SWALLOWS Long tailed swallows glided onto our street in springtime. Their swift movements shaded our faces, as they made for the barn, where their nest clung to rafters under the roof. They replenished the inside of the speckled nest with wisps of hay, and eggs were laid. We longed for the babies to appear, and watch them learn to fly, before they journeyed south. -- Mary Guckian, "The Road to Gowel" (2000)

PREPARING FOR THE STATION During March and October Mass was celebrated in each townland; much painting and cleaning took up the time beforehand. Each piece of wood had to be prepared; poor chimney draughts made the drying of paint difficult. Everyone worried that the neighbors might get their clothes ruined, or that the priest's wide cloak might blow against the door post. China dishes were washed and scoured. Old white tablecloths with silvery designs were washed and starched; the ironing brought up the pattern. The towels edged with heavy lace were used for the small tables, where the priest laid his particles before saying Mass. Bedspreads never seen before came out of old trunks, the Sacred Heart Lamp was polished along with brass candlesticks. The priest gave a sermon telling us to love our neighbour. If a family from the townland was missing it was assumed a row was brewing, or it could be that they wanted to avoid the next turn for Mass. The priest never left without a volunteer promising to take the next Station, Lots of food was served for breakfast in the parlour. -- Mary Guckian, from "Perfume of the Soil, Swan Press 1999.

THE FUNERAL GAME That winter we came to terms with death. Every shoe-box was a coffin For anything small and dead And we wrapped them in calicoes, velvets ... We grabbed hats, coats, umbrellas, >From the hallway to dress as mourners, Someone struck an iron girder in the hay-shed To sound the funeral bell, John Joe beat the dead march on a saucepan. We held wakes, issued death certificates To old crows, kittens, chickens ... Lined the graves with stones, Erected crosses with ash sticks. We pretended to cry, struggled with Latin prayers, Filled the wet graves in the clover field, Genuflected in the direction of a whin bush, The rain pelting down We left by a side-gap, Back to the hay-shed for tea, bread, butter ... For all who travelled long journeys. -- Noel MONAHAN

SNIPPET: On a recent visit to Ireland from the USA, my sister and I were "mesmerized" by the age, history, vastness and beauty of St. Mary's Cathedral, founded in the 1168 on a hill on the King's Island which is the oldest part of Limerick. It has been a house of prayer for over 830 years. In fact, it is the oldest building in Limerick which is in daily use. Each day there is at least one service of worship. The priests and people who worship there belong to the Church of Ireland, but all Christians are welcome. The Cathedral was built where the palace of one of the Kings of Munster, DONAL MOR O'BRIEN once stood. He donated this same site for the building of a church. Long before this, on the same island, the Vikings had pushed their beaked longships ashore and built their meeting place or "thingmote" - their most western European stronghold. King DONAL MOR O'BRIEN also built the Cathedral atop the rock of Cashel, St. Flannan's Cathedral in Killaloe, and the Holy Cross Abbey in Co. Tipperary. Of all the things that people come to see in St. Mary's the Misericords are the most famous. These are the only examples of this kind of furniture preserved in Ireland. The name "misericord" comes from a Latin word meaning "act of mercy." Carved from oak, between 1480 and 1500, from the woods at Cratloe, Co. Clare, the seats are constructed so that they may be raised. In the early Church people stood throughout the services. In fact, at one time sitting was forbidden. On the lip of each of the 23 seats there is a ledge which was designed to allow the occupant, though appearing to stand, to rest during long services, hence the name "Mercy Seats." The oak from Cratloe has been used since the 11th century. The beams of the roof of Westminster Hall, London and those in this Cathedral also came from Cratloe. Each misericord is now a stall for a member of the Cathedral Chapter. The beautifully executed carvings on the underside of the seats with their human heads, angel, monsters, represent symbols of good and evil - in some cases their conflict - and incorporate such things as a griffin (half eagle, half lion), antelopes, two-legged dragon, two-headed dragon, etc., and a swan, which is one of the finest carvings.

SNIPPET: By the time that he was 10, Paul MORPHY (1837-84) was playing chess with some of the best players in his hometown of New Orleans. At 20, he burst onto the international scene, traveling to Europe and beating all the best chess players but one, who refused to play him. He even played blindfolded and won! He became the acknowleged "chess master" of the world before the term was used or recognized. But chess was hardly a way to make a living in the mid-19th century, so he eventually dropped it and took up law. MORPHY worked as a lawyer in New Orleans until his death.

