaleela Castle was lcvclled. lhe church and convent thcn went undergrcund. the nuns escapcd to loreign lands. and the pricsts took to (he mountains aI1d functioncd undcrground fi)r two hundred ycars.

O'Brennaln ne!cr missed their subscdptioll lo Rornc durinS the Penal times- During thcsc times, tlvo Whitc Boys from lhe district known as thc Daly brolhers lvcrc beheaded and spiked !t Markct House. Cxstleisland.

O Brennan bridge wis built and the graveyard !vas extended westwarcls $ith thc last plot bcing otficially bought in lt)28.

We l'rave a Rcplblican Plot in the cemetery. Thosc u'ho are interred here includc PiLtrick Herlihy. Gortatlea. John Rcidy. Rathanny, Dann) Broderick. Cragg who werc killed in the Tan Wal and Michacl Brosnan olBallyteedora who was killecl il the Civil War. Capl. John Cronin rvho died in I926 is also buricd here. The parents o[ Nlaurice Moynihan, one of thc fbunders of the G.A.A. in Kerrt are aiso at resl hele. Among the 'charac ters" thal are buricd here are Dan Barretl. Briany Collins. Piit "Alainn" O'Sullivan and Nlick Buckley.

A Pothetic Sight

They shiver on lhe povement They gother with their own Their pride ond oll their dignity Nos long since elsewhere f lown

Their numbers growing doily As the stole puts on the s9ueeze

And stonding in the cold ond roin

In misety lhey fteeze

The people possing by fhem A hurried slep betroy The smell thot's blowing over Is why they duck awoy

In a shofi time Brendan had thc Chrisrian faith established. Shortl).rlier this. thc Danes arrivctl and built thc tirst ti)rts

\\'c rcckon thal O'Brcnnan was used as a graveyard ibr hundreds ol-years, but the oldest headstonc here is dated 1759 wilh the name Moor (Moorel on it. ln 1860,

And so they stdnd pothetic A sighl not seen belare The outcosis ol sactety The smokers ot lhe door

Characters u'c )lct in

Americo

.lrt llrtrrin,:t,nr .t (,tt () 1.rar t

"There are eight million people in the Naked City". Do you remember the opening line ot' that TV series long years ago. Or did a young one like yourself see a repeat. Since then the numbers have increased and the characters with a story that is worth telling are not confined to New York.

\ .tourneJ

( hristixn..-

\tith a Lcbanc\t

gct us there. Danni eventually found the undelpass and latcr tirund it easy enough lo be persuaded to take the lull lare. we har.e ar-rived i11 America bLlt whcrc arc thc Amedcans?

Into the Jungle..

When our flight touched down i1t Logan Airport \ve hegan our lask of \couting tir the nlakiigs o[ an Iish Rambling House'0,1 t(Nr of the Easl Coast bl, lirst calling a laxi. Danni Berkachy quickll put oLlr cases in the boot but hes itated $hen ue gave our dcstina tion ils SomeNille. Not familiar $ith thal part ofBoston, he said. but he'd give it a go. He turncd orr nr he, Leh.ne\e Christian. what did he think oflhe impending war in lraq? 'All Muslinrs should be imnediately lhol now". hc declared offhandedly as hc peered into the galhering gloonr of a Boston evening in scar-ch of the Tage Inl. We were hopelessly lost hut, not () worry, - there would bc no chffle. "No charge, no chlrge you any fare. Look. I turn otT meterlll" Obviously he figurcd wc wcren't Muslims.

There's the Tage Inn over there on the other side of thc motor wa). So near and yet so fur but our intrepid taxi dri!cr tiom the Midclle East was nrad aboLrt Irish pcople and was determined to

We had barcly unpacked our bags \!hen Connic Kclly and his $ile Dolly arivcd. Larger than lile is the only accurate description lbr Connie. Dolly is proba bly the only person in thc worltl who can keep him in chcck- The man lron1 Strand Road/Blcnnerville had just returncd f'f(nn a trip to Florida whcrc Counly Chan)pions. Kerins O'Rahillys were on vacation. Connic runs the GAA in Boston single handed we are co lirced - althoulh he modestl) gives olhers credit. A word of warnirg - nevet be latc fbr an appoinlmenl $ith Coonic. He lalues his time.

Jct hgged or iot, we were now spccding west to the Skellig Bar in Waltham for a session! The Skellig is ou,ncd hy Clareman, Tom0ry l\4ccarthy rvhose concertina-playing sisler. Jacquelinc, wc intcrviewed on lhe Rambling House radio progmrnme a couplc olYcar-s ago. It is a gathering place fbr traditional musicians and it was there with his fiddle that we mct Larry Reynolds. Chair ol thc HanafinCooley Branch of Comhaltas in Bostoll.

The next day Connic took us lo a hot spot of a difTcrent kind glasshouses in a nearby UniveNity grounds. There we slepped in to the lropic l juigle of Connie Kelly and we were int.oduced to each ot' the hun

dreds of plants by name (Latin of course). When the snows aic olcr cach yeat Connie hauls all thcsc plants out and installs them in the general vicinity of his home. Magazines and newspapers rcgularly feature the Kerryman's dramatic display. And who could miss the fact that he's a Kelryman l Apart from the plants, his tiont garden is full of signposts to faraway places such as Sca.taglen and Krocknagashal. And he is looking for morel!l

Hearenll .lour'nc1s

Three days laller we leti Boston having discussed oLlr plans with nlany contitcts including Inamore nlan John Joe Somcrs. Radio man. John Curan. Peter Stevens of thc Boston Irish Reporrer and author of "The voyage of the Catalpa" among others and Billy Higgins, a man with his finger on the political pulsc of Boston. we boarded a Peter Pan coach bound tbr Mass second largest city. Worchester. The one-hour trip was our lirst chance to see rural America so $e sat up fr-ont. The sign said. "Don't talk to the driver' but Tony Cardino. our Porto Rican dri!er. had no intention of entbrcing thc rule. lndeed what he uanted was talk. talk. and nore talk!ll Rcligion was his inter'est and he hacl "for.rnd Jesus". \\'e wouldn't have been surprised if he took up the coaches public address microphone and gavc a semrcn to all on board- Il you eve| find youtsc]f on a Pelcr Pan Coach oLlt ol Boston and you want 10 relax [Dd cnjoy the scenery don't tcll the driver to "have a good day"He just nright be Tony Gardino

and hc'll rvant b tell )ou why il

drcacly r good day in his liie. Nicc chap though.

In Worcester we made new liiends in Bud Sargent, a barrister who broadcasts. .lohn F Rooney ol the Ancienl Order of Hihernians and Linrerickman. Brendan O'Connor whose Bar and Restaurant is a "must-call to" if you are ever out that direc tion. We were in Brendan's restaurant when the "whirlwind" arivcd. We were staying the night with Margarel Morrissey in Pomliel. Connccticut. and she was in a hurry. Margifet speed hasn'l dropped much since we knew her twenty ycars ago in Limerick Univcrsity (then NIHE). A lovel) drivc through the countryside to Margaret's

home a beautiful old house which she and Gabriel are renovating. Set in woodland where squirrels wouldjust about eat out of your hand and where maplc trees are drained of their syrup. this little paradise is also home to her son and daughter. Johnny and Aoilt.

V)u nre likel] to t'ind Margarel wilh a shovel mixing mortar. as you are to find her at her desk in the library in Southbridge. Buying old bLrildings with character and doing them up is a hands-on job and Ma:garet will also relatc to you the history of the house. She look us on a walking tour of SoLrthbridge and we doubt that there are any locals who havc a bettel-knowledge of the town. Local politics

beckons Margarct as well. There are vely lew Irish people in Southb dge and it' she succeeds it will only be appropriate recognition 1br her intcrcst in and the understanding ol hcr atlopter' place.

Those werejust a few of the peo ple we met on the New England part ofour trip. The scenery may be impressive but it is people who make a trip interesting. Else where in the Joumal we calry photos of some of those we met in New York.

Doq * 5t4,Aw*cctz, ?trero ?a'?4 2003

Ballyduff Man is 'Gael of the Year' in NY

BALLYDUFF native James P Supple. who now lives at Rockaway, New Y(rrk, was reccntly awarded the title 'Gael of the Year' by the Kerryman's Association in New York.

Born in the parish of Ballydutf, James arrived in the States in 1949 where he later manied Mary O'Connor from Sneem. They had three sons. Joseph. James and Michael and a daughter Helen. Before he retired James was a communily and civil activist and he lvorked tbr the New York Times. He has been a member of The Kerryman's Patriotic and Benelolent Association for 50 years and has been a flag carier for the association at the annual St. Patrick's Day parade on 5th Avenue since 1951. Welldone to James.

Hurly's of Lyreacrompane

frustmring. exciting and satisfy ing and those in no particular order. AIter lhree years it is wilh reliel that I can llnally put thc frd\ rs I lirnd lhenr- back in to rhc comnlunily hom which they had bccn lost through lhe passagc of time.

ed al Fenil. Unlbrtunately, when they llNt purchascd thc house they had builders in and old records \fere destroyed. Wc lcfi pfomising to keep them updatcd with the rcsearch.

In the lblklore of Lyrcacrompane the name Hurly (wilhout an e) tealures strongly. The older people spoke about thc Landlord of Lyre and pointed to Dillane's big horrse to u,hich rn RIC Barracks (now dernolished) as Hurlv's headqual'ters.

Lady Burghersh, Lucy Ann Thompson and thc.lones's \'-ere somelinres also named as landlords or as agents. Another nan1e spoken of \!as Fanny (Frances) Hurly. Ther-e was rnuch confu sion about her in the firk menlo r,"- which geneially held her to bc a daughtcr of the laidlord who uas fixed up with a bar. the'Four Elms'. in out of the way remote Lyrencrompane when she married a Catholic. lt was also believed that the 'Glen School'. tlre iirst school ii Lyre crompane. was built cspe cially for Sam Hurly b! his father, lhe landlord of Lyre.

This was whal I started with but ftw pafls oI lhe jigsaq, littcd and. to mcke nlatters worse. thc timc franle was never clcar, Back in thc'10's the Folklore Commission collecled accounts of thc happenings in local areas. The contributions lion) Lyreactompanc show total corlusion as to the hisk)ry ol lhe landlord cvcn when those contributing the jntbrnlltion would cleiuly have livcd durinS the periodl

I tirund the task ol rescarchin-s thc facts interesling. lascinating,

In the tbllowing pages I delail the Hurly lamily trcc ctuall) lwo trees. as durin! my research

I have no1 fbLrnd thc vital li,lk between Fnnny Hurly and John Hurly. the Landlord of Llre. I have wolked botlr thlough fiom the I-)rcacrompane connection.

In sunmery what I now kno\! is that thc Lock Eslale. including Lyreacrompanc. \\'as bought by the Hurlys in 1857. Lady Burghersh \\'as the last oi the Locks ol Norbury to receive rcntal from lhe tenants of Lyreacrompane. Joho Hurly of Fcnit became the landlord of LyreacrompiLne and his agents occLlpied the house which was alterwards Dillanes and to which an RIC Barracks was atlached. John neler lived in Lyre. His descendants contioued to reside at 'f'enil House'until lhc 1970s \\,hen the Byrre iamily pur chased it.

(hc of the nice things about research can be the pcoplc you nlcct and this was the case $ith Ciara and John Byme. Havirg phoncd Fenit House looking lbr irlormation {boul the Hurly Fanily I was in!ited to call back. John showed us around the house and grouncls and gave us the history of it the stone wilh the i0scription JCHl860l his shaviDg mirror rnd the sile ofthc odginal housc. Ciara drove us to the site of the Protestanl Church th{t the Hur)y Fxmily had erecl-

John Conway Hurly, nephew of John of Fenit. The Lyreacrompane Landlord. lived at Glendulf House before immigratiog to Canada ir 1912. What became ol him was a mystery. It was thought that they had gone 10 a place called Alix in Albe a. Thank God tbr modern technology the world wide Web.

Through it I made contact with Dcnis Hurly and Patsy Michetti. brothel and sis(er. $,ho had been tr)ing to trace their family back ground for some years. The! wcrc IeDr surprised to hear fiom me that their family roots were jn Co. Kerry as they had been inlbmed by a Gcnealogisl (at eno.mous expensc) that it was tiom Co. Cork thcir ancest{)rs had come to Canada. They wcre able to tell me thal John ol ClcndutT House had becomc a lamel. He passed away in 1935 and he is buried in Alix.

The Hurly's also had a connection wifi 'Glendalorgh House' in South Ke[y. The present owner who nrns it as a guest house informed me that a Hurly Lady. Honol Hur'ly, tiom New Zcaland stays occasionally with her. Again I used the intcrnct to track this Lady 1() Auckland NZ. Mrs. Honor Shelbrooke Walkcr Hurly was exlretnely hclpt'u1 and I reproduce hele some phologmphs that shc sent me. She knerv of the Hurly's who immigrated to Canada from Clenduff and she said that she had heard that they had run off widr the tlmily silver'!i!.

Another link to the Hurly's world wide was the 'Kerr!man Newspaper. A letter fiom Diane Barnett. ltxas. caught my cycShe was seeking information on Samuel Hurly who had immigrated to Canada in l9ll. This was the Sam who had been born at the RIC Belrx.k\. Lyreacrompane. and whose lather. Thomas Hurly, was an agent ol lhe Landlord. John Hurly. This is also the Sam ti)r whom, in popular belief. thc 'Glen School'n,;rs hrrilt for Nothing Nas known ol Sam's whcrcabouts alier he leti Lyre. We met Diane and her hushrnd. William. as they passed through Dublin last yeal and exchanged notes. I now know lhal Sam died in Cnnada in 1951.

Sam's falher. T(,n. was a brother of Fanny Hurly. Fanny Hurl! did live at Kielduff hcforc she married but not at ClcndufT House. Franccs marricd Michael Scanlan in 18.18 but the Gritllrh Valuation of lu52 does not show them as .esiding in Carrigcannon. The earliesl record I have ol them living in Carig is 1883 when lhey were renting a house there. This woLlid seem to disprove the story that Fanny was set up at the Four EIms Bar when she mxrlied a catholic. Fanny lived into her ninelies and was know to rcad her bible every day.

Il seenls odd that the namc Hullv with thc unusual spelling (no E) should be connectcd in t\\'o ways with Lyrcacrornpanc i.c. John the Landlord and Thomas the Land Agent and his sister. Fanny. It is r1l), opirion that there nust be a connection belween bolh Hurly lilnlilies because there are

many common threads i.e. common Christian names running thlough lamilies. the surname (no E). the Lyre /Fenit /Kieldutl' /Caoada conllection and the Prolestant Failh. I suspect that lhe connection lies with Chrrles. son o[ Thomas Hurly & Letitia Blown- first cousins. who mar ried in 1762. So tar I'r,c not found anl rccords that show what bccemc oi him (Charlcs). Intcrcstingly, however. Thomas and Fanny's Grand-Father was a Charles Hurly and the time tiame would not make il impossible lor this Charles to be the son born k) Thomas and Letitia all thal time ago.

The following text is best read in conjunction with the Hurly Family Trees.

THE HURLY FAMILY FENIT. GLENDUFF & TRAI,EF,

In 1309 the Hnrlcy's were one of thc principal chiefiains ot' Thomond, Linrerick. l,ater they also held the title ol Baronet (Thc order of Baronetcy was cslahlished by Janres I in l6ll).

In I585 Thomas Hurly of Knocklong Castle represenled Kilmallock in Perrotts Parliamenl. Sir William Hurly represented Kilmalock in King James Parliament in 1689. Sir Williams's son. Sir John Hurly, was afested in Dublin in l7].1 on a charge ol .aising a body of men ibr the Pretende[- He made his escape from prisoi but 01 his subsequenl career nolhing is known. The descendents of his illegitimate son. John, lived at

DrLlmacco. near Kin\ara in 18.10.

In 160l Tho:nas's son. N4auricc ol Knocklong. obtained a patcnt for a rveekly markct to bc held in Knockk)ng on Tncsdavs and two yearly f'airs which wcrc held on May 28th aod October lst. The May t'air was ibr cattie. sheep and pigs whereas the October fair \las mainl) lor horses. Maurice married twice. llrst Rircia Thornton and secondly Graniil O Hogan. Ivlaurice and Gr.nia had e son. Sir Thonl|s Hurly. Sir Thomas's son. Maurice. marricd Johanna Brrrwne and they had e son John. John had a son. John and tbur daughters. Cathclinc who marricd Pierce Buttler. Lord Dunboync. Annc \\,ho manicd Daniel Ryan, Crace who maIried Waller Bourke and Ellinor n1arried D.!id Barry by whonr she had Edmund (Queen Anne's fos ter father).

Sir Thomas's grcat grcat grand son, Dcnis (Donogh). was thc t'irst Hurly to settle in Co. Kerq,. He held a commission in the Kerry Militia. In l70l he married Anne Blennerhassel ( 1663 ) filth daughter oi Robert and A\' ice (nee Conway). Castle Conway Killorglin. (Killorslin Castle was renimed Castle Conway in 1587 when granted to C pl. Jenkin Conway). Denis (Donogh) and Anne had five sons and three daughters. Thomas. Charles. John- Donogh. William. Alice. Avice and Sarah.

Thomas the eldest son narried his cousin Alice Blennerhassett xnd his brother. John. rnarried Jane. Alice's sister. Whei Jane's husband. John. died in lTll she married Maurice OConnell and

the daughter of that union. Mar). mrrried Daniel O'Connell. 'The Liberator'.

Denis (Donagh) and Anne s second son- Charles. maficd Alice only daughter and hcircss of Edmund Filzgerald oI Murrigane. They had two sons. Thomas and John and a daughter Mary Annc. The eldest son Thomas married his lirst cousin Leri(ia Brown and they had a son Charles.

John Hurly J.P (youngesl son ol Charles & Alice) married Mary Conway on l8/05/1784. Hir died on thc 26lll/1829 leaving two sons. Robefl Conway & John. and six daughters. Letitia, Alice, Christian, Lucy. Arabella and Mary. The eldest son. the Rcv. Robe( Conway Hurly. Rector of Killiney, Vicar Genelal and Surrogate of thc Diocese oI Ardfert and Aghadoe clied unmanied in NIay I849. He is intcrretl at Ballyseedy Churchyard. Tralee.

Rev. Robert Conway Hully was succeeded by. his younger and only brother. John Hurl! who was a Clcrk of the Peace and a J.P fbr Kcrry. John oq,ned Bridge Housc (the old Tralee Garda Station) and Glendut] House.

John married Anna Maria Theresa Hill on the I9l05/181,1. Anna was the daughter of Col. Hugh Hill, Armagh aod Devon. In Nlarch lS52 John Hurly and TB Hurly were among the elect ed Cuardians fbr thc Tr{lee Electoral Division. When John died on 19/06/185.1 he lefi three sons, Robcrt born in 1815, Hugh Richard Kirwin 1825. John Conway Hurly 1833 and lbur

daughtcrs. Elizabeth 1816, Maric Thercsa lill7. Alice I8l9 and t-ctitia 1825.

daughtcr of William Cummins, fbrmally o{ Wilhcridge. Devonshire and the sister of Lady Mary Colleton. Rcv. Francis Hill. Rector of Terling Essex. assistcd by Rev. Joshua Willoughby. Rector and Rev. Stephen BroNn. Rector. named them at the Church of the Holy Trinilv. Hartland Road.

