in the pages of the Kildare Observer 1880-1935
Mario Corrigan
A Digital Project
Kildare Library & Arts Services uploaded the Kildare Observer newspaper to the Internet in 2010 to enhance our understanding of the history of Kildare and indeed surrounding counties but also as a means of making material more accessible. We had previously bought copies from The British Library who had the biggest collection and the project was completed with their permission and a pdf copy of the scans was supplied to the British Library for its own use. DPA. Ltd. scanned the film and applied the software. And it is hosted online by National Micromedia Ltd. It is free of charge and fully searchable. The usefulness of the site is immediately obvious to anybody interested in the history of Co. Kildare or anyone interested in Carton House and the FitzGeralds. The ability to type in a word or phrase and the enormous potential this offers allows us access not only to primary research but a system of cross referencing and unrelated, otherwise irretrievable, nuggets of interesting facts and information. As well as covering the major events of importance and the great families within the county, it introduces us to the localised somewhat overlooked world of the cottager class, the petty sessions, the accidents, sports and funeral attendees. It gives voice to the lower orders, illuminates the mundane and the forgettable and sheds new light on local placenames, public works and building works and quickly becomes a genealogists friend.
The quality of the search engine would best be described as good with possibly 70-80% percent success rate which is most likely as a result of the poor quality of the newspaper text. Therefore the online searchable version for the Kildare Observer should be not used as the sole primary research tool but the material (as with all newspaper content) should be verified using other sources.
A variety of search techniques should be employed when using the database. Basic searches conducted for example:-
• ‘Carton House’ = 4 documents & 8 ‘hits’
• ‘Carton’ = 450 documents & 873 ‘hits’
• ‘Carton w/5 House’ = 10 docs and 20 ‘hits’ – nothing that would not be picked up by ‘Carton’
• Duke of
• Lord Walter – 181 docs 640 ‘hits’
• Lord Frederick – 225 docs and 954 ‘hits’
A hit means that the search term is located and w/5 means one term within 5 words of the other term included in the search. The correct way to conduct research would be to broaden the scope of the original search terms and become creative with the number and types of searches undertaken. as they generally will only search for the terms as described. It can be searched effectively by name, place, location etc. i.e. a word search and not a subject search.
A note on the Kildare Observer
The Kildare Observer and Eastern Counties Advertiser ran from 1879 to 1939 but the database, based on the microfilm holdings, begins in October 1880 and not 1879 when the newspaper was first published in Naas. There are some gaps as there tends to be in newspaper collections but generally the collection which was digitised is good. There were some very practical reasons for choosing this newspaper over its contemporary The Leinster Leader as a digital resource, mainly the term was finite – the Observer finished in 1935. Also the quality of the print both in terms of the hardcopy and their reproduction on microfilm meant the Observer was a much better option as a searchable resource. Lastly the Observer is smaller and tidier in size and presentation and lent itself to the project more easily. Traditionally the Observer is seen as a unionist or conservative counterpart to the rip-roaringly nationalistic Leader and I suppose this is true in a sense with reference to its general politics but the reporting is fairly well balanced.
Carton: Observations on a great house
The Leinster Family and indeed Carton itself were no strangers to the press and we are fortunate to have quality illustrations and articles from magazines such as the Illustrated London News, The Graphic and Vanity Fair to name but a few.[1] The Kildare Observer however gives us a tantalising glimpse into the everyday world of the big house and little cottage, the great landed families and small tenant farmers and poor cottagers. It records information that has little or no bearing on great events or national politics but of import to the history of
One of the first mentions of ‘Carton’ is a rather long report on the Leinster lease and the disgruntlement of the labourers and tenants on the vast
But there is a constant interest in the family, quite simply - they are ‘news.’ We are privy to the goings and comings of the family members under fashionable intelligence with reports how the Duke (Fourth) and Duchess headed to England for Christmas in 1880; how the Duke (Fifth) and Duchess having returned from Constantinople (the Duchess’s sister lived there with her husband, Sir E. Vincent, financial advisor to the Khedive and the Sultan) to London would be spending the winter at Carton in 1891 and that after their sojourn in Aix-le-Chapelle in August 1892 they planned on taking up residence at Carton.[3] The Marquis of Kildare, Carton, Maynooth, was announced as High Sheriff of the County in the paper of 29 January 1881.[4] In January 1882 we note the mammoth rejoicings as Lord Frederick FitzGerald, Captain in the 60th Rifles and third son of the Duke, returned to Maynooth from five years service in and
One interesting note on the prosperity of the town was indeed its connection to the great family and Carton for it was often mentioned as a positive reference or attraction in the sale of businesses or leases and indeed as an excursion destination, such as the picnic in the demesne organised by Messers. J. Watkins & Co., celebrated brewers in September 1882 and the visit of the Ancient Order of Foresters, Dublin District in May of 1885.[7] However we find a small article in 1913 which explained that dogs were not allowed to run free on the estate.[8] The demesne was reported closed in August 1899, ‘...except on special permit,’ due, ‘...to the conduct of some excursionists who, being privileged to meander through the extensive and lovely grounds, did a considerable amount of damage.’[9] Special permission was granted however to
