My mother took first turn, set up rhythms that, slugged and thumped for hours ‘Churning Day’ by Seamus Heaney In 1919, a creamery was established in the village of Listry, Co Kerry which survived into the 1990s. One century on, Paul and Annette Garland, the owners, opened the building as a creamery museum in homage…… Continue Reading
To The People of Ireland: Castleisland gives the Proclamation a Kerry Home
‘We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland’ Castleisland District Heritage has acquired a replica of Poblacht na hEireann, the 1916 Proclamation of Ireland, measuring an impressive 6ft x 4ft.[1] The artefact was produced in 2016 by a team of third level Multimedia Design students in the (then) Institute…… Continue Reading
To the Grist: Three Centuries of Milling at Ballymalis, Co Kerry
Kerry Woollen Mills at Ballymalis, tucked away in the vicinity of the old castle of that name, dates to about 1745.[1] A contributor to the 1930s Schools’ Collection ascribed the origin of the mill to a man named Leahy: About 200 years ago a man named Leahy built a small mill driven by water,…… Continue Reading
River Island Hotel, Castleisland hosts Groundbreaking Talk on the Irish War of Independence
William K Storey, Professor of history and great grandson and namesake of Head Constable William K Storey RIC, grew up in America with a strong sense of ‘a skeleton in the cupboard.’ Professor Storey – ‘Bill’ as he has become known to his new friends in Castleisland – knew his great grandfather had died in…… Continue Reading
O’Connell Bridge Castleisland: Setting The Liberator in Stone
While Bourns, the engineer, explained to his Foreman, By his physics, the centring of the O’Connell Bridge, Said this King, and that Queen-post would ever support man, The O’Connell without ever introducing a wedge.[1] There was considerable excitement in Castleisland in late 1831 as the new O’Connell Bridge neared completion: The bridge is a…… Continue Reading
In the Footsteps of Froude: A Fortnight (and more) in Kerry
Eminent English historian James Anthony Froude (1818-1894) had a particular interest in the progress of Ireland in the nineteenth century, and spent considerable time in County Kerry. In 1870 and 1871, he published a two-part essay entitled A Fortnight in Kerry in which he described his sojourns at Derreen House near Lauragh, a property of…… Continue Reading
Search Warrant: Uncovering some RIC Personnel stationed in Castleisland
The Royal Irish Constabulary was formed as a result of the Irish Constabulary (Ireland) Act 1836. The earlier Constabulary Act of 1822 established the County Constabulary, Ireland’s first countrywide police force, which subsequently merged to form the RIC, the Royal appendage being added in 1867. From 1920 to 1922, Royal Irish Constabulary ‘Temporary Constables’ made…… Continue Reading
Field Study: The Discomforting Truism of John B Keane’s Drama
Appeals fall on deaf ears. The people neither see, hear nor say anything – Review of ‘The Field’ in The Stage, 4 November 1965 It is generally accepted that The Field, a 1960s play by the late Listowel writer, John B Keane, is a thinly disguised account of the Reamore murder which took place in…… Continue Reading
Kozae, Cork: A Short Note on a Short-Lived ‘Celtic Tiger’ Fashion House
‘Reasonable prices but high fashion edge’ Regrettably for Cork fashion duo Graham Clarke and Jess Cummins Lucas, with Managing Director Patrick Kenny, it would prove to be a bad time to launch their fashion label Kozae on 25 October 2007 at South Mall/Pembroke Street, Cork, the former premises of Niall Roberts Fabrics.[1] The ‘Celtic…… Continue Reading
Krawlies, Scrub Spray and Gum Socks: A Note on the Entrepreneurial Pobalscoil Corca Dhuibhne
Castleisland District Heritage has added an unusual item to its archive: a pair of Krawlies, protective knee socks for babies on the move. On the tag of the one-size cotton and nylon product is ‘Young Entrepreneur Winner.’[1] The Young Entrepreneur Programme (YEP), aimed at 15-23 year olds in Kerry’s second and third level institutions,…… Continue Reading
‘Some Golden Space’: A Tragic Tale from a German Coffee House
Still may Time hold some golden space Where I’ll unpack that scented store Of song and flower and sky and face, And count, and touch, and turn them o’er – Rupert Brooke For many, coffee shops play an important part in the social calendar. Castleisland boasts a host of them, and many an important or…… Continue Reading
Denny Jones, Champion Cyclist of Castleisland
Castleisland District Heritage holds a handwritten letter written by the late D A Jones together with a family photograph donated during National Heritage Week 2015.[1] Denis A Jones, better known as Denny Jones, is still recalled locally as being a champion cyclist in the early part of the twentieth century. Denny was born…… Continue Reading
Mountain King of Killorglin: Exploring the Misty Origins of King Puck
Nestling in the heart of the Kerry mountains, the progressive little town of Killorglin is to be found. Its picturesque situation is very well known to the tourist; but outside Kerry and portions of Cork and Limerick the fact that it holds a curious and unique annual gathering called ‘Puck’ Fair is known to very…… Continue Reading
Moira Griffin of Castleisland: ‘Goldwyn Girl of Ireland’
Moira Griffin of Cahereenard, Castleisland was the youngest of a family of three boys and three girls of farmer Thomas Griffin, and his wife Mary (née O’Sullivan), a native of Brosna.[1] Moira was educated at the Presentation Convent, Castleisland and Holy Faith Convent, Glasnevin, Dublin. In the 1950s, Moira entered a competition called Goldwyn…… Continue Reading
A Dream and a Legacy: KDC Southern Scorchers & Flares Gymnastics
Among the more unusual additions to the Castleisland District Heritage archive is material generated by KDC Southern Scorchers, a Kerry cheerleading club, and Flares Gymnastics Club, both founded by Hayley Murphy. A sketch of the clubs is given below.[1] In 2008, Killarney Dance and Cheer (KDC) club – the first cheerleading squad in Kerry…… Continue Reading
Poems, Pardons and Plays: Castleisland District Heritage Looks Back at 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, Castleisland District Heritage looks back at what the year has given and, sadly, taken away. The year got off to a good start when the project was granted funds by the Heritage Council for a new (and soon to be launched) website, and assistance with the transcription of the…… Continue Reading
Frocks, Socks and Twilfits: Profile of Denis Guiney of Brosna
‘Buy in bulk with ready cash; sell at low profits but sell quickly’ Denis Guiney, a ‘Merchant Prince’ in the twentieth century business world, was born at Knockawinna, Brosna, Co Kerry on 9 September 1893, the eldest of seven children of farmer Cornelius Guiney and Julia Crowley. He was educated at Knockaclarig National School and…… Continue Reading
A Life in Pieces: William Twiss of Castleisland
John Twiss of Castleisland, wrongfully convicted of the murder of James Donovan in 1894 and hanged in Cork Gaol the following year, was Posthumously Pardoned on 16 December 2021 by President Michael D Higgins following a campaign by Castleisland District Heritage. In the wake of the Pardon, Castleisland District Heritage entered into a correspondence…… Continue Reading
Castleisland: Some Names and Associations from a Town Plan of 1822
Two hundred years ago, in 1824, The Castleisland Act was passed.[1] A map which dates to 1822 inscribed, ‘Plan of the Town and Undivided Lands of Castle Island County Kerry Part of the Seignory of Castleisland Island and Manor of Mount Eagle Loyal 1822’ was evidently produced for this act.[2] A brief survey of…… Continue Reading
News Flash: The Kerryman Celebrates more than Four Generations in Business
Congratulations are extended to The Kerryman newspaper which this year (2024) celebrates 120 years since its first issue was printed in Tralee on 20 August 1904. It remains a valuable resource for local news and a goldmine for local history. Its founders were Thomas Nolan, his cousin Daniel Nolan and Maurice Griffin.[1] Also…… Continue Reading
‘An Irish Nimrod’: Daniel O’Mahony of Castleisland
‘Donal O’Mahony stands unrivalled and unequalled in the fight for Irish freedom’ – T M Donovan In 1927, Castleisland historian, T M Donovan, described patriot Daniel O’Mahony of Castleisland as ‘An Irish Nimrod’: About forty years ago Mr Dan O’Mahony left his native Kerry for South Africa; and, after working his way through Cape…… Continue Reading
Only Falls and Causes: The Irish Wit of Comedy Genius John Sullivan
‘John Sullivan was the Dickens of our generation’ – Mark Freeland, BBC Head of Comedy John Richard Thomas Sullivan OBE, creator of the comedy sitcom Only Fools and Horses, was born in London on 23 December 1946, son of plumber John Patrick Sullivan (1908-1993) and charlady Hilda Clara May Parker (1907-1992).[1] His father was one of eleven…… Continue Reading
No April Fool: Hans Liebherr of Kaufbeuren and Killarney
‘Just a master bricklayer’ – Hans Liebherr’s description of himself[1] Hans Liebherr was born on 1st April 1915 in Kaufbeuren, Bavaria, one of three children (one boy and two girls) of Wilhelm Liebherr (1883-1916) and Matilda Arnold (1890-1969). His father was killed in the First World War and his mother remarried in 1922 to master…… Continue Reading
‘How are you at Climbing Fences?’ Beth O’Leary Anish finds her Castleisland Roots
In June this year (2024), Castleisland District Heritage was contacted by Beth O’Leary Anish from Massachusetts, scholar of Irish American literature, who was travelling to Ireland to attend a meeting of the American Conference for Irish Studies in Limerick. She was hoping to fit in a visit to Castleisland where her great grandfather, James Leary…… Continue Reading
‘Returning Ghosts’: The Unsolved Murder of James Donovan
‘Was it not the fact that the evicted tenant and the caretaker were on extremely bad terms, the tenant having on one occasion struck the caretaker on the face?’ – Arthur Smith-Barry, 1st Baron Barrymore, House of Commons, 1894[1] Castleisland District Heritage has acquired a copy of the travelogue, Now and in Time to Be…… Continue Reading