SNIPPET: It is said that Arthur MacMurrough KAVANAGH did not equal any man, but few men equalled him - see his remarkable story below. Carlow with an area of 345 square miles is one of the smallest counties in Ireland. The population of the county in 1841 was 86,228, the population nearly halved in the next 40 years, famine playing a big part in this with emigration also to blame. In 1991 the census was 40,942 with Carlow town at 11,271, per article in the 1997 #3 "Irish Roots" magazine published in Cork. Almost triangular in shape, Carlow is surrounded by Counties Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford, Kilkenny and Laois (Queen's Co.), and bounded by the River Slaney to the east an the River Barrow to the west. There are 597 townlands and seven baronies. The Barrow has long been the gateway to trade, with Waterford in one direction and, by joining the Grand Canal just under Athy, with Dublin and Limerick in the other. Many Carlow families were employed on the boats, most of them on the Graiguecullen side of the Barrow, but many also from South Carlow, Tinnahinch and Graignamanagh. Traditionally, son followed father - even grandfather and sometimes farther back. Unfortunately in 1960 trading ceased and a tradition and a way of life died. With Mount Leinster at a height of 2,610 feet, looking down on the beautiful village of Borris, the county is surrounded by hills. The Barrow Valley, in all its breathtaking beauty, takes you through Carlow town, on to Leighlinbridge, Bagnalstown, Goresbridge, Graignamanagh and on to St. Mullins, famed in history, from where the river is tidal. At the time of trading, the boats were met here by a steamer which took them out on the early morning tide. St. Mullins is the site of the famous monastery founded by St. Molling, a place of great learning and holiness. The saint is reputed to have promised that those buried in the graveyard would go straight to Heaven. There is a Pattern held there every year. There were many stately homes (so-called Big Houses) in the county to include the BRUENs of Oakpark, the BROWNs of Brownshill, DUCKETTs of Ducketts Grove (this house was occupied by the Pro-Treaty IRA during the 'troubles'), BURTONs of Burton Hall, ROCHFORTs of Clogrennan, and BAGNELs of Dunleckney, who gave their name to Bagnelstown. The proximity of Carlow to Dublin and the quality of the land was a big factor in its plantation. In nearby Borris is the home of the MacMurrough KAVANAGHs, descendants of Diarmuid MacMURROUGH, King of Leinster. One of the most notable of this family was Arthur MacMurrough KAVANAGH, who was born in 1831 without arms or legs. His story is a remarkable tale of victory over adversity, as he led a very full life despite his physical handicaps. He managed to attend to himself in every way, travelled extensively all over the world. He married, and fathered seven children, he was MP (member of parliament) for Carlow from 1866 to 1880. By means of a steel hook protruding from his sleeve he could fish, hunt, sail and shoot. A very good story is told of his arrival at Abbeyleix, County Laois, by rail for a shoot at the DEVESCI Estate. As the station master helped him fron the train to his carriage, he said - "You are welcome back to Abbeyleix Mr. KAVANAGH." Later in the day while shooting with a gun that he had adapted to strap to his shoulders, KAVANAGH commented: "Amazing, I have not been in Abbeyleix for 15 years and the station master recognised me." Arthur died in 1889 at the ripe old age - for that time - of 76 years. Other famous individuals include Myles W. KEOGH, born at Orchard House, Leighlinbridge. In 1860 Myles enlisted in the Papal Army of Pius IX as a second lieutenant in the Battle of St. Patrick. After the capture of his very ill-equipped regiment, which after a brave fight was forced to surrender, KEOGH and his comrades were prisoners of war for a short time before being repatriated. Some of them, including Myles, decided to stay on as regulars in the Papal Army. Myles had distinguished himself at the Battle of Ancona, and had received two Papal medals. At the outbreak of the Civil War in America, Myles joined the United States Army as a Captain at age 22. After long service in the Army he was attached to the regiment of General George CUSTER, and became second in command. In 1876 he fought at the Battle of the Little Big Horn when Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse wiped out the entire regiment, leaving nothing living except the horse of General KEOGH, named Commanche. This horse was taken care of by another Irishman, Captain NOLAN. The horse was made subject to an army order, never ridden or worked again, but kept as a living memorial to the battle. When Commanche died 20 years later he was skinned and stuffed and at the time of the article (1997) was on exhibition in the University of Kansas. Per the article, all the soldiers killed at the Battle of Custer's last stand were mutilated and scalped, with the exception of CUSTER and Myles KEOGH. When Sitting Bull was killed in a later battle he was found to be wearing a Papal Medal. Another famous man born at Leighlinbridge, was the scientist, John TYNDALL, a recognised genious. The renowned playwright George Bernard SHAW had strong Carlow connections through his mother's family, the GURLYs, who went back to the 1700s. SHAW bequeathed several properties to Carlow town, the first of which was then the Assembly Room, in Dublin Street, which became Carlow Technical School and subsequently the County Library. Carlow, because of its proximity to Wexford where the rising of 1798 began, was the scene of many bloody battles. The death and torture carried out in Carlow town was horrific. When the rebels approaching Carlow met no resistance and preceded down Tullow Street, they found the street closed before and behind them. All were literally slaughtered. Griffith's Valuation was carried out in Carlow in 1852. At that time the most numerous household surname in Carlow was BYRNE, follwed by NOLAN/NOWLAN, KAVANAGH, KELLY, NEILL, McDONNELL/McDONALD, KINSELLA, WHELAN, RYAN and BRENNAN.