Iohn & Anna's eldesl son. Robert Conqay Hurly. Balristcr. who was born on the 02/06/1815 at Bridge Housc Tralee married Dorcas Blennerhasset by special licence on thc 27105/18.15. The couple *'ere manicd hy Robert's Uncle. I{ev. Robert Conway VG. ol thc Diocese. Dorcas was the cldcst daughter ol Arthur Blenncrhassett M.P of Ballysccdy. Kerry. Dorcas died in Octohcr 185,1 at the agc o132. she is interred.ll Ballysccdy Churchyard. Tralee.

When John Hurly, Robert's furher. passed away he ]ct1 Bridge Housc, Tralee and Glen(hrff Housc to his eldesl son. Roberl. Thc tonrb ofJohn Hurly lies inside thc ruin oI the old Church in the Burial Glound at B:rllyseedy.

Robeft subsequcntly married Annic Curnmins (1837 1902) on the ll/06/1860. Annie wrs the

Robert and Annic had four sons. John Conway J.P born on the I8/03/ 1862, William Willoghby 1863, who died young. Maulice Randall 186.1. who manied Honoria Fitzmaurice in 1896 (marriage dissolved in 1907), MaLlrice Randall then married Jemina Hutcheson and Rev. Francis Thomas Bamwell bom in 1866 and died in l897.unmar ried. Thcy had two daughte[s, Evelyn Mary Stanell 1868 who died young and Roberta Mary Conrvay 1870. Roberta Mary resided il Dublin and she died. unmarried, in May 1947.

Robeft Conway Hurly died on the I l/09/1870 and is interrcd at the New Cemctery, Tralee. Rohel.t's widow. Annie. later rnar-ried Rev John Ross (1819 1908) MA Vicar of Coynham Salop. Devon in 1873. (they had onc daughter, Annie Euphemia).

John Conway Hurly. eldest son of Rober-t and Annie. was edu cated at Harrow and Canrbridgc. John tirst married Maude Isobel Grogan ( 1872) on the 0l/06/1891. Thcy had onc son, Robcrt William Conway Hurl),, born on thc l8/03/1892. Hcdied on the 08/0,1/1919. unmaffied.

John and Maude divorced and John subseqLlently mirded Mary Anderson (1881- ). Limerick. in 1904. Thel had six sons, John Hugh (12/2/1906). Denis ( l8l2l l9O1 ). Francis (6/l/1909 l9ll). Mauricc (23/lJ/1910 23ll2ll9l1). - causc of dcath bee0 acute laryngitis. Patrick willoughby and Maur-icc Francis (1915) and a daughter Margarct Mary (27101/1908). Patrick Willoughby and Maurice Francis were bom in Canrda.

The l90l Census of Populatiol reco'ded Iohn as heen a widon County Magistrate and been of thc Church ol Ireland taith but rhc l9l I Cen\u\ r.corded him as beenaFarnrer&Railway Sharcholdcr and a Ro,nar Catholic. His $ife Mary arld three sons are also lecorded as been RC. But Robeft's sister. Roberta Mary. is listed as been of Church ol England religion in 'both CensLrses.

JOHN CONWAY

HURLY

J.P. FENIT THE LYREACROMPANE LANDLORD

John Conwa] Hurl), ( 18331878) the youngest son of John and Anna married Elizabeth Boyd (widow) on the l8/12l1858. They had a son. John Charles Denis J.P High Sheriff. bom on the 25107/186;1. who died unmarried on 2610511929 and two daughters. Eleanor Mary Augusta (1859) (Mrs. Samucl Frazer) and Augusta Hobart ( I lJ59) (Mrs. Harnet Fuller).

Mr. John Conway Hurlcy became the l-andlord of Lyr-eacronpane in 1857. Whcn he purchased pan ol lhe Locke esrate which contained l7.6lil acr-es. Mr. John Liltledale sold the estate by public auction at his salcs rooms, no. 9 Upper Ormond Quay Duhlin. Mr. John Conway bought nine lots, for I13,525. containing 7,830 acrcs and producing over t,110 rent Yearly.

Lot No. 29, Knocknaglough 626 acres Lot No. 30, Bugaugnan1lavogue and Glasanacree ?,12 acres Lot No. 3l Glountaneyalheen 643 acres Lot No.32, Cloughboola 6lJ6 acres Lot No.33, Drommadabeg 855 acres Lot No.3,1. Drommadamore lIppcr and I-ower 2,000 acrcs I-ot No. 35. Carrigcannon 233 acrcs

Lol No. 36.

Canigcannon 728 acres Lot No. 37, Lyreacrompane 980 acres.

*

The totdLLlctes in Lots no. 29 to 37 do not c o fte tpond e-\aa t [ \' \f i I h the tddl_ligurc quoted ot will made l5th Novcmbcr I877 cnd proved 24th March 1879 in the Principal Registry OfTicc Dublin. Testator (John Hurly) died lTlh November 1878 at Feuil House. The !!ill deals with his settled aid unsettled estates. 'l he nsellled esrirles inclLlded. Lyreacrompane, Carrigcanlon. Dromadmore Lower and Upper. Drornadabeg, Cloghboola. Knocknaglough, Glitshnacree. Boughnamalovogue nnd Clantanyalkeen. The uill includcd thc firllowing... A yearly payrrent of t600 lo his wife. Elizrbcth Augusta. 1,1.000 chargcd on setlled esldtes, in trust for his two daughters Elenor Augustx and Augusla Hobart. Hc leti his unsettled

Will of John Hurly, Fenit House

estate to Lucy Anne Thompson on condition of her paying f,200 yearly to his wife for life. r50 yearly to each daughter till marriage and ,600 yearly to his son, John Charles Denis Hurly, until 26 years or on his mothe/s death when he would inherit the entire estate. A codicil placed a charge on [nward and Outward Fenit of d200 yearly, for her lil'e, for Miss Lucy Anne Thompsoo (his agent).

In 1876 thc Hurleys were the regislered o$ncts of 12.23,1 acres of land in Kcrry but by I880 lhe Hurly's had run in(o t'inancial troLrble and the!_ \rere fbrced ttl sell their cxlensive propel1y around the count\.

The Right Honourable Judge Flanagan sold the Hurly Eslalc in eleven lots at the Four Coufis. Inn's Quay. Dublin oo FIiday 25106/1880 at l2 p.m. Richard Huggard u,as the solicitor tbr thc estale. Cllenduff House iind Il8 acres of land wiLs bought lbr f2,200. in n!sl. by Mr Thomas F- O'Coinell solicik)r. lbr John Conrvay Hurlv a rninor.

l'l,l,NIT HOUSE

The Fcnit House. which stands today. was buill by lhe Hurly Famil,v in Victorian tinrcs. The pre!ious Fenit House which had connection\ with the Hickman Family was sitcd ol1 a highcr picce of ground about 100 yards away frorn {he prcsent house. The Hurly Family also built a Protcstant Church in Fenit. A Stone rcmains in the grounds rl1 Fenit House inscibed J.H.1860'.

John Charles L)cnis. son of John Conr,,ly Hurly. The Lyreacrompanc Landlord resided at Fenit House. He died unnlarded on 26/05/1929. Hc letl the hollsc to his sisler. MrsAugusla Fuller. and her son Franklin. Flanklin married Mary Bailey (niece of the Countess of Ross) bul they had no tamily. Franklin was drowned in a boating accitlent ut Fenit. Atier his death his wiie. Maly. remained on at Fenit House lbr sonle time. She c\entually sold the residencc to Ciara (lbfllcr Rose ol' Tralcc) ancl John tsyrne lBrirndon Hotel. Tralce) and wenl to livc in Dublin.

Bridge HoLrse Tralee was built hy the Blcnnerhassett's of Ballyseedy as a town residence. e\actly when is not clear. The tlurly's boughl it about 1850.

The House Nas auctioned in Tralec Coufihousc on 0l/05/llJ80. [1 uas at this poinl that the house took on the familiar r-ole of police headquarters. The leasc at a yecrly rent ol five shillings and three pence was taker up by the R.l.C. During the Cilil War it was damaged by t'ire. Afler the formution ol the Frce State it war taken over by the Garda Siochana and Bridge Housc remained in their hands uotil it was demolished in Septcmber 1983. The present Tralee Garda Station is built on the same \ite.

A John Hurly from further back

All Hurb photographs eftePt those on paqe 64 courtes! of Honor Sherbrooke Walker Hu !, New Zedand and Kat: O'I*ary, L\reacro pane

'I he shxling \lirror of John Hurl) ol'F('nit

A S{one \\'hich stxnd! in tht grounds of I enil IIousc inscrihcd '.lH lli6(l'

Glenduf] House $as built prior to 18.10. Originally it had bcen a lodge but the Hurly lamily retaired it as a country residence. John Conway Hurly, grandson of John J.P and Anna. lived at Clcnduf] House. He maried Mary Andefton, Limerick- In 1912 John Conway Hurly solcl Clendufl House snLl rl lh( r!e,'l lifr) he dnd hr. l,Inrl) irnDUgr ed 10 Canada. They settlcd in Alix. Alberta.

Jim Erraught bought Clenduff. tbr fI.200. Jim Erraught had previolrsly worked as a labourer Ior thc Hurly's. On been dismissed liom his employ ment he immigrated !o Ame ca. where he amassed enough wealth to rclLrrn and buy Glenduff House. Today it is lui as a Guest House & Pub by Jarncs Sugrue.

John Hurly JP ( l79l - l8s4)

At a Vestry meeting held in the parish church ofTralee, 19 day of October 1835 for the purpose of making a new regisly of the seats in said church. It was there and then agreed that the under named persons are proprietors of the seats to which their names are annexed. Gallery isle and sittings allocated. Callery No. 32, John Hurly.....

Cow stealing in Castleisland

On Tuesday night a cow, the propefiy of Mr Thomas Hurley, agent to the Land Corporation, was stolen off his lands. Up to the present no tmce whatsoeYer of the cow has been found although the police are making a strict search through the locality. (Kerry Eveting Post Sept l9tlt /88J)

Srriou\ \grarian \ssault

Another outrage of an agra an character occurred at a place crlled Knockeen. about two miles on rhe Tralee side of Castleisland. on Sunday evening. lt \r'ould appear that a jarvey named Reilly was engaged to dri\e to his residence at Sandville near Castleisland Mr. Thomas Hurle). who acts as an asent I() the Land Corporation- The] left Tralee at about four o clock and arived at their destination in safety. On his retum ho\\evct with the ernpty side car. Reilly was waylaid at the place above mentioned and ha\ing been charged with the "sra\e oftence" alleged was knocked down and beaten. and kicked. by a number of cowardl] t-ello$s. who then made off after \\ aming Reilly not to drive Mr. Hurley again. It was dark at the time- He managed after a while to get on the car and return to Tralee. A man named Callaghan was arested by the Castleisland police yesterday and b.ought into Tralee where he was fully identified by Reilly. The prisoner was remanded to next Castleisland Petty sessions. (Kerry EreninS Po\t Feb lth

FRANCES (FANNY)

HURLY O'Brennan & Lyreacrompane

Frances (Fanny) Hurly was the eldest of John and Rebecca Hurly's family. She was born in 1826 and was baptised by Rev. Edward Nash when she was 33 days old. Hel siblings were Samuel (1830) Thomas (3/,1/1833 - 1907), Charles (2019/1835), Mary (18/.1/1838).

Alice

Fmnces maried Michael (Mick) Scanlon tiom Kildutl on the l lt/ I2118,18. Their witnesses werc Samuel Hurly & Edmond Connor. The) were married by Rev. John Fitzgerald Day. The ChLrrch ot' Ireland records state thal Frances carne fiom O'Brennan but there is no occupation or holne address fol NIichael. Frances's f'ather, John, is notcd on the mafl-iagc record as been a snrall falmer. Mick was employcd as either a Fowlcr or Croomsman ti)r the Hrrly Fanily at Glenduff House. A desceodent inforrns me that Frances and Michael were mar ried in both Catholic and Pft)teslalnt Churchcs.

Frances's sister Mary. born on lOth April 1838, married Michael Scanlan's brolher. Patrick. in 1860. Thcir mafiage record gives Kilmorc as Patrick's place olresidence and at the time of their mlniage it states that M:rry s tathet John. wxs a farmer (not a small lanncr). They were marricd by Rev. Henry Sands. Their witnesses wcrc Alice Huggrrd & ..-. Scanlan.

Frances s brother Thomas (1833 1907) married Eliza Joncs (18?t2-1908) on 23rd May 1861. At the tine of their maniage borh Thonas and Eliza wete rcsidin.s at Kielduff. The eldest of their children. John (28/7/1862), Samucl ( l0/4/1864) Michael Cyrjl Oswald (1711ll86tt1 (lhe namcs Cyril Oswald was addcd on OctobcrlTth l90l in lhe presence olhis father Thomas Hurly) and Marie Agnes ( l716/l ti69) were born at Kielduff. At the lime ot' Marie Agnes's marriage to Joseph Coalter on July 17th t890 her address was Mullaghmarky. Elizabeth Jaoe (l/4118'71). Rebecca (25/3/1873). Samuel (1875l95l ) \!ere born in Lyreacrompane. Ellen Sheehy. Dromadda was present at Samuel's birth. Charles (Nov/1877) and Thomas (July/ 1879) were born at Sandville. Catherine Alice (September/1881-1910) and Letitia (September 1885) were born in Castleisland. Thomas Hurly and his wife Eliza are buried at Ballyseedy Chulchyard- The headstone bears the following insciption Thonas Hurl.t, Caslleislantl. tho died on Murch l5h 1907 Ltnd his wile Elia.dbeth who died on Ouober 19th 1948.

Thonas Hurly's Will 1906

Thomas Hurly died March lTth 1907, (his headsbne states March l51h) aged 75, leaving a bricf 1906 will. The executors rverc John Keny O'Connor, a Castleisland mclchant irnd Daniel Jennings, manager of the National Bank. Castlcisland.

Mullaghmarky House, farm lands. livestock and implements was Il5l 5s:ld. Tenants rented land on a yearly lease of !.14. The property is described as "assigned to me by Joseph Coulter ol Two Mile T<rwn. Co. Tyrone" which probably meal he held the mortgagc on it. All was left to Samuel Hurly described as "one of my six childrcn" (he had eleven children). The will stipulated that S muel allow his mother. Eli7a, to live at Mullaghmarkey Housc and that he give her {20 a year. His two vounger sisleN. Catherine Alice and l-etiti^. lived there and the will lelt them Il00 each.

ln l9l1 Samuel sold thc proper ty to the O Connor tamily and immigrated to Canada. He never returned but aftel his dealh his widow. Elizabeth Day, spent many summers in castlemaine with her niece where she had grown up_

In 1880, when Lyreacrompane was in the Parish of Kilfeighny, Thomas Hurly had lcased l43a 1r 0p from the representativcs of John Hurly fbr 1-24.10s. More than likely Thomas was in LyrcacrompaDe prior to this date going on thc birth dates/place of his childrcn.

When Elizabeth Jane ( l87llgl0l wes contirmed in lllllT she was residing al the RIC Baracks in Mullaghmarky. Elizabeth Jane married Joseph Jones on 9/2/1901. Michae 1 Hurly and Michael Jones werc their wit ness's. In 1892 Joseph Jones was leasing land -145a lr 0p - fiom John Charles Denis Hurl!. Elizabeth Jane and Joseph Jones had four children. Olive Kathlecn ( 1902), Charles Richard (1904), Alice Elizabeth (1907) and Samucl John (1906). When Elizabeth Jane dicd she was interred at Ballyseedy Burial Cround on 2714/1910 and Joseph Jones was inleffed there

on ll/8/1917

On February 9th l9l0 Joseph Jones sold his exlensive tarm containing l75a 0r l5p (at that time 9a 21 0p was let to three suh-tenants et a rent of 12.l5s). The buildings on thc farm included the Lyreacrompane RIC Barracks. $,hich was a twostoried slated dwelling house containing six apartments, slaled and iron roofed stalls for thifly cows and stabling fbr two horses. On February l2th the 'Scntinel Paper'canied a notice stating that the farm had been sold to Edmond Dillane of Knockmeal fbr a substantial sum.

Fanny's sister Alice married Stcphen Huggard from Killorglin on 23/l/1843 and they lived in Mallou.

Samuel. son of Thomas and Eliza Jones. married Elizabeth Day in June 1908 and in l9ll they immigrated to Canada having sold olT Mullaghmarky House. They first went to a farm in Weslem Onta o where Sam worked as a Farm Manager. Elizabeth surn pressed him tbr a move closer to a city or else she was going back to Ireland!!l They moved to Toronto where he got a iob with the T. Eaton Cornpany. a large department store. sta ing as a stock taker' and rcnraining there unlil his sixties. Sam and Elizabeth had five children, Hamilton. Cyril, Charles. Thomas and Letitia. Hamilton who died young. Cyril who did not have a family, Charles who had a daughterPatricia. Thomas has a son Andy and two daughters Elizabeth and Rebecca and Sam's only daughter, Letitia, married David Bain and has two children. f)iane B^rnett and David.

S.muel hrothers- Tom and Charles, had preccded him to Canada. Charles settled in Ontario and had four children. There is also mention of a famil) member going to South Africa. Two of Sanfs sisterc married and went to live in Norlhern Ireland

Fanny and Mick Scanlon settlcd in Carrigcannon Lyreacrompane in 1883. They leased a house tiom Thomas Hurly for 5s. Fanny and Mick had nine chil dren but by the Census of l9l I two of their children had passed away. This Census also recalls that Frances was an Episcopalian Protestant. Four of their ninc children were JohI, Jerry. Rebecca and Lllcy- Frances's and Mick's daughters were educated ,t the Prolestant School. The Scluare, Lislowel.

John rnarried Mary Carcy. Carrigcannon and they immigrated to Amcrica. Jerry maried into the Dunne tamily. who were owners of Killaloc Slate Quarry. They lived in l-imerick and thel' had one son who died unmaried-

Two daughters Rebecca (1862) and Lucy remaired in Lyreacrompane. The other daughters emigrated. Lucy Scanlon married Zebbie Somers. from lrremore, Listowel. Their son Edward (Ned) married Lil Sheehy,

Renagown. They were the parents of Lucy (Somers) Nolan, Cloghane.

Rebecca Scanlon married John Gleeson, Croom. Co. Limerick. grandparents of Beck (Gleeson) Falvey. Llre. John was a mem ber of the RIC Horse Patrol Unit. He wrs stationed in Listowcl. Rcbccca married at the age of cightcen, and she bccanle a catholic to marry John. Atier their maraiage they initially li!ed in Wexlbrd befbre relurning to Lyreacrompane to live with her parents, Frances and Mick Scanlon. ln 1883 Rebecca Gleeson leased land tiom John Charles Denis Hurly. ln 1908 Rebecca Roche (tbrmally Glccson) is listcd as bcing a tcn ant ofJohn C D Hrrl! and f'arm ing 2ll5 acrcs. I roods and l0 perches in the to!\ nland of Lyreilcrornparne ilnd 8-1 acre\. J roods and 8 perches in the to\rnland of Canigcanron.