Profile of Michael O’Donohoe, Castleisland Historian with Co Clare Roots
This month marks the tenth anniversary of Castleisland District Heritage, an initiative that finds its roots in the research of the late school principal, Michael O’Donohoe. As part of National Heritage Week 17-25 August 2024, a selection of Michael’s work will be on display in St Brigid’s Hall, Castleisland at our Celebration Exhibition on Saturday…… Continue Reading
‘I have never felt terror like it’: The Murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier
‘Many of us around here are worried that there is some psychopath at large’ – Sunday World, 29 December 1996 Why boots? Why no lights? These baffling ‘head-scratching’ clues might have bothered the famous TV detective Columbo had he been called to the murder scene of Sophie Toscan du Plantier at Dunmanus, West Cork on…… Continue Reading
Cornwall to Kerry: John Mitchell’s Journey to Kilgarvan
Cornwall to Kerry, an illustrated memoir published in 2021 by John Mitchell of the Kilgarvan Motor Museum, has been added to the archive of Castleisland District Heritage. The book is a journey through John’s life from his birth at Beardon Farm, Devon in 1945 and early life in Cornwall to his family’s move to Wicklow…… Continue Reading
Unwelcome Guest: The Apostle of Kerry in Castleisland
This year marks the bicentennial of the death of Methodist preacher, Charles Graham. His ancestors, of Scottish stock, had settled at Drumahair, near Sligo.[1] However, he became known as The Apostle of Kerry. Charles Graham was born circa 1753, his descent given as follows: The head of the family, being a Scotch laird,…… Continue Reading
A Schoolboy’s Hero: Bob Finn of Castleisland
Bob Finn, Captain Moonlight has been given a new lease of life by 15-year-old Sam Jones, who selected the famous Castleisland agitator for his school project.[1] ‘I chose to do this,’ writes Sam, great great grandson of Bob Finn, ‘because he is probably more important than any other person in my family.’ Sam…… Continue Reading
Rising of 1798 in Castleisland
A thinly disguised fictionalised account of the attack on Castleisland Barracks in 1798 is reproduced below. It was published in The Kerry Magazine in 1856, close enough to the event to take its content from local history.[1] The author was not given. Characters and Facts in 1798 at Castleisland Barrack Daisies had opened their…… Continue Reading
‘Ballad-Maker Supreme’: The Patriotic Songs of Thade Gouran of Duagh
If you are doomed to meet the call, and die for Erin dear, A soldier stand, a soldier fall, like the blacksmith volunteer – ‘The Blacksmith Volunteer’ by Thade Gouran Castleisland District Heritage has acquired a copy of the CD, The Songs of Thade Gouran produced in 2007.[1] Twenty-one ballads are recorded on the CD,…… Continue Reading
Spex On: A Look at the Family of Corkman, John Fergus O’Hea
For more than a quarter of a century, the cartoons of John Fergus O’Hea formed a picturesque and striking record of the second half of the nineteenth century.[1] He signed his work ‘Spex,’ a nickname he inherited in his (bespectacled) schooldays. O’Hea was born in Cork in 1841, son of barrister James O’Hea (1809-1882)…… Continue Reading
Killegy: Burial Place of Colonel Maurice Hussey of Kerries and Cahernane, Co Kerry
In 1917, a Kerry priest living in England described Killegy cemetery at Muckross as ‘a sombre spot in the extreme – I doubt if Muckross Abbey itself has got a more funereal aspect.’ He added, ‘most of those who lie buried there belong to another creed, many of them are strangers whom death has surprised…… Continue Reading
Jack Dempsey Cup: Memories of the Kerry Team in America
In April 1924, legislation was passed by the Dáil to establish the new court system for the Irish Free State.[1] At this historic juncture, amid a sea of change, Kerrymen in New York subscribed £58 towards a fund for the training of the Kerry football team.[2] A great effort followed to popularise Gaelic football in…… Continue Reading
Castleisland Steps on the Global Irish Famine Way
Michelle Kranjc, a descendant of John Heffernan and Mary Mullins of Caheragh, Castleisland, contacted Castleisland District Heritage recently about her ancestors who left Castleisland with Edward Hogan and his family of Caheragh after the Famine. They were resident in Hamilton, Ontario by 1857.[1] Michelle is hoping to find out exactly when they departed and if…… Continue Reading
Mike Healy and the ‘Moss Tommy’ Schools Project
Who decorates that butterfly The silkworm and the moth? What artist claims the wings that fly To the sweet forget-me-not? – M J Reidy[1] Mike Healy of Glenlarehan, Cordal, Castleisland was about twelve years old when he first became properly acquainted with his neighbour and lifelong friend, Maurice J Reidy (‘Moss Tommy’), the Cordal poet.[2] …… Continue Reading
Ireland on My Mind: Recollections of Castleisland Descendant, Michael Murray
Big boys do cry, I’m pleased to say, Sometimes occasionally, Sometimes all day. – Michael Murray An illustrated memoir, 87 Years of Michael’s Miscellaneous Memories, was the gift of Michael Murray, a native of Brookland, USA, to Castleisland District Heritage during a visit to the town last month (April 2024). Michael was in Kerry to…… Continue Reading
Remember Poff and Barrett: A Journey towards Justice
Go máire ainmneacha James Barrett agus Sylvester Poff go deo May the names of James Barrett and Sylvester Poff live forever Castleisland District Heritage will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year. Among the many projects undertaken during this period, two are of particular note, the Posthumous Pardon of John Twiss of Cordal, Castleisland in 2021,…… Continue Reading
Barmbrack and Rutabaga: Recollections of Maida McQuinn-Sugrue
’Twas sad the day I sailed away from my little Irish home To this land of mountain majesty where I wandered far alone … And when I leave this world behind I ask you Lord to, please, Put a little bit of Ireland in Your heavenly plan for me. Maida McQuinn-Sugrue was born into a…… Continue Reading
An Open Letter to the Families of Poff and Barrett
‘Better one hundred guilty men go free than one innocent man hanged’ History’s tide has turned and has burst onto the shore with tidings of great news and joy of the recommendation of Posthumous Pardons for Sylvester Poff and James Barrett. It is a clear record of a great injustice put right for the…… Continue Reading
Spotlight on Reineen: An Outline of Con Houlihan’s Ancestry
A number of folkloric compositions collected by Con Houlihan during his national schooldays in Castleisland survive in a school exercise book held among his papers, recently acquired by Castleisland District Heritage. They were contributed to what is now known as The Schools’ Collection, and illustrate the value of the 1930s project in the teaching of…… Continue Reading
A War of Words: Houlihan and Johnnie, the man who answered Connie
In the early 1980s, Johnnie Roche, Chairman of Castleisland District Heritage, appeared in the Tops of the Town entertainment competition in Castleisland. As far as Johnnie can recall, he was reciting a monologue, perhaps one of his favourites from the Harry Brogan show, such as The Man at the Back of the Hall.[1] To…… Continue Reading
Worship, War and Eviction at Cahereenard, Castleisland
Cill Fionáin, otherwise Kilfinnaun, the ancient church of St Finian was located at Cahereenard in the townland of Kealgorm, Castleisland.[1] Little of it remains but an account of its origins is contained in The Schools’ Collection, which suggests its founder, St Finian, was a disciple of St Brendan the Navigator: St Brendan lived on…… Continue Reading
Hold the Front Page: Charlie Lenihan and the Kilcow Cottage Affair
In December 1957, the first issue of The Taxpayers’ News appeared in Castleisland carrying an editorial, ‘Charlie – V – The Rest’ which alluded to the conduct of members of Kerry County Council. ‘Charlie,’ otherwise Kerry County Councillor, farmer and victualler Charles Lenihan of Woodville, Castleisland, was behind the production, its editor Con Houlihan.[1] …… Continue Reading
‘O’Donoghue of the Hills’: The Knocknaboul Eviction
On 18th May 1881 about sixty police under the command of Sub-Inspector Davis assembled at Knocknaboul near Kingwilliamstown on the Cork/Kerry border with land agent Arthur Edward Herbert JP of Killeentierna to evict Denis O’Donoghue and his family of nine children. The scene was described by one who witnessed it: There was no…… Continue Reading
Heaps of History: Brewsterfield House in the Twentieth Century
Brewsterfield House, Glenflesk, Co Kerry was built by Sir Francis Brewster in the second half of the seventeenth century. The proximity of the property to Sir William Petty’s iron works at Kenmare suggests that it was at about this time that Sir Francis Brewster, author of Essays on Trade (1702), set up a substantial iron…… Continue Reading
Profile of Castleisland Entrepreneur, W H O’Connor
There is such a thing as inability to relax … His active life was his whole life. To the end, he was working. There was no let up. – Rev Brother Francis writing of his brother, W H O’Connor In 1955, Brother Francis of the Presentation Brothers, Cork, wrote an account of his older sibling,…… Continue Reading
Mass on the Mountain: Plight of the Kerry Clergy in Penal Times
It is difficult today to imagine how life must have been for the religious in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries during Penal oppression. Glimpses are given in notices from the times, this one from 1650: All the Papists are to be turned out of the city; and from the Jesuits, priests, friars, monks, and…… Continue Reading
‘Father Arthur – the True and Tried Champion of the People’[1]
In 1885, the inhabitants of Listowel presented an Illuminated Address to their parish priest, Rev Arthur William Murphy, on his transfer to the parish of Prior. Rev Murphy, later Canon Murphy, had formerly served the parish of Castleisland and later, as Parish Priest of Brosna, assumed – together with Rev William Casey of Abbeyfeale –…… Continue Reading