SNIPPET: I was delighted to find many examples of delicate Limerick Lace at the Limerick Museum beside King John's Castle, Limerick City, on a recent visit to Ireland. One particularly beautiful example was a child's apron circa 1870 made entirely of lace. Many wonderful items and artefacts can also be seen in the museum dedicated to the memory of the late Jim KEMMY, Alderman, Mayor and parliamentary representative for Limerick, socialist, author, local historian, friend of the arts and founder editor of the Old Limerick Journal. Items include the ceremonial apron of Limerick Slaters Guild circa 1850; a Flint lancehead from Knockferina megalithic tomb, Co. Limerick, circa 2000 BC; a decorated bronze axehead from Curragh Chase, Co. Limerick circa 1800 BC; a photograph of Hunt's Lane, Limerick, 1933; a Limerick Soviet ten shilling note, April 1919; Jonathan SWIFT's "Gulliver's Travels" printed by Stephen GOGGIN, Limerick, c. 1809; the Flag of the Limerick Volunteers, 1775; a King John silver penny, Limerick mint, circa 1210; a fascinating 12th century Romanesque stone head from Peter's Cell, Kings Islands, Limerick; Limerick calfskin gloves from the early 19th century that are so finely made that they can be fitted into a walnut shell; a painting of the Exchange, Nicholas Street, circa 1820; and a miniature portrait of William Smith O'BRIEN, a Young Ireland leader, 1840s. The museum houses more than 40 thousand objects illustrating all aspects of the past of Limerick city and surrounding areas from earliest times to the present day. Owned and operated by Limerick City Council, the museum first opened to the public in 1916 as part of the city library in Pery Square. In 1979 it transferred to the renovated Georgian period John's Square in Irishtown, where it occupied the ground floor and basement of Nos. 1 & 2 on the north side. The collections of the museum were increasing rapidly, and the need for additional display and storage facilities led to its removal to the newly built granary-style building at Castle Lane in 1999. The museum was winner of the first Gulbenkian Irish Museum Award. Admission is free and is open all year Tuesday-Saturday, closed Sunday, Monday and public holidays. More info. www.limerickcity.ie

SNIPPET: At Glenavy in Co. Antrim, about eight miles from Lisburn, is the preserved farmstead boyhood home of John BALLANCE (1839-93) a reformer whose deeds set a pattern for social change throughout the world. BALLANCE took a keen interest in politics, and his nationalist leanings and abhorrence of land monopoly, greedy landlords, inequality and dominance by outsiders set the pattern for his future career. At 18, he moved to England and studied politics at night school and wrote newspaper articles castigating England's rigid class system. Six years later he emigrated to New Zealand and started his own newspaper, the 'Wanganui Herald,' which is still in circulation. John soon became involved in politics of his adopted country and women's rights. He wrote: "In every sense the interests of civilisation ...demand that women should be placed in perfect ... equality with men." He used his newspaper to attack land speculators and to press for independence from Britain and free education for all. In 1875, BALLANCE was elected to the New Zealand Parliament as a member of the opposition Liberal Party. He became party leader and, when he took power in December 1890, immediately introduced measures to enfranchise women, help small farmers, and revolutionise education. When offered a knighthood, his response was that it was "more noble to reject such honours and die in possession of the confidence of the people." BALLANCE's ground-breaking equality legislation was passed in 1893 when NZ became the first country to give women the vote, property rights and the authority to practise in the learned professions. He did not live to see women vote in the election held the end of 1893, however, as he failed to regain consciousness after a long operation for cancer earlier that year. The BALLANCE House at Glenavy has been restored by the Ulster-New Zealand Trust and is open to visitors Among its attractions are an orchard, of 19th century varieties, which were planted by the All-Blacks rugby team in 1989, and a library with information on pioneer life in NZ, the Irish influence in that country and Maori culture. A permanent exhibition is devoted to BALLANCE's life and there are guided tours. This homestead and his statute in front of the New Zealand Parliament are very fitting tributes to the County Antrim farmer's son whose crusade against the old order surely makes him one of history's great reformers. -- Excerpts, 'Antrim's Crusaders,' Leslie GILMORE (July-Aug 2005 issue, Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine).