The eldest of Rebecca and John Gleeson's childrer $ere born in Wexford. Thel_ had threc sons. lack, Pat. Nlick and six daughters, Brigid. Lucy. Mtryannc. Rebecca. Kittv and Franccs.

Jack joincd thc Rhodesian

Policc- He married the nurse who carcd fbr- him when hc was convalescing tiom nrlaria- Pal and Mick maried sisleA Mary and Brigid Dillane hom Co. Limeick.

Lucy rnarried Williarn Pentler. R.l.C. BalJinsloe Co. Galwa,"".

Maryanne married Andy Gleeson Co l.imerick Rebccca nrarricd Willianr Wilson, Durham. EnglandKitty marricd Jack Rcid). C'astleislxnd. they iDrmigrated to NY They had two daughters

Frances and Margaret both of whom predeceased lheir molhea

Fr-ances rnarried Jack Dever-v. Co. Cork.

Mick Scanlon died on the 2110411914 at the age of 87 aod is bulied in O'Brennan Cemetery. Ballymaceiligott. Frances Hurl) was 91 years 01' age \vhen she passed a\\iay on the l8/l2ll9l1 she is interred in the Hurly Family Tomb. Ballyseedy. Tralee.

John Glecson died on the l0/05/1888-Ascension Thursday- at the age of5,1- Hc is buied in the Scanlon gravc at O Brennan.

Rebecca subsequently married Hugh Roche lgrandparents ot' limmy Roche of the Four Elms Bar). Hugh came from Co. Ro\corlrmon. He was a nremberof thc Ro)al lrish Constabulary ond was stationcd at thc RIC Barracks io Lyreacrompane.

Rebecca and Hugh had two sons, Joseph. Hubert Albert (Al) and oie daughter. Lilliai.

Joseph. died in 1901 al the age of 9. he is buried at O'Brennan Churchyard. Hubert Albe (Al) married Abina (Abhy) O'Brien, Gloundaeigh Currorv. They becarne the proprictors of the Four Elms Public House. Lillian married Mick Carc),. tiom Carrigcannon and thcy remained living in Lyre.

In 1927 Rebecca sold lJ acres.3 roods and J perches of land and nrounlrin lo Pat Gleeson lBeck Gleeson Falvey's lather).ln later years Al Roche sold 20 acres of land ancl 100 acres ol bog/rnou6tain to Ned Somers (Lucy Somers Nolrn's firtherl

Rebecca died on the 20/03/1931 at the age of 69, she is buried in O'BrennanCemetery. Hugh Roche is also buried in O'Brennan.

Today. there are three great grand childrcn of Franccs Hurly living in Lyreacrompane. Rebecca Cleeson Falvey. Lucy Somers Nolan and Jimmy Roche.

Hugh Roche

An cxtlect tiom the Royal Irish Constabuliuy registcr sho\\'s that Hugh Roche, grandfather ol Jirnrr). proprietor ot' the Four Elnrs, joined the lbrce on the I lth oI July 1876. He was aged 20 and his proposer was SubInspecl(x Neuell. Hugh. \\ ho \\'as originally fron] Ro\colnmon. st(rcd at 5 leet cight and a hall inchcs. took up dLrt) in Kerr! on the llth ol Februlry. 18E8. On retirement liom lhe RIC alter l: yea.s and 9 rnonths serlice he received a pension oI165 per annum.

I wish to thank the following for their assistance

History Section Tralee Library National Archives, Dublin National Library, Dublin General Register Office, Dublin Braemor Library, Dublin Registry of Deeds, Dublin Cork Historical & Archaeology Society Ballymacelligott Presbytery, Diane Barnett. Texas Honor Sherbrooke Walker Hurly, NZ Beck Falvey, Lyre Rosmund Dunworth, Duagh Jimmy Roche, Carrigcannon John & Ciara Byme, Dublin & Fenit.

Lyreacrompane

(r milcs tr-om Lisbueli 6 miles tioln Castlcisland INIPORTANT AUCTIoN of HICHLY \.\LUABLL }A R\,I.

TO BE HELD AI I HE Listowel Arms Hotel, Thursday lTth Febrr.raly. 1910.

AI I O'CLOCK. SHARP ]\ICF]I,I,IGOTT & SON AUCTIONEERS.

LISTOWEL

Have been instructed hy MT.IOSEPH JONES to put up and sell bl auction his highly valuable and cxtcnsive tarm cortaining l75a: Or. I5p. statute rlcasurc of whiclt 94. 2t Op are lct to thrce subtenant\ who pay to the Vendolf2 l5s. fbr rent each -,_eir. At agrccmcnt for Purchase lhrough thc Irish Liind Commission has been clull signed ancl lodged. and Intelest in lieu of rent is no\\ being paid at {he rile ol ll2 2s 3d. cach half-year. pending receipl oI Vesting Ordcr. when the Instalments pryable to the ldsh Land Commission are fixed at thc rate of ll0.lOs payable on Ist. May and lst Novcmber. Poor La\! Valuat]on I25.

The lands. at prcsenl all in grass with exception of aboul two and a hall acres. rre well laid oul in large tlcld\ and divided alnost equally by public road which is oi thc grcatest advantage in working this exlensile rangc so well calculated fbr Dairy. 'fillage and Dr) Stock Farming.

Buildings consists of substantially buift two-storied Slated Dwelling house contain six apa ments; Slated and Iron-roofed stalls fbr thirty cows, and stabling for two horses. The water supply derived lrom pump in fJrm-yard. and river running through the faml is inexhaustible. A consjderable portion ofthis favourably known farm was drained by the present owne/s predecessot and all will now be found in fine heart and affording a splen did opportunity fo. the carelul and l'ar-seeing irvestor. Further particulars may be had on application to JOHN CONDON, Esq. Solicitor, Lisrowel;or McELLIGOTI, & SON. Auctioneers. Listowel.

Lyreacrompane Farm

Wc are intirr-med b)- Messrs lvl'Elligott. and Son. auctionccrs. thal this larm, recenlly advcrtised ir ourcolLlnlns. has been sold to Mr Edmond Dillane of Knockmeal for r substi ntial sLrm. Mr Dillanc's falher' $as i0 occupati{)n of Lyrealcrompane up to fo y years ago.

l'ebruar! l2tlt 1910

EDUCATION GOES INDOORS

Joe Herrifigton

In earlier editions of the Lyreacrompane and District Journal we carried some material on Lyreacrompane's hedge schools and its first built school known as "The Glen". This was based on the folklore of the area but below we reproduce some extmcts from the National archives containing intbrmation on the history of the building which still stands at the bend of the road on the border of Knockaclare and Lyreacrompane.

An application to the Comnissioners of National Education for and towards the payment of teacher's salaries and requisites tbr

Lyreacronrpane School at the Glcn was made on the 25th 0l July 1872 (Kcrry Ed l-41).

The Roll Number xllocated was 10859 and the district

Number was 5,1. The school uas alrcldy operrting with Jamcs Kelly as teachcr. Janes wrs descrihcrlls "se!enteen at lc{st". About 50 boys and girls were in attcndance in the house that was clescrihecl ts bcing in "tair condition". The single schooLoonr was lwenly two lcct long and ten antl a hall'ltet wide with three desks. six lbrums and onc tablc ull new. The applica lion wrs signcd by li. O'Rclgan $ho desclibctl the above as a tcmporary irrangenrent. (lt wil\ lo lilst fbr nearly 40 yelrs!!!)

The District Inspcctot was lrolilied of the applicalion on the l01h of .luly aDd r rcport fronr hinr to thc Conrrnissioners wils rccci\ed on l6th ol ALrgLrst 1872.

dwellings within a mile and the nearest school was Rathea tenlporarY National School which is morc thln three st;rnrtc miles bv roacl.

The report \![s in tl]e fonr of r sel ies ol questions b which thc Inspector fillcd in the ansrvers. To question l5 "Was the school attached to a church l" The answer was: "Not so situated". (ln subsequenl )ears the school was used as a church and marIiilgcs took place there prior lo the building of Lyr-cacrompane Church in (;loLlntane).

Thc Dislrict Inspect(n's leport slated thilt thc school wlrs cstablishctl on the lst ol JLrlt 1872. lhclc wcrc about 50

Thc building was rclcrred to as being in a "I,air statc o[' lepair"- It wxs bLlill oi stone and clay and uas thittchcd. tPrrt of this thatch can still be secn under the existing gxl \aDised r'ool.) The ceiling wus six f'oot lhree and a quar tcl inches abovc a clay floor. 'l'he one-roonlecl school wls considered to bc sulllcientlv

ventilated by two windows elich one fiDt, nine inches hy one fix)t- thlee inch.

The building had been erccted with private funds but therc was no infornation as to whonr rent was paid and there were n0 out olTices. The roolr \ras plastered and had il fireplace. No part of the house was occupied by the teacher as a residence. (This was to changc later).

Ownership

The following document at the national Archives refers to the question of ownership which became an issue when plans were being drawn up for a new school across the Smearlagh on a site to the west of the present school.

In July 1902 the M.rnager claimed that he could not get a contractor as all masons wefe engaged building labourers cottages. There is nothing in thc register that would lhrow light on the ownership of the abovc named school which was aided in 1872.

The school was cnlarged in 1875. According Io the repo on the original application in 1872 rent was paid but thc name of the peop)c to whom and by whom paid are not given. [n the Annual Report ol 1899 and 1900 the inspector. Mr Nevel. states that the teacher, Mr Molyneaux. appointed 1874, is not the owncr but Mr Wilpy in his

report of 1902 states that "the tcacher would appcar to be the owner of thc school". The managel states that the teacher is the orvncr ol the school. John Kelly ras thc first teacher appointed. Correspondence has been opened wift thc manager in this regard.

End of reporl

Fr Matt Dillon responds

On the 15th of Octobcr. 1902 the following letter was sent to thc Secretaries of the National Education Commission by the Manager of thc school, Fr Di]]on, The Presbytery. Duagh.

Gcrilenrcn,

With re.f eretrce to )'our lelter (t Ille 8th reg.trding the otrtvr' ship of the 0bove natned sclrooL at Ltreocntupane, I beg to infonn wu thot I ntade o tilistuke when I statetl that the Mastet vas the orner He is not. l\'l r Hurly is owne r of the scltoctl ontl honse and lunds attachetl to tllis ltuuse.

The larul vas Jbnnall\ tetunt' ed bv u nan L-alled O'Connor. O'Cortrutr buiLt a nev, house on .ttotlrcr part of the.furm utul ||'etlt to revitle in it. Ml predeces.sor rcnted the old house Jrctn O'Conrutr ',tith o \,iew 1o estlblisllitlg d new

Natinnal Schutl itt tlrc loculi l_Ir

Hatirtg arrongeel tnatters .lith the Contntissioners he uppointed Mr l'honos Mollnetrx teacher Alier a fet years O'Connor emigr0ted trnd the Hotrse ontl four tcres of land f'ell into the lutuls of Mr Htrrly. He alktwe d tnctllers ta rel din as thq nerc - tlk house to be used as a s(lu)ol' house. The leaclrcr htts tto right to the house excepl as a scltoollrcuse. With the consent oJ tlrc londowner and uotager he li:es tlrcre.

The term "fell into the hands of Mr Hurly" is unlikely to be an accurate description of what happened. O'Connor would have. almost certainly. been a tcnant olthe local Iandlord. Mr Hurly and when he enrigratcd Mr Hurly sinply did nol re-let the propefty but allowed it to continue as a school and residcnce lor the teacher.

The question ol'the ownershiP was finally clarilled in l9ll when the lrish Land Conmission transferred the title tiom John C D Hurly to Thomas Molyneux on a,') annuity ol !t. l7s. 8p beginning on the lst of December 19ll and payable half yearly to the Coinmission until an

advance of !58 has been rcpaid. Registration took place on the 27th of January 1913. The Glen property comprised 5 acres and l5 pcrches.

More From The Archives

More information on the Glen School the National Archives (Register ED2l155) includes the following...

On 8th of October 1889 Manin Sheehy was retained as a monitor and a gratuity was paid for his instruction. Two years later a requcst by tl're manager lbr two monitoIS was refused. An attcmpt in l89l to have Martin Sheehy appointed as temporarv assistant was rejected under Rule 170 which stated that a temporary assistant cannot be appointed to a school in which a permanent assistant is already recognised.

Givcn thc unsuitability of the building for an increasing number of pupils thc question of bnilding a new school was being raised tin a quartcr of a century before it was built in 1911. Rcsponding to criti cisms of the School Inspeckrrs in rclation to the condition of the building the Managcr. on the l8th o[ July 1891. asked for fornrs to

obtain ii loan to build a l1ew school. .lames McAlister- a School inspector, had reported that the house was very lunslritahle fianihlrc had and had no toilets for the one hundred pupils attcnding.

On dre I 8th of May I 896 the nranager Fr Matt Dillon was requested to caution thc principal and assislant Thomas and Mary Molyneaux on thcir abscncc from the schoohoom at i0.l3 on the florning of the l0th of Mnrch. Principal is directed to revise time table arrangements so as to provide a play time daily for all pupils. The nanager was also kl be ilformed that there should be no internal communications between the school and the residence adjoinin-q.

A 99 year lease was laken on thc ground ibr the ncw school on the lTth of August 1897. ln thc prcviolrs year grants of {,160 on an expenditure of t690 to build and {60 on an expenditure of !90 to enclose the house to be built according to Plan 6 were allocatecl.

By 1898 the Board of Wolks had furuished the Manager with the necessary instructions fbr commencing erection of thc new school. The lollowing year he was still unable to gct a contractor 1br the amount of the initial estimate and a ycar later the grant

was reduced by fl10 on the basis that Plan 5 would rcplace Plan 6.

On the lTth of December l90l the Manager was again reminded of the grant paid towards building the Lyreacrompane proposed school and informed that unless the building is proceeded with without further delay it will be necessary for the Commissioners to consider the propricty of withdrawing all grants from the existing (Glen) school. A year later real plessure was put on the managcr to proceed with building the new school. He \[,.s wrrned fhat unlcss a suitable arrangement is provided before the 31st of March 1903 or substantial progress is made with the proposed new building. the grants of salary to the existing GIen School will be then cancelled. The question ol increased grants being available was pointed out and the Manager asked to be allowcd to await issue of new plans before he proceeded b build.

([t was another 9 years before the new school was opened in Lyreacrompane jn l9l I and this school was demolished in the 1960s but the original Clen School still stands!!!).

Sanruel Hurlr 1875-1951. Sxm IIurlr $ ho firsl sx\r lhc light ol' dt\ at L\ reacr'(xDpirnc rras onc ofeleren chiklrcn born 1() Thonlils nd llliza (ncc .Joncs) llurll. Ellen Shcch\. l)rorlrrddlr \rrs prescnt Nt his birlh, I)ortn the J(ar's thc Dcople ul l,rreacronrpane beliered thxt the'(;lc0 School' \ras cspcciall) built Ii)r hin::l 'l his pholo of Sanruel \rxs lakcn in Toronto. (l1ln da.

I-clilia Hurl) (lllll,i - ?). Lrtitia \r irs San's \ouDgesl sister. IItr ph(,1o rlas txken ilt l)al) & Sons photogrllphers. 'l ralee

A Growing Debt

The Lock(e) Estate which wns bought by the Hurlys in I857 (and included Lyrcacrompanc) had Unancial problems dating back manl years. On the 2lst of April 1825 pllrt of the lands ol Fenit (Within) were mortgaged by Wil)ian Lock Snr of NorburY Palk in Surre) and William Lock Jnr to securc repaymcnl to a Ceor-se Watson Snith for thc sum of t1.000 and in(elest.

On the 28th of February 1827 a simila, sum plus interest was secured. On the l5th ofJanuarY, 1828 f1.500 was repaid bY William Lock Jnr to George Smith. On the same date the Locks secured a f9.500 loan

The Lock Estate

fiom Smith. Sixteen days later (he agreement was amended to include Elizabeth Cathcrine I-ocke. wite of william Snr and Fredcrica Augusta Lock, his molher. At lhis stage the Locks oucd 112.000 to William Smith. Prolision ol- !700 yearly was made lbr Elirabclh Cathcrine Lock if she should survive hcr husband and thc security was Fenit House and Estate.

In Deccmber 1829. william Lock Jnr married Selina and he died on the l5th of September 1832 leaving a daughter. Amelia Sclina Lock and his wile Selina. One won ders $hat he tras up to rvhen he passed away because exactlY nine months lalerlll Selene gare birth to a daughter.

Augusta Selina Elizabeth Lock (who subsequently became the Duchess De St Arpino). William Lock's first daughter. Alnelia, died January 183'1, aged 1wo.

William Lock Snr (landlord of lands inc]uding LyreacromPane) died on the l5th December, 18.17. at Lee in the County of Kent. his wife. Elizabeth Catherine. having died in MaY of the previotls yei[.

The will of william Lock Snr. refered to his estates in Kery and rnade a speciflc provision of I20 yearly fbr their life to Mary Jaccaz then residing in Paris and who had been in his service for many yearc and the same to Louisa M...- who was then in his serlice. It gave a legacy of{500 apiece to his granddaughters, Frederica Elizabeth Blake and Elizabeth Blake.

The main beneliciary was his daughter whom he refe[ed 1() as Elizabcth Lady Wallscou( and he appointcd his brother.

Rev George Lock and three others as e\ecutors. In a codicil

dated the first of September 18,17. william Lock did direct that "all such household goods and furniture. linen, china, jewels, paintings. pictures, sculpture and books" should 8() to his daughter, Elizabeth.

In Ocbber 1849, at the age of 16. Augusta Selina Elizabeth Lock arelerred to in thc above will) married the Right Honourable Ernest Fitzroy Neville Fane (commonly callcd Lord Burghersh).

Ernest (probably an old man when he maried the teenage Augusta) died on 22nd of

January 1857 leaving Augusta Selena a widow with no issue.

Augusta Selcna was now knorvn as Lady Burghersh ancl in Gifliths Valu^tions of 1852 she is listed as the landlord of almosl 2.000 acres of land in the Lyreacrompane district-

ll would appcar that the Locks administrated their estates as absentee l,andlords-

LyreacromDane Tenants in the Lock Estate

1820s.

A record of the Tithes Aplotments for 1820s shows the following were tenants in the Lyemcrompane area at that time. The Tithes were a Church of Ireland charge on tenants based on the atnount of land they held and were a source of major discontent for the Catholic peas antry. Later in the century the Tithes were reduced to 25% and transferred as a cha-.qe on to the Landlord. However. many landlords passed on this extra cost to

the tenancy by way oI rent increases. This addcd to the general discontent ofthe timc. Indre

I IJ80s there rvere about 20 evections in Lyreacrompane.