The estate was not only a tourist destination but a place where local school children were entertained on the demesne by the Duchess in October 1892 and the County Kildare Archaeological Society (some 180-200 guests) were entertained to luncheon in Sept. 1893 as they visited, Taghadoe and Maynooth. Lord Walter and the Duke (the first president of the Society 1891) were key members of the Society and on this particular occasion both made presentations and the Duke gave a tour of the house.[11] When notification was given that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales was to visit
There is something fascinating about the marriage reports and announcements. A FitzGerald wedding of course was extremely newsworthy and there is a large report on the marriage of Lady Alice, eldest daughter of the Duke of Leinster and his wife Lady Caroline Gower, to Major Charles J. O. Fitzgerald, of the 3rd Cavalry, Hyderabad Contingent, Indian Service. Lady Alice was dressed in white satin and brocaded silk with bodice to match and was given away by her father. The report of the actual wedding is less than a third of the whole which began with a lengthy history of the family and ended with a lengthy list of presents and present givers. Representatives of the tenantry of Maynooth and Moyglare had presented an epergne (sort of table centrepiece) the previous Saturday at Carton. It is a testament to The Kildare Observer that the list of gifts began with an illuminated address from the parishioners of Castledermot and an address by the pupils of Castledermot school, followed by a silver service from the Carton, London and Dublin households and outdoor employees which was followed by a handsome photographic album from the tenants and employees of Kilkea Castle. Only then does the official list begin with the Duke and Duchess ending rather un-dramatically with a butter dish from Mrs. Bennie. Handsome floral arches with sentimental mottoes were erected in the main street of Maynooth with a large arch at the entrance to Carton bearing the motto, ‘The House of Geraldine’ and ‘Crom Aboo’ on the reverse. The Church was decorated by the Duke’s men and on leaving the church the party returned to Carton for the wedding breakfast.[17] Yet once again the town figured prominently in the personal life of the family. One reason for this was their actual presence, ‘Unlike many of the Irish nobility, the Fitzgeralds have always been residents in
An editorial in the Observer of 1883 sums up the celebrity of a FitzGerald wedding with a report from the World on the forthcoming wedding of the Marquis of Kildare – ‘All Ireland takes an interest in the Kildare-Dunscombe nuptials. It is indeed a great day for the Dunscomes [sic] (whose patronymic is Brown), in which they see a daughter of their house united to the heir of the illustrious Geraldines.’[19] The Marquis and Lady Hermione Wilhelmina Duncombe (born in 1864), eldest daughter of the Earl of Feversham (Faversham in text), were married at
Flowers from the estate were also used locally on occasion, such as the Harvest Thanksgiving Service at Maynooth or at times at Celbridge Workhouse – indeed the Duchess is recorded as having visited the house to see a woman in the hospital, wife of a blacksmith on the estate. It was mentioned in the same report that the 3rd Duke had written down observations on the workhouse when he had visited.[22]
Just as the most prominent family in the county and indeed
The economy and administration of the local area and
Sales at carton of timber etc. contributed locally to the economy of the estate and the town in terms of revenue and employment.[30] A large estate on the doorstep could provide other benefits as when the men form the demesne helped save the Presentation convent and schools from fire in November 1911.[31]
The family was of course represented on the Grand Jury and were often prominent on Grand Jury committees etc. and were constantly called upon for committee and society patronage.[32] The Fifth Duke for example was President of the Kildare Archaeological Society and also the Celbridge Branch of the Unionist Alliance. At a meeting of the latter Colonel Dease, expressing his regret at the death of the Fifth Duke, told the assemblage, ‘The last thing his Grace did was to express his wish that his sons should be brought up at Carton, where they should know all their neighbours, and he hoped they would become as good Irishmen as he had been.’[33] Both Lord Walter and Lord Frederick served on at the Local Petty Sessions courts and attended a meeting of Magistrates in Co. Kildare to consider the presentation of an address to King Edward VII in honour of his visit to
A death in the family was of course a major news story but once again the details of the death of the Fourth Duke in 1887 were mostly lost in a full column re-iterating the history of this ancient family. We are told that he died at Carton on Thursday 10 February after a short illness in his 68th year and was survived by his wife the Duchess, Lady Caroline Levenson Gower. He had represented Kildare as MP from 1847-1852 and was to be succeeded by his son Gerald, Marquis of Kildare. The report simply declared the internment would take place on Saturday at 12 o’clock. Celbridge Board of Guardians suspended business for the day on Friday 11 February as a mark of respect for the ‘irreparable loss,’ of their Chairman, who ‘... was a constant attendant at our meetings and in every way as chairman gave entire satisfaction to every member of this board.’[35] Ironically a letter from the Duke’s agent, Charles Hamilton, from 4 February was printed in the same issue whereby the Duke refused to accept anything less than 18 years purchase of the fixed rents from his tenants in Athy.[36] Once again his battles with his tenants over the terms of their agreements and leases proved just as newsworthy as his personal circumstances.