Books/Periodicals: 1. David LARKIN, Burpengary, Queensland, Australia, author of several reference books. His "Pushing Up Shamrocks" gives the history of Irish to Queensland and personal data on Irish individuals buried in Queensland from resources such as pioneer records, tombstone inscriptions and submitted FH sheets with names/addresses of submitters. 2. CLEARY, P. J. S., "Australia's Debt to Ireland's Nation-builders," (Sydney 1933). 3. COFFEY & MORGAN, "Irish Families in Australia and New Zealand 1788-1979", 4 vols, biographical dictionary, (Melbourne, 1979). 4. CURRY, C. H., "The Irish at Eureka," (Sydney 1954). 5. HAWKINGS, David T., "Bound for Australia," Sussex, Phillimore and Co. (1987). 6. HOGAN, J., "The Irish in Australia," (Melbourne 1888), copy in National Library, Dublin, as are many of the other books listed here. 7. HUGHES, Robert, "The Fatal Shore," (London 1988). 8. KIERNAN, C. (ed.), "Australia and Ireland, 1788-1986", (Dublin 1986). 9. KIERNAN, T. J., "The Irish in Australia," (Dublin 1954). 10. McDONAGH & MANDLE,"Ireland and Irish-Australians," (Sydney 1982). 11. O'FARRELL, P., "The Irish in Australia, " (New South Wales 1987). 12. ROBINSON, P., "The Hitch and Brood of Time: Australians 1788-1828," (Oxford 1985). 13. ROBSON, L. L., "The Convict Settlers of Australia," (Melbourne 1965). 14. "The Ulster Link" (Magazine of the Northern Irish in Australia and NZ). 15. 'Barefoot and Pregnant?' Female Orphans who emigrated from Irish workhouses to Australia, 'Familia,' "Ulster Genealogical Review," Vol. II, No 3 (1987). 16. Emigration from Co. Galway (parishes of Kilchreest, Killigolen, Killinane, Killora, Kilthomas and Isserkelly) to US and Australia circa 1852-59: Reference: Genealogical Office (Dublin) manuscript #622. (Check also LDS FHC and Internet). 17. Article, 'A Decent Set of Girls, Yass, NSW remembers the Famine orphans of the 'Thomas Arbuthnot,' authors Cheryl MONGAN and Dr. Richard REID (Cork's "Irish Roots" magazine issue #2, 1997). Historical background and March 1996 reenactment (w/photos) of the arrival of orphans with parade through town. 18. Publication, "A Decent Set of Girls, The Irish Famine Orphans of the Thomas Arbuthnot, 1849-1850,' Yass Heritage Project, Yass, NSW, Australia. The heart of the 1996 publication is the diary of Surgeon Superintendent of the "Thomas Arbuthnot," Englishman Charles Edward STRUTT. Perhaps copies of the publication are still available. Note -- A typewritten version of STRUTT's diary is at the La Trobe Library, Melbourne. Three orphans have their own genealogical record page in the Yass Heritage Project publication -- Eliza ROUGHAN of Ennis, Clare, Mary DOWD of Dingle, Kerry, and Harriet SPENCE of Gort, Galway - each of whom settled in Yass after 1850 where they had large families. 19. Thomas KENEALLY's 1998 book, "The Great Shame," published by Random Harvest. A popular Irish-Australian author. 20. "Irish Roots" magazine, published in Cork, has an article in each issue about Australian genealogy. 21. Per the 1999 Number 1 issue of "Irish Roots" magazine published in Cork, Jennifer HARRISON, Toowong, BC Queensland, Australia, wrote: "A substantial effort is under way under the auspices of Val THOMPSON of Sydney and Kate PRESS of Melbourne. They are compiling a database of 19th century emigrants from West Limerick. Val will be remembered by many readers as the Australian author with Dr. Chris O'MAHONY of the book 'Poverty to Promise,' about the emigrants sponsored by Thomas Spring RICE, 1st Baron Monteagle of Brandon. Kate is editor of 'Genealogist,' the journal for Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies, one of the largest Victorian family history societies. They are toiling towards publishing a directory sometime this year. Most of their material concerns those from west of the River Deel, although perceptions of borders defining West Limerick have meant the inclusion of a few from places such as Adare and Ballingarry who saw the wisdom of venturing further along the Shannon estuary towards the Kerry border. Moreover, while the emphasis is on those Australia-bound, through Kate's internet research they also have details of some emigrants to the United States, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. Occasional items retained for inclusion might be considered lightweight but their rationale has been to provide the crucial detail which might prove a connection for far-flung researchers or to contribute a little more 'flesh on the bones.' On following up on this story, there is quite a bit more about these authors and their works on the Internet including "West Limerick Families Abroad."

SNIPPET: The Irish presence in NZ began with the earliest white settlement. Levels of migration of 2,000 persons or more annually characterized most of the period 1870 to 1914. Thereafter, Irish migration dropped sharply. In 1881, the Irish as a multigenerational ethnic group comprised about 18.9% of the pakeha (non-Maori) population. That was their high point and the proportion slid slowly downward thereafter, but as late as 1951 it was 16.7%. Roughly 3 out of 4 persons of Irish ethnicity were Catholic. In the period of heaviest Irish migration to NZ, 1870-1914, the provinces of Munster and Ulster was the largest sources of migrants. Roughly equal numbers came from each. Taken together, they supplied over 80% of Irish migrants. The level of ethnic consciousness of the Irish in NZ has never been very high. The most important Irish influence has been the century-long pressure of Irish-descended Catholics to have the government fully fund a religiously segregated school system. This battle, begun in the 1870s, was finally won in 1975. -- Excerpt, "The Oxford Companion to Irish History," ed. S. J. Connolly, Prof. Irish History, Queen's University, Belfast.

SNIPPET: Excerpts from article by Jennifer HARRISON, Queensland, Australia, in the 1999 No. 2 issue of "Irish Roots" magazine published in Cork: "As local family historians sadly are aware, in Australia the last complete census readily accessible, with names and family groupings, is that taken in 1828 when the majority of the population comprised either serving convicts or those already emancipated. (Census of New South Wales, November 1828, " ed. Malcolm R. SAINTY & Keith A. JOHNSON, Library of Australian History, Sydney 1980). During the 1800s the colonies were involved in census-taking regularly, although the frequency differed in various territories. Despite the United Kingdom census being counted every ten years, until 1901 some Australian colonies tried three, four or five-year intervals before most settled on decennial* enumerations. ... The census in the 20th century has been fitted in around the Depression and the Second World War before developing into a five-year pattern in the last few decades. Initially most were conducted around the dates selected in Great Britain and Ireland, that is, the end of March or beginning of April, but the appeal of this season in the northern hemisphere proved not so appropriate for the antipodes. Complaints from enumerators explained the difficulties. In 1871, 'the weather was unpropitious - torrents of rain, falling for weeks before and after the 8th of April, had broken up the roads, carried away bridges and seriously interfered with the internal communication....' On the other hand 20 years later, in an 1891 report, drought caused problems. 'There was nothing on the face of the country upon which animals could subsist, therefore, mounted collectors were obliged to bring feed on their journey sufficient to keep their horses in anything like serviceable condition.' Then a decade later when conditions had further worsened, collection costs increases because 'Stages had to be travelled according to the distances at which water existed, and no food for man or horse to be had on the way.' Nevertheless, the census taken in 1881 adopted the Imperial date of 3 April to enable the first simultaneous census of the British Empire.... All the colonies encouraged immigration which greatly influenced the interpretation of population numbers and mixes. In the 1871 Queensland census, 2.75 percent of the people were Chinese .... Reportedly - 'In not a few cases Chinamen are married to European wives, it is popularly supposed chiefly Irish, but really the English predominate.' In 1851 the United Kingdom the questions about religion proved so controversial, they were withdrawn for the 1861 event. Though this discomfort prevailed in Australia as well, the queries remained on the forms, later being deemed 'optional.' In 1871, one colonial authority considered, 'It is to be regretted that returns respecting religion should be required in a country where the State has severed its connection with religion, and tolerates alike all creeds that do not interfere with the State or each others' liberty. But it is the more to be regretted, because of all the questions put by the Census collectors, and frequently, though ignorantly, deemed impertinent, none seem to have given nearly so much offence as those relating to religion.' ...." *decennial: occurring every ten years. Please check various websites, books, for current resources and suggestions on how to proceed with Australian research.