Lyreacrompane

Darby Dillanc, Thomas Connor, Drniel Conno.. Patrick Connell. W O'Halloran.

These tenants held a tdal of 4.13 acres, I rood and l6 perches. Thc tithes charge on thcse tenants totallcd 14 6s 3d. Also mentioned as being in Lyreacrompane at that til'lle were Palrick Dillane and Owen ('l) Conrell.

Tohn O'Halloran. John Hetlbrnan, John Costello, Robert Stack

These Tenants held a lotal of 719 acrcs and the Tithes chaEe was 13 l7s 6d.

Clahaneagleragh

Michael Enright, Pat Buckley. John Walslr

Thosc tenants held a total of 252 acres. 2 roods and 3l perches.

(llenalema

Maurice McElligott, Thomas McEIIigott.

These tenants held a total ot' 114 acres.

ollectin the Tith

A irin callcd Calcb Chlrte $ as in charge of recording the Tithes in the Parish of Kilteighny which, al the tilne. included L\reacrompanc and Car-rigcannon. The following is a document signed by him in 1824

I, Cale6 Chute do sweor, thot I will foithfully, importiolly and honestly, occording to the best of my skill ond obility, execute and perform the powers ond outhorities invasted in me os Commissioner in the Parish of Kilfeighny by virtue of on oct possed in the Forth year of the Reign of King George the Fourth entitlad, "an Act to provide for the estoblishing of composition for Tithes in Irelond for o limited time", occording to the directions of the soid Act ond occording to eguity ond good conscience ond without fovour or oflection, prejudice or molice to ony Person or persons whotsoever.

5o halp me 6od

26th ol Otklrer 1821

Lock Estate Tenants in 1852

According to Crifliths Valuation I852 the tenants in thc Lyreacrompane area at the time 01 lhe sale of the Lock Estate to the Hurlys werel (all were tenants of Lady Burghelsh)

Lyreacrompane

Patrick and Edmond Dillane (381 acres). Thomas and Mathias Connor and Edmund Molyneaux (,117 acres). Eugene ard Patick Conncll & William Kirby (159 acres). The following were sub tenants of Patrick Dillane: Michael Bucklcy. Mary Stack and Richard Gregory. John Quill was a sub tenant of Thomas Connor. Mathias Connor & Edmund Molyneaux.

Carrigrannon

Thomas Halloran (716 acres). Patrick Stack (223 acres). Anne Connell and John Shcchy wcrc sub- tenants ot' Tom Halloran and Michael Doran was a sub tenant ol Patrick Stack.

Glashananoon

Timothy Cronin and Mauricc Enright ( 138 acres). Michael Shanahan ( l2l acres). Edward Enrighl \\'as a sub tenant of Tim Cronin and Maurice Enrisht. (;ortaclohanc

Mathew Kennelly, MaIy Dillane, Jer Dillane, Patrick Dillane Snr ( I l6 acles). Jer. James and John Gallivun ( 179 acres), Patdck and Maurice Shanahan and Maurice ard Patrick Kelly ( 100 acres), John and Thomas Dillane (185 acres tolal) Thomas Cahill, Cathcrine Dillane and Patrick Dillane Jnr were sub-lenants of Matt Kennelly and Margaret Dillanc rvas a sub-tenant of John and Thomas Dillane. (The record shorvs that there was a graveyard in Cortaclohane in 1852 measuring 33 perches).

Knocknaglough

'l honres and \lichicl QLLill ( l9l ucrc sub tenanl ol Thonra\ (inrn(n')

Locke Estate -Sale 1857

Sale by Auclion of these valuablc and extensive estates will be held in Dublin on Wednesday, the 7th day of Oct Next, This property contains 17,257 acres. 2roods and 3l perches statute measure and forms the unsold portion of the Locke Estate, prodLlcing a well paid rental ol 12,882 6s l0d per annum and will be sold by action, without further postpoDernent in thc spacious sales room. No. 9 Upper Ormond Quay, in the city of Dublin on Wednesday. the 7th day ot' October. I857 al the hour of one o'clock in the afternoon in 38 lots including a seat or seating in the church of Listowel.

For rentals apply to John Thrupp. Esq, Solicitor for the vender. No 2 Winchestel Buildings, Lonclon: Mcssrs Goddard and Sons, Solicitors, 17 North Great Georges St. Dublini Andrew Coffey, Esq., the Agent of lhe Estates, Listowel. Co Ke[y and in the offices of John Littledale. Auctioneer 9 Upper Ormond Quay, Dublin. l5th.luly. 1857

The Locke Estate in 37 lots. The following are the lots relevant to the Lyreacrompane area.1

Gofiaclohane, gross yearly rent Il57 containing 339a 31 13p sold to Mr Roche for f3,470.1 12

Trieneragh, Sross yearly income i668 containing 1,673a sold to Mr Sandes Esq lor €20,420.17

Toor, gross yearly rent I13l containing 599a 0r 6p sold to David Ounn for f4,050.19

Meenanare, gross yearly rent f131 6s containing 596a 31 29p sold to L Buckley for f4,01020 Patch gross yearly rent f,61 4s 5p containing l43a 0r lgp sold to G O'Connor for f1,95022

Bunglasha, gross yearly rent {47 containing 2l0a 31 26p sold to Mr G Kitson for fl,2l0.23

Knockanebmck, yearly rent, t45. 9s 9d', containing 493a.2r.23p. sold to G. Sandes, Esq., for f1.880 24

Knockalougha, gross yearly rent,621: containing 434a. h. I8p. , sold to Rev.Fitzmaurice for f l -51i0. 25

Ditto: gross yearly rent, f7,l 1s. 5d, containing 809a, 3r. 27p; sold.to Mr C. Nash for f,1,84826

Knockaneanoon; gross, yearly rent, 140, containing:616a. 3r. 37p; sold to Mr w Hamett for €I t60 2'7

Muingwee, gross yearly rent. f20, containing 287a.0r.14p. sold to Mr Psheehy for f700. 28

Glashananoon; gross yearly rent, 160. 14s 4d contajning. 438a. lr. l6p, sold to Mr G.Kitson tur r2010 29

Knocknaglough. gross yearly rent, f75I containing 962a. 0r. 29p, sold to Mr John Hurly lor f2.000. 30

Glashanacree and Bugaughnamalavogue: gross yearly rent, I54.lOs. containing 742a. 21 33p; sold to Mr John Hurly for fI.000. 3l

G)ountaneyalkeen. gross yearly rent. !55. containing 643a. 0r83pi sold to Mr Joh[ Hurly for tl..lt0. 32

Cloughboola. gross yearly rent. f21 ; containing 686a 2r. 3p, sold to Mr Hurly for 1900 33

Drommadabeg. gross yearly rcrl f26. los. containing 855a. Ir. 2,1p: sold to Mr John Hurly for {9034

Drornmadamore. Upper and Lower; gross yearly rent f701; containing 2.000a. 3r. 27p. sold to Mr John HurlS lor 12..1)535

Carrigcannon. gross yearly rent, tl7 containing 233a. 2r3p. sold to Mr John Hurly for 1725 36

Carrigcannon. gross yearly rent, f23 ; containing 728a..3r l lp; sold to Mr John Hurly for €t.225 3'7

Lyreacrompanel gross yearly rent, !84; containing 980a.3r: 32p, sold to Mr John Hurly for {2.450

The papers of the lilne repo(ed thal there never was a more successful sale or a more respectable atten dance ofpurchasers. each lving with the other as to rvhom the krt was b be knocked down. Each lot was purchased b) gentlen)en residing in the Count! of Kerry.

Mr. NI F Sands of Oakpalk was thc largest purchaser haling bought eleven lots containing very nearly 3.000 acres end producing a littlc over I1.100 rent per annum tbr 116.950. MrJohn HurlJ, olTralee came next on thc list having purchased ,rine Iots containing 7.830 acres and producing over f:[10 rent per annum tor !11.515.

Collected bl the lrish Rrlklore Commissioncrs in the 1930's

Local Marlitge Cuskrnrs

Il Tinttrltr ( ttrnttt Lt tar ntnltrtut rt4 l ..h

Most mariages take place in Shrove Monday. Wednesday. and Friday iu-e said 10 be unlucky tirr marriage. Mutches are still miLde in our district. Thcy go to town rnd thcy makc thc match. Thcy then tlx a drle lo go to the altorney to pa} the money. When the nloney is prid they [i\ a date to

gct marricd. Whcn thc) arc marricd thcv rcturn home. All the saddle horses that would bc at the "drag" t\ould gallop tbr what they lvere worth to knorv who would reach the house first. And the side car or covered car iIr which the mafiied couple u, 'rrlJ he thc h,,\ , 'i lhe plrie u,,rrlJ np( il 1,, :'cl thc pricc ol 'a fcw gallons of stout". And when they would anive home the dinner would be ready for all the wedding party. when the dinner was over. they would dance and sing and amuse themsclvcs until rnorning. When it would be drawing near night. thlee or fbur batchcs of strawboys

would call. Some of the "slraw boys' would be dresscd with the straw of the whiskcy bottles. More of them would have a ribbon draped arourd their shoulders ard waists and have their coats turncd inside ou1 and their "shilaileighs" in their hands.

Some pcoplc gale slock as a dowri- instead olmoney if it was needed where they would be going.In Master Molyneaux's clwelling house in Lyreacrompane there used to be mass celebrated and some ofthe peoplc olthe localily when getting mar-ried werc maried there.

In somc places ',{herc the passages wcrc bad some of the girls would go (D horsc beck behind the boys out to {he public road.

The Landlord

Author unknown

Our Landlords name is Tisd.rll. There were t$o other landlods over Cloghanc. Cun and Crosbie. The Landlords camc into possession about a hun dred and twenty ),cars ago. Al that liDle one man owned all Cloghane Leskir{ and his namc was Randal Mccarthy. He had a disputc with a servan{ boy. over *'ages- so thc servant boy summoned him. The court was hcld in Abbeydorne),. The lhree Landlords. Tisdall. Cun and Crosbie were thc magistmtes. They asked Mccarthy who his land, lord was. Mccarthy said lhat he had no landlord. Tisdall was the chairm.rn so he told McCarthy thal he wouldn't be long wilho a landlord. They divided the land between thc three of themselves and llned a rent on McCarthy. Tisdall. being chairman. claimed half the rent but N{cCarthy rct'used to pay any rent and hc Ias e\ricted. After a timc the ancestors ol the presen( occupiers camc to live in Cloghane. There were then tour tenants. namely, Reidys. Stack. Walshs and Quillcs. Atteratime the Quills subdilided and that portior is now held by Quill and Sheehy. Therc is a mounlain between Cloghane Liskirt and Stacks Mountain and there was no dctined boundary between thc townlands. Thc pcople of Cloghane thought the people of Stacks Mountain weLe encroaching too much. on them. in grazing cattle. Thcrc Nere sevelal fisticuff battles fought betwccn thcm. The Slacks Mountain people were a very strong race, but evenlually the people of Cloghanc bcat them decisively. Thc), llrrneJ :. .,,d the lull l<n!lh ,rl' lhe In.,Inrirn bctwecn the two townlands and so madc a boundary. It is hard lo disceLn ir now.

Bord N6 M6na

Back in Lyre !!!

"When you go to L)reacrompane. ask dircctions at Johnny Nolan's Post Office', I was told. 'Johnn_y's place is the hub and ncrvc centre of L)re. all aclion in that p{rt of the Kingdom radiates iiom there." Seemed like good advicc, bLrt when I anived al the Post Officc I went thlough an initiation I ce ainl), didn't cxpcct.

Johnny was assisting a lady at the countcr, so I \\'as obliged to wail in line. I soon becamc aNarc that I was being ckrsely observecl by two local "characteN". Eventuallv onc of thelrl sidled over to n1e and asked.

"Arc )ou cnjoying the fishing?" Which sc. r lurJcrl qrre.ti,'rr rcall) rn('Jnrn!. "Who are you? Where are you fiom l What do You wantJ. etc."

Through politeness I couldn't ignore him. so looked into grey eves reflecting an intelligence greater than mine. I said. "[ wasn't tlshing"- ard I was hookedl

"What brings you to this pafi of the country then?". he asked. not al all embarrassed at his tbrwardness.

"l\r the editor of Bord na M6na's n'lagazine, Sc6iil na Mtina. and I'm to talk at fhe Dan Paddy,Andy Fcstival..." I started. bul wasn'1alk)wed finish.

"And where arc ye from l"

"I\n from Banagher in Co Otfaly..."

"Jeeze and aren t you a brave man. coming down here attcr thc way Oflaly beat us in the Five in a Ro\\ All- Ireland of '82 that gorl Darhy got shouldn't have been alkrwed. hc tbuled Tomny Doylel"

"That's what Pat Spillanc said recently on the radio", I said. "But I disagree, I think S6amus Darby only stcadied himself by leanirg on Totnmy Doyle and hc didn't actually push hi ".

In the radio interview Pat Spillane had complained about the referee. who hc considered 1() have made "some other wcird decisions" as well. but he later adnlitted that "Thc best teanl won on the d y", typical Spillane humour sho$ ing in rhe contradiction. When I tried lo say this to m) L)rercn,nrpinc inqui\it,'r J r)oli.eLj hi. irrrenli,,n had dcflected...

"Jeeze he is a blave man." he said. pccring out the

A prcvious I-yre jounlal (No '1) caried a letter written by my great grandmother, Margaret (Stack) Sheehy of Clahane. LyreacroDpane. to her son Con Sheehy in Buttc, Montana. The Stacks had lived in what is now Moriart)s in Clahane. The Slacks were all girls and a Moriarty tiom Ballynacelligott manied one of Margrrel: sister's.

The leller t()ld of the death of anothcr son, Tom. an RIC Inspector', stationed in Ballina. Co Mayo. The me\sage ca[ying the bad ncws said his tuneral was the biggest ever seen in Ballina al1d those attending included ahout onc hundred Sinn Feiners.

Tom s $ itc suh\cqucrtly nroved to Dublin aid reired 6 sons and 4 daughlers in very ()ugh times. Anl()ng thc childrcn [ete Jack who was bom in 190.1 and Ha|ry who was born in 1907. Harly immigrated to Austrnlia xnd lin lT )ec$ lost all contact with his home. ln September, 1969 the Daily Mirror in Sydney carried the headline "Minor Finds Long Lost Brothe|s' over the iollowing article..-

DAILY NIIRROR

Sj dne). Auslr!lir Septernber. 1969

Jack Sheelry. 65. and his blother 'Harry. 62 hadn't communicated \\,ith each other sincc thcir fam il! broke up atier the death of their fxther-in Dublin. Ireland- in thel9,10s.

'Some of the trmily thought Hruy must have passecl away.' Iack r reti|erl frrlnitrrre dealer of New Jerscy. told Pcter Brennan of our New York Bureau toda). Hc had iust bee. told Ha y was ali\'c and living in SydneJ,.

Rrplied

His lorg-lost brolher rcplied to a clr:sifierl adverri\em--nt in the Mirror on Jul1 3l. which read: "Harry Sheehl. ex Dublin. in Austrillia about l7 years or-anv friend ol his contact his hrother Jack'

"lil trie{l n) find him uith a sim ilar advcrtiscmcnt in a Mclbournc papcr a year ago." Jack said- "But wc hcard noth ing. "We'd almost given up hope."

Harry s reply. which reached New York today. said: 'lf he is irformed that I w.rs bom ir Rahids house. he will be sure that I anl the per-son whom he is seeking."

"ThaCs it. that's Harry." said Jack Sheehy. "l'll rush a letter off to him this afternoon. There's a lot to tell."

Among the things which Harry Sheehy doesn t know afier his 2,1 years away tiom his family is that his mother and two brothers ha\e died.

"l lhink I'll tell him all about ftat in a second leller." seid Jrck

Broke up

'Our fiLst comrnunication should be in high spirits there'll be time enough to pass on the bad

"lt's so good to kno\\'Hafly's still alivc. "

Jack said that $hen the Shcchy fhmily brokc up some brothcrs went to England. one to San Frencisco. a sistcl went to France and Halay to Austra]ia.

"We all wrote for a while but you know how it is." he said. "Eventually the letters die down and fbde out altogether. Maybe we'll stafl all over again. Maybe I'll go to Australia. I'm not sure yet."

ln Sydrey todal Harrl- Shech,v said: "l ha\en'l seen John sincc 19.16 \\,hen he cante home lct Dublin firr a holiday.

"At that time we had a member of our family - four sisters and six brothers in every continent. I can't imagine what Jack wants after all these years bul it will be good to hear from him. I'm the baby of the family and Jack is the eldest but I haven't seen any of them since I left Dublin." he said.

He said he came to Austmlia in lg52 rnd had no intention of going home to Ireland.

"l wouldn't retum even fbr a holiday," he said.

"I came so far to get so far away!"

l-ootnotc: Mr Sheehy works at lhe Sydnc! Nlorning Herald.

Jack Sheehy was an annual visitor to our house and in 1936 took a photography of ,n I'nknown man c,r rying hay. The poor quality doesn't help but perhaps someone can identify the person. The other photo graphs was taken during a trip we made to the USA in 2000. Standing with me is Mary Pratt of Indianapolis. daughter of Jack Sheehy.

Ilurrxh Shr(hl rnc.l.\nch. \bhtt ti nl( I xn(l Iirnr Slrr(h1. ( lnhrrx .\ lhllir)r

Ballyrnacelligolt Co-ol)erative I)airy Sociely, Ltd., -T F=,ALEE. CO- K=RR'Y

IR.:cci\,.i5,/'ro,z,a { 4ta

//zzt .2a,,2 .y' :;,/zi//2-,a s 4.,.1

Ballymacclligoft Co operative Dairy Socicty went bankrupt in 1920 a]l for the sum of !'1,000. The above is a copl' of one oi their redundant cheques contributed to the Lyreacrompane and District Journal by the late Ger Breen.

Thc KccldutT Co-operlti\e Creamcry. an auxiliary of thc Ballymacelligott Co operative Society's Creamcry. Nas complelely destroycd by tire last night. Everythiug was in order when the creamery was closed lnst clcning and there rvas no sign of fire when Ihe people of the dislr'ict retired to bed. One woman is slaled to ha\e noticcd sigrls ol-fire aboLrt 2 o'clock in the morning but did nol take serious notice of it When the neighbours got out of their beds this moming they found thc whole suucture completely bumt doun. Tlre origin olthc lire is nol kno\rvn.

(The Liberator April I 1926)

PATRIOT AND POLICEMAN

John Carey mentioned in the ref erence. printed opposite, was born in Carrigcannon, Lyreacrompane in 1897, in the Carey farmhouse overlooking his beloved Smearla ver. While still in his leens John joined the Irish Republican Army llRA) where he distinguished himself at his appointed tasks. as stated by Jeremiah Nolar his con1manding ofticer.

As can be seen in his relerence in 1923 he applied to the newly fbrmed Cir ic Guard. later An Garda Siochana. John was first

posted to the Dublin Melropolitan But he slowly

made his way soLlth towards his native KerIy via Kiosa]e, Mallow. Newcastle\vest and finally Lirnerick. where he settlcd. At the time the closesl an otlicer could get b his natile countv \ras the neighbouring county.

