Category: Offaly

• The Education Inquiry 1824-26, – its Context and its findings for Killoughey, County Offaly. By Damian White. No 23 in the Offaly Anniversaries Series. Blog No 672, 23rd Nov 2024

  The 1824 Survey of Irish schools and the reason it was carried out must be put in context. That context probably can be traced back to the Gavelkind Act, enacted in the Protestant Irish Parliament 120 years earlier in 1704. This act brought into force what became known infamously as the Penal Laws.

  The Penal Laws were intended to protect the interests of the Protestant Ascendency from any future threat from the Catholic majority. Amongst these laws was one stating that “No Catholic may attend a university, keep a school, or send his children to be educated abroad. £10 reward is offered for the discovery of a Roman catholic teacher.”

  These laws were severe, but as time went by, were more observed in the breach. Teachers, many of whom lived an itinerant lifestyle for fear of discovery and arrest, moved around the country, being sheltered by families in the areas where they would provide lessons for local children, often in outdoor, secluded areas, protected from view by hedges and the alert observations of a well-positioned look-out. This led to the use of the term ‘hedge school’, the convenor of which was known as the ‘Hedge School Master’.

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  November 23, 2024

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• Up Offaly: Offaly’s Day at the Heritage Council Heritage Week Awards in Dublin on 15 November 2024. ‘Well that Beats Banagher’ and Ballycumber, Lemanaghan and Shinrone. Blog No 670, 16th Nov 2024

  It was a big day for Offaly at the Heritage Week Awards held in the wonderful Royal Hospital Kilmainham on Friday 15 November 2024. As Amanda Pedlow, the Offaly Council Heritage Officer noted:

  It was Offaly’s day at The Heritage Council Heritage Week Awards in Kilmainham today. James Scully is the well-deserved winner of the national Heritage Hero Award.

  Ballycumber Tidy Towns Group won the Water Heritage Day award with their ‘Folly Tales and Treasure Trails’ event; The Heritage Boat Association and Inland Waterways Association with Waterways Ireland were runners up in this category with their ‘A Boatman’s Journey: Navigating the heritage of the Grand Canal’ held in Tullamore.

  Lemanaghan Bog Heritage and Conservation Group were runners up in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Award (The Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Award) for their project recording traditions and folklore of Lemanaghan.

  Shinrone Heritage Group won the County Award for their Shinrone Gown project.

  Well done to all the winners and to the 70+ organisers of events for this year’s Heritage Week in Offaly.

  The big cheer was for the win by James Scully of the 2024 Heritage Hero award.

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  November 16, 2024

  history, Local history, news, Photography, travel

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• The changing face of Offaly towns in the early 1900s, beautifully illustrated with historic pictures, to be launched on Friday 15 November, 7.30 p.m. at Offaly History Centre Tullamore by Cllr Tony McCormack, cathaoirleach Offaly County Council. Blog No 668, 9th Nov 2024

  The changing face of Offaly towns in the early 1900s: An illustrated history edited by Michael Byrne with contributions from Paul Barber, Stephen Callaghan, Grace Clendennen, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Goodbody, Ger Murphy, John Powell, Laura Price, Ciarán Reilly and Brendan Ryan (Offaly History, Tullamore, 2024, 368 pp). Available from Offaly History Centre and Midland Books Tullamore and online at www.offalyhistory.com. ISBN 978-1-909822-38-2 (hard back), €27.99. The book will be launched at Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore – beside the new Aldi and Old Warehouse. It is already available at the Centre, online at http://www.offalyhistory.com and at Midland Books, Tullamore. If you cannot attend in Tullamore we have a launch at Giltrap’s of Kinnitty on Thursday 21 Nov. at 7. 30 p.m. We will have copies in Bridge Centre for the Christmas Sale 14 to 24 December.

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  November 9, 2024

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• Memories of Offaly: celebrating the mix of rural and urban life in the 1960s and 1970s by Killina, Rahan man Aidan Grennan. Blog No 667, 6th Nov 2024

                                     Memories of Offaly can best be described as opening a diary into life in Co Offaly, over the last 50 or 60 years. The author of the book is Aidan Grennan, from Killina, Rahan. Aidan is to be congratulated on his second book. Both books are available from Offaly History Centre and online at http://www.offalyhistory.com

  ‘It is a nostalgic glimpse into the people and events in the county within my own life-time’ said Aidan. He commented: ‘I think it’s important now and then, to take a look-back over the years. I love nostalgia’, though we have to live in the present.