SNIPPET: Researchers with an interest in the 62 years of British transportation to NSW (Australia) might be interested in a 200-page biography by Jacqueline GRANT and published by Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW in 1994. It is the story of the life and times of John GRANT who was born in 1792 at Moyne, County Tipperary. He was accused of attempted murder. At the age of 18 he was among the youngest of all the cargoes of prisoners sent to the penal colony during the 62 years of British transportation. It also relates the grim and gory details of the murder of Nicholas MAHER in Moyne, County Tipperary in 1810. It was John GRANT's sister Mary who 'beat out the brains' of her lover, Nicholas MAHER, her motive revenge. On his escape from Clonmel gaol, Jeremiah, John's brother, became the infamous and notorious Captain Grant the Highway of County Tipperary. The author traces the history of this one-time convict from his roots in Tipperary to his final arrival in NSW in 1811. "Providence" was the name of the ship which transported him with 180 other convicts to NSW. Because of good behaviour and thrift, GRANT was to become the owner of some 12,000 hectares of land and, with the assistance of the 58 men who worked for him, he managed over twelve thousand sheep. He became 'the father of Hartley.' Appendix three of this well-researched book lists all 181 convicts (140 males and 41 females). Of the prisoners, 52 of them had life sentences, four had 14-year terms and the remaining 125 received the minimum seven years. The names of the counties of origin for each convict is also included. Seventy-six of these convicts were from Dublin. Professor Patrick O'FARRELL, University of NSW, said of this book - "Jacqueline GRANT has made a fine job of weaving the GRANT story into the early history of the colony - I congratulate her on her achievement." The author was living in Orange, NSW at the time of publication.

Thank you Jean for yet another part of Ireland's history. To add to "Trevlyan's corn" -- Sir Charles Trevlyan was Asst. Secretary of the Treasury in London. Throughout the Famine - Great Hunger (An Gorta Mor) Trevlyan made the Irish pay rent with corn. Ireland did not have a shortage of food; it was shipped out to England and elsewhere. Soldiers guarded warehouses of corn and other grains. The song reflects what happened when people tried to keep food to feed themselves and their families. During the Great Hunger over one million people in Ireland died from starvation and disease, over a million and a half were forced to immigrate. The following is a little bit about Trevlyan. "Trevlyan was Assistant Secretary to the Treasury in London between 1840 -1859. This position put him in charge of the administration of Government relief to the victims of the Irish Famine in the 1840s. In the middle of that crisis Trevelyan published his views on the matter. He saw the Famine as a 'mechanism for reducing surplus population'. But it was more: 'The judgement of God sent the calamity to teach the Irish a lesson, that calamity must not be too much mitigated. .The real evil with which we have to contend is not the physical evil of the Famine, but the moral evil of the selfish, perverse and turbulent character of the people'. Such racist and sectarian views of the Irish were common enough within the English governing classes and were more crudely expressed by others. For the most part, Trevelyan's views reflected the prevailing Whig economic and social opinion and that of the Prime Minister, Lord John Russell, who held office from 1846 until 1852. Trevelyan was stiff and unbending. He firmly believed in laissez faire (essentially, the importing of food should be left to the food merchants), he thought that the Government should not intervene, and warned of the danger that people might get into the habit of depending on the state. From March 1846 he controlled the public works through the disbursement of public funds. Under Trevelyan, relief by public works in 1846-7 was too little too late but also it was slow, inefficient and sometimes corrupt. He defended the export of grain from famine-stricken Ireland on the grounds that the Government should not interfere with free trade. When his own administrators described this export of food as 'a most serious evil' Trevelyan refused even to consider banning it. When rioting broke out in protest against at the export of corn, he sent 2,000 troops, provisioned with beef, pork and biscuits, 'to be directed on particular ports at short notice'. He was against railway construction as a form of relief and successfully opposed Russell's scheme for the distribution of some £50,000 worth of seed to tenants. The failure of government relief schemes finally became clear to Trevelyan and early in 1847 soup kitchens were organised under a high-level government commission. It worked badly. In the autumn of 1847, Trevelyan ended government-sponsored aid to the distressed Poor Law districts although there was an outbreak of cholera. He declared that the Famine was over, and that from now on Irish landlords were to be responsible for financing relief works. He gained a well-deserved reputation as a cold-hearted and uncompassionate administrator.". Taken from Tomás O'Riordan, Ireland and the Union, 1815-1870.Charles Edward Trevelyan University College Cork, Multitext Project http://multitext.ucc.ie/d/Charles_Edward_Trevelyan Beannachtai agus síocháin, (Blessings and Peace) Margaret (Máiread) From: "Jean R." <[email protected]> > FIELDS OF ATHENRY > > By A Lonely Prison Wall > I Heard A Young Girl Calling > Michael They Have Taken You Away > For You Stole Trevelyn's Corn > So The Young Might See The Morn > Now A Prison Ship Lies Waiting In The Bay

