The now online full census of 1926 is a great boon for family and local history. Already, most of us have looked up the manuscript returns for 1901 and 1911, now available online. Birr is fortunate in having the original returns for the barony of Ballybritt including the towns of Birr and Kinnitty for 1821. Nothing like this survives for the rest of Offaly – that is the other eleven baronies. However, the return of the number of people living in the lanes and streets of Tullamore was published in 1821 and provides an interesting insight into population and housing over 200 years ago. In a few weeks we take a closer look at the streets of Tullamore in new publications on the street names and its Bridge Street and High Street.
(more…)Category: Places
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A Tullamore Company Director and his Crombie overcoat. By Michael Byrne, Blog no.824, 23 Oct. 2026.
No, it was not a blue raincoat but rather a Crombie of an unusual hue. Yet the wearing of it while dining in, not one but two Dublin hotels, was rejected by the headwaiters of such places. The set for this culinary tragedy was not the famous Restaurant Jammet, or the Royal Hibernian, but rather the Central Hotel and the Wicklow Hotel, both near enough to affluent Grafton Street but not haute cuisine for all that.
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How David Quinn, the historian from Clara, explains today’s global confrontations through his pioneering work on land and sea powers.Offaly History Blog no. 823 by Neasa MacErlean, 15 Oct. 2026.
It might not be long before many of us are discussing the comparative strengths of land and sea powers — or, to be more specific, China, Russia and Iran against the US and UK. Like Roman gladiators, they have different sets of weapons — tanks and soldiers, in particular, against ships and submarines. There is a particular reason to be interested in this subject in County Offaly — the birthplace and early home of one of the most insightful and original historians of this distinction.
David Beers Quinn, born in Clara in 1909, felt this contrast under his feet in his formative stages — passing his first 13 years on the Goodbody estate [at Inchmore, Clara] and then moving in 1922 to the port of Belfast, birthplace of great ocean liners.
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In Memory of Sister Genevieve (Genny) Hassey. Offaly History Blog 822, 9 October 2026.
The following appreciation piece is based on an interview with Sr. Genny by Albert Fitzgerald on Midlands 103’s Life and Times programme recorded in 2007. You can listen to the full recording on Voices of Offaly which is accessible from the homepage of Offaly History website (www.offalyhistory.com)
On Saturday 3rd of October 2026, the community of Tullamore, County Offaly, and the wider Sisters of Mercy family bid a solemn and heartfelt farewell to Sister Genevieve Hassey—known affectionately to generations of students, parishioners, colleagues, and friends simply as Sr. Genny. Though born Philomena Hassey in Freshford, County Kilkenny, her life’s work, her warm smile, and her untiring spirit became inextricably woven into the fabric of Tullamore over more than seven decades. To write an appreciation of Sr. Genny is to recall a life marked by joy, resilience, dedicated service to youth and parish, an open-minded approach to education, and an enduring faith that touched countless lives.
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Tullamore and the Third World War: a hasty departure from Berlin in 1961. Blog no. 820 in the Offaly History Series, 1 October 2026. By Fergal MacCabe
As the 13th of August comes around, the present rising tensions between Russia and the West bring me back sixty-five years to the Summer of 1961 and my ringside seat at its most momentous event.
The Cold War was hotting up and the nuclear powers were preparing for a confrontation when myself and some classmates from the School of Architecture in UCD arrived in London hoping to make enough summer money to get us through the next year. Our skills were instantly snapped up by firms engaged in the delivery of priority defence projects.
For the next two months I worked night and day churning out drawings for the construction of a nuclear submarine base at Faslane in Scotland. By the end of July we were all exhausted but having saved enough money, we badly needed a break. One of us had bought a second-hand car so we decided to make an architectural pilgrimage to the Continent before returning to Ireland.
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An Appreciation of Andy Gallagher (1936–2026). Blog no. 819, 27 September 2026,
This appreciation is based on an interview Andy Gallagher conducted with the late Maurice O’Keeffe in 2012.