Crown on Shepherds’ Pie: A bit of lightheartedness from the King’s Cousin
Mope is an anagram of Poem, and often is moping found in poetry as writers drench their verse with troubles and tears. Not so with Peter Howarth, the Castleisland poet who claims to be an untitled cousin-of-sorts to King Charles III of England. His verse is laced with subtle humour, as this seasonal stanza from…… Continue Reading
Bricks and Breeding: A Sketch of Ballymacadam House, Castleisland
Ballymacadam House belongs to the eighteenth century, described as the mansion house of the Marshall Estate ‘built and inhabited by the celebrated Ralf Marshal.’ In 1799, Ralph Marshall of Ballymacadam, known also as Don Radolph Marshall, married into the Markham family of Callinafercy, Milltown, Co Kerry where he took up residence soon after his marriage.…… Continue Reading
Calling California: Castleisland Reaches Out to Donovan Descendants
Castleisland historian T M Donovan had much to say about his home town, and his Popular History of East Kerry remains a valuable resource for researchers of Castleisland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His name appeared frequently in the columns of the local press on all matters of history but he was also…… Continue Reading
Topographical Survey of Castleisland in 1942
In 1942, John J Quinlan carried out a number of topographical surveys in Kerry for the Irish Tourist Association.[1] It included topography, geology, historic houses, churches, holy wells, mass rocks and burial places, spas and mineral springs, customs and patterns.[2] The survey, a very useful source for the social historian, included pastimes like angling…… Continue Reading
Buried in Oblivion: ‘Unknown Scholars’ from Castleisland
In 1935, a youthful John Francis (‘Jack’) MacMahon (1908-1963), son of Patrick MacMahon and Kilkenny-born school teacher Joanna (née Caughlin) MacMahon, and brother of playwright Bryan MacMahon (1909-1998), sought information from the public about old Gaelic poets from Kerry.[1] He explained that he had been studying and annotating poetry of 18th and 19th century…… Continue Reading
Scartaglin, December 1923: A Month of Tragedy
‘If you shall take me into your service I shall do all in my power to do my duty faithfully and well’ – James Woods to the Irish Civic Guards, 25 October 1922 From the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty at 2.30am on the morning of Tuesday December 6th 1921, up until the official end…… Continue Reading
Patrick Buckley, Castleisland: Setting the Genealogy Record Straight
Castleisland District Heritage has recently acquired a number of articles published in the Garda Review relating to the family of Patrick Buckley, a victim of the Ballyseedy Massacre of 1923, and his wife Delia.[1] This donation coincided with a query from a family in the UK about Buckley ancestry, notably Mary Julia Buckley, daughter of…… Continue Reading
Castleisland Co-Op Mart 1957 to 2023
Castleisland Mart stands within a stone’s throw of the offices of Castleisland District Heritage. John Roche, Chairman of Castleisland District Heritage, is one of its founding members and has been asked to place on record a sketch of its formation. Only those of us 75 and over have a memory of rural Ireland…… Continue Reading
An Poc Sídhe: A Tale from the Fairy Forts for Halloween
On high cliffs above the Atlantic sea, The genius of thy country came to thee. One sacred object still before thy view, For hapless Erin some great deed to do. – ‘O’Connell’ by Ellen O’Connell Fitz-Simon[1] Halloween is upon us and to celebrate, we present a folktale about fairy forts from the abundance of material…… Continue Reading
Hands Up For History: O’Connell and Davis on the Importance of Heritage
‘Art is your proper friend’ – Thomas Davis Castleisland District Heritage has received notification of grant aid from Kerry County Council’s Community Enhancement and Community Support funds (Department of Rural and Community Development). The funding is timely and has enabled the purchase of office equipment to continue recording and communicating the history and heritage of…… Continue Reading
Limekilns: A Note on Castleisland Industry in the Nineteenth Century
A recent donation to the archives of Castleisland District Heritage recalls the fifty-year history of Pensher Fire Brick Works in Durham. The donation, a firebrick from one of the limekilns of local man, Davy O’Connor of Ballymacadam, is stamped ‘NOBLE.’ He believes the bricks may have come from Cork but as yet, no firebrick manufacturer…… Continue Reading
Profile of Kerry Moonlighter, Jack Hickey of Brosna
He was the last of a generation of men whose deeds of valour, honesty of purpose and souls of cheer will long live in historic old Ahane. In 1925, Jack Hickey, otherwise John L Hickey of Ahane, reminisced on his involvement with the Moonlighters: Not very many came to aid the poor Irish…… Continue Reading
Sean O’C Riada of Castleisland, ‘Mother of Sinn Fein’
The first Sinn Fein Club in East Kerry was organised in the early twentieth century by James E O’Connor, Daniel O’Mahony and Sean O’C Riada, serving the roles of chairman, treasurer and secretary respectively.[1] It was called, contemptuously, The Tailors’ Club ‘as so many of that art were involved’: The first in Castleisland…… Continue Reading
‘It is not our intention to bore you’: Some Recent Additions to Castleisland District Heritage
Scartaglin Parish News Scartaglin Parish News for the years 1977-1981 have been added to the archive of Castleisland District Heritage. The first carries a foreword by Fr John J Scanlan, CC, Scartaglin: It is the first time in the history of Scartaglin that a newssheet has been issued locally. Those who scripted it…… Continue Reading
The Lombards of Castleisland, County Kerry
A recent enquiry about the Lombard tomb at Old Kilbannivane, Castleisland revealed the long association of this name with the town. Jerry Flynn, a member of the committee of Castleisland District Heritage, has compiled data from the tomb and reports as follows: The tomb comprises approximately a 4 meter square, bottom rectangle about 3…… Continue Reading
‘Round the Houses’: In Search of the Queen’s Arms, Cahersiveen
Cahirciveen is a pretty town … the appearance of comfort which pervades it at once evinces the power of resident proprietorship In January 1866, a harrowing scene of people preparing to leave Cahersiveen appeared in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper published in New York.[1] The image was captioned ‘Irish Emigrants leaving their home for America…… Continue Reading
An Odd Addition to the Repository of Castleisland District Heritage
A sash used by the Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal society, is the latest addition to Castleisland District Heritage.[1] It is generally accepted that the Order dates to the first half of the eighteenth century though great antiquity is claimed for it.[2] This account of its origins was given at an Odd…… Continue Reading
Chasing Ghosts: Fitzgerald of Ardnagragh and Ballymacadam
When the unfortunate Earl fell at Glaunageentha it was the Fitzgeralds of Ardnagragh, faithful to the last, who stole the headless body at night from the wood and laid it in their own burial place – Mary Agnes Hickson[1] John Oge Fitzgerald was Constable of the Island of Kerry for Gerald, ‘The Rebel Earl of…… Continue Reading
The Kennys of Ballymacadam, Castleisland
By John Roche, Chairman Castleisland District Heritage Kenny first came to prominence when he was elected chairman/president of the fledgling Castleisland branch of the National Land League. This followed a monster gathering in Main Street on (date) Oct., 1880, chaired from the Crown Hotel balcony by the famous Land League priest, Fr Arthur Murphy.…… Continue Reading
Nineteenth Century Church and School Building in Brosna and Knocknagoshel
Religious practice in Brosna and Knocknagoshel from the eighteenth to early nineteenth century was outlined by Peter Robinson, a correspondent of the Kerry People, in 1903:[1] Prior to the abolition of the Penal laws, and up to 1834, Knocknagoshel had no fixed Roman Catholic place of worship and the people on Sundays assembled to…… Continue Reading
Analyse This: The Persecution of De Niro’s Tipperary Ancestors
‘Rack-rents, insecurity of tenure, ejectment and extermination, these are the master-grievances of unhappy Ireland’ – Rev P O’B Davern Iconic actor, Robert De Niro, who is currently researching his Irish roots, might well be interested in The Young Irelanders, a rare book recently acquired by Castleisland District Heritage. It was written by the Kerry-educated journalist,…… Continue Reading
Con Houlihan behind Local Cabinet Decision
John Roche, Chairman of Castleisland District Heritage, recently visited Walter Lyons Furniture in Tralee and made a firm deal on the purchase of three secure metal cabinets for rapid delivery to the project offices in Castleisland. The purchase came about following the acquisition of papers and artefacts belonging to the late and great journalist,…… Continue Reading
Kilnananima: A Grave Legend of Gerald, Earl of Desmond
Gerald, The Rebel Earl of Desmond, was beheaded in 1583 thus signalling the fall of the great Earls of Desmond in Munster. His troubled soul in ghostly form was said to haunt his grave at Ardnagragh where once stood the principal stronghold of the Fitzgeralds.[1] Legends of the life and times of the Earls…… Continue Reading
Kilmurry House, Castleisland in the Nineteenth Century
‘A fascinating house of indeterminate origins’[1] Kilmurry House, located a few miles from the town of Castleisland in the parish of Ballincuslane, was built about 1839 by Rev Archibald Macintosh as a Church of Ireland rectory.[2] This three-storey dwelling, with entrance set on the side, basement, four bays on south front, and hipped roof,…… Continue Reading
Honouring Bob Finn, Captain of the Castleisland Moonlighters