Thanks Jean for that very detailed message on NEAL, I have some solid leads to go on now. Jack in Sunny San Diego

FIELDS OF ATHENRY By A Lonely Prison Wall I Heard A Young Girl Calling Michael They Have Taken You Away For You Stole Trevelyn's Corn So The Young Might See The Morn Now A Prison Ship Lies Waiting In The Bay Chorus Low Lie The Fields Of Athenry Where Once We Watched The Small Free Birds Fly Our Love Was On The Wing We Had Dreams And Songs To Sing Now It's Lonely Round The Fields Of Athenry By A Lonely Prison Wall I Heard A Young Man Calling Nothing Matters Mary When You're Free Against The Famine And The Crown I Rebelled, They Ran Me Down Now You Must Raise Our Child With Dignity Chorus Low Lie The Fields Of Athenry Where Once We Watched The Small Free Birds Fly Our Love Was On The Wing We Had Dreams And Songs To Sing Now It's Lonely Round The Fields Of Athenry By A Lonely Harbour Wall She Watched The Last Star Falling As That Prison Ship Sailed Out Against The Sky For She'll Live In Hope And Pray For Her Love In Botany Bay Now It's Lonely Round The Fields Of Athenry (My note - I believe it is pronounced Ath' - en - rye. There is a location in Co. Galway called Athenry. Botany Bay is in Australia).

Hi Jack in San Diego -- In the 1848-64 Primary Valuation in Ireland there were NEAL households in 26 Irish counties. Co. Cork had the most at 86 (interestingly, Cork city had only 1); Co. Tipperary had 20; Cos. Wexford and Wicklow each with 13, Cos. Cavan and Westmeath with 11; Cos. Down and Derry with 10, etc... You can find out more at http://www.ireland.com/ancestor/ regarding history behind the surname, many variations, etc. O'NEILL was the most common at 2,720 households primarily in Cos. Tyrone and Antrim ... NEILL followed with 2,578 households, most commonly in Cos. Cork, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow .... Many variations, check the website for others than mentioned here. O'NEAL was principally found principally in Co. Longford with 8, followed by Co. Down with 5 ... McNEAL principally in Co. Roscommon ... NEALE principally in Co. Cork ... NEALL principally in Co. Tipperary ... McNEALE principally in Co. Down ... If you had a NEAL marriage in Ireland with a known second surname, try adding the latter surname when prompted at the Ireland.com website to find in which particular counties (and parishes) both surnames were found during the primary valuation. This can be a good clue, as many couples met/married within their own parish. The Matheson survey of 1890 on distribution of surnames in Ireland (based on five or more births that year) showed that the province of Leinster had 7 NEAL births; Ulster had 2; Munster had 1; and Connaught had none. Please check my figures and find out more at the aforementioned website. Jean ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Joseph" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, April 13, 2007 6:16 PM Subject: [IGW] Surname NEAL > Can someone give me information on the surname NEAL i.e., where is the > name predominant in Ireland. I suspect, without proof, that it is best > found in County CORK. > > Thanks, > > Jack > San Diego

Can someone give me information on the surname NEAL i.e., where is the name predominant in Ireland. I suspect, without proof, that it is best found in County CORK. Thanks, Jack San Diego

