Mountnicholas is a small Kerry townland near Gortatlea.1 In the 1850s, William Murphy Poff was in residence there with his wife Mary, daughter of James Barrett.2 Many of their children, including Johanna, James, Francis (Frank), Ann and Kate, emigrated to New Zealand between 1870 and 1880 under a scheme of free passage offered by the…… Continue Reading
From Waterspouts to Moving Bogs: the weather in Kerry
Adverse or favourable, discussion about the elements is part of our daily lives. Our literature abounds with tales about weather-related events and their effect on people and the environment. In times gone by, before the improvement of roads and bridges, people in everyday situations were often caught out by freak weather conditions. In Castleisland,…… Continue Reading
Maps of Kerry through the Ages
You do not have to be a cartographer to enjoy the fascinating compilation of maps of Kerry, dating from the 1500s to the present, held in the Castleisland Collection.1 It contains almost one hundred maps which illustrate not alone the geography of Kerry but the peculiarities of spelling and the artistry…… Continue Reading
Two Neglected North Kerry Poets
Jeremiah Finaghty – A Kerry Diamond Kerry, my rugged native home, God seems to love you best; His smile lights up your valleys green And your hills with towering crest – Your glens and emerald bosom fair with His choicest gifts are blest. – ‘Beauty’, in praise of a lecture, ‘Every Man His…… Continue Reading
The Fitzgerald Castles of Cordal
In the 1930s, a contributor to the Schools’ Collection described the three castles in Cordal: There is one in Ard na gCreach, one in Kilmurry and one in Ballyplymoth. They were built by the Fitzgeralds, a great Geraldine family. At first four brothers of them lived together in the castle at Ard na gCreach. …… Continue Reading
Royal Sliabh Luachra – Land of Kings
In ages past, the district of Sliabh Luachra in Co Kerry was the land of kings, and Teamhair Earann was the royal residence of the race of Earna.1 The site of the royal fort may have been near Ballahantouragh, Castleisland.2 The fort was destroyed by knights of the Red Branch almost two thousand years ago.3…… Continue Reading
Daniel O’Connell The Liberator in Castleisland
If a re-enactment of Daniel O’Connell passing through Castleisland on his way home to Darrynane Abbey was staged, thousands of extras would be sought, such was the size of the crowd that turned out to greet him in December 1843 when he stopped at the town’s Brandon Arms Hotel.1 As early as 12 o’clock…… Continue Reading
Castleisland Glebe House – A Brief History
In 1866, John Florence Purdon Macarthy recalled that Castleisland’s Market House was once the home of Rev Crosbie, who long resided in apartments there until he removed to the Glebe House at Kilbannivane, Castleisland.1 Rev William Crosbie, otherwise Lord Brandon, served the parish of Castleisland from 1796-1832 during which time – 1818 – the…… Continue Reading
Nineteenth Century Castleisland – the Heart of the Collection
Michael O’Donohoe’s detailed study of Timothy Charles Harrington’s nineteenth century newspaper, the Kerry Sentinel, might be described as the heart of the O’Donohoe Collection.1 It is, essentially, an A-Z of Castleisland-related people and subjects in the nineteenth century.2 The subjects, which run over many hundreds of pages, are varied and numerous. By…… Continue Reading
Rebellion of 1798
They were hanged and according to the savage English custom of the time, their heads were cut off and impaled on the big iron gates of the old Market House.1 Michael O’Donohoe’s father, Matt, was a Garda stationed in Castleisland. He was photographed in the town in 1956 escorting Eamon de Valera during the…… Continue Reading