‘The Moonlighters were the first that put hope into the nation’ – Memoir of Jerry Lyons, 1951 Castleisland District Heritage this week (19 July 2023) pays homage to Bob Finn, Captain of the Castleisland Moonlighters, at a Grave Renewal Ceremony in Old Kilbannivane Cemetery, Castleisland. The historic memorial has been refurbished, with substantial financial…… Continue Reading
‘Intensely Irish’: Probing a Kerry Claim on Celebrity Minstrel Denis O’Sullivan
He came to Ireland with a concert party in the flush of his great success and sang from Cork to Portrush some of our loveliest melodies as, without exaggeration, they were never sung before In 1901, American tenor and actor Denis O’Sullivan, described as ‘intensely Irish,’ was approaching his zenith, wowing audiences with his baritone…… Continue Reading
Specs on! A Close Look at The Kerryman Calendar of 1934
In January 1934, The Kerryman issued a ‘pictorial almanac,’ described as an introduction to some of their special correspondents who helped to make the newspaper ‘so widely popular.’[1] It was printed on art paper at the Kerryman printing works in The Market and Russell Street, Tralee: These contributors are already well-known by repute to…… Continue Reading
Search for family of Edward Victor Twiss, Captain of the Royal Munster Fusiliers
Castleisland District Heritage has been contacted by Liam Brophy who has in his possession a photograph of Edward Victor Twiss whose family descended from Kerry. Liam found the image among the papers of his great great grandfather ‘Jack,’ otherwise John Thomas Greeves O’Sullivan of the 6th Connaught Rangers. Information on the back of the photograph…… Continue Reading
Cottage and Castle: Sizing up History at Coolcurtoga
Flesk Castle, Killarney dates to circa 1809.[1] Its origins are associated with the Coltsmann family, butter merchants of Northumberland stock, who established themselves in Kerry as landlords.[2] Its construction is attributed to John Coltsmann junior Esq, the only son of John Coltsmann Esq of London and Killarney. His achievement was described in an obituary composed…… Continue Reading
Daniel O’Connell on the Protestant Church in Kerry
Past West Cove, the road carries one down to the village of Cahirdaniel. Nestling in its woods under the towering hills, and beside a stretch of golden strand where the Atlantic flings its wrecks unchecked, lies the home of O’Connell. Derrynane! Truly a home for a chief[1] ‘There is an old proverb,’ wrote O’Connell in…… Continue Reading
War and Words: The Unfinished Castles of Kilcrohane
In the disturbed days of the reign of Elizabeth I, the sept of O’Sullivan of Caherdaniel decided to construct a castle at Ballycarnahan, their chief residence in the district.[1] O’Sullivan’s Tanist lived nearby at Liss. The two men were compelled to go away and fight in the Elizabethan wars. The Tanist’s wife considered herself…… Continue Reading
‘Words will not Come’: A Tribute to Jeremiah Joseph O’Connor (1877-1957)
I am an old man, sitting under my apple tree. Friends come to see me and get me to talk. They wheedle tales of the past out of me and press me to write them down … I capitulate and desert the apple tree for the desk to write the autobiography which will put an…… Continue Reading
Floorboard Find a Treasure for Padraig O’Keeffe Scholars
A letter discovered under a floorboard adds substance to the family history of Sliabh Luachra fiddle master Padraig (Patrick) O’Keeffe. The correspondence was uncovered thirty years ago by keen-eyed Knocknagoshel native John Cotter, author of King William Brown (2014). John, who now resides at Knockdown, Cordal and will shortly be launching the second and…… Continue Reading
Tribute to the late Timothy Murphy, Castleisland
The committee of Castleisland District Heritage has been greatly saddened to learn of the death, on 7 March 2023, of Timothy Murphy, Limerick Road, Castleisland. Timothy had a passionate interest in the local history of Castleisland, and his photographic record of the town is extensive. Timothy was a friend of Castleisland District Heritage, and…… Continue Reading
Portrait of James Edward John Julian, JP, QC, a Model Kerry Landlord
‘It is quite plain that if the other landlords were like Mr Julian the country would be better off’ A man by the name of McAuliffe made the above remark during a meeting of the Lixnaw United Irish League. The meeting was about compulsory purchase and landlordism, and it throws light on the life…… Continue Reading
St Brigid, ‘The Prophesied Woman of Christ’
She was a consecrated vessel for keeping Christ’s Body … She it is that helpeth every one who is in straits and in danger Monday 6 February 2023 marks the first public holiday in Ireland in celebration of St Brigid, patron saint of poets and midwives. In 1877, Whitley Stokes, scholar and descendant of…… Continue Reading
A Camera for a Brush: Portrait of Adolf Morath, 20th Century Celebrity Photographer
‘A death-blow to the stage-Irish Tradition’ Adolf Morath, whose publications include Portrait of Ireland (1951) dedicated ‘to Irish Men and Women all over the world,’ was an acclaimed international photographer.[1] He visited Ireland in 1946 and 1947, and was in Killarney in 1948 professionally to photograph Kerry life, ‘leaving out the usual pig and…… Continue Reading
The Murder of Arthur Edward Herbert
Arthur Edward Herbert (1830-1882), magistrate and land agent, was shot dead in broad daylight at Lisheenbawn Cross as he walked from Castleisland to his home at Killeentierna House near Currow on 30 March 1882. Nobody was brought to justice for the killing. A murder enquiry was set up and two rewards offered, one of…… Continue Reading
‘To A Turf Sod’: Recent Literary Donations to Castleisland District Heritage[1]
Tulips in a Window (1965) by John P Barton[2] Tulips in a Window, a book of verse by John P Barton, is inscribed to his mother: I have no picture of your face Within a frame for all to see; Nor have I gifts in gold or lace To show what things you…… Continue Reading
Bales and Butter: Early Creameries in Castleisland
‘You want the delicate touch of an artist for successful butter making’ Watson’s Creamery, Castleisland, once occupied a site in Old Chapel Lane. The company was established in Tralee in 1885 though initially with some difficulty:[1] There is a factory worked at Middleton [Midleton], County Cork, and one at Hospital, County Limerick, where…… Continue Reading
Encore! Step forward Patrick Daniel Reidy, Castleisland’s Lord of the Dance
Music, like the wind, travels – and so it is no surprise to find the repertoire of Castleisland born Patrick Daniel Reidy, Irish dancer and Professor of Dance, in the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. The manuscript is a musical treasure, containing thirty-seven dance scores from Irish musicians who long put down their instruments.[1] …… Continue Reading
‘Kiss me, my little wife’: Parnell recalled in Knockbrack School Records[1]
In March 1887, contractors were sought by Rev T Moriarty, parish priest of Brosna, for a national school house at Knockbrack, located between Feale’s Bridge and Headley’s Bridge in Co Kerry. Up until then, the school was conducted in a dwelling house, as shown in the records of the Tralee Board of Guardians of May…… Continue Reading
The People’s Priest: Rev William Casey of Abbeyfeale
Castleisland District Heritage holds a copy of James D Harnett’s A Sketch of the Life of Rev Wm Casey, PP, of Abbeyfeale published in 1908, soon after Rev Casey’s death.[1] The beloved Rev Casey died on 29 December 1907 aged sixty-three, and a measure of his popularity might be taken from the 12,000 people –…… Continue Reading
Three Wasps and A Skylark: Return of the Nature Poets
They love each other’s company, whatever place they meet, Though captive in the glass, the three, each knew their life was sweet. – from The Three Wasps, unpublished poetry of M J Reidy In an age dominated by technology, with so many – including toddlers and children – perched unnaturally immobile in front of…… Continue Reading
American Legacy: The Last Will of Mary Frances White
“The whole parish of Cordal was related to Mary Frances White” – Pat Jo McAuliffe, Cordal native, 8 August 2022 In 1939, news of the last will of Mary Frances White caused a sensation in the Castleisland district. More than eighty years on, the story was almost lost to posterity until a flash of…… Continue Reading
The Rise and Fall of Orpen’s Fort, Killowen, Kenmare
Less than a mile outside the town of Kenmare, on the road that leads to Kilgarvan, the passer-by might glimpse the ruin of a building set low in a field close to the river. It was built by Sir William Petty as a residence for his agent, and was known as The White House. …… Continue Reading
The Eagar Family of Kerry: A Penny’s Worth of History
Russell Walker, a postal history collector in Glasgow, recently acquired a document relating to journalist and founder of The Tralee Chronicle, James Raymond Eagar Esq of Tralee. The document, with stamped addressed envelope, related to a life insurance sought by Eagar from the Albion Life Insurance Company, London. In this document, dated 9 November…… Continue Reading
‘Why Make a Long Story of it?’ The Publisher’s Writer’s Tale
‘A pilgrim in whose heart God had set eternity’[1] Frederick Joseph Harvey Darton was born on 22 September 1878, eldest son of Joseph William Darton (1844-1916) of ‘Lacklands,’ Beckenham, Kent.[2] He was educated at Sutton Valence Grammar School, Kent, Dover College and St John’s College, Oxford. While at St John’s, he joined reading parties…… Continue Reading
W B Yeats and the Story of a Castleisland Curate
In 1892, a correspondent of The Academy, writing under the concealed identity, ‘A Lover of Originality,’ complained that the newly published Book of the Rhymers’ Club contained a plagiarism. The offending composition was ‘The Ballad of Father Gilligan’ by W B Yeats: Will you allow me to point out what appears to me a…… Continue Reading
A Short Tribute to Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
Today, 19 September 2022, the UK more or less shut down to give its monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, a Funeral of Funerals. The occasion was remarked on as ‘a brilliant blend of ancient and modern,’ and ‘an embodiment of greatness.’ It was a spectacle most fitting for a strong and tolerant woman who…… Continue Reading