The description of his funeral is wonderful and re-emphasises the importance of the local newspaper as a reference tool and a means of preserving the history of the county which otherwise may have been lost. He was buried in the railed off family plot at Carton which he had constructed - ‘...a small mound within a couple of hundred yards of the house,’ which contained four simple graves for three of his daughters and one son, Lord Robert who had died in 1868. The funeral was a private affair according to the wishes of the family and desire of late Duke and, ‘Consequently none of the gentry of the neighbourhood attended.’ The plain oak coffin was borne from the house by his four sons. The Archbishop, Lord Plunket attended the funeral, read the service and performed the last rites assisted by Rev. Canon Whelan. Some one hundred people attended the funeral and these included servants, farm labourers and some people from Maynooth but ‘None of the tenantry were present.’ It was a very simple but affecting affair. Window blinds were drawn in the town and the shutters of shops closed, ‘...but no further demonstration of feeling was permitted to take place.’ Messages of condolences were received from all parts of the three Kingdoms, including the Queen and the Lord Lieutenant, the latter expressed a desire to attend, ‘...but this was not acceded to.’ Floral tributes from prominent families were received. Other tributes and marks of respect were paid at Athy and Rathangan.[37]
The death of the Fifth Duke on 1 December 1893 of typhoid fever was not so well covered though motions of respect and sympathy were recorded by the Celbridge Board of Guardians, a large public meeting of people of Maynooth, the protestant parishioners of Maynooth, Athy Town Commissioners and the County Kildare Archaeological Society.[38] The public meeting passed a somewhat predictable resolution to express the townspeople’s sympathy and their sense of ‘great loss’ to be forwarded to the family the Rev. Dr. Tristram, while extolling the virtues of the much lamented late Duke, noted, ‘The income which he derived from this country was spent in this country, amongst its people,’ an example if followed by others might improve the prosperity of the country. Rev. J. Hunt, who occupied the chair, observed, ‘… that there is scarcely a family in the town of
The Duchess died in March 1895 at Mentone, having left Carton the previous June, for a change of air to help try and recover from the onset of illness. Renowned for her beauty, commented the Observer, she had not taken an active part in country life or the hunting circuit though she did enjoy racing at Ascot and Punchestown and the art galleries in
From time to time however the history of the family or reports and sketches on various individual family members were a commodity an editor could rely upon and make use of.[44] A wonderful story is told in an exposé of Lords Walter and Lord Frederick about Lord Frederick’s participation with the military at an eviction in the north of
Charity and public works were always associated with the family, particulalry by their public service and by the outward expressions of charity by the Duchess, Hermione who died in 1895.[48] With the onset of World War I, the family again demonstrated their charity and the Duke of Leinster pledged £1,000 to the National Relief Fund in 1914; Lord Frederick and Lord Walter subscribed £10 each; Lord George £5; Lady Mabel £2; Lady Nesta £1 1s.; Lady Eva £1.[49] A Garden Fête was held at Carton 2 September 1916 to raise funds for supplying food and comforts to the 600 prisoners of war of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and some £300 was raised.[50] It was opened by the Lord Lieutenant, who was met by Lord Frederick and the committee, and the attendance apparently ‘...was the largest ever seen in this magnificent demesne.’[51] On Monday 11 Sept. Lieut.-Colonel Lord
There are tiny little nuggets of interesting facts that appear from time to time such as a cornice piece (possibly 13th century) from
When reporting the death of the Duchess of Leinster, the Observer mentioned that the 4th Duke who created the cemetery at Carton around 11 years previous had transferred some of the remains of family members from the traditional family burial vault in
We get minor insights into the running of the estate from time to time. Some of the workers on the estate had rather important roles in the local community and at a time when the death of common folk was only recorded through crime or accident unless they were sporting heroes or of some other renown, a small notice in the Observer of 1 April announced the death on 26 March of Jane Hariette Knowldin at Carton Gardens beloved wife of Edward who according to the references elsewhere was probably the gardener at Carton at the time.[64] Mr. Alexander Black from
LECTURE 5 Wednesday, 29 February 2012 8.00 pm
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Terence Dooley (National University of Ireland, Maynooth)
‘In this black dog haunted place.’
The life of Hermione, 5thDuchess of Leinster,
at Carton, Co. Kildare 1884-1895
ADMISSION FEE: €5 payable at the door
No booking required but seats will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis on the night of each lecture. Payment by cash or cheque only. Patrons are requested to be seated by 7.50pm. Join us for tea/coffee after each lecture.
Castletown is accessed via Exit 6 off the M4. Patrons should drive right up to the first wing and into the courtyard to park. Lectures are held in the newly restored Stable Wing across the courtyard.
Enquiries to the CSHIHE only
E-mail: cshihe@nuim.ie Telephone: + 353 (0) 1 708 6706
Our next meeting will take place on Wednesday 15 February in Sarsfield GAA Clubhouse at 8.30pm. Pat Byrne will give an illustrated talk on: The Villages of Bord na Mona examples of industrially sponsored towns and villages in Ireland and the UK. Anyone interested in local history is very welcome to attend. There is ample parking and a comfortable atmosphere, and a great way to catch up on the 'old times.'
Raphael Ryan, PRO
Sunday 12th February
Fethard Ballroom
2pm – 6pm
Dear Booklover,
The Premier Bookfair of the Premier County is on this Sunday.
As usual there will be over 30 dealers from every corner of Ireland
With thousands and thousands of books, pamphlets, ephemera, postcards and anything else in the printed line they can carry. There will be something for the casual as well as the most discriminating collector on the day. Items will range from holiday reading paperbacks to signed first editions by Heaney and Kernoff and many other well know authors.
There will also be the launch of many new books by authors who will be only delighted to sign their works at your request.
Excellent refreshments (homemade) are provided at the venue and there is a wonderful warm and welcoming atmosphere at the fair which is organised by the Fethard Historical Society.
Lyonshill Books will be attending and we look forward to seeing our many friends and colleagues there.
Eddie and Kay Murphy
Mob. 087 2567908
For more info please contact Terry Cunningham, Organiser at Mob. 086 390 53 73
]]> 17th Annual Fethard Bookfair Sunday 12 February 2012]]>
Thursday, 16th February, 7.15pm: James Durney, local author, will present an illustrated talk entitled The Titanic and its Kildare connections.
Note of the two Kildare fatalities arising from the sinking, one was a Leixlip person.
Thursday, 22nd March, 7.15pm: Patrick Given, a brewing and distilling expert, will give an illustrated talk entitled From calico to whiskey-distilling in Leixlip.
Note that at one time Leixlip had two distilleries in operation at the same time, the only place in the county with such.