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  November 6, 2024

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• 21 ‘Rambling Jack’, Ned Holohan, a ‘knight of the road’ (died 1931) recalled in this article of 1961 by the late Alo O’ Brennan, War of Independence activist and late manager of the Tullamore Labour Exchange, and Pat Fanning, Offaly journalist, with a poem from Athlone. No 21 in the Offaly History Anniversaries Series. Blog No 666, 2nd Nov 2024

  In his entertaining reminiscences last week, John Freyne laments the “Vanishing Knights” and incidentally recalls a Prince among them, the sightless Edward Holohan, better known over a great part of Ireland as “Rambling Jack.”

  Mr Freyne tells of the respect and affection, with which this famous wandering minstrel was held in Moate. It was only symptomatic of the esteem-amounting almost to veneration in which he was held in the many counties, that he traversed twice each year, from his native Limerick of the rich pastures, to the shores of Lough Sheelin. A noble hearted Fenian himself, Ned Holohan was a living link with ’67  [The Fenian Rising of 1867] and everything that Fenianism stood for. He was born at Darnstown, near Killmallock, on the way to Bruree in 1839, and he died there on 27^th December, 1931 in his 92^nd year. He lost his eyesight in the attack on Killmallock Police Barracks in 1867 and his famous old fiddle, which up to then, had been his amusement, became for him his means of livelihood. His herculean physical strength failed, one brown October day, on the main road between Birr and Banagher, while making his way to the later town. He was removed to the old County Hospital at Tullamore where he was among real kind-hearted friends, many of whom still survive. He recovered and took up his permanent abode in Tullamore where he lived until shortly before his death. He returned to his beloved Limerick to die on the spot where he was born. No Irishman did more than Ned Holohan in a humble way, without pension, fee, or reward of any king to tend the Phoenix flame of Irish nationality. He was one of the real old Fenian stock, staunch and true, an inspiring rebel to the end.

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  November 2, 2024

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• 20 Uptown Clara, a hive of activity from 200 years ago. Looking at Clara’s old families. No 20 in the Anniversaries Series.  By Maurice G Egan. Blog No 665, 30th oct 2024

  Recently, I walked Clara’s Main Street and was again reminded of its relative short length and the relatively small size of its adjoining, almost hidden, Market Square. A square and street where much trade, barter and banter, laughter, disagreements, or agreements on family member marriages, and heated discussions on political reform, occurred on a regular basis for hundreds of years.

  Many local hostelries were frequented, where typically a farmer and his wife and family would come to settle bills, visit the local medic for advice, or attend religious services. Today the square is modernly paved, almost hidden and its well-maintained former Market House now tucked away from the passing motorised traffic. Sadly, as in the case of many Irish provincial towns several old buildings have fallen into a state of disrepair and exude an aura of reduced circumstances.

  Back in 1826, Clara’s Main Street and Market Square was a hive of activity and was where many notable families conducted their commercial business and resided upstairs. As I strolled the street and looked above the ground floor level of today’s shop fronts, I wondered who were these former resident families and what ever became of some of them?

  Clearly, this is just a chosen snapshot of some Clara families, and I would be keenly interested to hear from family members of their stories from those days’ past.

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  October 30, 2024

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• 19 Tullamore Irish National Foresters:  One of the oldest organisations in Tullamore. A photo-essay to mark the 125th anniversary, looking at the first 25 years from 1899 to 1924. No. 19 in the Anniversaries Series by Michael Byrne and Offaly History.  Part Three and concluded. Blog No 664, 26th Oct 2024

  In early 1916 the Foresters accommodated a support dance for the war effort and a ceilidh organised by the new branch in Tullamore of Cumann na mBan. A report of the first Ceilidh Mhór of Tullamore branch of Cumann na mBan held in the Foresters in early January had over 100 couples in attendance. The Tri-colour prominent in the hall was that ‘of the ’48 men, green, white and yellow’. The decoration of the hall was carried out by a ladies committee of Cumann na mBan assisted by Messrs Bracken, McNally and others (all prominent in the First shot episode in Tullamore in March 1916).The president of the branch was in attendance, Mrs P.F. Adams, as was P.F Adams. The Ladies Committee included McBrian, Mooney, Neary, Conway, Galvin while Messrs Alo Brennan, Seamus Connor and H. McNally and Miss Long assisted. These men and women were all prominent in the national movement and the breakaway minority group from Redmond’s Volunteers.[1] In a strange decision Adams gave up his seat on the county council in February 1917 in favour of the Limerick-born T.M. Russell, the new full-time local organiser for Sinn Féin. The Foresters were not happy that Tullamore now had no representative on the council except ‘this new man’.[2]