Fr Michael Leahy’s Tops of the Town, Castleisland
Fr Michael Leahy was appointed curate to the parish of Castleisland by Bishop Eamonn Casey in January 1971 where he served for four years. He set about forming the Castleisland Youth Club, and a committee to build a Community Centre in the town. He is particularly remembered today for his role in organising the…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett, and the ‘Gallows Government’ of Lord Spencer
Shortly before the December 1882 trials of Sylvester Poff and James Barrett, Earl Spencer, the newly appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, acquired another ‘title’ – The Gallows Earl. It seems to have been ‘created’ soon after his official entry into Dublin on 6 May 1882 – evidently in the wake of the hanging, in September…… Continue Reading
‘This is it, chaps’: A Kerry Tribute to Paddy Finucane
He was one of the greatest heroes to ever come out of Ireland[1] This year (2022) marks the 80th anniversary of the death of Irish Second World War RAF hero Brendan Eamonn Fergus Finucane, DFC, DSO, otherwise ‘Paddy’ Finucane. The Dubliner, son of Thomas Andrew and Florence Louise Finucane, shot down thirty-two enemy planes…… Continue Reading
Listen Unto Me: The Trials of Sylvester Poff and James Barrett, in Word and Song
Sylvester Poff and James Barrett were tried twice at the Munster Winter Assizes of 1882 for the murder of Thomas Browne of Dromultan. At the end of the first trial, which took place on 14 and 15 December, it was shown that there was ‘not the slightest chance’ on the jury agreeing. The following week,…… Continue Reading
Kerrymen Down Under: The Cullity Diaspora
Following the publication on this website of ‘Castleisland’s Best’: Mundy Prendiville (1900-1968), Archbishop of Perth, Castleisland District Heritage was contacted by Catherine Giles, a descendant and researcher of the Prendiville family.[1] Remarking on Archbishop Prendiville’s departure to Australia in the footsteps of his siblings, Catherine wrote: The siblings were following Maurice Prendiville, their…… Continue Reading
‘Heed Your Mother’s Counsel’: Victorian Values in a Castleisland Loft
Painting the cheeks may be appropriate enough for an Indian squaw, but no young lady possessing a well-regulated mind will fancy her attractions enhanced by the use of rouge Castleisland District Heritage is an unlikely repository for two nineteenth century issues of the London Journal, a literary periodical published from 1845 to 1928. They were…… Continue Reading
John Twiss of Castleisland: A Postscript
In May 2019, Castleisland District Heritage contacted the National Archives of Ireland in respect of material held there relating to the case of John Twiss. At that time, application had been made for the Presidential Pardon of John Twiss. However, due to Covid-19 and a series of unfortunate events, information about the material was…… Continue Reading
Literary Kerry: Recent Donations to Castleisland District Heritage
Collected Essays of Con Houlihan More than a game Selected sporting essays (2003), which includes the article ‘Knocknagoshel has its own Place in Racing History,’ and A Harvest New, rare and uncollected essays (2005, 2007) by Castleisland’s Con Houlihan number among recent literary donations to Castleisland District Heritage.[1] The books contain reproductions of…… Continue Reading
‘Castleisland’s Best’: Mundy Prendiville (1900-1968), Archbishop of Perth
Redmond Garrett Prendiville, otherwise Mundy Prendiville, was born on 11 September 1900[1] at Glanlarehan, Cordal, Castleisland.[2] He was the youngest of sixteen children of Garrett Prendiville and Hannah Sullivan.[3] He was educated at the local National School and St Brendan’s College, Killarney, subsequently at All Hallows College, Dublin from where he was expelled for…… Continue Reading
Annals of Kerry BC 1695 to AD 1668
The Manor de Insula (Castleisland), 1299 Extent of the lands of Thos FitzMaurice, who died June 4 1298. The manor is surrounded by a stone wall, and there is in it a hall constructed of pales with an earthen wall and thatched, a kitchen of planks, a chamber with a cellar built of stone and…… Continue Reading
Coolcurtoga: A Story of Ireland
‘We walk on their ground’ On 29 April 1892, the Casey family of Coolcurtoga, near Glenflesk, Co Kerry were evicted.[1] One hundred and thirty years on, the story of this family is told by Mary O’Donoghue of Coolcurtoga who lives and farms there with her husband Sean. Mary, who is now a grandmother,…… Continue Reading
Fitzgerald of Adraval and Knockrower
Adraval (spelling varies), near Scartaglin, was once a residence of the Fitzgeralds, Earls of Desmond. There is no local memory of the property and its precise location has not yet been ascertained.[1] John Galvin of Adraval describes the townland as follows: Adriville (the Central Village) is in the centre of Scartaglin Parish being…… Continue Reading
The Iron Church, Darrynane and the Earls of Dunraven
Darrynane Church of Ireland, Co Kerry, was dedicated in September 1915.[1] It was a portentous year in which to embark on a church building project, as events of the following year proved: Archdeacon John Fahy, Protestant Rector, Waterville, applied for £10 by reason of the Protestant Church at Darrynane being maliciously injured on the…… Continue Reading
Twiss leads way for Pardon for Poff and Barrett
On Thursday 16th December 2021, formal application was submitted to the Department of Justice in St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, for the Presidential Pardon of Sylvester Poff and James Barrett. As with the recent Posthumous Pardon of John Twiss, application was made to the Department by Castleisland District Heritage, formerly the Michael O’Donohoe Memorial Heritage Project,…… Continue Reading
Purcell’s Castle: An Earlier Chapter in the Unending Tale of the Colleen Bawn
A copy of The Colleen Bawn (2018) by Patrick T Fitzgerald has been added to the archive of Castleisland District Heritage. It synthesises over two hundred years of research and literature relating to the mysterious and tragic tale of Ellen Hanly, better known as ‘The Colleen Bawn.’[1] In 1819, a badly decomposed corpse bound…… Continue Reading
Unholy Christmas! The Tale of the Priest and the Presbyterian
My Irish-preaching was very successful at first, but greatly opposed afterwards In 1863, Rev Henry MacManus, the first Irish Missionary of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, published Sketches of the Irish Highlands.[1] He discoursed on the development of spreading the gospel in the Irish tongue in pre-famine Ireland: Preaching…… Continue Reading
John Twiss: A Modern-day Hero
by Janet Murphy, Archivist, Castleisland District Heritage Recently, while driving my car, I had the strange sense that John Twiss was seated beside me. I could even sense the colour and texture of his clothing, and I said aloud, ‘I hope it is good news for you soon, Mr Twiss.’ Strange talk perhaps,…… Continue Reading
Parknageragh: A Tale of Two Houses
Parknageragh House, Castleisland, dates to pre-Famine times. It was built by the Thompson family.[1] Early records show that in 1823, one Alexander Thompson Esq of Parknageragh was summoned to the jury panel. In May 1828, Mrs Thompson, wife of Mr William Thompson, a lady ‘much esteemed,’ died at Parknageragh after ‘a lingering illness.’ On…… Continue Reading
An Overview of the McMorran Collection
Castleisland District Heritage has recently acquired a selection of papers from the collection of the late historian, Russell McMorran, courtesy his brothers, Chris and Clare McMorran. The material, which has been added to the Castleisland District Heritage archive, includes photographs, journals, Financial Reports of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (1957) and a copy of the…… Continue Reading
A Tale of Two Fountains
A mid-nineteenth century altercation between two civil engineers casts an historic light on one of Castleisland’s famous landmarks. In the Famine year of 1846, the construction of two fountains – one in Tralee and one in Castleisland – to supply a ‘sufficient and unfailing supply of water to the poorer classes of townsfolk’ was being…… Continue Reading
In Praise of Presentation Convent Castleisland, 175 Years on
In October 1843, during a Repeal Banquet at the Rotunda, Daniel O’Connell spoke about ‘the growing spirit of religious observances, moral conduct, and practical piety’ that was distributing itself ‘throughout the land’: I see it in the youthful females of Ireland, educated under the sacred care of the religious ladies who in every town…… Continue Reading
Tullig House, Castleisland: ‘The Small Mansion’
Tullig, a townland a few miles outside Castleisland, was part of the extensive Herbert estate.[1] The building of Tullig House in 1750 is attributed to the landlord’s agents, the Saunders family. In 1786, Tullig was the seat of ‘Mr Sandes.’ Thomas Saunders was in residence in 1814.[2] The genealogy of the Tullig branch of…… Continue Reading
A Note on the Seigniory of Tarbert
From Laois to Kerry (2016) is Michael Christopher Keane’s study of Patrick Crosbie’s early 17th century plan to transplant seven Septs, namely the Moores, Kellys, Dowlings, Lawlors, Dorans, Dees and McEvoys, into North Kerry: In 1607, Patrick Crosbie persuaded the government to agree to a remarkable proposal that he be granted the 4,000 acre…… Continue Reading
Happy Days: Reminiscences of a Kerryman
Happy Days My Memoirs is one of those wonderful positives to emerge from the darkness of Covid-19. Its author, Eugene O’Keeffe, used the hours provided by lockdown to set down his life story. The nonagenarian cast his mind back to 1926, the year of his birth, and with the help of a recording device, gave…… Continue Reading
James Blennerhassett Leslie, Ecclesiastic and Historian