Thursday, 19th April, 7.30pm: Mary Cullen, a distinguished retired Maynooth history lecturer with a special interest in women in history, will talk on Suffrage and the Irish Women's Movement 1860-1922.
Note that a hundred years ago this year the British Parliament rejected a proposal to give women a vote in general elections. In Ireland, in 1910, a Catholic bishop opposed giving the vote to women.
Thursday, 17th May, 7pm: Brendan Twomey, banker by day, historian by night, will give a talk on Dublin in 1707: a year in the life of the City, with some Leixlip connections, the subject of his latest book.
Leixlip and Celbridge were the places where the Dublin glitterati of the time had their country seats.
Thursday 21st May, 7.30pm: Thomas Clancy, OLN Parish Council, will give an illustrated talk on The Eucharistic Congress of 1932 and the tragic Leixlip connection.
An enormous crowd gathered in the Phoenix Park for the Congress; as some returned to their homes in Co Offaly the only fatalities of the event took place in the early hours in Leixlip..
Thursday 19th July, 7.15pm: Seamus Cullen, well-known North Kildare local historian, will give an illustrated talk entitled Queen Elizabeth’s Kildare Connections.
Heritage Week, 18th to 26th August: John Colgan, local historian, and another, will conduct a guided Tour of Confey Cemetery and Medieval Church. Date to be arranged – early evening or weekend.
Thursday, 20th September: To be determined.
Thursday 18th October, 7.15pm: Patricia Donohoe, local historian, will give a talk entitled The Social Life of Lucan in the 19th Century.
While life in Lucan and Leixlip were quite similar during the period 1820 to 1920, more records remain of Lucan’s life, giving flesh to the story Patricia will tell.
Thursday 15th November, 7.15pm: AGM Leixlip History Club and Patrick Guinness will talk on The Testimony of Leixlip and other North Salt folk after the Rebellion of 1641.
Tuesday, 4th December, 7.15pm: Memorabilia Night: Members and local residents are invited to bring along some bits and pieces of historic interest or of family sentimental value and explain their significance if known to those attending.
All indoor events are held in Leixlip Library for which the Club is most appreciative.
At a meeting of Kildare Co. Council held on 20 February 1922: Arising on the reading of a letter dated 15th December, 1921, from the Clerk, Celbridge No.1 Rural District Council it was proposed by Mr. Nicholas Travers, seconded by Mr. Mark Carroll and resolved: - ‘That the proposal of the Celbridge No. 1 Rural District Council to rename the town of “Kilcock” in its Gaelic form of “Cill-Corce” be approved.’
Kildare Co. Council Minute Book 4 May 1920-4 November 1924
Orders by Colonel Commandant W.B.R. Sandys C.B., C.M.G.
Commanding 5th Divisional Artillery
---------------------------------------------------
Curragh Camp. 12th Feb. 1922
1. The following will be the arrangements for the funeral of the late Lieut. J.H. Wogan Browne, 48th Battery 36th Brigade R.F.A., on Tuesday 14th February.
2. The funeral will be divided into 4 parts: -
(a) Procession from Station Hospital, the Curragh, to R.C. Church, the Curragh
(b) Requiem Mass at the Curragh
(c) Conveyance of the body, the personnel attending the funeral by motor transport from the Church to the Gates of the Depot Barracks, Naas
(d) Procession from Gate of the Depot Barracks to the Cemetery at Naas
3. The procession in 2(a) will leave the Station Hospital at 09.15 hours.
The Gun Carriage, Pall Bearers, Firing Party, Trumpeters and following party will be found by 48th Battery, R.F.A.
The A.A.G., 5th Division is arranging for the Band
4. The Requiem Mass will be at 09.30 hours
5. As soon as this is over 2(c) will be carried out.
The A.A.G. is arranging for a crossley Car for the conveyance of the body. O.C. troops Kildare and Newbridge will inform R.A. Office by 1000 hours 13th, the total numbers requiring conveyance, when arrangements will be made for M.T. for the purpose
6. The procession as in 2(d) will leave the Depot Barrack Gate at 11.20 hours and will be formed as in para 3. 18th Battery R.F.A. will find the same detail as in paragraph 3.
The A.A.G. is arranging for the Band
The arrival at the Cemetery is timed for 12 midday
7. When the procession is well started the motor transport will move to the Cemetery in readiness to convey personnel back to the Curragh, Newbridge and Kildare
8. Officers will wear a mourning band of 3 1/2 inches
Officers at Newbridge and Kildare will wear medals.
T.K. Massy
Major R.A.
Brigade Major, R.A., 5th Division
Spring /Summer Programme 2012
Wednesday 1st February 2012: Naas Local History Group Annual St Brigid Cross making demonstration by Ronnie Kinnane and Lily Whelan. Venue: Naas Community Library, 3pm. All welcome.
Tuesday 7th February: “The tragic killing of Naas-born Lt. John Wogan-Brown in 1922” is the subject of the 2012 Ger Kinchella Memorial Lecture by local writer and historian James Durney. Venue: Naas Community Library. 7.45pm. All Welcome.
Saturday 25th February: St David’s Day “Welsh Flag Unfurling.” Commemorating the Naas Welsh Connection. 3pm at Naas Town Hall. Group Members.
Tuesday 6th March: Illustrated talk “The Transportation of Women from County Kildare” Speaker, Cathi Fleming, 7.45pm Naas Community Library. All Welcome.