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  October 26, 2024

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• 18 Reflections of a rambler to Geashill and its railway station in County Offaly, almost 90 years ago. No. 18 in the Anniversaries series by Offaly History. Blog No 663, 23rd Oct 2024

  A rambler to Geashill in 1936 recorded his thoughts on the railway station, the village itself and the poems of Edward Egan who lived close by at the Meelaghans. The railway station closed about 1961, and Edward Egan better known as ‘The Poet’ Egan was in his last years when Rambler visited in 1936. For all the praise for Egan there were few at his funeral in Killeigh old churchyard. Nor is there any tombstone to mark his name.

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  October 23, 2024

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• Listening to some well-known Offaly people: a Commemorative Lecture to mark the contribution of the upwards of 300 men and women who have given their time to build the audio library of memories of their area and life stories in County Offaly. Presented by Aidan Barry. Blog No 662, 18th oct 2024

  The oral story of Offaly people in the Offaly History Centre sound archives collection. 21 October 2024, 8 p.m. Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay Tullamore, R35 Y5V.
  

  

  
  The presentation by Aidan Barry will consist of the following:
  – An overview of the oral history resources available at Offaly History and how to access them.
  – Commemorating the work of Maurice O Keefe (RIP) at Irish Life and Lore and Albert Fitzgerald (RIP) at — – Midlands103 and also the late James Kenny of Clara Bridge, Tullamore.
  – Listening to samples from the Oral History collection at Offaly History
  – Recording Oral History and editing recordings
  – Transcribing Oral recordings using the latest technology

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  October 18, 2024

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• STEA2M Engineering Heritage October Festival at Birr, 19th Century Pioneers to inspire 21st Century Engineers 18th to 20th October 2024. Blog No 660, 12th Oct 2024

  

  The Great Telescope at Birr

  Agenda for the Festival

  Friday 9am to 5pm – Discover Birr Castle Demesne by taking on the engineering trail through the gardens and science centre.

  Friday 7pm – Welcome reception with tea and sandwiches followed by opening lecture(1) – 8pm. Note: All lectures in Birr Theatre and Arts Centre

  1. 8.00pm Lady Alicia Clements – Introduction to the Engineering Weekend Festival
  2. 8.15pm John Burgess – The Parsons Families of the 19^th Century

  Saturday – 10.00am Lecture (2) – Power on Land

  1. Brian Leddin TD – Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action – Welcome and Opening Remarks
  2. Geoff Horseman (Formerly Head of Turbine-Generator Engineering at Parsons and Chief Turbine Engineer at Siemens Newcastle-Upon-Tyne) – Evolution of the Parsons Land Steam Turbine

  Saturday – 11.30am guided discovery tour in Birr Castle Gardens to visit (Please note to wear non-slip footwear and outdoor gear for walking on garden trails):

  1. The Leviathan and LOFAR Telescopes – Peter Gallagher or Joe McCauley
  2. The refurbished suspension bridge,
  3. Rejuvenated hydro-electric turbine, and
  4. The secret of the lake’s ingenious water level management system.

  Saturday – 1.15pm Lunch at the Kellys Bar

  Saturday – 2.30pm Lecture (3) – Power at Sea

  1. 2.30pm Ian Whitehead – Turbinia – a daring venture in marine propulsion
  2. 3.00pm Geoff Horseman – Engines of the First Giant Turbine Passenger Liners
  3. 4.00pm Jody Power – Marine Propulsion Steam Turbines – A Personal Journey

  A recess of 2 hours from 4.30pm to regroup at 6.30pm in John’s Hall

  Saturday – 6.30 pm Exhibition in John’s Hall, Birr.

                        8.00 pm Dinner in Doolys Hotel

  Sunday – 10am – Lecture (4) – Power to Change

  1. 10.00am – Benita Stoney – The Stoney family collaboration and achievements
  2. 10.45am – Una O’Grady – Renewable Energy in the Midlands – Wind, Water and Stars
  3. 11.30am – Stephen Grant – Engineering at a time of change – 21^st to 19^th Centuries parallels to inform a paradigm shift in addressing climate change
  4. 12.15pm – Lady Alicia Clements – Farewell notes

  Sunday 1pm and 2pm – Guided tours of castle

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  October 12, 2024

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