Rev Canon James Blennerhassett Leslie, MA, D.Litt, MRIA, died at his home, Tigh Beg, Haddington Park, Glenageary, Co Dublin on Sunday 20 April 1952. He was in his 87th year. Rev Canon Leslie had enjoyed a distinguished career as cleric: He obtained his BA at the Royal University of Ireland in 1888, and his…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett: Location of their Remains
On the foundation of the Irish Free State, in a letter home to Ireland from the United States, Rev George Marshall, formerly of Mountnicholas, suggested that the relatives of Poff and Barrett should seek to have the remains of ‘those two victims of Irish landlordism and British hate’ disinterred from the old jail burial ground…… Continue Reading
An Historical Sketch of Co Kerry by Miss A M Rowan
The following extract was included in a short sketch of County Kerry written in 1898 and published in serialised form in a local newspaper.[1] The sketch was the work of Miss Anne Margaret Rowan, daughter of Archdeacon (and author) Arthur Blennerhassett Rowan of Tralee. Miss Rowan, who was born in Tralee in 1832, was also…… Continue Reading
A North Kerry Boy at Heart: The Incredible Adventures of Vere Chamberlain Harvey-Brain, Master Mariner
Finally they’d have to learn that this was a form of communism – where each of us was a servant of the boat In the summer of 1938, one year before England declared war on Germany, 27-year-old Vere Chamberlain Harvey-Brain, author of Seychelles Saga and My Seychelles Years, set out from the south east…… Continue Reading
Tribute to John O’Donoghue of Carrigeen, Killarney, Barrister and Littérateur
‘He may be classed as one of the ablest writers of the period’ In 1841, during the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, John O’Donovan surveyed the parish of Killaha, Co Kerry, including the ancient church and ruined castle of The O’Donoghue of the Glen: About half a furlong to the south of this old church…… Continue Reading
Irish at Heart: On the Trail of James Reynolds, Horseman, Artist, Author, Folklorist
There can be little doubt that Castleisland’s historic First of November Horse Fair would have attracted horseman James Reynolds, whose early years were devoted to a round of hunting, race meetings and horse fairs.[1] This much is learned from his writing, a career that commenced later in his life (in his 50s) and…… Continue Reading
The Monarch and the Scribe: King Felim of Munster
A few miles outside of Castleisland, on the road to Farranfore, the passer-by will be forgiven for not recognising the place where once stood Kilfelim Church. Nothing remains of it today; indeed, nothing remained of it when John O’Donovan enquired in 1841: The site is pointed out in the south end of the townland…… Continue Reading
A Sketch of Coolclogher House, Killarney
Castleisland District Heritage has kindly been granted access to Coolclogher House Visitor Book 1950-1961. Coolclogher House, otherwise known as South Hill, Killarney, Co Kerry, is an eighteenth century residence built on the former Herbert Estate, and designed in the manner of Muckross House. Its construction, according to former owner, Mr Hilliard, was in stages: …… Continue Reading
At Home in Ireland: Lt-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart
A childhood of shifting scene and a mixed nationality may be responsible for my useful knack of growing roots wherever I happen to find myself – Happy Odyssey (1950) It is always of interest to the local historian, in this case one in Castleisland, to learn about the background of famous people. In this respect,…… Continue Reading
Castleisland Theatricals from Harry Brogan’s ‘Party Pieces’
Castleisland District Heritage has acquired an original typescript monologue performed in 1957 on Harry Brogan’s radio programme, ‘My Kind of Recitation,’ sponsored by Jacob’s Biscuits.[1] Sixty years ago, the monologues were popular entertainment and could be purchased for a shilling from Radio Éireann. In Castleisland, the monologues were performed locally to packed halls…… Continue Reading
Echoes of 1921: Holzer’s Paranormal Investigation of a North Kerry Tragedy
The Lively Ghosts of Ireland (1967) by American based parapsychologist and author, Hans Holzer (1920-2009), illustrated by his (then) wife, Catherine Geneviève Buxhoeveden, author of Growing up Haunted A Ghostly Memoir (2008), is the product of paranormal investigations in Ireland in the 1960s.[1] It includes a number of tales from ‘the rocky Kerry Coast.’ …… Continue Reading
Ballymacadam Castle: Towards a History of a Geraldine Stronghold
Elizabeth Marshall, daughter (and heiress) of Ralph Marshall Esq of Ballymacadam and Callinafercy, Co Kerry, and sister of John Markham Marshall of Kilburn House, Milltown, Co Kerry, was born in 1799. In about the year 1819, Elizabeth was accompanying her aunt, as her guardian, to India. During their journey, she met her future husband, Robert…… Continue Reading
Hunted: Pursuit of Gerald, ‘Rebell of Mounster,’ 1581 to 1583
Formerly one of the largest landowners in the whole of Ireland, the Earl of Desmond’s territory was devastated by the English. At length, all his castles fell into their hands[1] By 1581, the Earl of Desmond had taken to the woods for protection from the Elizabethan forces. For a time, he maintained a considerable following,…… Continue Reading
John Twiss of Castleisland, ‘Mythical Clergyman’s Son’
Castleisland District Heritage awaits the outcome of its petition to obtain the Presidential Pardon of John Twiss of Castleisland, for which application has been made to government on behalf of his descendants. John Twiss of Castleisland, convicted in 1894 for the murder of James Donovan, was the subject of much discussion in the press…… Continue Reading
Secrets of a Haunted Ireland: Brendan Griffin’s Tribute to the men of 1921
His music aired across the fields, The constant hush that never yields Came through so crisp and sharp and clear As Christmas died into the year. From The Last Christmas Castleisland District Heritage has acquired a copy of Secrets of a Haunted Winter written by Fine Gael politician, Brendan Griffin, TD. Brendan, who served as…… Continue Reading
John Twiss of Castleisland: Family Links to the ‘New World’
Castleisland District Heritage awaits the outcome of its application for the Presidential Pardon of John Twiss of Castleisland, wrongfully hanged in 1895 for a murder he did not commit.[1] In the meantime, research into the family of John Twiss is ongoing. Research shows that many in his extended family left Ireland for the ‘New World,’…… Continue Reading
Puedes Creerlo! Campamento Memoir finds home in Castleisland
We didn’t choose which side to be on, as almost no one did in that war – Spanish Civil War Baby[1] Castleisland District Heritage is hardly the place where you would expect to find a memoir about the Spanish Civil War. A copy of the recently published Spanish Civil War Baby, however, has been kindly…… Continue Reading
Snakes and Shamarogs: St Patrick in History and Art
Castleisland District Heritage has recently acquired a set of photographs of the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Cahersiveen which date to circa 1998.[1] Among the clowns on bicycles, the village blacksmith and the parading musicians are floats promoting Iveragh Sports Complex, the Cahersiveen Celtic Music Festival and the Daniel O’Connell Walking Festival.[2] The…… Continue Reading
Scott’s Country to Tralee: Lives of the Chestnuts
Castleisland District Heritage has recently acquired a copy of The Chestnut Tree (1976), a genealogical work about the family of Reverend William Wallace Chestnut (1818-1888) the longest serving minister of Tralee Presbyterian Church.[1] Its author, Norah (‘Chuni’) Henderson, was granddaughter of Rev Chestnut. Norah records how her grandmother, Elizabeth, daughter of James Stewart, was…… Continue Reading
‘Go to bed, you fools!’ – A Tribute to Fr Patrick Joseph Hartigan (1878-1952)[1]
‘He is the right settler’s poet. If he has not yet been called the Australian Kipling, he will be’ – Montrose Standard, 1922[2] This year (2021) marks the centenary of Around the Boree Log, a collection of verse by Irish-Australian poet Fr Patrick Joseph Hartigan (1878-1952) parish priest of Narrandera, New South Wales, whose…… Continue Reading
Project Main Street, Castleisland: The Island Centre
Project Main Street is a collection of digital photographs of Main Street, Castleisland and its outskirts taken by Castleisland District Heritage on 6 July 2020 as part of an initiative to document the history of the buildings that line the famous ‘street between two fields.’[1] The project is a work in progress. In August…… Continue Reading
An overview of the ‘Castleisland District Archaeological Survey’ 1985-1995
In 1983, Castleisland & District Development Association, established in 1967, initiated a Job Creation Survey.[1] The purpose of the survey was to identify the extent of unemployment in the region, and opportunities available for job creation.[2] As a result of the survey, two projects presented, the Castleisland District Archaeological Survey and Job Creation and Enterprise…… Continue Reading
Gayer’s Beacons: Signposts to Dingle Harbour
The Beacon Towers Rev Gayer had nearly finished are, as it were, his own tombstones[1] Long before Fungi the dolphin put Dingle Harbour on the map in the 1980s, this particular stretch of water was more renowned for its treacherous conditions and shipwrecks. Newspapers of the time carried reports of disasters and…… Continue Reading
Tears and Smiles: Killarney Memoir has Castleisland links
Big Boys Don’t Cry, a book by Ted O’Shea of Muckross, Co Kerry, has just been added to the archive of Castleisland District Heritage.[1] The work provides information on O’Shea genealogy with interesting links to the Ahern family of Castleisland. It traces how the author’s great grandfather, James O’Shea, went as a teenager to…… Continue Reading
Castleisland: Mapped and Measured 180 Years Ago
About the year 1836, a young man named John O’Donovan was despatched by the office of the Ordnance Survey to visit in succession every county in Ireland with the object of noting and recording all existing remains of antiquity: By the direction of the Ordnance, O’Donovan visited, we may say, every townland in Ireland,…… Continue Reading