Tuesday 3rd April: for an illustrated talk on “The History of Irish Botany” by keen photography enthusiast, Fr. Jackie O’Connell. 7.45pm Naas Community Library. All Welcome
Saturday 14th April; We commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic with a Centenary Day Seminar entitled “Titanic Disaster, The Local Connection.” A talk and display of newspaper reports, pictures and film from Ireland, United Kingdom and the U.S.A. by Group Members.
3pm to 5pm. Naas Community Library. All Welcome.
Sunday 22nd April: “Punchestown Racecourse Walking Sunday.” We meet at the Parade Ring at 3pm for a session of nostalgia and stories by Group Members. All Welcome.
Thursday 17th May: “The Co Kildare Ancestors of Queen Elizabeth” is the theme of local historian Seamus Cullen when he leads us on evening visit to Carbury Church of Ireland , the Colley Vault and Carbury Castle to learn about the Colley family and the Royal Family Connection”
Bus leaves Ballycane Church at 7pm. Full details later.
Tuesday 5th June: Learn about your town. Local walk in the Jigginstown / Limerick Rd, Aras Chill Dara, and Old Gaol area.” Led by Group members. Meet at Jigginstown Castle at 7.30pm. All Welcome.
Saturday 23rd June; Annual Summer history bus outing down the M9 visiting South Kilkenny and Waterford City. Details Later.
Further details from Paddy Behan. P.R.O. 045876365 or 0872853792
Naas Local History Group held their 27th Annual General Meeting in Naas Community Library on Tuesday 24th January. The main business of the meeting consisted of the officers reports and treasurer Tom Keegan gave a detailed statement of the healthy state of the groups finances. Paddy Behan PRO gave a review of the group’s many activities and events in 2011. He thanked the local press and Naas Parish Newsletter for the publicity of our group during the year of which we are most appreciative. The group are very fortunate to be facilitated for all our indoor events in Naas Community Library and for this we are most grateful to Naas Librarian Geraldine Whelan, John Breen and Co. Kildare Library Service.
The next business was when Group Auditor Brian Mullaney took the chair for the election of a committee for 2012. The following were elected: Chairperson: Ger McCarthy, Vice Chairperson: James Durney, Secretary: Rose McCabe, Treasurer: Tom Keegan, PRO: Paddy Behan, Webmaster: Sean Sourke, Committee members: Ronnie Kinane, Aoife O’Malley, Anne O’Byrne.
Tributes were paid to the outgoing committee and condolences were extended to the Whelan, Treacy, and Benson families on their recent bereavements. The evening ended with the Naas History Group Heritage Cup presentation to Naas Shoemaker Bill Glennon. A full programme for 2012 will be published soon.
By Paddy Behan
“I am really chuffed about getting this award” was the response of Naas shoemaker and cobbler Bill Glennon when he was presented with the Naas Local History Group’s annual Heritage Cup and illuminated Scroll in recognition of his long contribution to the craft heritage of Naas. Bill is the third generation of his family to carry on the cobbler-shoemaker craft and the last of many crafts to have flourished in the New Row area of the town over the past two centuries.
Making the presentation of the award at the annual General Meeting of the group. Chairperson Ger McCarthy recalled all the crafts people in the area. Ger grew up across the street from Glennons in New Row and still gets his shoes repaired there. “When I call into Bill to get a pair of shoes soled or healed, Bill keeps talking and working away with the tools of his craft: the Last, cobblers hammer, leather knife, awl, pliers, pincers, rasp and all the other tools of his craft.” Ger on behalf of the group wished him many more years to use them.
In his presentation citation Paddy Behan history group PRO recalled that Glennon’s bootmakers go back over a hundred and fifty years and is one of the oldest surviving businesses in Naas. Bill’s grandfather William started the business, handed it on to Bill’s father, named William also, and then he in turn passed it on to Bill who has carried on the business for almost fifty years.
Bill in a short film made a few years ago (by Sallins based photographer Daniel Balteanu, which was shown on the night) recalls his life and memories of the trade, the journey men who were part and parcel of the scene and who were employed on a temporary basis. They were continually on the move and would often leave in the middle of making a new pair of shoes.
Business picked up during the Celtic Tiger years and continues to hold its own in the aftermath. But Bill is sad at the fact that the art of the cobbler is unlikely to survive the next generation as there is no one left to carry it on. Bill’s other great interest is horseracing and everyone is familiar with the “back in five minutes” note on the door as he nips around to the bookies which has been part of his daily routine for longer than he cares to recall. We wish Bill and his family many years of good health and prosperity and hope that Bill will continue to craft a trade, which has been almost lost to antiquity for many years to come.
]]> On January 24 2012 Naas cobbler Bill Glennon was awarded the Heritage Cup by Naas Local History Group]]>
There are, in certain parts of Ireland and especially upon the Curragh of Kildare, hundreds of women, many of them brought up respectably, a few perhaps luxuriously, now living day after day, week after week, and month after month, in a state of solid heavy wretchedness, that no mere act of imagination can conceive. Exposed to sun and frost, to rain and snow, to the tempestuous east winds, and the bitter blast of the north, whether it be June or January, they live in the open air, with no covering but the wide vault of heaven, with so little clothing that even the blanket sent down out of heaven in a heavy fall of snow is eagerly welcomed by these miserable outcasts. The most wretched beings we profess to know of, the Simaulecs and Hottentots of Africa, have holes whereinto they may creep, to escape the heat of the sun or the winter's rages, but the women-squatters of the Curragh have no shelter, there is no escape for them but to turn their backs to the blast, and cower from it. The misery that abounds round our large camps in England is a load heavy enough for us to bear, but it is not at all to be compared to what can be seen daily in Ireland. If one of these poor wretches were to ask but for a drop of water to her parched lips, or a crust of bread to keep her from starving, Christians would refuse it; were she dying in a ditch, they would not go near to speak to her of human sympathy, and of Christian hope in her last moments. Yet, their priests preach peace on earth, good will among men, while almost in the same breath they denounce from their altars intolerant persecution against those who have, in many cases, been more sinned against than sinning. This is not a thing of yesterday. It has been going on for years, probably fifty, perhaps a hundred.
