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