John settled into a traditional police role in [,imerick, where he wirs well respected. it was also here lhrl he lellled. nrarried and raised a family. John retired in 1955 and sct up as a publican and groccr in Edward Streel. I-imerick. wher-e a warm welcome was always given lo all lionl the Kingdom but especiall) liom Nolth Kerfy. John died in Limerick in l9lJ3 at the age of

86 years. The highlights ol his last years were his trips to his bclovcd Lyre.

Sonre comnrents on the B!ferencc oppositc

Note Jer Nolan s phonc number. tlre Telegraphic Addrcss would cotrespond to today's e-mail address. Intercst was charged at 5% on overdue ,c. what has changedl "lregulars" \\,as thc name given to Republicars by Free Stxrers dLrring the Civil

Dear Joe.

Leeds, England 23/04/2001

My father John did a painting for the fiont cover of your cassette called "Echoes of Lyreacrcmpane'. He was always proud ofthat tact but never said how he came about to do it. I still have my copy of it and my falourite song is "Lyre Lass" - Alber Roche. such a beaufitul song and melody.

My t'ather passed away peacefully E/4/2001. I thought you would like to know Once again my thanks lo you for using his painting. He will always live in our memory and also in the kind people who bought the casse(e

Bevond the Hill

Beyond the brown hill of Reamore. There's pleasure calling me When summer skies are d,eaming o'er And winds are blowing free Away across the turfy ridge ls many a verdaDt lawn, Around my dear old [vy Bridge And Mochacnucawn

Beyond thc brox,n hill of Reamore One lovely summe/s Lhy I *,enl lo \randcr and cxplore In places liu awr)

By Carrigcannon's fields of green

By Renago\\,D and then Adown the boglands of loorccn 'lb Clounaneculha Glen

tscyond the brcwn hill of Rexnorc The he.rd of Ci.rrrredh's hills 'I he magic of a wondrous b!e. The passing ages fillst Wild Beauty weaves her lnlslic cluc And ple sure s calling nrc whcre fleld\ are green rLDd skies are bluc And \\,inds rre blowing liee

D M. BRoSNAN (Thc LibcrarorApril

Slip Brakes

Thesc days ol safcty stalements and fancy protcctive working gear are lar rcmoled tiom the wolking conditions in Bord Na Mona in lhe '40s and 50s. For nluch ol that time John (D.rvy) Nolan drove the locomotive ' a dangeroLls job. According to John. onc of the most hazardous tasks was the inscrtion of slip brakes under thc rvaSon wheels as they dcscended lo thc tip wilh thcir load ot turf. This had to be done because of the steep inclinc liom thc top o[ the bog to the lip on the Glountanc Road (Now a MuralJ. The loco's breaks were not enough to hold back the wagons when more than li)ur wete in

Thc slip brakcs were llieces of steel about 3 inches widc and l8 irchcs long. Thcy wele bevellcd ;rt (n1e end. had a handlc at the otherend and were bent down on either side lbr thcir Iill lenglh. This illowcd them to hc bcdded down on top ol-lhe mil ancl lteld in phce unlil thc wagon \\,hccl

mounted the bevelled end and came to test against the upright curved handle of the slip break. This strip of steel placed between the wheei and the rail track greatly increased the friction (grip). This made control of the descent possible and sand was also thrown on the slip break and rail to make for even better fiiction. Ever so, by the time the wagons reached the tip the slip brakes were hot and had to be handled with a wet rag.

The placing of the slip brakes was an operation that had to be carried out at any time. day or night. Yet, in all the years, John points out that the workers involved did not receive as much as a cut finger.

The slip breaks wele originally made by Kirl Gutheim, one of the Germans who worked with Bord Na Mona to opcn Lyre bog in the late 1930s. Afterwards they were made by Chrisly Carmody. lt took a day to labricate three of them. Reccntly John Davy gave us one he had salvagcd. Wonder if there are others still lying around in

Lyreacrompanel We'd love to know.

John did have one accident with the loco - inside the workshopl!! The track was laid into the workshop near the tip to allow the engine to be pulled over a pit for service. On one occasion. when John was shunting the locomotive in to position he disengaged the clutch bul the loco kept on moving forward, hitting a flat cart on the hack ahead and cata pulting it against the workshop lireplace demolishing it completely.

Hamy Starken had his doubts about John's claim that the clutch had failed to disengage. All tests showed it worked perfectly. About twelve months later the clutch acted similarly and turther investigation showed that too much grease was being used and was occasionally getting on to the clutch plates so heavily as to set up a vacuum seal that momentarily Prevented the plates fiom disengaging. The Verdict! Mechanical failurel 11ot d ver error

Visit from Writers Week.

B ght sunshine welcomed the two coaches bringing over one hunllred vi\itors from Listowel's Writers Week to Lyreacrompane on Saturday last. Joe Harrington welcomed the throng led by respected historian. Fr Anthony Gaughan. author of the much acclaimed "Listowel and its Vicinity".

As the cro\\'d gathered around the Dan Paddy Andy Memorial, Kay O'Learl described the life and times of the last of the great lrish Matchmakers and the back ground to the Memorial.

"John B Keane spent his youth1ul summers in Lyreacrompane and it was people like Dan Paddy who provided the inspimtion to John B for some of his best material - a very successful partnership." Kay said.

Kay also pointed out that there was now no member of the O'Sullivan family in Lyreacrompane but that Jimmy Dan Paddy Andy O'Sullivan and his wife Carmel who run the Dan Paddy Andy bar in Rockaway Beach, New York always return to celebrate the local Festival.

The rartle of the boards in Dan Paddy's old tlance hall was brought to mind by a young dancer as she stepped it out on the dance platform to tunes bril liantly played bl musicians fr-orn Lissclton.

Mary. thc rit'c of thc latc John B and Eileen Sheehy. daughter inla\\ ol Jule Seairl in $,hose house

Johr B speit his summer holidays. were in atlendance to hear Peggy Sweeney sing "The Land of Dan Padcly Andy" and Paddy Faley's "My Home in Sweet Lyrcacrompane".

'l'hen it was int{) the nearby Four Fllm\ fin ,n crtrar-t florn "Thc Chastitutc' pcrformcd by Dcnis Hobson. Abbeyfeale Drana Group. and Michael Aheme and John Sheehan tiom the Athea Drana Group. The humour of John B Keane tbLlnd a re-echo in its pl.rce ol origi11 wilh lines such as "l had a brolher who could castrate bonhams blindfold yet couldn t put a knot in his tie".

Thcn. tbl our- visitors from Writcrs Weck it was back on the coachcs. ovcr the Ivy Bridge. left at thc Dan Paddy Andy Crossrcads and on to that equally fxmous nation of Knocknagoshel.

The Irish Townland System is Unique

Ar SEAN ANDREIY.S (lt?ldnls Ohn)

The townland is an ancient sys tenr of land division. which is tbund only in lreland. There is no equivalent in Britain. It is based roughly on thc seisreach or plough land, a picce ol land that could be worked by a horsedrawn plough over the period of a year.

h was generally considercd to include around 120 acres of arable land. nol including adjacent woods and mountains. The townland is the srnallest administrative divisioi in Ireland and gr-oups of townlands form the basis ol parishes. elcctoral arcas and even whole communities.

There are over sixty nine thousand townlands ofall shapes and sizes in the whole island of Ireland. each with a distinctive name. A glancc at a six inch ordinance survey map lbr any area in the country will show a wondeltul variety oi titles.

There are some that descdbe the geographical leatLrres of the area. including Gaelic words such as glean (glen) cnoc (hill) or cluain (meadow). Some indicate the presence of old settlenents and include the name baile (village. town) Some townlrnd names are of very ancient origin dating back k) before the Nomlan conquest.

Bugaughnamalavogue was a sub-denomination of. and is now included io the ordinance su ey town land oi Glashnacree 1861.

Most rural addresses in lreland contain the name oflhe (ownland on which the property is situated. Il is not unusual in some areas to

flnd adjucent houses with quite ditferent postal addrcsses because they arc in ditferent k)wnlands. This can creute a problem tbr dcliverymen and postal workers who are unlamiliar with the district. ln Northern Ireland the authoritics have tried to eliminate confusion by giving evcry road a name, even in counlry areas and allocating each house on or near that road a number and post code. There has been sonle opposition to this move by those who fear that it will result in the loss ol the old townland names.

But even in the cities the old townland name can rise to prominence when it is attached to the name of a modern district or housing area. Ballymurphy in Belfast. Creggan in Dery and Ballyfermot in Dublin are examples ot' ancient townland names given a modem lease of life.

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[.,imerick Citv

Pat Brosnqn

They stroll along your lighted streets at night, From Kerry's "Kingdom" or from Pakistan, Each an alien in a different light, Many far tiom where their lives began.

But Limerick City you have seen it all, Since Sarsfield and his men marched down your roads.

You felt the cannons break your sturdy wall. You've borne many heavy weary loads.

Your dearest ones have often gone away, In foreign lands thei. voices loudly ring, In songs of how they would have longed to stay That only those that love you care to sing.

'Tis you have often bled for lreland's sake, Your brave young ma yred sons. your murdered mayon,

But you have kcpt dle Iaith and stayed awakc. Your people still kno\r ho$ to say their prayers

Whcn the time it comes to wield the stout camin. No bettcr nlen in Ireland crn be tbund. But others hcld through ficcdom's bloody dawn, Slemelwclrpons to defend your sacred ground.

Y(Nr lloets. scholaA and soldiers says it all Conle down through history's pages to oul timelo uut.irl<r. lrlc nrc lh(ir n:rnlc. (trlhrcl Oh. Lirnerick h.'u I u i.h thrt ),'u ucr< minc.

Bustling crowded cit), of l1lv dreams, Your tall proud spires along the Shanton shorc. I've dreamed of you so often 'tilt it seems, Th<r(. rx'thir! Ielr tn rlreirrn ol cn)nl,'t<.

But in reality to walk a dusty strcetIn l,imerick. queen of Munster's fertile land. To see a smiling tacc old friends to greet. Or clasp a cheerlul kintlly stlangcr's hand.

I Ned Sommers

I T(nn Sh Dahan

I Padd), Dillur ,l Nlick Dor.rn 5 Sean Dilk)n 6 Denn)- Wrlsh 7 Patrick Roehe 8 Patrick Ahern 9 'lom O'Sulli!all l0 John Nolan

I I Johnny Dillion l.l Mick Ca1\'in l5 lerh Chller l6 Bill Curmn l7 Mrtt Moloney l9 Mick Camod) 20 Jerh Long 2l Paddy Dilkrn 22 Paddl Larkin 23 Willie Falvey 2:l Sonn), Doran 15 Chris Nolan 26 L,ggic Llons 2ti Mossis Sweeney 30 John J Sheehyl2 Thonras Dillon -1.1 Thornas Moloncy 16 Bill O'Connor l7 T(nn Domr) ,11 Jimm_\ Ctl\iD ,12 D.rnDy OConr)cll .11 Jim Llons .ll Cof Srlli\'rn .15 Jinnn) Roche .16 Eannm M(ni,1i! 47 Paddy Buckle] .lL) l.rank Thornlon 50 Jct l-itzgerald 5l C'htiss oCottrcll 55 lolrr \lol('nc) 5q l,ndd\ QLrill. 60 Ncd Kcorrclll 6,1 NIi(k.! KcanL'('5 Ihdh aial\iD ()(, Jcll] O CoInell rr8 Hill DilL)n 69 John Dillon 7l DLID C.rnly 73 Charlie M01)neaur 77 Scamu\ t-)Dch 78 Mick Costelk) 79 Tom Sheehyill Jack Dillane 85 Jerh FiDnerl) 89 Danny Joyce 90 Paddy Endght 93 Jillnny Con Nolan 9.1 Boh Sullivan 96 John Nevillc

Address

Clarrigcannon Knocknaglough Lyrcacrompnne CarriScannon Ckrughaoe Knockirclarc Knockaclarc Knocknaglough KDocknrshugh GlountaDe Rathea Rathe.r Glountane L)reacltnnpane Drommada Glashnacree Lyreacrompane Llleacrlrmpane C0flacloughane Llreacrompanc Lyreacrompane Carrigcannon Cirnigcitnnon KDocknacurra Cloughane Gort cloughane Drolnmad.r

Cilrrigc.lnnoD Br(nnmadra Knocknaglough CarrigcannLnr Bronrnradra Carrigcannon Cloughan!' Knockeclarc BaDenr(ne KnocknaSlough Carigcaluror Dr(nnnudra KnoekDrgloush Bronnrndrr Cla\hn cree (lorlarloLrghrne Clitnden] CoflaclolrghaDe Coflacloughane L,yreacrompane Clashnacree Knocknacurra l he Clcn Nluingwec Clashnanoon Banemolc The Clen Clashnanoon Glaunlaune Cloughane Carrigcannon

No Name 99 Chisty Quille 100 Denis Nolan l0l Tom Barry 102 Sern Brosnan 103 Bill Muryhy 104 Sonny Kelliher 107 John J Buckley 108 Matr Kennelly 110 Tim Dillon 113 Con O'Donoghue 114 John Sheehy 115 Jack Ahem

I 16 Mickie Nash

I 18 Jack Naughton 125 Ando Brosnan 126 Zebbie Sommers 127 Con Hickey 128 Michael Ahern 129 John Joe Kennelly 130 Andrew Connell l3l Jack O'Sullivan 135 John O'Sullivan 139 Con Galvin 142 Bill Kennelly 149 Daniel Sheehy 150 John Lyons 152 Humphrey McMahon 153 Denis Reidy 154 Dave Reidy 155 Martin Sheehy 156 Jim O'Connor 157 Dan Paddy Andy 158 Paddy McElligott 159 Bob Nolan 160 Maurice Brown l6l Mollie Lynch 162 Dan Brosnan 163 Bill Cotter 164 Michael Cronin 165 Paddy O'Leary 166 Michael o'Lear] 167 Den Joe Mahony 168 Charlie Collins 169 Michael Cronin 172 Jerh Cronin 173 Bat Shea 176 lohn J Cahill I77 Sean Pat Malony 179 Ma(in Sweeney 180 John Shanahan l8l Hugh Brosnan 18,1 Mary Sweeney 187 Mickey Hickey 189 Charles Ahern lg2 Con Brosnan 194 Jackie Den Lyons 196 Neil Mahoney 197 John Cotter 198 Michael Lyons

Address Cloughane Bugolrghnamallevoge Banemorc Drommada Knockanbrack Banemore Lyreacrompane Knockanbrack Gortacloughane Knockaclare Muingwee Knocknaglough Cloughane Glashnacree Drommada Knocknacurra Muingwee Knocknaglough Gortacloughane Carrigcannon Banemore Banemore Rathea Rathea MLlingwee Gortacloughane Renagown Renagown Renagown Renagown Renagown Renagown Drcmmada Drcmmada Drcmmada Dromniada Drommada Drommada Drommada Drommada Muingamuinane Muingamuinane Carrigcannon Broughane Knocknacurra Drcmmada Drcmmada Muingamuinane Broughane Car gcannon Broughane Broughane Broughane BrouShane Drornmada Drommada Drommada Muingamuinaoe Drommadda

Whcn Ed Jordan came to our school to train us tbr the t'ashion show we were putting on. I never imagincd that it would be the staft of a life changing experi

On the first day of the training Ed introduced himself and told us about himself. That's when we Iearned that he is a director of an orphanage in Minsk, Belarus. He also gave us information about inteNie\,rs we could attend if we were interested in becoming a member of the Belarusian Olphanage Project (B.O.P). I decided to go Io the inlerviews. just lbr the sake of it. because I didn't reall! think I stood a chance. Before the inte(iews Ed gave us a talk about the orphanage and what it involved to become a member of BOP The more I heard. the more I wanted to go. After the interview we were told we would receive a letter by the end of the week.

On Thursda). six pcoplc from our school recei\'ed letters. saying that the) rvere being otTered a place to travcl to Bclarus. Because only two people iiom our school were supposed b be picked and I hadn't rccei\cd a letler. I presumed I $asn't going. I was very disappointed, so you can inagine my excitement next moming when I got a letter congratulating me. Thiit was only thc bcginning. There was so much lo do and only three and a half months to do it in.

I attended two lraining days in Cork antl a weekend in Dingle.

We did everything from leaming first aid to speaking basic Russian. We also had to fundraise €1,300 each to pay tbr our flights, accommodation etcand also to pay tbr supplies and equipmenl for the oryhanage. (l'd like to say a speciat 'Thanks" to evelyonc who helped me). We were shown pictures ofthc children and givel so much intbr-mation about them that it was impossible to remember it all. we learned that there is a waiting list for kids () get inb No!inki. as it is much better than most of the children's homes in the area. For children to get into the oryhanage thcy have to have three serious illness. Most have Down syn drome. Autisn], and Epilepsy etc.

we tbrgot all about our nerles.

A1 first we were kind of \rondcring what was wrong with each child and things like that but as the days went by we didnt sec children with disabilities anymore. We just saw kids who n,anl to have tun. Well. whcn I say children, a lot oI them were the same agc as. or even older lhrn. me. There wcrc times when I did think 'ohl My God. what am I doing here". like when I fbund out that thc cute little baby I had been playing with was actually an undemoudshed six year old little girl.

The playglound thal was built last sunlmcr was where most of our time was spent dancirg, climbing and swingirg on the coolest swings I've ever seen. 11 was very funny when you called out the name. Sasha. Pasha. Locia or a few more and about tifty people would come running towards you. For so many chil dren there are very fe\! names.

Amanda (larmodv

when we finally reachcd Minsk airport one of the first things you'd notice is how serious and pertect all thc pcoplc bok. By the time we gol in it was too late to go to the orphanage so wejust went to thc hotcJ and unpacked. The next day when wc finally got to the orphanage we were all very nclvous- But we were only inside the gates about tive sec onds when chil.lren came over and made us verv welcome and

The 1 ps away fiom the orphaoagc wcre the best. My favourite was thc trip to the circus. All the boys got dressed up in their suits rnd ties and all we seid wr\ "oh Creasiba" which means beautiful. Trying to get thcm to watch the show was great fun. I was sitting besidc onc ol thc Sashas and he spent more timc taking off his tie and putting it back on again, showing nre what a great job he had donc. We had such a laugh that day.

The last day we spent in Ihe orphanage was the nlost emo tional I have ever cxpcricnccd. In thc morning we had a great time with thc kids as usual. but

$,hcn they wenl lbr thcir atter noon nap wc had a meeting Nith the Director of thc orphanage. Vict(n. and (he othcr otficials.

Lasl year thc \'olunleers got medals for lheir work. bLrt this year. wc receiverl little hcarts made liom flour and water thal rhlr kids h.d rnadc thclnselves and paintcd faces orrlo. It Nas nlade exlr'a spccial by the kids prcscntinll them to us. I dont think thcrc was a dr) eye in thc phce. Then it was back to thc playg()und lbr our lrsl lwo hour s of tln.