Twenty years ago, in eighteen forty-four, I remember the priest's coming into the barracks at Newbridge, with a request that the commanding officer would grant him a fatigue party of soldiers to go outside and pull down a few booths which these poor creatures had raised against the barrack wall. The priest, I am sorry to say, had his request granted, and at the head of the soldiers, on a cold winter's day, he went out and burned down the shelter these unfortunates had built. At this time it was quite common for the priest, when he met one of them, to seize her and cut her hair off close. But this was not all. In the summer of forty five, a priest, meeting one of the women in the main street of Newbridge, there threw her down, tearing from off her back the thin shawl and gown that covered it, and with his heavy riding-whip so flogged her over the bare shoulders that the blood actually spirited over his boots. She all the time never resisted, but was only crying piteously for mercy. Of the crowd which was formed round the scene, not a man nor a woman interfered by word or action. When it was over, not one said of the miserable soul, "God help her." Five days afterwards I saw this girl, and her back then was still so raw that she could not bear to wear a frock over it. Yet when she told me how it was done, and who did it, she never uttered a hard word against the ruffian who had treated her so brutally. Had any person attacked a brute beast as savagely in England, as the priest had here treated this least of God's creatures, the strong arm of the law would have been stretched out between him and his victim. Yet in Newbridge there was not even an Irishman man enough to take the law in his own hands, by seizing the whip from the priest and giving him on his own skin a lesson of mercy. For it was in Ireland, where even now inhumanity of this sort is encouraged; where dealers consider it a part of religion not to supply these outcasts with the common necessaries of life; where the man who would allow one of them to crawl into his barn or cowshed to lie down and die, would be denounced from the altar, and be ordered to do penance for his charity. I need not say what is the result of this refusal of all Christian help and pity to the fallen. It is open noonday immorality and drunkenness, and nightly licentious revellings. When all the vice is out of doors wandering shameless and defiant through the streets of Newbridge, the by-lanes of Cahir, and the purlieus of Limerick, Buttevant, Athlone, and Templemore, it becomes far more mischievous than it can be in the cellars and courts of the back streets in Dublin. It is everywhere to be seen, and what renders it less repulsive, is the very tyranny to which its victims are subject, for it is impossible at once to pity and abhor.
I will speak only of what I have seen. Last year I was in Mr. Tallon's shop in Newbridge, when one of these girls came in and asked for half an ounce of tea. She was cleanly and respectably dressed - was perfectly sober and quiet, in her demeanour; in fact, from her appearance, I should never have guessed her position. The shopkeeper had weighed the tea and was about to give it, when, stopping short, he threw it behind him, saying, "No! I'll not serve you." To this she made no reply, but meekly turned and walked away. Surmising what she was at once, I could not help saying, "Good God, do you refuse to sell a fellow-creature the necessaries of life?" "Yes," was the answer; "were she dying, I would not give it to her, or any like her." I attempted to argue with him, reminding him that it was only those without sin themselves who should cast the first stone or trample upon the fallen; but he would not listen. I called for the half ounce of tea, paid for it, and following her up the town, gave it the poor creature. Her look of thankfulness more than repaid me.
Yet in Newbridge these people are better off than in any other part of the country; for a charitable farmer who owns some small fields near the barracks, has allowed them the use of a deep dry ditch by the roadside. This they have covered over with some hay and branches of trees, which forms for them a kind of shelter from the weather. Vastly different is it, however, in other parts of Ireland, where they can get no better shelter than a hedge affords. On the Curragh, for instance, the only protection they have from the pelting rain, the driving sleet, or the falling snow, is a furze bush; and this they are not allowed to erect or prop up by any means into a kind of covering. The moment they attempt to make a roof of it, it is pulled down by the police or under-rangers. I never believed it possible that such misery as I have here seen could be in existence even among savages. Often have I seen these women, as I went to exercise after a severe night's rain, lying by threes and fours huddled together in a ditch, or by the lee-side of a bush. I remember one morning when I was on pass, making my way across the Curragh. Going down from the Grand Stand towards the Camp Inn, I passed a rising piece of ground on my left, under the brow of which the sheep and lambs were cowering together for shelter from the sharp north wind which was then blowing bitterly. I did not observe four women lying in a bit of a hole they had scooped out, until one called after me, and asked me to give her a shilling for God's sake, as they were starving. The sight of them, wet, cold, and perishing from want and exposure, caused me to turn back and give the shilling; and I own that my remonstrance was very feeble even when she to whom I had given it jumped up, saying, "Long life to you! This will get us a drop of whisky," and ran off to get it. The mere prospect of the drink seemed to impart new life to two of them, but the other evidently cared nothing about that which gave her companions so much pleasure. Her eye was languid, her skin hot and dry, her head ached; she was suffering from an attack of fever. I left her, and walking back towards the station, met a policeman, whom I informed of her state, and he promised to get her taken to the workhouse if he could.
