Jean, You told me a couple of months ago if I posted the information on the Holdens you would help me work on it. Well I finally got it posted today and any help from you would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. Gail Bales ---- "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> wrote: > SNIPPET: "Killavoggy school (Dromahair, Co. Leitrim) stood on a hill above > my Uncle Bernie's and dominated the lovely Leitrim vista that it overlooked. > Within its walls, everything that shaped our lives was carefully nurtured by > strict but kind teachers. In my time, those teachers were Mrs. Margaret > FALLON, wife of the local Councillor, and Sean WHITE, my own father. Years > before that, the Juniors' teacher was the adored Maimee HANLEY. She is still > spoken of with great respect and affection by those who considered > themselves privileged to have been taught by her. I had an even greater > privilege. She was mother to myself and nine siblings. > > My earliest memory of school was the needlework class. My introduction to > the intricacies of knit one, purl one was painful. I dropped more stitches > than I knitted while sitting on the hob of the big open fire. Today I can > knit an Aran sweater while watching TV. > > And the religious exam. Not alone did we know the 10 Commandments backwards > I liked to think that they formed the foundation of which we built our code > of life, irrespective of religion. Bible history was a favourite. I loved > the story of Lot's wife, and how Sampson toppled the Temple, and how David > killed Goliath. The religious examiner came once a year. He gave > certificates of merit to the best in each class. My brother, Sean, usually > came first. > > Doing sums - My downfall was compounded by the fact that I would steal the > keys of the school off the hook where father kept them. Then I'd sneak into > the room, get the answer book and copy the answers into my exercise book All > went fine until Father got suspicious at my never getting my sums wrong. He > asked to see my work and the game was up. I have struggled ever since with > mathematics. > > Summer was magic. On May Eve, we were allowed out to gather Mayflowers on > KELLY's hill. We spread them on the ground of all doors at school and home > to make a mat for Our Lady to walk on and enter our homes with a blessing. > We were also allowed to go bare-footed, and the weather, I remember, was > always favourable During this time, the window sills were adorned with jam > jars of fresh, wild flowers." > > -- Excerpt, Dympna McNamara, journalist. > > > Check out the Ireland GenWeb website at: http://www.irelandgenweb.com/ > > Great place to get help with your family research. > > Help wanted: County Coordinators > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to IRELANDGENWEB-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi Mary in Australia - Apparently all 1901 censuses will be transcribed in a matter of months at the National Archives of Ireland website, as soon as they complete transcribing the 1911 censuses. Check from time to time at their website for a time line. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie:80/ Extracts for the 1901 Census for Co. Kerry are found transcribed to several websites for particular townlands and/or particular surnames. There are several libraries in Co. Kerry, itself, with the entire census on microfilm; just "google" the phrase 1901 Census with keywords County Kerry. The LDS (Mormon) FHCs likely have the microfilms to research. You may be able to access the 1901 Census with a paid subscription to Ancestry.com, too, check and see at their website. J. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Mizzi" <mmizzi@dodo.com.au> To: <irelandgenweb@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, June 21, 2009 3:50 PM Subject: Re: [Irish Genealogy] Reminder: National Archives of Irelandon-line1911 Census Records > Jean, > Where can I find the 1901 Census for Co Kerry? Is there a copy at the > National Archives? Have only found the 1911 Census online. > Mary > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> > To: <IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com> > Cc: <IrelandGenWeb-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, June 21, 2009 2:22 AM > Subject: [Irish Genealogy] Reminder: National Archives of Ireland > on-line1911 Census Records > > >> Update: National Archives of Ireland 1911 Census Records >> >> http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie:80/ >> >> >> The 1901 and 1911 censuses are the only surviving full censuses of >> Ireland >> open to the public. Both censuses cover the island of Ireland. They were >> released to public inspection in 1961, because of the stream of requests >> for >> information about people's ages, particularly those born before civil >> registration of births began in 1864. >> >> The records for 1911 are being digitised first, then those for 1901. <snip>

SNIPPET: "Killavoggy school (Dromahair, Co. Leitrim) stood on a hill above my Uncle Bernie's and dominated the lovely Leitrim vista that it overlooked. Within its walls, everything that shaped our lives was carefully nurtured by strict but kind teachers. In my time, those teachers were Mrs. Margaret FALLON, wife of the local Councillor, and Sean WHITE, my own father. Years before that, the Juniors' teacher was the adored Maimee HANLEY. She is still spoken of with great respect and affection by those who considered themselves privileged to have been taught by her. I had an even greater privilege. She was mother to myself and nine siblings. My earliest memory of school was the needlework class. My introduction to the intricacies of knit one, purl one was painful. I dropped more stitches than I knitted while sitting on the hob of the big open fire. Today I can knit an Aran sweater while watching TV. And the religious exam. Not alone did we know the 10 Commandments backwards I liked to think that they formed the foundation of which we built our code of life, irrespective of religion. Bible history was a favourite. I loved the story of Lot's wife, and how Sampson toppled the Temple, and how David killed Goliath. The religious examiner came once a year. He gave certificates of merit to the best in each class. My brother, Sean, usually came first. Doing sums - My downfall was compounded by the fact that I would steal the keys of the school off the hook where father kept them. Then I'd sneak into the room, get the answer book and copy the answers into my exercise book All went fine until Father got suspicious at my never getting my sums wrong. He asked to see my work and the game was up. I have struggled ever since with mathematics. Summer was magic. On May Eve, we were allowed out to gather Mayflowers on KELLY's hill. We spread them on the ground of all doors at school and home to make a mat for Our Lady to walk on and enter our homes with a blessing. We were also allowed to go bare-footed, and the weather, I remember, was always favourable During this time, the window sills were adorned with jam jars of fresh, wild flowers." -- Excerpt, Dympna McNamara, journalist.