Leaving the orphanage and saying goodbye to the kids was the hardest thing ever. At the first meeting Ed told us they would become our babies but I didn't realise how right he was.

Its greil hearlng up dates liom other groups who hale been out since but nothing compares to bcing there, so. hopefully l'll be back again in 200.1.

Lditors \ot(

ll'hal d woutlct'litl utulertaki g .firr u !oLutg L!ruutt 0ntpatrc girl oJ rlnarula's age. She certuinl.'- knocks on lhe heod the popuhr belir| lh.tt the Jouth 0f lo.la! arc all seuish and scu:te tred. Il Ananda sucteeds in het desire t0 relufit to Rclo'tts i 2001 she LUt inly detettes all the support ||( tatt gite her.

.lo_L_ET

TO LETi

11/D.1007.

3Ii.lrl. w,H.q(

tureal do)rs. lvindows- carts and wheels for ca s. The wheels were banded by Paddy Canty in a very exacting operation down by Spur rivel al Lyre Bridge (between the present grotto and PJ Oconnor). The iroi bands wcrc welded to fonn a circle slightly smaller than the diameter oi the new whecl. ltwasthen heated in an open furnace beside the stream. This caused it to expandjLlst enough to allow it to be lilred over the Nheel and then quickly cooled to contrlct and tighten on the wheel.

Dinny and his son. Sonny, also built houses in the locality including Ned Lyon's. Aenie Murphy's and Bill Curran's original housc.

In this article we are indebted to Christy Quirke Ior the newspapcr cuttings and rc John (Davy) Nolan for the memories. John also recalls. that. as he walked home thc Carrig Road fi-on school one day in the Autunn 1939, it was Paddy tiom Cork who told him that Hitler had invaded Poland and World War' Two had begun. (an cxcuse for Paddy to have another pint t() steady his nerves, no doubt).

Nolan

William Nolan Carpenter

This advertisement appeared in the Limelick Leader in 1935. The adveflisenent $as insefted by Bill Nolan. our Postmaster's Grandtather. Bill- who was rnarried to Ilaggie Collins from Knights Mountain. rxn a clrpentry busincss t'[onr thc housc now owned b) Martin and Mar! l,eane oppositc thc Four Elms. lt r\ould appear that Bill's father. Comelius. who was mar ed to Liz Hussey fionr BaneDlotc. \ras nol a carpenter. Dinny also had a workshop at the top of thc Branner. lt seems that Bill learned the trade flom Dinny. Another brother, Jim also helped out at the business in Carig. In thesc workshops were manufac-

Bill Nolan's workshop was stalfed by Journey Carpenters. Among those were Jack Sugrue fronl Valentia. Dan Lyons (Lyons Fureral Home) and e man known as Paddy from Cork. It was from the latter. that Jack Sugrue learned his trade at Nolan s workshop. Dan Lyons was married to Bcssie Carey flom Carrig. claughter of Pat Carey and Molly Dor^n-

For the employees at Nolan's workshop an order tbr a cotTin always got priority as this meant a little extra money tbr them fronl relatives oI the diseased (fbr a couple ol pirlts). Paddy from Cork was a good customer ol Al Roche and the story told that Paddy wns talking to a potential cust(nner one day and askcd how the sick relative was getting on. On being told that he had iust passed away Paddy's prioritics showed with his sincere but tdally non rnalicious remark, "Thafs good."

#ilt t

r,l

a

'l hr Nlurph\' ('larl at the p rt\ $hich 11as hcld to honour \ed's Retirenrtnt fronr Kerq ( o-Op nltcr inan: )eals ol \crricc.

!'rom Clare to Here?

The pcoplc of the Slacks Mountains and the general North Kcrry area are Iighling to prolect theil. roads rivers and gcneral environment fiom the dangers posed by the existence ol and plans (includiig laken Clue's rubbish) tbr the Muingnaminoane landfill site bul......

I sit beside a Kerry strcam ^nd close nly eyes to

A picturc o[ a childhood scene the way it used to be

Our shoes are off: we're padd)ing in waters clear and cool

We watch the troul and salmon lcap from many a sparkling pool

We don't occd rosy glasses as most romantics do To show us that those rivers. though old, looked good as new I still can hear the trickle as its playing nalures song

But wxking !o rcality I nolice sonrclhing's wrong

Rivers o[ po]lution have replaced our crystal stleams u ilh plLr.li. br!. cnd.rL.lr \uirp\ anJ lrrrrr wastc unseen

This load of awful rubbishi how did it all get therc l

We havcn't any need. I think. 10 look as lar as Clare.

.lot'II r,'in!:tt, .l I/0.1/0I

Michael Stack, head of house. 19 yrs Hanora Stack. sister. 24yrs. Michael Dowde. servant. l9 yrs. Maagarct Dowde. servant. 1.1yrs.

Tom Quill, head of house, 56 yrs Mary Quil). wife, 4.1yls Denis Qui]l, son,22 yrs. Mauice Quill, son, 20yr-s. Mary Quill. daughter. l6 yrs. Thomas Quill, son, l4 yrs. Edward Quill. son, l1 yrs. Johanna Quill, daughter. 7yrs. Rita Quill, daughter. 3yrs.

Patrick Rcidy. head of house, 50 yrs. Mary Reidy, wife, 48 yrs. 5 childrcn

Stephen Dowde. servant. 19 yrs.

Edward Quille. head of housc. 50 yrs Mary Quille. wife, :ll yrs. John Quille, son. Tom Quille, son. Pat Quille, son, Mary Quille. daughter, Johanna Quille. daughter,

James O'Sullivan hcad of house. Pat O'Sulli!an. son. Mary O'Sullivan, daughter. Honara O'Sullivan. daughtcr, Bart O'Sullivan. son. Bart Enright. glandson. 5 yrs-

Edmond Nash, head of housc,66 yrs. Mary Nash, wife,70 yrs. .lames Nash, son.33 yrs. Annie Nash, daughter in-law. 27 yrs. Edward Nash. grandson, 4 yrs. John Nash, grandson, 2 yrs. Tom Nash. grandson- I yr.

Catherine O'Connor, head of house, 82 yrs. Edmond O'Connot son, 38 yrs. (Edmond O'Connor was the man who, with the use of only one hand. placed the slepping stones known as 'Neddy's Steps' in 'Spur River'. These steps have survived over one hundred years and mann many, floods).

Edward Moriarty, head of house. 38 Nora Moriarty, wife. 37. Michael Moriarty, son. ,1. Pat Moriarty, son. 2. Kathleen Moriarty, daughter. l. Katie Lynch, servant. 16.

John Kellv. head olhouse, 30 yrs Mary Anne Kelly. rvift, 27 yrs. Tom Quill, boardcr, 69 yrs. Rita Quill. boarder. I.1 yrs.

Patrick Reidy. head of house. James Costelloe, servant. 29 yrs

Ed\\lr(l QLrille. herrd of hoLtr.'.

James Nash. head of housc. 4,1 yls Annie Nash, wife. :10 ]rs. Ed$ard Nash, son. l4 !rs. John Nash, son. l21rs. T(nn Nash. son. l0 yls. Patrick Nash. son. 8 yrs. James Nash. son. 7 yrs. Nora Nash, daughter 5 yls. Michael Nash. soo,4 yrs. Martin Nash. son. 5mths. Hanora ..... ll6 yrs.

Edmond OConnor, hel1d of house.5l )rs

John Sheehy, head ot' house, 58 yrs

Margaret Sheehy. wife, 54 yrs.

Michael Sheehy, son. 24 yrs. Edmond Sheehy, son. 22 yrs. Martin Sheehy, son, 20 yrs. Comelius Sheehy, son. l8 yrs. Catherine Sheehy, daughter, l6 yrs. Richard Sheehy. son, l3 yrs.

Timothy Horgan, head ol house, 47 yrs

Johanna Horgan. wif'e. 38 yrs. Timothy Horgan. son, 12 yrs. Thomas Horgan. son. l0 yrs. Hanora Horgan. daughter. 8 yrs. John Horgan. son. 5yrs. Deris Horgan. son. I yr. Margaret Regan. serlant. l5 yrs.

Maurice MCEIligott. head of house, 37 yrs

Mary McElligott. wite. 32 yrs. Thomas McElligott. son. l0 yrs. Jeremiah McElligott. son.8 yrs. Margaret McElligott. daughter. 7 yrs. Mary McElligott. daughtcr. 5 yrs. Michael McElligott. son.2 yrs. Bridget McElligott. daughter. I yr.

John Sheehy, head of hoLlse, 67 yrs Mlrgarel Sheehy. Nile. 64 yrs. Michael Sheehy, son. 3.1 yrs. Edward Sheehy. son, 32 yls. Catherille Sheehy, daughter. 25 yrs. Richard Sheehy, son,23 yrs. Johanna Sornex, seNanl. l7 yrs.

Timothl Horgan, head of house, 58 yrs. Norah Horgan- wife. 50 yls. Tim Horgan. son, 22 yrs. Hanora Horgan. daughter, l8 yls. John Horgan, son. I5 yrs. Denis Horgan, son, Il yrs.

FEALE OIL PRODUCTS LTD.

Branch Olfices: lnchinapoagh. Brosna, Co. Kcrry

Tel: (068) 41211 & (068) 23550 Fax: (068) :1.132,1

Abbel,leale. Co. Kerry Tel: (069) 62338 Fax: (068) :l;132,1

Best wishes to tlTe Ly reoc ro ntp ane J ournll

THE MOUNTCOAL FEIS TROUPE T934

Or My Little Dancing Darlings

!'rom Mountcoal.

Ah. the miles are long and dr-eary and the plains are stretching wide.

And the green-clad hills of Kerry I can't see, Nor can I scc thc Shannon. with its ever rollins tidc.

Thit di\ ide. m) dcJr old Kefi) iri(nJ. lronl mc: But I m gazing on a litlle group, although they re far awayI can see thenr plainly as I writc this scroll, And while vesper bclls arc pcaling. sure my tbndesl {houghts doth stray, Towards my little dancing clar-lings frorr Mountcoal.

Never lived a group more Io!ing. little darlings

With hearts rnuch lightel than the morning dew. ln my dreanls I think I see them. on the stage whele oti they shone, While the moments all (oo quickly llew: I can see their h.rndsome features. and their figures slim and neat.

From the band I still can hear the music roll.

No chamois on the Alps could bc morc nimble on their feel.

Thcn rny little dancing darlings liom Mountcoal.

Cracious Julia Lyons, the champion, at the Kerry Feis this year.

When thiq/ five before oul idol fled. Yes, she quickly lowered the colours of some tamous winners here.

While she ran the senior champions to a head: And handsome Josie Hartnett won ouhighl (he scnior cup.

Josephine a march on other champions sto1e, In the town ol Ballybunion, where her star blazed brightly up.

She's my little darling from Mountcoal

And lovely Eileen Buckley with the curly sandy hr it.

One that never seemed to put a lbol astray. With Philomena Relihan a grand and blilliant pair, That will keep the old llag tlying all the uayi There s another champion budding, that will blossom very soon.

To shcd lustrc on her native town. Listowel. ll' chJrmin! Bridic I lt'hcrt1. \ueet J: lhe r,r\c rrr June.

She's my little dancjng darling tiom Mountcoal.

But thc vcry best and bravest in this gallant band Is Julia Hartnett with the golden hair

Plucky Mary Foley. and Kate Hartnett sweel and grand.

Are unequalled from the Kingdom to Kildarc:

And Mar'1, Thcrcsa Haftnel{ is the tlowcr of all the flock

Some day my litlle pet will rcach the goxl, She ll come back with mcdals swinging on a brcast thal knows no shock. She's my little danci0g darling from Mountcoal

Julia Fitz and Mary Hannon, yes, and black haired Maureen Lyons, Three gallant sports that never let us down. And blithesome I\4cr1 Mulrihill i..howinp erer) sign

Of a dancer that we'll soon see wear the crownYes, and sweet Eileen Moloney from the place they call the gap.

More charming never tripped across the floor. To Bab Foley and Lill Kelliher, I'll now take ofl my cap.

They're my litde dancing darlings from Mountcoal.

I remember when I met them, on that glorious summer night, In that sponing little village of Duagh, Handsome. pleasant, trim and tidy, I was charmed with delight, Sure the birds from out the bushes they would draw:

A beauty competition would my little sweethearts

And to see them dance wou]d thrill your very soulGraceful in their movements, ever f'ull of coumge to the chin.

Are my Little dancing darlings from Mountcoal.

Then farewell my little beauties all, I hope to see you score

At the Kerry Feis next summer in Tralee. When the colours of some champions great, with pride we'll watch you lower, For you're matchless ftom the Shannon to the Lee.

May the star of luck, my dears, ever travel in your train.

And the sun shine bright along the paths you stroll.

When the fields are white with daisies I mav ramble back again, To my Iittle dancing darlings from Mounrcoal.

The map on the next page was drawn by a Charles and Richard Fitzell in November 1762 and shows pafi of the Earl of Keny's estate on the east bank of the Smearla. The land is variously described as reclaimable moor, green pasturable mountain, heathy bog, dry heathy hill. cour'e pa.ture. improvable mounlain. green bog easily improved and arable pasture and meadow. The total acreage of the seven townlands was 3.861.

Skelche\ o.l lht' Sottthern ( ounticr of Irckrnd 1797 (llt,tdo l80l ). G. Iloltnts:

On Saturday, August 26th 1797, we left Listowel for Castlelsland. a journey that took us across Stack's mountain. Having crossed a fine bridge of eleven arches over the Feale. and finding a kind of fbotpath, wejogged on merrily, until the track became uncertain; by degrees we lbund ourselves environed by lotiy hills. whose &eary summits broke the impending clouds, and sent such a torrent from their watery store as completely drenched us through; however, therc was no altemative. so we were obliged to push through this desolate tract.

We now had no guide. but the supposed situation of the country; all traces of a path were gone: cultivation seemed to have

fled. or rather never lo ha\-. appeared. MoLrntain rose abole nrounlain. oblrlrding each its discouraging head. At last, by a sudden lurning, we observed a cabin near us. which we.joytully approached. lt looketl like a speck in the boundless ocean, being the only solitary habitation for many miles through these mountains. Here we found only two childrcn. one nursing thc othcr: thc youngcr was about one ycar old. and thc eldel seven: she could not speak English. but sho\,,cd a sccond room. whcrcin we lodged our horses. I ever saw Nature i her natile garb so truly marked as in this child: she was rather handsome. witlr \'ery intelligent eyes. which probabllwere rendered nore spar-king iionr her inability () make herself

undersl(x)d by her tl)ngue

Every obiect around us secmcd indigenous to the soil. cvcn thc mountain cow and horsc. thc aborigincs of thc country. gavc a markecl and pcculiar chalactcr-to the spot. \\'e gave the little girl a fcw hall pence. but shc sccmcd unacquaintcd with their uscs. Shortly after', the mothcr and father rcturned. calrying t'uel iiom the neighbouring bogl they both spoke little English. ard as well as the) colrld directed us to thc path lvhich it secms we had lost by a considerable $ay.

The l9l6 Petition by Rcsidcnts ol Knocknagoshel to the Bishop oI Kefiy to splil off Knockiagoshel tiom thc Dioccse of Brosna. The petition was granted 25.6.16.

Your Lordship, We the undersigned Parishioners of Knocknagoshel. and representing as we do lhe unanimous wishes of 4.10 Householders rcqucst your Lordship to glant us a tesident Parish Piesl. This is not the first time this requesl has been madc of the Bishop of Kerry but ibr \'arious reasons !{as not grantcd. For instance on one occasion we were t()o late in mailing oLu-requcst as the PP had been appointed.

On another occasior we wefe told by the Bishop that the debt on the Brosna Presbytery Vias too heavy. but th^t is now paid of). Your Lordship will permit r,rs to indicatc that the long distances Priests and people ha\'e to travel tbr sick calls rnd other matters to and from Brosna Iron Meenganare, Broughane, and Knighls mountain -places because ol the distances I2 () l4 miles, and the hilll roads trke 2 l/2 lo 3 hours to rcachand the nearest house in the parish is,1 nliles liom Brosna.

.Jcrerniuh D. Lons. R.D.C. Willrrrr Mor......ShJnirr ruehc Mit h,rrl NLrnr.,rn Beh--n:rrrih Michael ManEan- Ballinahtiun B.J. Mur ph\. KnoLknJgo\hcl NoriL Mui ohr. Knucknieoshel C,,rnclrrr.'Bi,rsn,rn Borr'l,r J M. MJngar). Lot\. Johunnah O'Connor'. Knocknaqo\hcllerh I I,,n. Knr,.knxqo\helJames Berrl& Deniel Crbnin. Knockbrack D.rniel Mur ohr. Knocknilgoshel Ellcn O Curinrir. Meenuhillr Dcnis Cuinev. Knocheelcrlen Iercnlirh T. O'(\rnnur. Meen:r.rnrirc D.lniel Hor3n- KDockccncr'cc_n Iererni.h Brosn|rn. Boule Cornclius O'Connor. Toor'eenmore I-aurencc O'Connor. Ballvduff John GreaneY. Mecnlcitrim .lohn Fil/serill:l- Borlx John Bros'iran. Scart. Tinloth\ Bro\nrn. Meen Patrie l"Wclsh. Knocl lrco.hcl lrrrcs Clrm,rih Meer)bini\:rnc Daniel C O'Cririnor'. R.D.C. Mrs. Ml. Man!an. Behenaush lohn M.rrsiln.Srlltn.rhou nCorn. D T)'Cr,nnorl. Knockrlx!o'hcl MJ\ Brou n. Knuulnirgoshel ' \\.\1'. M.rnran. Beheniushl ilhrm C:ihill Kno. kn,il'osh--l Jus J Mulphr. Knockrruioshcl Alnrr I Mdruhr. Knoelniqorhc'lCF:r\ B.!'lt-i Der id O'Coirncll. Knocknrroshel Hxr r \ Drlton. KnocknllLrslicl A,l:rri Kerne Knockbrick lererniirh Lon!. Knuckn.rr:osltel Iliul DooLh. Knockhr:,rck M ir:hael Cirnnor- Knockbrack

Thc Knocknagoshel Church itself is over an hour's dri,"e fiom Brosna. On behrll ol the sick. the gencral convenience of the pcoplc. and because we beliele that the youig and the old will be bcnefited by lhe presence and cxanlple of a Pdesl. tre beg you( Lordship 1l] gmnt us this blessing. In conclusion we beg to add that \,,c ar(r prepared to do all in our fower t() meet your Lordship s requirernents in this matter it'you kindly acceded () out earnest request.