I discovered afterwards that an under-ranger had reported this woman's case to the police, and that information of her illness had been forwarded to Naas, when the policeman was told to apply to the relieving-officer at Newbridge. On looking for him, the constable learnt that the relieving-officer came only now and then to Newbridge, and that to find him he would have to go to Milltown. Thither the kindly man did not grudge going, and there he was told by the official that "he would see about it." Next day, finding the poor wretch still neglected, and sinking fast, he had her conveyed in a car to the Naas workhouse, where she died in a few hours after her admission. The head-ranger of the Curragh, Mr. Brown, of Upper Mount-street, Dublin, drew the attention of the poor-law guardians to the neglect of their subordinate, and demanded an inquiry into the matter, for the life of a fellow-creature seemed to have been sacrificed. The guardians refused to inquire, and that in terms which seemed to cast an imputation upon Mr. Brown's veracity. That gentleman appealed to the corroborating testimony of the police and others, and again asked for an investigation, but in vain. He then, mindful at least of his own duty to his neighbour, applied to the poor-law commissioners, and also informed the civil authorities of the facts of the case. The commissioners took no notice of his representations until the Attorney-General issued an order that the relieving-officer should be prosecuted for manslaughter. Then the poor-law commissioners dismissed him from the situation, appointing another man to succeed him, on the express condition, as it was believed, that he should live at Newbridge, the most fitting and central place of residence, and on the direct road from Kildare and the Curragh to the workhouse.
But, on the 10th of September, a woman was brought by the police before Mr. Brown on a charge of drunkenness; it was also stated that she was ill, that she had been obliged to be brought in a car from the Curragh, and that she could not possibly walk to Newbridge. Mr. Brown saw her himself, ascertained that she was very ill, and that neither a poor-law guardian nor the relieving-officer was to be found in Newbridge. Here was another case of utter destitution and illness, which could not receive the prompt attention it required because of the absence of the official whose duty it was to provide a conveyance to take her to the workhouse. A guardian was at length found, and the woman was conveyed to Naas.
On the same day, Mr. Brown reported to the commissioners that their instructions had not been carried into effect, the relieving-officer not being a resident at Newbridge, and he again asked for an inquiry. This course of proceeding did not find favour in the eyes of the poor-law guardians, the chairman stating to the members that "this case was just a little bit of officiousness on Mr. Brown's part," and in that spirit they gave their version of the whole affair to the commissioners, who had written for an explanation.
On the 23rd of that month the commissioners replied to the chief ranger's letter of the 10th, when they stated that the relieving officer did reside in Newbridge, and that they "could not find any subject deserving of inquiry." Mr. Brown would not be satisfied with this kind of reply to a representation of such permanent importance to the poor wretches for whose lives he was fighting, and so, on the 12th of October, he again wrote to the commissioners a long letter, which appeared in the "Irish Times," and contained the following facts: "Three police stations are situated on the Curragh. The constables in charge state, and can show, that they frequently are obliged to go to the relieving-officer as part of their duty. They have invariably gone from the Curragh to Milltown, a considerable round from the Curragh to Naas poor-house. The constables stationed in Milltown stated the relieving-officer resided there. The constables at Newbridge make a similar statement. The county surveyor, in whose employment he is as a road contractor, states that Fitzpatrick, the relieving-officer, lives in Milltown. … Mr. Irwin, who is contractor to the poor-law guardians, stated to me in presence of a magistrate, a police-officer, and another person, that his wife had let a bed to Fitzpatrick, and that he took it immediately after I reported him." Mr. Brown concludes his humane appeal as follows: "Gentlemen, permit me, when on the subject of the Curragh, to ask you to draw the attention of the proper authorities to the probable state of the squatters thereon in the approaching winter. They sleep in the open air, little covering over their bodies, no shelter from wet or cold except that of a furze bush. When snow falls they follow the example of the Esquimaux, they lie with their backs upwards, in order to form a temporary support, for snow to rest on, which, when accumulated thereon assists to keep them partially warm."
Thus they are exposed all the year round: if it rains for a week they have to remain in it, having the wet ground for a couch, and a few wet rags for a covering. No refuge for them; no pity; no succour. In England the publicans will suffer them to remain by their firesides while their money lasts; landlords will let them rooms while they pay rent; shopkeepers will supply them with goods while they can find money for the articles: but here, in Ireland, they are outcasts in the fullest sense of the term, abandoned, persecuted, spurned. I am well aware that these women are the dregs of society, also that some mistaken Christians will say that "any pity shown to them is at best an encouragement of vice," while others, like Scrooge, will inquire "whether the workhouse and prisons are not still in operation?" To such it is useless to make any appeal. But to those who can feel for the poor and homeless, who, to the best of their ability, attend to the Divine commands to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and raise the fallen, I appeal for at least a thought of Christian mercy towards the wretched outcasts, who exist on the Curragh, and around our barracks in Ireland.