Introduction:
The recent passing on 14 September 2026 of Andy Gallagher in his ninetieth year—just a couple of weeks short of his 90th birthday—marks the end of an extraordinary era for Offaly and Tullamore. A towering figure in the GAA, a dedicated public servant, and a cherished community leader, Andy Gallagher was, in every sense, a proud son of the Faithful County whose immeasurable contribution and legacy will endure for generations. To chart Andy Gallagher’s life is to chronicle the growth of modern Tullamore and the transformative rise of Offaly hurling from modest beginnings to the pinnacle of All-Ireland glory.
For the interview Voices on www.offalyhistory.com or direct to Soundcloud
Andy Gallagher by Offaly History on #SoundCloud https://on.soundcloud.com/QMpcyRRiPWIaey7JvT
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Early Days:
Born and raised in the heart of Tullamore, Andy’s roots ran deep into the local soil. When once asked about his lineage, Andy proudly confirmed that his family went back as far as records could trace in the Tullamore area. The son of Matthew (Matt) Gallagher, a skilled carpenter who worked with local contractors, Andy grew up steeped in the town’s traditions. He received his education at the local Christian Brothers school, where his natural sporting gift and lifelong love for Gaelic games were nurtured.
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In his second contribution to his Bulfin Bulletin Blog, Timothy Moloney previews his forthcoming lecture on William Bulfin at the Offaly History Society on 28 September. Offaly History Blog Series, Blog no. 818, 23 Sept. 2026.
A blog contribution had been planned closer to the envisaged eventual publication of the biography; however, following a request from Offaly History for an article prior to the lecture on 28 September, I have composed the following internet pages. I will return to the story of the biography from initial acceptance by my agent in 2022 in a separate blog.
[Monday 28 September 2026 at 7 30 p.m. Timothy Moloney on William Bulfin: his Life and Works at Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore (beside new Aldi). All are welcome.]
Timothy Moloney describes the life of William Bulfin using his works as a frame in which to set the biographical details. Drawing on his as yet unpublished biography, Timothy surveys his main works, Tales of the Pampas and Rambles in Eirinn, but he also pays attention to his lesser-known creations ̶ ‘Sketches of Buenos Aires’ and a novel A Man of the Pampas, as well as a series of articles he wrote on a trip to the Andes in 1905. He accompanies the lecture with interesting slides showing samples from Bulfin’s oeuvre and pictures from his time and of his family members.
Editor adds: Bulfin was an important figure in Irish Ireland of the early 1900s. His premature death in 1910 robbed Offaly and Ireland of a leader in cultural nationalism who might well have been a senator and perhaps a candidate for the presidency. The family have lived in County Offaly since at least the 1800s if not much earlier. Bulfin was buried in the Eglish churchyard. ]
The topic was to be a choice of my own, and after consideration, I chose ‘William Bulfin: his Life and Works’. It should have been easy to prepare, but since I had been working on other projects since completion of the biography ̶ a novel completed in 2023, and another historical work in 2023 and 2024, it proved more difficult than I expected. I had to review his life again, and had to distil it into manageable chunks for a sixty minute lecture. The life itself was one aspect, but then there were also the works: I planned to examine the genesis of his well-known works such as Tales of the Pampas and Rambles in Eirinn, but also wanted to draw attention to his lesser known literary or journalistic creations, such as his ‘Sketches of Buenos Aires’ under the nom-de-plume Che Buono, an unpublished novel he wrote called A Man of the Pampas, and also a lengthy series of articles he composed about a trip to the Lower Andes in 1905.
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Memories of life by the Grand Canal: the Cummins family at Ballycowan Lock as recorded in 1983. Blog no. 816 in the Offaly History Blog Series. 11 Sept. 2026
The Grand Canal, like all great waterways, has its own traditions. One of the most enduring of these customs is the tradition of loyal service given by those men and women who work on, or at the canal. In many cases, this tradition of service remains within a family, and is passed down from generation to generation. The Cummins family of Ballycowan Lock are such a family.
In the early years of the twentieth century when trade and commerce flourished, and the Grand Canal was still a thriving transport waterway with barges steaming up and down from Dublin to Shannon, Michael Cummins worked as a greaser in the Canal Basin T Shannon. In 1915 he was the victim of a tragic drowning accident in the place where he had spent his whole working life. He left behind a widow, Catherine, and a teenage boy, Joseph and to keep the wolf from the door, they had to find a new means of living. Thus began the long association between the Cummins family and Ballycowan Lock.
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