SNIPPET: Per, "Paddy's Lament," by Thomas GALLAGHER (1982), a well-researched book with extensive bibliography about the famine in Ireland, perhaps nothing during the famine years more appropriately symbolized England's "helping hand" to Ireland than SOYER's Dublin soup kitchen. Monsieur SOYER was England's favorite chef de cuisine of the Reform Club of London. Since millions were to be fed, cost was uppermost in the minds of those in the exchequer, soup was naturally chosen over a bulky and substantial stew, the latter of course being what the people really needed to survive. SOYER took it upon himself, with the British government's blessing, to "feed and keep alive all the starving in Ireland" with one serving of his soup each day. On hundred gallons of it was to cost only one pound sterling, and yet it was to supply, according to Soyer, enough nourishment "for the poor of those realms" to assure that in Ireland there would be no more deaths from starvation. SOYER concocted soup recipes with and without meat that were deemed to be "tasty;" for the former, every two gallons of soup was to include four ounces of beef, two ounces of dripping fat, eight ounces of flour, and one-half ounce of brown sugar with a few onions, turnip parings, and celery tops thrown in to help flavor and color the water. Broken down it would contain the essence of one-half ounce of meat, amounting to only one of the many morsels of meat eaten by British lawmakers at the Reform Club every day in London. On April 5, 1847, fully eight months after the blight had destroyed Ireland's entire potato crop, a model kitchen and food distribution center built according to Soyer's specifications opened its door in Dublin. The wood-framed canvas building, erected near the main entrance to Phoenix Park, was 48 x 48, with an entrance at one end, an exit at the other. Iin the main apartment were a 300-gallon steam boiler and an oven capable of baking one hundredweight of bread at a time, both heated by the same fire. In front of this equipment were rows of tables 18 inches wide, in which holes were cut to hold a white-enameled quart basin to which a metal spoon was attached by a chain. SOYER planned for the people in need of his soup to file into a zigzag open-air passageway capable of holding 100 persons outside the tent. When a bell rang, these first 100 would enter the main apartment and occupy benches at the 100 bowls of soup set in the tables. Grace being said, they would use the chained spoons to consume the soup (the "Poor Man's Regenerator," SOYER called it), until another bell signaled that their soup time was over, whereupon, as they filed out the exit in the rear, they would each be given one-quarter pound of bread or savory biscuit. About a minute later, or just as the bowls and spoons had been swabbed with a sponge and another quart of soup poured into each bowl, the bell at the entrance would invite another 100 people in from the zigzag passageway. Soyer estimate that each cycle would take six minutes, allowing him to feed 1,000 people every hour. But opening day was a special event not so much for the hungry, who were impatient to be fed, but for the gentry, who had come for a wee nip of the famous soup and to watch the hungry fed. "His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant was there," reported the 'Dublin Evening Packet,' "the ladies PONSONBY and many other fair and delicate creatures assembled; there were earls and countesses, and lords and generals, and colonels and commissioners, and clergymen and doctors; it was a gala day, a grand gala." For the privilege of watching the hungry eat, the gentry were expected to donate five shillings each, which was to be distributed by the lord mayor in charity. "Five shillings each to see paupers feed!" wrote one reporter, "Five shillings each! To watch the burning blush of shame chasing pallidness from poverty's wane cheek! Five shillings each! When the animals in Zoological Gardens can be inspected at feeding time for sixpence!" Hence, with the beating of drums and the sounding of horns, with the Union Jack proudly flying from the kitchen's smoking chimney and a splendidly attired gentry nodding its approval, the British government fed the Irish a soup incapable of keeping a newborn cat alive. When copies of "The Lancet's" criticism of the soup was distributed and QUEEN VICTORIA's own physician's opinion of watery soup got abroad, Soyer decided to resign as "head cook to the people of Ireland" and return to England. After being given a dinner and a snuff box by the Dublin gentry who had watched the hungry fed on the "gala day," he boarded the first outgoing ship, never to return to the country he had vowed to save. Just before leaving, he published a sixpenny cookbook called "Charitable Cooking or The Poor Man's Regenerator," in which he said: "It requires more science to produce a good dish at trifling expense than a superior one with unlimited means." One week after opening his soup kitchen in Dublin, he was back in the more congenial atmosphere of the Reform Club in London, where he continued to delight his English patrons with "superior dishes made with unlimited means" - that is, with beef, veal, lamb, and pork brought over from Ireland on the same Liverpool steamers whose upper decks were jammed with Irish emigrants!. Appearing on the verge of perishing from hunger was not enough; recipients of outdoor relief had to be certified by the commissioner of the district as having no means of support, no animals to eat or sell, and a potato patch utterly laid to waste by the blight. They had to give up all but a quarter acre of their land. Since there were no strict nutritional standards set up, the soup often turned out to be worse than SOYER's, depending on who was in charge at any given location. At one center it might be wholesome, with chunks of meat, vegetables and rice, and Indian meal from America, and at another, thin, almost worthless gruel, at still another, nothing more than greasy water. Many persons waiting in line to receive rations were literally dying of starvation and had walked great distances. In some areas, where guardians struck the poor off the lists for the least reason, it was necessary to appear that starved in order to receive. At Ennistymon (Co. Clare), for example, anyone imprudent enough to look healthy was refused and had his ticket taken from him. In one documented case there a woman was struck off the list for giving a few spoonfuls of her ration to the children of her starved brother who had been struck off the list. She was reinstated only after the magistrate presiding at her dead brother's inquest intervened on her behalf.

AT A POTATO DIGGING I A mechanical digger wrecks the drill, Spins up a dark shower of roots and mould. Labourers swarm in behind, stoop to fill Wicker creels. Fingers go dead in the cold. Like crows attacking crow-black fields, they stretch A higgledy line from hedge to headland; Some pairs keep breaking ragged ranks to fetch A full creel to the pit and straighten, stand Tall for a moment but soon stumble back To fish a new load from the crumbled surf. Heads bow, trunks bend, hands fumble towards the black Mother. Processional stooping through the turf Recurs mindlessly as autumn. Centuries Of fear and homage to the famine god Toughen the muscles behind their humbled knees, Make a seasonal altar of the sod. II Flint-white, purple. They lie scattered like inflated pebbles. Native to the black hutch of clay where the halved seed shot and clotted these knobbed and slit-eyed tubers seem the petrified hearts of drills. Split by the spade, they show white as cream. Good smells exude from crumbled earth. The rough bark of humus erupts knots of potatoes (a clean birth) whose solid feel, whose wet inside promises taste of ground and root. To be piled in pits; live skulls, blind-eyed. III Live skulls, blind-eyed, balanced on wild higgledy skeletons scoured the land in "forty-five," wolfed the blighted root and died. The new potato, sound as stone, putrefied when it had lain three days in the long clay pit. Millions rotted along with it. Mouths tightened in, eyes died hard, faces chilled to a plucked bird. In a million wicker huts beaks of famine snipped at guts. A people hungering from birth, grubbling, like plants, in the bitch earth, were grafted with a great sorrow. Hope rotted like a marrow. Stinking potatoes fouled the land, pits turned pus into filthy mounds: and where potato digger are you still smell the running sore. IV Under a gay flotilla of gulls The rhythm deadens, the workers stop. Brown bread and tea in bright canfuls Are served for lunch. Dead-beat, they flop Down in the ditch and take their fill, Thankfully breaking timeless fasts; Then, stretched on the faithless ground, spill Libations of cold tea, scatter crusts. -- Seamus Heaney