Prlrick McAuliffc. ScartMrs. Horan. Boula Jamcs Welsh Patrick J- O'Sullivan- Feavautia Dxniel Doodv. Knockbrack John McAulitfu. scaft. Dcnis Naughton. Ksoshel P Charles O'ConnLri Knoclu.rloshel I rurence Wren- Toorcenmore ' Con Curtin. Knockbrack

tsa Ll dLrll osltel

Maurice Murphy

Dunicl Rcidy.Meenleiu inr

M:rrrrct Cotrcr Kno.:khrd.k

MrslJamcs O'Connor--Knocknagoshel Dcnir Murohl.Meen

Iohn \\alsli. [4eenblnirr rne Kerry S. Keane,Scan lerry Nilurph).Sur t. N4i, h;rel Srrllir rn l\,leenh:rn;rrrne Daniel Nolan. Knockbrrck

James Thompson,Knockbrack James Emperor. Knockbrack Thornas Wren

Cornelius Greany,Knockbr'ack Mary O'Connor.Behenaugh Jame O'Callaghan,Ballyduil

Patrick Sulli!an.Ballyduu Mary Bro$r- Fealvaulia lohn Roche.Scart J.nres Wxl\h. Ahane Denis Scanlan.Ballyduff

Maurice Mulph-'_ lrrnes Wrlsh.FeNa[tia

John Muryh).Knocknagoshel west Daniel Nolxn.Clonchane Denis C. (l ConnoriCortroc

Patrick DonoghLre.Knocknagoshel

Catheine Hicke\'.\,leenbannivane

James Begle].Knocknagoshel

Jeremiah Brosnelr.Knocknasoshel Jarrer Brou ne-Knocknasoshel

John Scanlan-Knocknesishel

Michael Neligrn.Balll'fufi

R. Keene l.Behenech

Michael Doodr.Kn'ockbrack

Daniel Lcanc.elashnagaugh John Ja\'.Fca!autia

Jerry Nlurphl.Clashnagough

Patrick Hefttman.Knockbrack

Matheu Dillon.Behenrgh

Patrick \olan.Ttxrreenmre

James Hickel.Nleenbanivane Mrrrricc K,:rne Knockrrne

John N'lulph,"-. Nleen Denis tr_oian Con Brosnrn.Knockhreck

Del1is Curlin.Meerl

Michael Ahern.Meenganaire

James Fitzserald.Boula

Jeremiah [-_ons.Scan

Richard Wals6. Feavautia

Pah ick Muryhy.Knocknagoshel

Patrick O Connell.Ahanc

Thomr\ Thomp\on.Kn('ckhrJck

Michrcl Herlihl.Fear r utiir Robcrt Wrlsh.Knockbrirel

David Morrisscy.Cummer

John Kennellv'1. Cunnner .lohn Cotter.l{nockbrack

Patrick Nolan.Tooreenmore

Thornas O'Connor.Boula

Daniel Keirne,Knocknagoshel

Daniel Muryhy,Knocknagoshel

James J. Loig,Knocknagoshel

Daniel D. Murphy.Knocknagoshcl Stcnhcn Cr ilfin.MeenbenivJne Nr,:h,,lir\ C,,IIcr Kn,,.khrrck Cor-nelius O'Connor

Jerr'1 ) T. O'Cnnnor. Kn,,e kna:rt,rhel Knre Herlih\ K nr tr:kJnc James Ccan'y.Boula Edrrond Shichan.Meenbanivane Thomas Horan-Meen

John Murphl.Knouknauoshel Meurrcc Brorrn.Seut

Kn()cknasoshcl rtrnn Daniel Collins.Cloughane Denis walsh Johanna Nolan Mary Browne Johanna 0 Sullivan Timothy O'Connor John Bro\rne Thomas Hetteman MaN jcrh. J. Long Mar! o Connor'Mary Heffeman.N.T. Mary O'Connor,Gortroe Davi(l Brosnan.Knockbrack Mrs. F. Brosnnn.Knockbrack Mrs. Kale Wren.Meen Jerh Pig-sot. K rrockn:rgt''helMlrl J O'Connor'. Kn,rcLhlre k Jamis Reidy Mrs. Murph).Meen John Cornor-Mccnleitrinl Pat Nolirn Pat Collins.Feavautia Michacl M. Aherne.Meengenaire John Sulliran.Knockbrack Rich;rr(l C{)ller.Knockhrack Thos. Muryh),K0ocknagoshel Cornelius Movnihan.Knocknasoshel Michael HerJiLy.Ballinacaltin Denis Mulphy.Meen John McAulille William Leane.Toureenard Ned Cotter.Tourccnard Deni\ Lane.Sh:rnbv Geolliey DonoghJe.Knocknagoshel

Patrick Roche-Ahane

Mirgilrct H ick ie.Meen lcilr int

Lrrrii ncc Shrn-- Kn,,ukn.rs,,shel

Thomlr Pipot. Meenbrn iirne

Prtricl Ili,r,l:rn Kn,'.knioo\hel

John Thompson.Knockbrick

Denis O'Col1nor.Knockbrack

Thos. Keane

Tim Cotter.Knockhrack

James Hogan,Gofiroe

Wi I lirm Cullinane.Ballvduf]

Timothy Griflin.Kgosh6l

Jerh. Connor.Meenleitim

Kerry K- Keane

Edmond..ralle?

Iohn O'Connor

M i-harl McAulilt e. Knoclnirru\hcl W<\t

.lohn Hirler.Meenlertr rm Soith

Jelh. Rci(l\':Meen lc itrirn Nol,th I,,hn Douier I iuFhrtoutlcr

Deni. McALriitte.knochniL{u\hel West

Denis Lung,Knocknrgn'he'l

James Mangan,Feavautia

John McEIlisotr.K nocLhrr! k

lames Reid):Brll) dutt

Drniel Srlli\ rn

Jarnes O'Connor.Knockiagoshel

Daniel Sullivan.Ballinahoun?

John O'Connell.Meen

Jenl Riord:rn.Kilrrrnahun West

Mis' M ichuel WLrlih.CJashnrgough

George O Callaghan.Beheenaugh

Mrs. F- McAuliffe.Scart

Timothv Sheehan-Fear autia

Julia H6ran.Clashnagough

Mary Muryhy,Krlocknagoshel

Johana Nolan-Sca11

Palt Nolan,Clashragough

Mrs. P Lyons.Meen

Mrs P Connor.Gortroc

MIs. Richie Cotter.Knockbrack Mll\. Jeremial] Brosnan.Baranarig

John Brown.Scarl

Mrs. John Connor M$. Mauricc Downey

Maurice DonoshLlc

Davicl Reidy.Nieen

Edmond Carmodv

Cornelius O'Conrior

Charles Curtin

John O'Connor

Edmond walsh

D:1niel MIroh\

Thom:rs P t)'C,nnur.Knocknegoshel

Denis Greaney,Meenleitrim

Tim Kirby.Knocknagoshel

Patrick O'Sullivan.Ballinahoun l).D. Curtin.Meenleitrim

Redmond Roche.Lackbrudcr

James Muryhy.Knockachur

F.ulick Burke-Knockbrack

Mary Doniellan l

David walsh

Timothv Connell

Nicholis N. Cotter

Laurence Walsh

Sinron Keane

Norah [- Leane.Kockeencreen

lohn T,eirne.Knockccncreen

John J. Greany.Mccnleitrim Drn Coller.Meen .nrx l Cotter.Knockbrack l Ellie Doodv.Knockbrack

John Critllir

David O'Sulliran,Knt)cknagoshel Thonras Walsh.Meenbanivane William Riordan.Kilmanilran Timothv o'Connor.Beheenaeh l John Eiri!ht- Nat Teacher Parr-ick Otonnor'.Knocknagoshcl John Cascv.Meenleitrirl W ll rrn Cirhill,Knucknrgnshcl N4 i.hi,.l \, .,n1:m B.rll\dutt John Griftir.BallYduft' .lanres O'Connor.i(noc kn.rg, rsheJ P:rlricL Sullir un.Knockn:rgoshrl .lanrer MLrn isse).Cunr, re Brrr O'Connor Gr,froe

Daniel Sullivan.Knightsmounlain Batt P MurThy. Mecn Prtrick O'Connor.Cortroe Timothy Moynihan.BallyduffKrrrl Keone.Knncknrgushrl M ichrel O'C.'n n,r. Mcenqrnecrc Charles Curtin,Knightsmountain Charles Hartnctt.Knocknagoshel Dan Carmody,Knocknagoshel Michael J. Keane.Scart Timorhv O'Connor.Meenleitrim James ivalsh.Ahane Curneliu< Murph\ Terrv O'Connoi N.4 cnr rr el Johinna Nolan Maggie Rcidy,Meenleitrim Hanna Hickev.Meenleitlim Lawrencc O'eonnor.Gor'troe Dan D. Nolan.Toureenard Joscnh ()'C(,nnur.Knorknagoihel Thonr.rs I O'Connor Knocln.rrLrshel Joseph M urlh).Knot knagnshc'i John O C,'nnr,r, N.T Kno,:lncgnshel Charle\ Donochre.Knocknecoshel PJtr iu k O'Con'nor. K nnck nagi,she I Tim Murph \.Kr)oc k ni!oshel Thonl;r\ W. Roche.Kilmanihan Michael Sullivan.Kn(xknagoshel l()hn Riordan-Mccn Michael walsh.Clashnagough LJurence M u rph\.Kno(Lnago\helMrr Denis Crirtiir Meenleiriim Nf rs. David O'Connor.Knockbrack Mrs. Ceolfrey O'Donoghue.Knocknagoshel Marv CLl.tin-Loush[ooder Mrsi Simon Carriody,Ballyduff Mrs. Palrick Nolan.Boula John Nag1e. Sgt.,R.l.C.,Knocknagoshel James Sullivan. Con..R.l.C. K'goshel J,rhn Ke.rne.Brll1dutf J,rscph O'Strllrr rn.C, rrtr, re .l,rhn Fitzgeruld.KnncLnrlushel Wert Jrme\ Filzgerild.Kn,)cLnagushel Jrrnres Murnht. Kn, rcLnrgoshel Jan)es F. Hickey,Ballinatin? Timothv o'Sullivar.Ballinahoun Teremi;h Scenlon-Knockbrack

Plavins Fields around Lvre

Pat Brosna

In our younger days perhaps no other arca in No h Kery had as man) fbotball plnying pitches as those which existed around the varioLts townlands of ollr LyreacLornpane and its environs. In ouL own playing days il1 the 'tbnies,'lltiies and right up lo the 'sixtics there were playing lields of various kinds in thc area.

one of the fiN( that comes to mind is a little lield known as 'Reidy's Inch' which was sjllrated just acloss the riVer from Dromadamore west and \\,as rctually in Broughane lowoland in Knocknagoshei parish. Several Sundays throughout the year when we were national schoolboys in thc late'thirties and early iortics' we $'ould assemble thele tbr matches bctween Dtomada and Broughane. or bet\\'ecn E[sl und wcst Dromada. During the late summer and early autllmn when the game wils over we $ould $ ander over the glens and mvincs of Kllockanelawn beyond rhe pla! ing lield to pick l-reaghauns and take these tasty wild liuits home lorjam making.

Those werc the tlays of regular football gamcs bet*een the dif fereil townlands. a custon $,hich was there long elen befbre ollr own time. but which sadly no\,, is a thing of the past in most places.

This is really a pity in many ways as it gave grass root foolballers who would nevcr have made it to thc parish or club teams an opportunily to star fbr their lownlaud tcanls if lbr 0o other. The

only townland teans that we hear about norvadays are in the soccer code.

But to get back to thc playing pitches in the iocality therc w{s a fine lield in Renagown belonging to the McMahon family where many matchcs between town lands were played years bcfore :Ind dudng our own tirne. One of my earliest mcnrories of walch ing an inter- townland natch was a game betwccn Smearla Rangers and Carrigcannon in 1937 there.

ln Drom^da \,!e had a handy lillle lbotball ground in thc corner of one of our meadows al the tine. Several inter-lownland matches used to bc played there and we also used it as a training field lbr our local tcam. \\'e used a field orvned by Tommy Slreehy of Renagou n tbr training thc Smear'la Rangcrs team.

In Carrigcannon thcre was of coursc the popular and probabll bcst knorvl tbotball field in the )ocality known as Roche's RacecoLn-sc and there was also another field owned b), the Roche t'amily where wc remernber inter-townland natches hcing played. One of my recollcctions is also a match between Carrig Sarstlclds and Cloughane being played in l-yons Reask licld in Car gcannon which ended in a dmw and thc replay took place in a field known as The Cluncs in Cloughane which incidentall) the Carig Sarsfleld rvon. This uas in the 1952 District Lcague. Anolher popular playing grourd in Carig was a field known as Jereen's [nch.just across the Smearla tiom Dromadanrorc and ncar the Renagown and parish bordcr. The field was owned h)

the Nolarl tamily and rve played there ()n countlcss occarsions.

A few hundrcd yards Ironl Jereen's Inch on dle Dromada sidc of the Srnearla rvas another fine field owned by Johr Moloney where we pla)ed matches or a fe$ occasions. [n Glountane there was a splendid nalural playing lleld on the banks o[ the Smearla wherc we played nany inter townland matches. This tleld \\,as o$ned by the local Nolan farnily. Orer the foolbridge across from thc Church there was another excellcnt field orvned by lhe Doran family where intel-townland and a num_ ber of North Ke[y irrtcr club mltches were played in thc midrineteen-filiies. Also rve often played on a loudside lield belonging to thc Walsh lamily in Koockaclare. Again crossing over the bordcr into Ballymacelligott piirish there was a line levcl playing pitch known as Morrisseys lnch which wtrs the honle ground of the Maugh teams of that period rnd indeecl ol previotts timcs of which some of the older gencration ofien recounted. There was a r'iverside tleld across the road tiom Lyrc National School where malches alld training sessions often took place. When somelimes we !!ent to plav teams fiom Boula the.e \\as a field owncd by fhe O'Connor family in the townland itselt'and we also pla-ved in fields ot\ned by the two differeil Long families in Sca

Finalll we must congmlulate lhc local com,nittee who hale in lecent yeiirs carrieLl oul thc developmenl oI that linc G.A.A. Field which in tbrmer times Lrscd (o bc known ls Doran's Inch. They have now acconplished

what Lyre people L)1-m! generation iind previous generations could only dream iboul in less prosperous times. The playing lield and the ne\{ ResoLrrce Certre \rill surely provide some cxcellent facilities lbr the Iocal people of all ages sitUaled as lhey ar-c in the hear-l of Lyr-e.

There were of course other less known practice pitches in various parts of the district where no actual matches were played, but where lads assembled regularly to play football and keep l'it. These were also important tactors in keeping the game alive in the area.

Thcre is little doubt that the high cost ol plrblic liability insurance. thc rccent compensillion cullure and thc fcar of litigalion in case ol accidental injurics to pertici pants is a majol lactor these days $hy farmers will not alkrw their llelds to be used occasionally any more for ibotball gamcs. nor indeed othel fbrms of slol.t. Thc

risk is too high fir-any chances to be takcn in this direction and so i1 is hard to blarrc thc ltndowrers tbr rcfusing adrnission to their tlclds.

There may be a certain amount of regret and nostalgia tbr the Sood old carefiee. happy-go-hicky times of the past in this regard, but whether we like it or not this is the reality of the present.

Various causes have been blamed for the ongoing and increasing saga of mral decline that is happening in several areas of the country and there is no doubt that when some of us occasionally visit the local townlands around our native Lyre it is sad enough to see many of the fertile fields and meadows ol our youth now under fbrestry or covered with rushes. in the words of Yeats "all changed, changed utterly". Much the same thing, but possi bly to a lesser extend is happen ing in my adopted parish of Athe^ and other parts of West

Limerick, but is not this all supposed to be progress according to European standards- In all fair play it must be conceded that certain aspects of our lives have improved considerably since our entry into the European Union, bul ir other ways particularly in regard to the restrictions that are now being imposed on those liv ing in rural areas as to what they can no longer do in their own land or bogs. ce ainly is not for the better. It now seems a long time ago since those of us who were organising G.A.A. activities in our native parish could approach any farmer in the locality to obtain his permission, which was usually fofthcoming and which was always free of charge, to use a section of his land on ejther a tempomry or permanent basis as one of the playing fields around Lyre.

window irt rlrv crLr...'hc evcn hroupht il worrrlln$ilh him - il Drn P.rddv Ancly u,:us alive she wouldn\ be sa1_e either..." nd'he \\,ent on to u\olilin lh:l rrr'il h\ !on(' r,rrl.lrI.ll.,r'. Dr!'$..\ in .'eir:rin :,rcrri u hi.'h inrul. rrrr rhink lh:,r ilr. .rht(. r ,'l' rhr Lv('ircn'rnpirnc l(\lr\ rl hil(l Ltcr lt:p. .irr<n .r srrrterr,it tt h rnr, liorn