The Republican Monument, Kilbannivane, Castleisland
We publish below brief references to the thirteen men commemorated on the Kilbannivane Republican Monument, Castleisland. Michael O Brosnacain / Michael Brosnan (1900-1920) Son of Cornelius Brosnan and Margaret (née Collins) Brosnan of Close, Castleisland. Michael Brosnan was shot by Black and Tans on 8 November 1920. Account of incident in Dying for…… Continue Reading
Poff & Barrett: The P D Kenny Affair
On Fair Day, 8 September 1884, Earl Spencer, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and his suite passed through Castleisland during a week-long vice-regal visit to the South of Ireland. It was a Monday, and the weather was notably fine. The visiting party included the Lord Lieutenant’s aides-de-camp, Captains Ross and Little, his private secretary,…… Continue Reading
Stinking Soup and Sausages: Life in a Kerry Seminary in the 1960s
Urinating in the priests’ milk jug in the early hours of the morning shows a certain level of bravado among the male boarders of St Andrew’s seminary, the subject of the short, succinct Sausages for Tuesday. It also displays, however, an inordinate level of resentment. Sausages for Tuesday, a book by Patrick Kennelly, schoolteacher…… Continue Reading
The Family of James Barrett of Dromultan, Scartaglen, Co Kerry[1]
In the wake of the executions of Sylvester Poff and James Barrett in Tralee prison on 23 January 1883 following their conviction for the murder of Thomas Browne, the families of all involved were left to deal with their grief. I never saw before such a saddening spectacle and trust I never shall again…… Continue Reading
Cover-Ups and Confusion: John Twiss Brought up for Trial
I say this, the jurymen should not bring me in through the evidence of a child – John Twiss, Speech from the Dock James Donovan, an emergency-man living in Glenlara, near Newmarket, Co Cork, was bludgeoned to death in the early hours of 21st April 1894. John Twiss of Castleisland and Eugene Keeffe of Glenlara…… Continue Reading
‘Three Cheers for Castleisland’ – The Innocence of John Twiss
When John Twiss was arrested on 25 April 1894, within days of the brutal murder, at Glenlara, of caretaker James Donovan, he explained to officers that he and his sister Jane were financially dependent on the tolls of a local Kerry fair.[1] The fair, he informed them, was imminent, and he asked if he could…… Continue Reading
‘Where is Glenlara?’: John Twiss of Castleisland, from a Cork Perspective
‘The dogs in the street knew John Twiss was innocent’ As the descendants of John Twiss, and the Michael O’Donohoe Memorial Heritage Project, await the outcome of the application for the Presidential Pardon of Twiss, hanged in 1895 for a crime he maintained he did not commit, a space is given here to reflect on…… Continue Reading
Edward Creighton: Leader of Men, Irish-American Hero
Creighton reached Salt Lake City with 25,000 telegraph poles standing behind him Castleisland man Peter Browne is the current owner of the Telegraph Field at Foilhomurrum, Valencia Island, Co Kerry, from where in 1866 was established the first wholly successful telegraph link across the Atlantic.[1] The O’Donohoe Archive, Castleisland, has met with another…… Continue Reading
The Twiss Family of Ballahantouragh, Co Kerry
Has justice been done? Well, a day shall come When a different judge shall try … Ballahantouragh, a townland in Kerry, lies near the village of Scartaglen, a few miles outside Castleisland.[1] John Twiss of Cordal, Castleisland, hanged in 1895 for the murder, in 1894, of James Donovan, was descended from a branch of Twiss…… Continue Reading
Game of Stones: The Earls of Desmond and ‘The Rubbage’
In the closing quarter of the seventeenth century, a series of sketches was taken from two stones found in rubble in Tralee Abbey. They were made between the years 1684 and about 1692 by Robert Downinge, Deputy to Sir Richard Carney.[1] The curious illustrations were captioned by Mr Downinge:[2] The above is found on…… Continue Reading
The Celtic Cross, Kilbannivane: Its Symbolism and Meaning
Erin! Beloved motherland! May Kerry’s dead inspire Our youth today to take its stand, Alert with olden fire. For Erin and her freedom too, All round from sea to sea, May all her children still be true, Like those of Oilean Chiarraighe.[1] Insular art is an impressive and imposing feature of the Irish landscape,…… Continue Reading
Oileán Chiarraighe – Castle of the Island: The Album
Castleisland contains a parish-church, the Roman Catholic chapel, a sessions- house, a prison, several schools, two inns, a dispensary, and an old castle – Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, 1844-5[1] Castleisland’s post-classical history begins with the most significant ‘old castle’ – Castle of the Island – which gave the town of Castleisland its name. It was…… Continue Reading
The Market House, Castleisland, and its Associations
A plaque on the Market House in Castleisland is inscribed: Built 1747 / Rebuilt 1825 / Reconstructed by J K O’Connor Esq JP 1914. The considerable history of this building is rooted in the Earl of Desmond’s lands, the confiscation and subsequent division of which was known, in feudal terms, as the Seigniory of Castleisland.[1]…… Continue Reading
The Legacy of Baron de Monte Marisco, Lord of Castle Island
Kerry historian, Mary Agnes Hickson wrote a short account of Castleisland from the foundation of its castle in 1215 until ‘the present day,’ which at the time of her writing was 1872. The town was then described as ‘one of the most prosperous and peaceful districts in the south-west of Ireland.’[1] In less than a…… Continue Reading
‘A Community on Trial’: An Overview of ‘Murder at Dromulton’
Murder at Dromulton, a study of the circumstances surrounding the tragic case of Thomas Browne of Dromultan, Co Kerry, shot dead in 1882 during agrarian unrest, and the subsequent executions of Sylvester Poff of Mountnicholas and James Barrett of Dromultan for the crime, is the work of the late Peter O’Sullivan of Dublin.[1] O’Sullivan’s…… Continue Reading
A Portrait of Castleisland Artist, Timothy ‘Mutt’ Murphy
Timothy Mutt Murphy was a popular painter, decorator and sign writer who lived with his family at 10 Castle Street, Killarney Road, Castleisland in the first half of the twentieth century. He was also an artist, and the artworks held by his family include depictions of lake scenes, children at play on the seashore, and…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett: The role of Father Scollard in their conviction
At the trial one name stood forth as a shining light and an honourable example to the Roman Catholic priesthood of Ireland, Rev Mr Scollard In the aftermath of the two trials of Sylvester Poff and James Barrett for the murder of Thomas Browne of Dromultan, the Kerry Sentinel was calling on the government…… Continue Reading
The Three Axeteers: Foundation of the Castleisland Moonlighters
by John Roche, Chairman of the Michael O’Donohoe Project In his book, A Popular History of East Kerry, published in 1930, T M Donovan gave a first-hand account of the formation of the organisation known as the Castleisland Moonlighters. Though born almost three generations apart from Donovan (he was born in the 1860s,…… Continue Reading
‘Too Honest for the Shoneens’: Father Murphy, Roman Catholic Curate of Castleisland[1]
He left in each parish warm-hearted friends and a memory as green and as lasting as the shamrock of St Patrick[2] On Sunday 11 September 1881, a meeting took place in the village of Currow under the auspices of the Castleisland Land League attended by about 7,000 people. Among the speakers was Castleisland publican,…… Continue Reading
Those Hoggies Love to Meet: The Poetry of Maurice J Reidy
There’s little need for rapid pace, Nor frowns that wrinkle up your face. Castleisland poet Maurice J Reidy, better known as Moss Tommy, is fondly remembered in the town as a great character, often found thumbing a lift along the road with a satchel hung over his shoulder or, if travelling out of town, with…… Continue Reading
Mind the Little Ones: A Cillín at Inch na Leanmh, Kilquane, Cordal, Co Kerry[1]
The cillín – a burial place for unbaptised babies – is thought to have originated with church teaching of limbus (limbo).[2] A strong belief in purgatory is suggested to have brought about the concept of a separate burial ground for young children. The practice, according to the studies of Fr Tom Looney, Parish Priest…… Continue Reading
The Pound, Castleisland: A survey of the era
The pound, an enclosure used to impound straying or seized (confiscated) animals, was once a common feature of the towns and villages of Ireland.[1] The practice of impounding animals dates back to at least the fourteenth century.[2] Inevitably, many streets took their name from the structure, and Pound Lanes and Pound Roads became part…… Continue Reading
Ballyhennessy Sandhills: Portrait of a North Kerry Wonder Dog
It is doubtful if any other dog has received such whole-hearted cheers in the history of the track – Wimbledon, August 1937 Ballyhennessy Sandhills was born in June 1935 and reared on a farm in County Kerry with ‘a wheelbarrow in a barn for a bed and two goats for company.’[1] He was a greyhound,…… Continue Reading
A Thousand Words: Castleisland’s Tribute to the ‘Special Artist’
Many of the artists of nineteenth century journalism remained anonymous, dubbed, nonchalantly, ‘special artist.’[1] Yet without the work of those nameless artists, a spectacular gap would be left in the record of people and events which left their mark on history. The work of the special artist helped to alleviate the challenge faced by…… Continue Reading
Castleisland: The Early Roman Catholic Church
Ecce Nunc In Pulvere Dormiam / Behold now I sleep in dust – Job ch7 v21 In medieval times, there were several small churches in the Castleisland area. In Castleisland itself, there was St Nicholas Church. With the fall of the last Earl of Desmond in the sixteenth century, the church was confiscated and eventually…… Continue Reading
Céad Míle Fáilte Penang: A 1970s Cultural Exchange