SNIPPET: Excerpt from the following Ellis Island document -- "On the line if an Englishman reacts to questions in the manner of an Irishman, his lack of mental balance would be suspected. The converse is also true." MENTAL EXAMINATION OF IMMIGRANTS Administration and Line Inspection at Ellis Island by E. H. MULLAN, Surgeon, United States Public Health Service "Public Health Reports", 22, no. 20 (May 18, 1917) 733-46 Immigrants not traveling in the cabin, who enter the United States at the port of New York, are first brought to Ellis Island in order to undergo an examination to determine their fitness for admission. The average immigrant remains at Ellis Island two or three hours, during which time he undergoes an examination by the Public Health Service in order to determine his mental and physical condition, and by the Immigration Service in order to find out whether he is otherwise admissible... As the immigrant approaches the officer gives him a quick glance. Experience enables him in that one glance to take in six details, namely, the scalp, face, neck, hands, gait, and general condition, both mental and physical. Should any of these details not come into view, the alien is halted and the officer satisfies himself that no suspicious sign or symptom exists regarding that particular detail. For instance, if the immigrant is wearing a high collar, the officer opens the collar or unbuttons the upper shirt button and sees whether a goiter, tumor, or other abnormality exists... Likewise, if the alien approaches the officer with hat on he must be halted, hat removed and scalp observed in order to exclude the presence of favus, ringworm, or other skin disease of the body. Pompadours are always a suspicious sign. Beneath such long growth of hair are frequently seen areas of favus...Where the alien carries luggage on his shoulder or back, it may be necessary to make him drop his parcels and to walk 5 or 10 feet in order to exclude suspicious gait or spinal curvature. Immigrants at times carry large parcels in both arms and over their shoulders in order that the gait resulting from shortened extremity or ankylosed joint may escape notice. In like manner they maneuver in attempting to conceal the gaits of Little's disease, spastic paralysis, and other nervous disorders. All children over 2 years of age are taken from their mother's arms and made to walk... Many inattentive and stupid-looking aliens are questioned by the medical officer in the various languages as to their age, destination, and nationality. Often simple questions in addition and multiplication are propounded. Should the immigrant appear stupid and inattentive to such an extent that mental defect is suspected an X is made with chalk on his coat at the anterior aspect of his right shoulder. Should definite signs of mental disease be observed, a circle X would be used instead of the plain X. In like manner a chalk mark is placed on the anterior aspect of the right shoulder in all case where physical deformity or disease is suspected. In this connection B would indicate back; C, conjunctivitis; CT, trachoma; E, eyes; F, face; Ft., feet; G, goiter; H, heart; K, hernia; L, lameness; N, neck; P, physical and lungs; Pg, pregnancy; Sc., scalp; S, senility. The words hand, measles, nails, skin, temperature, vision, voice, which are often used, are written out in full. The alien after passing the scrutiny of the first medical officer passes on to the end of the line, where he is quickly inspected again by the second examiner. This examiner is known in service parlance as "the eye man." He stands at the end of the line with his back to the window and faces the approaching alien. This position affords good light, which is so essential for eye examinations....He looks carefully at the eyeball in order to detect signs of defect and disease of that organ and then quickly everts the upper lids in search of conjunctivitis and trachoma. Corneal opacities, nystagmus, squint, bulging eyes, the wearing of eye glasses, clumsiness, and other signs on the part of the alien, will be sufficient cause for him to be chalk-marked "Vision." He will then be taken out of the line by an attendant and his vision will be carefully examined... Roughly speaking, from 15 to 20 per cent of the immigrants are chalk-marked by the medical offers, and it is these chalked individuals who must undergo a second and more thorough examination in the examinations rooms of the Public Health Service. Those aliens marked X and circle X are placed in the mental room. All other marked aliens are placed in the two physical rooms, one for men and the other for women....Every effort is made to detect signs and symptoms of mental disease and defect Any suggestion, no matter how trivial, that would point to abnormal mentality is sufficient cause to defer the immigrant for a thorough examination.... Experience enables the inspecting officer to tell at a glance the race of an alien. There are, however, exceptions to this rule. It occasionally happens that the inspecting officer thinking that an approaching alien is of a certain race brings him to a standstill and questions him. The alien's facial expression and manner are peculiar and just as the officer is about to decide that this alien in question belongs to an entirely different race. The peculiar attitude of the alien in question is no longer peculiar; it is readily accounted for by racial considerations. Accordingly, the officer passes him on as a mentally normal person. Those who have inspected immigrants know that almost every race has its own type of reacting during the inspection. On the line if an Englishman reacts to questions in the manner of an Irishman, his lack of mental balance would be suspected. The converse is also true. If the Italian responded to questions as the Russian Finn responds, the former would in all probability be suffering with a depressive psychosis.