So when I was duc to visit Lvre aelin ldecidecl to relrph,'ne J,'hnn\ Nolun. Fo't 6tlr.< irnJ le.rrrr \\ll(r rn\ rnuui\ltir Jn.l his .rl-nt Durln(r llJJ bccn perh.rl)' I\'olrl,l rel(r lu llr(rn'iI rn) l.rlk. \,,1 h,i\ Ir: rhc nlllrhcr I Jr:.llc,l D[c,'1,'r\ I naurfl('.. Tlre iillt t,rrn* lrr,lt un th< cr.h.rnle irnrrri,liirtc-lr .rikcd irrc rI I rir. -,rrrrin- .i.)\\ir t(, th( Dirl Pacldl- Andy Festivalll To nry'aslLrnishnlent I discovered that on that da\' ' I IlJl l" to()k nre to Tralcc and the $rnlan on theinher end ol lhe line hciled liorn | \ rc. .rrrd .rllhou!h \4.rJ,'lcrn( nr,,n,r\'J rn( :l Jrn.'c l:rtrr .hr nrrcr ir:rtrrirrli.cJ,,h the nrglrt. I did rnenrlr to Lli\Lo\er $ht, rn\ I \rJilcrornDxnc rnqUi\rl,,r\ \\. r('. hur lt t rr. n,,r', rrrhr,rIr.. ihrrrr

l ',.r. rn,pcirl, in i,n irrrhihirr: c.r,rhli.l)IrJIr c,rll(,1''lhe l,,rrr Flnr. .rrr.l rrhcir lnlu.lcntlr rlrirc,l Iher(.1 hJll h.,ur b(ll,r( rh( pr,\(JLIrr:-i\crJ Ju. ro .r:trl. I .[:.,llL'l\ ll.rL] Inr\.:rl rc.lrl.'i,'n Jr\r'\ ering h.I'Jlr Jn\L rc ol'(!rnl O,re orn ul-nr. u.r. tlclrrhtc.l rrirJ rihr.o.i..l ronrlirnrrirl\. lLi. \ill br i:,.1". "hrlr lhc uthrr ..nrtoi.ri!lJ I:.s!(d'Ob\ icu.l\ nch!.J\ i' in.cf(.1\'d J(.c H.rl inul',rr h,'\\(!cr Ii,lJ rrrr th:.t thc pl:,ur u,,ulJ l'( hu,7,/ir:, .1,on. -' I Jccidrd to ri.it Jnlrtr D.r\\ N',l.rn. \h, lives nearby. John was one ol lhe \eir- Iirsl lnen 1(] drrrc l lororrr,,Lirc on I rrcr-t,rrrto:,ni Btr::. uhr.lr ir 'i-rritirlnt. Johrr i. .irre L I th<' Kirr'.Jrirn. trt.< !cnll(m('n. \o ror I hrrcl lUrru \( Lriitr.\.LI Rr,rd iia M6na s involrement in Lrre. which I had corne to thc Four Elms ft) ttlk abolt. I hrd c\,cn brou!:ht lhe silver slare De Valera used lo cul llle inaurrirall \od rn thc \cr'\ lrr:t IJtrr,ll:l t rl cLlltirr! L()rIiDcri,,'r,,1 lrl-l'l lr.r,l h,,rr,,ue.l rlre.l:,nl ir,rrri rlr.: Bord na M6na \ec!ion oi Pe land Wbrld Museurrl in Co Kildare with the curiLrcr N'lick Jacobs co ()ocr:.tron. lhc \lrnr uJi r nri)lr. \orrrctnirlr tr) t:.ll .rhuur. 'u I t.rul it t.r J"hrr b. N"L.rr. rtriJeni< .s wcll. N,ly convcrsatior s,ith John D e\cntLlall,_ s\rung rrroLrnd to lilotball ancl that Final ol '8f. allil elcntually to N{att (--onnor of Ot}aly. of $'horn Juhrr .puLc \ rlh rLlrnir.rli,rr ulrieh plrrr.rJ rn. .incc rn rrrt .,frnro \y':rtt'\ or,'\\c.. oI ih. lo,,lh,rl lislJ outrli.rrre Lrll uthcrr. Su.h rrr' Juhn lJ. ho. pitclrt\ rl $r. \ rlh rrLr( h relu(tirrrLc I l.rter' tr Lr.lgeJ h,rrk rir,r n,,rr orer.r,,u,L-tl Ft,rrr l lrrs I \\:,. Lol,l I u truld bt .D.Jkinr lrollr rhr \rrl rr r)lJtlolln .r\ ir nunlbcl oi'uuJitiinul !lul\l<ll<li'.rnJ sincc I had thc \\orks ol Eanxrn Kcllv in mv library. I felt little trcpidalion. lnagine niy astori i.hnlcnl lrlcr lo di\c,'\cr ll,:l ',nc \lof\1.-1.r..r uhur llorr Linreri.k. urr. dls'.cri lrllh(i lik( in I n!lr.h M,'rrr.,l.rtr.'crr l,,t' lhr,\\'J.r,,n. .rrnl lh(' u,,in.rn 'rlr,, nrcre,led nrr r,,l.l - \c\\ ,1,)r\ (,t'r $,'rI:rn \\ lr"\r:' \t'.h r rr t ttt. n :,. it $.r't\r,,rr,ilrr'r,f,l ,'n lhc nirhl,:IuIc liks tr..r trrll nr.,'rr'. Hou ioulJ I lirll.ru rhrtl I \c.rrtl\ r(.,)l\-.1 1(, krll n cert.in lbl rer Lord Mu\or of l-inrerickl In de\Dclf,u,)n I (\cI ion\rJcriJ \Lr'ill!in! r lr$ blur ll,,ric. l,,r(lll(r in urr ultcrrrpt t,, l.rrirrho$ tit .rr rnJ rt $oIlJ h]\J \\,)r'kc,l. b.rL l,rrkrnr.rbouL I h.i 1,, lirkc lh( (hil(l(I prc.(nl irrl,'(un.iierJli,'n.

My stoly had lcss ol the "lwin Ar-sh" approach, hrrt ir u.r. r<.rl.,rIJ I kIc\ rhl,r rh,^c \hn rc.nc',.lulll li.t. rrrJ rrrre pr,,h:rhl1 relrrtirs. ,,f thc br,.:unr sre-t bucrlrc0bl I\rJ. I l.'l(l lllcm r,l th('iimr ,'l't,'t. nr;n rlhJr . h,,$ l,\i,l D"er l,,hr 1.,( Slrr.fir ,lt..riht,l rhcrr, \\hi.h intri)JuicJ.h( ocxt inclustiy to that part ol Kerry duling the time of the Trrr'l Itrr<lonrrrunt R,,rrrl .rld firrrrri, f,i . l,\\rrJJri\( dL \c[,'nlI,: llr. n.rlurrl rc$ur.'(.,,1 Ir(lJrlJ(including the bog\) track io 1917.

The l'ir.l lhree rren,,rl ll)c I \rJ.L.r,,rnoJrl( Rcri\tcI rr, r. lrnr Srrllir.rn. Jrr \:rrr: hrrjn irnJ 'Juul Nr,uchtol) - ther urr< .'rcrtttr.rllr inittc,l hr r'thr'r'. rn picp.,r rnI th.: h,,; t'. 'r rr. llr ,r fui r rrl h.rr( <.r rlrrrr

'We ll sin! a son! as we ,narch alons. With .ord. .rnJ jrrk( .rnJ .l:rnc". $11'lc .l"hn l,'e :hcchi'. .t,..r'ihrril th:rt hr'-,,rrc,,n.lirrght un lheKrrrr h,ru. in in irr.luiLii-Ll rc\uluti(,n \hr.'h rvould eve'ntuallr' see hard maru l laboLrr succeeded b! rnachinis with cxotic namcs likc "Dc Snrilti.l\ . lJ I illtnut .rrJ In,,.l inln,, irntl\ lhe lr.. rr cll rr.rrrrrJ 'Brrgrcr'

llre Br'-r,:crr \\cre hrousht in L'r rr'cn lrlc Hrnt Sr: rk. rrl Hcr| K|rull, rr fi,,.r.rt rLf ti'rrr nlL,Ilh\) rnll Cul Luttheirt r rr lro Jol)n JoiSlrch\ Jc.. rrhcJ r. 'cta7y'). Thcsc \\ierc (;erman natioials who carme liomiheir homeland llonc with the machincs atier lodrl Arr,lr'.u. rn.t :'n lir.h lrn't lrrr'lin: rrri..ion had travelled to the conlinental boss and tbund thcm {thc nrllchincs) \\,orkin! \\'ell th;re. The l1anle'ts:rrr(r'' .LJnl Jenute.rn i..'r,ciirtiort $rth hJu'. ir'. i}'e C.rrnrn \\orJ tbr 'i\Lx\.Ltor'. Likr rninr othcrs before him Hanv Starken was evenluall! r\\rnIllled irrt,, lr'r.lrrrr.s- \cttlrn:r l(,r i. \hrlc ri) I rlc. hr.t tin:rllr in Lc:rhrl rreir Trrllunrore rn OalJl\ {uher( hi. $ il. l.izztl l,,Uncr c:rnrc lr,,rn/. UIc Lil ll.rrr\ \r.rfkcn\ v,r\. P:.r. hr'J u,'rkrJ r.rrh Borrl na Mrina al Llre Another \on Harr! wls a l\lcchanical FittcI aiBoId na M(inir's Boori Works netrr'Tlrll.Dore. an.l al\o r rnembcr of thc Oflalv rooth-ll nrncl uhi.h ltr'L thc l9()l All lrclrnJ lin: I r,.b,'un lre l:rtrr beurme lh( Vl.nJ!<r ol' Roadsbne iD Athlonc.

Thc noisc ol thc Baoccl' $,as described b\ Joe H.rrrirrt,'n. in u Lrrsriiir. i.,u< Lrl tlri' JoLrriirl. i."tlrr hLir'tb-rt ol I rIc" lrrJcc,l rt \\r\- srnJc r tllr l9-10s over'500 pe6ple \\ere requircd each year to lrrrn. rnol. cl:.nlri,rrid .r'ncr.rll\'llJr\c,r lhe ruri il .ur .rs I irnrr.r Frrl lr..I inLenJeil. Lh. Birs!rr rhcrc lirrc stcmmecl the lide of enilralion.'li rras an Jmirzinl lnr.hinc. rrei-hirts in Jl l0 toll\ .ulJ dr.rerL:J lo lr.l\cl o\(r lh. \,'lr $cl h,": Jl r l,,r uJlJ \L,llixr sDeeJ r,l' lt, nl(u(. D<r hoLrr \\llil'l rlro.rltillr., rroullll Dlri\rrrr \)l '.rrrrr I lb. ocrri,re irirh. Thr'.lecili.ellr Jlirrrr lti r th,rr rob hlid un rnJ rrr:r;. r.,r,'.t Ir.-,i:.r cn,'rrn,'u, pre'lurc. u,'Ilinir,,lr\l\ 'lrootinr irrt r i l-r,clr. .;d uhr\h \\r\ thcn Ltit rrrtu Lci tL 'izcrl rnJiriJLrrl :uJr br a tbllo\\'ing scrics of di\k bladcs- Footinq nlachina rull in the'19,10s earled the $,orkers 5 ihillinss a r)lot ul)r,ih t(n)k rb,[t x hoJl\ tur rrn rnJiriJuJ t.r i,'nrnlrrr. lt \rJ' brrl-hreJkin! uork. hut nthc. JUriLl, .r.-,. i,rrcd \ ilh rhc l.:.rr,i \\ (rc r,'rlrinr h.rl sla!crylrr tlrr trrrn'iti,,rr.rl p(ri,'d \el$ucn rlJrrrlJl l:ih"ur sntl rlrclhuni::.tr(rl th. hor uurler. en(uulltcl(d semi autol1lalic machines that werc clrivcn bv nrcn Lrllt al\o drovc rrcn. The rtolst exanrple ol this was

Ihc scnri autu lic Sod ('ollcctor. \\ hich hiid to hc .,nJ-l..l \\ tl'I.u.lt rr, \ i,h,'.rl .r\1..r 'r(I .r,i' tr'.1|cllcd li)rward lo$_r.d ihc,r. lt did so at a lrttx inrnr \o-(..,)l I l, \J\.rnhut'r o l\t'c.lll, l\ .!r .l :,n .,ni /,r,r 5lil \J, .rr- h.,ur lur T\n, \ ,rlr. H.,r',.rcr' llr.i.: rn:,-li rrc. -,,11(rt(J t.Lr t\):u tr'I' .'l I l ,rI h,,li lr".rr.lr'rr|l-'lh(.,,'1..1.'L l "'ll-.\iir.r r,lr llctrJ fun,c\or bcll t.,. l.,r t rr, k hc.iJr rl,. .nrc:,.lrnr !rrurrll. \ r.J tn( n.r.'l r r. ,lri\( r. $c J !,rr oL rlt... rt l(1..1 )r'l r\, .,. 'il.ll ,11,,\c I.'l_ ""_.rr''rhtl .r'r'r'r r.r lhr\rr(.irl lll:. ll 1ir .l,,r.l Ilrc,r \\()rkl -l.l\ th( I C r ',r' ln(' l.,u rrr Lr.trl l,' \1rr,) inn) rhe_nlr\i: ofthc rd\rncinirnachinc {in il h,rrrihlr .l.r'ir :trr(,.nbo(ruh tfr. t ,l..t,rr:.rrl, rr.rol)-Ll uD iJr,Lr rrl t.r :.ll .,l:.rnl" , Lrrll rl il ilrc\\ rrrrri rrt() thJ .rr..(i\ L.,r'\. i ,r. ln .lJ.L,(r,. I L.'l lrL'\ \",ul.l \',r','l rlr.. lll'r'\ .,u1. rr", "r.' L1'r\(]ul .t\',\l(I ,hr(.'\ll'. 'h,:r1,.r,. rr J h:,rs iL slt,,rr r'espit<.

\ ,, l(.r l.., th.(.,t\..rti,,,r \:. llr.rt .,1 I'l:' rLil.: rn, l!, .er irr \cl $.,rlfir \,rrJ\\ L)l ll..ir :tt(l.lr.l rlr- B.r.r-r'. t)l.rir': r' ll ,rrl\\:,' .1.(l (r' r.l r.,t , ,,t l 1., 1".,{..111 1 1',r11 .r rk.rt. 'r, .ir h,, \ttr '\.Ill rl,\ lr.r, 1,, (l:,n rh,' .l,r'lr'r. tr.'rrr 'lr.' ,,r. I rlrererli .l'.', h.,nlrrri-,lh' ilr- rr.r-lrr r.'. \\eicht llnd dre! thenr lbrwerd to 1'hc ironl ol lhLrrr''.hrrr. .I' rr llrr. t,o.:r.rt-.'rr \\,r' L"rr.'r'rJi r\ \ .1,, re rlrr'.,rr n ,,,r,, .1,,'lirl'r .Lr'J -l-,r^ Jurin'- tli curull i(r.\ur tlrL B.r r' r \\, r L.l ' I lr ,r_.lrf:. r.. ,1,, r r |. rn.rrk ,,I rr 'rr-rbl( \(t ,r'l'rl. Lvirlirhc s\erri hlindin! \,ou lLnd lurnilr! do$n_the ehan al of ) our hack :.irclr johs r,, erc ilhurnurr.

In due coLu-sc rll thc bo! oparatiorrs. incluLlinll rL,r rolJ-(li 1.trl.,' lL',1 rr'l :lrh,,rr,:lr lrr rn'J\ Jnt(Ll ll.uJ:rr r' 'l :.1..' '( lr .(,rlr. Lrh,rrr inrc r.irr ., -nc rr JJlu\. \\h:.1 ..'.l.Ll ,)lon!' \ocio ccon(;nic line\ had linallr becortte co\t'ctiicli\e and eliicicnt. -lhroughoui BoId na l\'l(irr in rh. I9.10s xn rcre 01 boc i\'as considered ..rr,.rrrl.',,t rrr.r-.r..rr l5tt t,,n. L,l tt.rt Ir.r \\, kL'r. h\' l17(,.1-ll -Lru-tirin. ...'\rl(11'rrir'rirc:'..d r:c. r: 'ri..,lr',rr ,(.'r l.'.1 rr .1. I n:, i.rrL rlrlrn,\ lrr.' to -150 lons p.r'\!1n-kcr

) rih cl'rr (r,. \ ',1 .,'r '.c c (r'lr..ll\ ,l. flL l.J llc ,...,r r.. r ,. i.',lr.rrr rr l',.1,,r.rn.l rl,rrrr b,, .. kr t \ri: -r,nrD: r-. rr-rr (\(ltL.rll\ .'.rl .l\\.r\. B',r,1 rr- Nlrrrr.r lirrillr .s:,...1 trrrt t,rirl rirr,'tl ',r'l \r,'rr l,r(,{. R(l(cc'i l,,r :. r.r l)/.i 1.f.,',','r,n.,i,i LI,. ,rr.('11 ,.'rJrl .r'lr .rrlLrr,'.' rr rll,,r-r r,,rr.', r,1,.|i.,'ll\ r.i,-nlnJ tt.ir \nJ th. rrjr' \1,, \\,'rk.rrrh(.:ri nou listtcl in herclv le!ible lonshand on a .rr :.ll lrrr.h. r' ,,1 hn \ r \cll r,'r.r rh. J ,. , ..'.,t' r)-r!r\ Ir BlrJ rr.' \1.'rr.r ll..r.r.rr.,rtcr.. l-r,'rI tlr.tr l.\lr ..r(.1,, lr\l ,l t\, 1- 1,. lh.j rr,\r nLrrr.,r rIr ,,1 rh. ho!, \\()rler\ lialrr drit b\1]ouc eiu ' rncn \\ho knerr ihat l,olk *as ull ilboui(Nlnrcd in thc Lvrc \,,r(... Krt'\ r. . r r \L'nt("rl'\'lllrr lrrcr'- ,'rrru-,rrr ltir'\,r \\.r ' . lr\. .r I'r.rl( ',.,,,i,,r ,. 1.,-.,1 r,,. r,. \l.rtt Drll.rrr<. h.rLl .,,rrr, -tlr.. NIltl lrrd fallcn aslceD oll orrillr NloLrnrair'in l90S Lo d.eanr oi a train ..,r,rlr,..l,,rrr, .rrr b. -..rr,J,, 1,,rrr....:r.< lr. r,..r . J s rrh hi. .r,' t 1,. '',. .rcri,ll\ .,r -l Lrl ,r.

Thet risionaries likc Torld Andreus. Firnk r\ikcn xn(l D. \hlorr \\ould a\cnluxllv creatc lhe cortdi rion\ nr linirll\ rcxliTc \1rt1's dri rn - whcn.lohn D. \olln l'ir\i drove hi\ loconloti\e do$rl L\rallcrornpane Rog ',,' as indeed renrltrkahlc.

'lhere irrc of course ilanr faccts to the Kerrv hoq 'liu.i.r. .r.,, .. .rr'J I :.1.,, 't .'1, rl.' r r"1 r ,:l Chrr.t,iulrrr'D.rr. tLe :('..c.t lutl urr"('^ ,rll rir ,, lrirr rh:,r'. .'r.,rrr, r .r,rr'r \l'lJr lr\ Lr k lo( H.rrirrr.,rr rrrr..ntrJ lr, \\ il .r 'r, r.;rrirl r,r,c rrr,r. 'r,hrli I -l-r,r,. r rel.l or. .,, l\ \Jlcr, ' lt.,l. .,lJ Lr.r: .lL roli .t.,r (.d \\tr(n ,,r.,!1..,u,.,,;i. i;i, ,,,. ini,t ".i ,n. rur .,,.,'r,.,rr -,h.irtr,rlrer (,rrr rl,lrn., I ,,r.j\ rlr. n{\.1 r. .. c rl.l rti _.,"r'r rr\ (,'r.rt''. rr\' I ('r.,.rr'1,''.J','1.'tll-, ;,1 lcclr.- -l'\ .)LL) Lr( JlrL' 1,'l ll': 'lr'rl. r' ' 'r' rr']r r,',..,,i ,,,1"ri,,, n,n ,,1 Buln,cr -r.l(r.Tlrcr .rr.':,rl tl'r'r t',' Ir'., I \ \ I ' I ' r r r l .l(')l,.rri,,I [,: 'n. ,r,nr trtf,,lr:''Corre hrr'c 10 nle". siid thc cider dlinkr,r'. 'Yc \hould ne\er |a\. \\!n thul '\ll'lrcltnd in I9El I Hc . rr, ,,,.r :.i.r'. I 'r,'.ryrt. h rt llr.' \,'.r. r....r {i,l,lr rl\ r,t \,'r,itr\'Idon't-niind hc suid.'butthcvrell\ru\ilalkins :rliorrr th;rr hlootlr Dar-bv goul ilrrrl ti)rgallin!: lhi -.,nr olrri(,t rr r..l< h,, \l.rrr t',.rr ,,r. r1.,. ..r :.,...r i,,.,Lb:.llrr v lr. (\(I li.1J r \,r,r I hrr.lrr't r r.rrr.'r,rl \l:ll .rl .ll.. r,l r, r , rr'. . .: .tr .'ii ,,j ,r .'ri ,n t.'r ll t'r, ., Kcrrl r., k .r , rc.ll. knorr rhclL lorrtb.rll.

()h rn(l b! thc wu\. thi\ llrtic['i\ dedicllil t() Blll N{c('elthi artrl Bill\ \lolenerLr\. $ho LeeP lhc .lohn B. Kcanc lrrdiLi(n) llli\c in L\ retcronrl)rnc.