It is not only to the female eye that a review of soldiers, with colours flying, drums beating, and bayonets glistening, appears grand and inspiring. The dress of the soldiers, the gilding on the uniforms, the regular step, and the martial bearing of the men, are as if specially contrived for carrying the feelings and good wishes of spectators away captive. Again, when we look at a camping-ground with its white tents ranged in regular order – the flags flying and bugles sounding; the galloping to and fro of mounted orderlies, the passing of general and staff officers with their waving plumes, the turning in and out of guards, combined with the pervading neatness and regularity, have we not all the elements of a spirit-stirring scene? We see then all the pomp and circumstance of glorious war, with nothing of its attendant misery. But there is, as I have shown, around every barrack and camp an outlying circle of misery and sin, a haunting spectre which holds up its withered hands in mockery of all the tinsel. It has never been otherwise; for wherever large bodies of men congregate, these elements of wretched creatures will be found, whose life is a long sin and unceasing misery. It is the old story – a poor girl is attracted by a soldier when the troops come to her town. When he marches away, she leaves all – friends, fortune, and good name – to follow him; little recking of the pains that lie before her. Soon the trifle of money is spent, and then the clothes go piece by piece. When money and clothes are gone, what shall she do? She cannot dash through the ring of scorn already surrounding her, to go home and drink the bitterest dregs of her cup in the rebuke of her own kindred. The man she has followed lovingly and unwisely, had not means to support her; yet she cannot starve. Gradually the outcast sinks lower and lower, till she probably ends her days by the side of a barrack wall, or on the leeside of a bush at the Curragh. Of the soldiers who should share the blame of this, men are ready enough to remember how they are in a manner cut off from all domestic joys or pleasures, and have as a class very little forethought. Their daily bread is always found them; whether in sickness or in health they need never know what a sharp thorn hunger is. And so, being thoughtless, the soldier does not prevent women from following him from town to town, and from barracks to camp. But if guilty so far, he is not wilfully hard-hearted. I have known many a soldier go to the captain of his troop, and getting a couple of months' pay in advance, spend it on sending a poor girl back to her friends. I know also that for one or two months after a regiment has come to a fresh station there are weekly subscriptions made up among the men of each troop for the same purpose. Therefore I am sure that if a way could be shown for lessening the misery among those unhappy victims, every soldier in the army would give what he could afford. If each man would give a week's pay to commence with, and a day's pay yearly afterwards, those who had homes to go to, and relations willing to receive them, could be sent home whenever they were willing to return, while the others would at least be provided with a roof to put their heads under.
In India these camp-followers are placed under the care of one of their own sex – a female muccadum, or overseer, who is paid so much a month out of the canteen fund. This is advantageous in more respects than one. The women themselves are comfortably housed; they are obliged to keep their huts in good order, and themselves clean and well clothed; if they misbehave they are punished; in case of disease, they are sent to a native hospital till they recover. This system modified to suit home moralities might be advantageously introduced at our barracks and camps, and would go a great way to stay the spread of disease which fills our army hospitals, and ruins the health of our soldiers. As the hour before the dawn is the darkest, so I trust that, upon the night of these unhappy squatters, the first glimmering of dawn is soon to break. That such distress should exist, and that men should consider themselves most righteous in letting it exist, and walking on the other side with their eyes carefully averted, is but a new form of the old evil, against which His followers were warned as their worst wrong against Heaven by Him who was himself alone unspotted among men.
Source: Charles Dickens, All the Year Round, No 292, November 26, 1864
]]> An eyewitness account of the Curragh Wrens by Charles Dickens, re-typed by Paul Cooke. Our thanks to Paul]]>
Archive of the Chief Secretary of Ireland at www.nationalarchives.ie
The National Archives of Ireland has begun to make available an online catalogue of the registered papers of the Office of Chief Secretary of Ireland from 1818 to 1852. The first phase of the project is complete and can be searched at
http://www.csorp.nationalarchives.ie
It covers the years 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821 and 1822. As well as the online catalogue the site contains an explanation of the Office of the Chief Secretary and a historical commentary for each year completed to date.
Known as the Crowley project, it is a five year project at the National Archives of Ireland, to catalogue to international archival standards, the registered papers of the Office of Chief Secretary of Ireland from 1818 to 1852, in order to facilitate public access to one of the most valuable sources of original material for research on Ireland in the first half of the nineteenth century. The project also employs a dedicated conservator to conserve the papers once they are listed.
The project was made possible by a bequest from the late Professor Francis J Crowley. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Professor Crowley was educated at Yale and Princeton, and became a professor of French at the University of California at Los Angeles. Both his parents were born in Ireland, and in his will he bequeathed most of his estate to the Republic of Ireland to be used for the preservation of records of the history of the Irish people. Work commenced on the project in September 2008. The items are available for consultation at the reading room of the National Archives of Ireland, according to usual procedures.
Cataloguing of the years 1823 and 1824 is currently in progress and these lists will be added to this website when complete.
This site is well worth a visit; a search KILDARE across all years currently available located 337 matches; a search for 1798 found 199 matches and so on.
The first item when in the results when a search for KILDARE was done was the following:
NAI REFERENCE: CSO/RP/1818/9
TITLE: Claim for payment of concordatum from Katherine Armstrong, Naas, County Kildare
SCOPE & CONTENT: Petition of Katherine Armstrong, Naas, County Kildare, to William Gregory, Under Secretary, Dublin Castle, requesting that her claim for financial assistance be presented to the Lord Lieutenant. ‘As a widow of an old acquaintance’ she appeals for ‘an addition to the small annuity of ten pounds already granted (through your kind interference) by Earl Whitworth’. Annotation added to back of document to state that concordatum cases will not be taken ‘into consideration until some time in the course of the ensuing month’.
EXTENT: 1 item; 2pp
DATE(S): 5 Sep 1818
DATE EARLY: 1818
DATE LATE: 1818
ORIGINAL REFERENCE: CSORP1818/A26
Correspondence was read in connection with the County Hospital, stating that the contract had been given out for new windows, and work would commence at once, and when same was completed the contractor for the pebble dashing of the hospital would commence work. Plans have been drawn up and sent to the Department of Health for approval for the new Nurses Residence at the County Hospital, and when same is approved the work will be advertised for contract. Negotiations were taking place with the Leinster Estate in request of a site at the Market Square for the weighbridge. It was decided to request the Co. Council to have a new public sanitary convenience erected in place the old public lavatory which has been condemned and closed.
A complaint was received that the South Green pump was still out of order, and that the contractor had them taken up the pump some months ago, and that nothing was done with it since.
It was decided to again report the matter to the Council.