In one of his collections of essays and poetry, Rays of Cheer (1978), Castleisland’s M J Reidy – otherwise Moss Tommy – gave space to an essay by one of his supporters and admirers, educationalist and music composer, Puan Katijah Tan Guat Bee, of Penang, an island off the coast of Malaysia. Katijah’s essay,…… Continue Reading
Dicksgrove: Notes on the Families of Meredith and Coltsmann
Dicksgrove, near Castleisland, was long synonymous with the family of Meredith, landlords there since the early eighteenth century.[1] Indeed, Richard Meredith (1739-1821), who planted, built upon, and improved the estate, is said to have named Dicksgrove after himself.[2] Meredith’s improvements were said to have been made on the site of ‘the Bailleagh forfeiture.’[3] This…… Continue Reading
The Trial of John Twiss: Notes on Jury Packing
Resolved – That the arbitrary exclusion from the jury box of any of Her Majesty’s subjects by the agents of the Crown on the grounds of creed not only destroys all confidence in the jury selected and deprives their verdict of all moral weight, but also inflicts an insult on the entire class to which…… Continue Reading
Monumental: Honouring Kerry’s Regional Poets
In the cemetery of Kilmakilloge, Tuosist, stands a handsome monument inscribed as follows: Leac é seo a tógadh i mí Iúil, 1930, Diarmuid Ó Seaghdha (na bolgaighe) agus an Mortaí Ó Súilleabháin (Learai), beirt Filí Thuaith Ó Siosta atá curtha sa Reilig seo. “A Thighearna ghléigil soar leo comacta suin/Iosa agus Aoin-Mic eist le…… Continue Reading
John Twiss: Blood of Gentlemen
In the wake of the hanging of John Twiss on 9 February 1895, the county of Kerry was described as in ‘a frenzy of rage.’ The comment came from the president of Sinn Féin, John Joseph O’Kelly, better known as Sceilg, as he recalled a football tournament played in Killarney which he…… Continue Reading
The Poff Family of County Kerry
Sylvester Poff of Mountnicholas was hanged in Tralee prison, alongside his cousin, James Barrett of Dromultan, on 23 January 1883. They had been convicted of the murder of Thomas Browne of Dromultan. James Barrett was unmarried. Sylvester Poff had been married for eight years to Anne Sugrue, and was a father to Mary, Hannah,…… Continue Reading
Portraits of Irish Nationalists by Sir Sydney Prior Hall
Sixty-five portraits of Irish Members of Parliament from twenty-one counties of Ireland appear in the O’Donohoe Archive.[1] They were drawn in 1888 by artist Sydney Prior Hall during the Special Commission.[2] Hall, like his colleague William Henry Pike (1850-1908), worked as an artist for the Graphic newspaper. Hall’s portraits of Irish nationalists…… Continue Reading
Dancing with History: Carriganedy Castle, otherwise Hyde Castle (Castle Hyde), Fermoy, Co Cork[1]
A series of dances was held in Fermoy, Co Cork, in August 1847 ‘to cheer every heart so long clouded by the distress and gloom now rapidly passing away,’ an account of which is held in the Castleisland O’Donohoe Collection.[2] None of the dances, however, surpassed the fete champetre in the grounds of Carriganedy…… Continue Reading
Countdown: Political Endeavours to Save John Twiss
The right honourable Gentleman’s reply will not be received with satisfaction – William Hoey Kearney Redmond, MP, to John Morley, Chief Secretary for Ireland As the application for the Presidential Pardon of John Twiss of Castleisland awaits outcome, the O’Donohoe Archive here gives space, in January 2020, to the political efforts made to save…… Continue Reading
A Sketch of Molahiffe Castle and the Manor of Molahiffe
In the grounds of Castle Farm (in the townland of the same name) stand the ruins of Molahiffe Castle.[1] It was built in 1214 by the son of Maurice Fitzgerald.[2] Nearby is the ancient site of Old Court of which Lewis, in 1837, stated that ‘no particulars are recorded.’[3] O’Donovan added little more…… Continue Reading
Fifty-two Degrees North: Calculating Castleisland’s Place in Longitude History
Longitude: the angular distance of a place east or west of the Greenwich meridian, or west of the standard meridian of a celestial object, usually expressed in degrees and minutes Those who avoid the subject of maths might find the above definition of longitude explanation enough when it comes to global measurement. Those who…… Continue Reading
Foilhomurrum: Its Position in History
Foilhamurum is such a stumbling block in its etymological arrangement that it may be better adopt some other name like Valencia Cable Creek – Tralee Chronicle, 17 July 1866 Foilhomurrum Bay was catapulted onto the world stage in 1866 when it became the site of the first successful telegraph cable link with Newfoundland in Canada.…… Continue Reading
Glory to God: Castleisland’s Link to the Atlantic Telegraph
On the nerve of this telegraph wire Be – Nothing of science, or profit and loss; But, flashing electrical deeper and higher, World, let the first heart-stirring message across – Be ‘Glory to God in the Highest!’ From The First Message for the Atlantic Telegraph Written at Albury, Guildford, 27 July 1857 by Martin Farquhar…… Continue Reading
Remarks on the Literature of T M Donovan, Castleisland
T M Donovan, Castleisland’s prolific author of the early twentieth century, published his first book, A Popular History of East Kerry in 1931. The Two Mothers appeared in 1933.[1] In the intervening year, God’s Glorious Universe was published. It first appeared as a series of articles in the Kerryman from about March to May…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett: Global Search for Justice
Sylvester Poff and James Barrett, hanged on 23 January 1883 for the murder of Thomas Browne of Dromultan, Co Kerry, rest not. Their Dying Declarations of innocence speak to us still, and from new documents acquired by the O’Donohoe Collection, it is shown that their protestations of innocence were uttered to their very last breaths.…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett: Guilty Until Proven Innocent
The arrest of Sylvester Poff and James Barrett is not regarded by the public as being of any importance and it is looked upon as being in the ordinary course of matters[1] Thomas Browne was murdered at Dromultan, Co Kerry on 3 October 1882. As far as can be ascertained, the murder took place at…… Continue Reading
Poff’s Farm: Recollections of Michael Marshall, formerly of Mountnicholas
Sylvester Poff, who with James Barrett was hanged on 23 January 1883 for the murder of Thomas Browne, was evicted from his farm at Mountnicholas, Co Kerry, in 1881. The dwelling house was demolished at the time of the eviction but the foundations remained. About twenty years later, the farm was sold by the…… Continue Reading
John Twiss of Castleisland: A ‘Pure Brave Soul’
John Twiss of Cordal, Castleisland, was arrested in April 1894 for the murder of James Donovan at Glenlara, Co Cork, and the police subsequently sought evidence against him. This circumstance was remarked on by Jeremy Dein and Sasha Wass, the barristers who recently investigated the case for the documentary, Murder Mystery and My Family. …… Continue Reading
Death before Dishonour: John Twiss’s Speech from the Dock
I did not think that there was a juryman ever put a coat on his back would find me guilty A reporter of the trial of John Twiss in 1895 made the following assessment of him from his speech from the dock: He was an ignorant man in the sense that he got no…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett: Last Words
The most remarkable fact in connection with the case is that both the men, though in separate cells, without any communication with each other, protested all through, and above all, at the last supreme moment, their absolute innocence. Derry Journal, 26 January 1883 In 1919, it was remarked that ‘Tralee Gaol contains the calcined remains…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett: Caught in the Crossfire
Murder never goes unavenged, the blood of the murdered cries to Heaven for vengeance – George Raymond, BL, for Mrs Browne About one week before William Marwood, the executioner, arrived in Tralee to begin erecting the gallows on which Sylvester Poff and James Barrett would die, two appeals were submitted to the Lord Lieutenant of…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett: The Truth Will Out
And lo! As he spoke, there beside him, some shadowy beings appeared, And his heart’s blood grew cold as he saw them, though he scarce would confess what he feared. Then summoning courage, ‘Who are ye?’ he asked, in a quivering voice, And sternly one shadow made answer, ‘Behold me, your victim, Myles Joyce, Hither…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett: The Case against John Dunleavy
‘The smallest thing in the world would hang us’ – Sylvester Poff to James Barrett Sylvester Poff and James Barrett, hanged on 23 January 1883 for the murder of Thomas Browne on 3 October 1882, maintained their innocence to the end, and declared that they did not know who murdered Browne. They did, however,…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett: The Testimony of Bridget Brosnan
‘The case should stand or fall on the evidence of Bridget Brosnan’1 On the day after Sylvester Poff and James Barrett were hanged in Tralee prison for the murder of Thomas Browne, a reporter remarked that it was ‘a matter for note’ that Mrs Brosnan, one of the chief witnesses at the trial, swore at…… Continue Reading
Poff and Barrett: Final Hours
‘A universal belief in the innocence of the prisoners prevails in this county’ On Tuesday 23 January 1883, the day of the execution of Sylvester Poff and James Barrett, the shops in Castleisland remained closed all day, as a mark of sympathy with the condemned men. The situation was the same in Tralee, the town…… Continue Reading
The Bard, the Folklorist and Peig Sayers
Wandering bard, Eoghan Roe Ward, left a touching snapshot of Peig Sayers in her twilight years when he visited her in her home in Vicarstown, Dunquin, in 1944. Peig was, he said, one of the hidden souls of Ireland seldom shown to the stranger and recalled how her voice settled in the depths of his…… Continue Reading