SNIPPET: The past is never very far away for the Irish. In fact, some people have said that the Irish are haunted by the past. One look at the landscape dotted with powerful reminders of history, from the huge stone "tables" of the ancient portal dolmen graves, to the ring forts, and standing stones with their primitive Ogham script, to the High Crosses and Round Towers, to the crumbling monastery and castle ruins, confirms the place of history in the Irish consciousness. The land itself is very much part of Irish history. Although the literary tradition did not begin until about the 8th century, the sagas then chronicled are actually the myths and legends of pre-literate, pagan Ireland - legends which survived for hundreds of years through a strong oral tradition. It is through these ancient sagas, tales that had flourished through the art of the storyteller, that we learn of Celtic life. There was no one definitive book we can turn to to find the sagas because they are contained in several manuscripts including the "Book of the Dun Cow," the "Yellow Book of Lecan," and the "Book of Leinster." Early Irish legends describe the brave deeds of mythic heroic figures. One example - In the Celtic agrarian society cattle were the chief form of wealth, and cattle raids were the means to add to one's wealth. According to Irish legend, Queen Maeve's armies invade Ulster to capture and bring home to Connacht the magnificent brown bull of Cooley to satisfy the Queen's need to have more possessions than her husband. Although the story itself is improbable, we learn about the rich and powerful warrior life in ancient Ireland. The Celts were a warrior society; they were fierce fighters with a strong sense of justice. They were also rich in the arts and civilized life. Celtic society was rigidly stratified as the Brehon law tracts indicate, but the poets and storytellers were as revered as the aristocratic warriors. The clearest picture of the cultivation and imagination of the Celts can be seen in the richly ornamented metalwork of the La Tene style. When the first Christian missionaries came to Ireland is not known, but in the 5th century St. Patrick introduced Latin, writing, and the Christian creed to the Irish. A selection from his "Confession" recounts his wish to return to Ireland (he had been taken as a captive several years before and spent six years tending sheep in Antrim) as a Christian missionary after having a dream in which he was given a letter and heard the "voice of the Irish" ask him to "come and walk among us once more." "The Confession," from his last years, is one of only two written works left by St. Patrick. Over the next five centuries the Irish developed many monasteries that flourished as centers of learning. These monasteries influenced all of Ireland, and the missionaries sent from them brought classical learning to the European countries. Monasteries that dotted the countryside such as Glendalough, Clonmacnoise, Kells, Armagh, were not only respected centers of learning, but producers of extraordinary art including illuminated manuscripts and liturgical objects in intricately-designed metalwork. Monasteries became large and important centers of wealth and cultural activity. The period is chiefly marked by the splendor of its religious art, of manuscript illumination (The "Book of Kells" and the "Book of Durrow") and stone sculpture (South Cross at Clonmacnoise and Muiredach's Cross at Monasterboice), and by the magnificence of its metal-working which captures three-dimensionally the heavily-decorated manuscript pages (Ardagh Chalice, Tara Brooch, many book shrines and reliquaries). Artistic achievement was given a new purpose by linking it to religious practice. In the monasteries, the very act of writing became a form of prayer. These scribes became the masters of Christian scholarship and their artwork became one of the greatest glories of Irish monasticism. As the monasteries grew, so did the demand for manuscripts. The production of manuscripts became important and large-scale. The earliest Irish manuscript, the "Cathach" of St. Columba, is a fragmentary liturgical book with simple initial decorations. This form found its highest expression in the extraordinary illuminated manuscript of the "Book of Kells," a masterpiece of the finest calligraphy and painting. In contrast to these busy, flourishing, scholarly centers were the small bands of self-exiled monks who sought the isolation and asceticism of life on a craggy island or mountaintop far away from the world and its problems. The monastic village perched atop the lonely rock of Skellig Michael in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Kerry is the site of six small beehive stone huts which have survived along with a small oratory where the monks gathered for prayer, and the ruins of a small church and a few tombstones. This was certainly a lonely and difficult way to worship God, but it also freed the monks from worldly interruptions and constraints and temptation. The illiterate, pagan Viking raiders who disrupted Irish manuscript production and monastic life in the 9th and 10th centuries were interested in the valuable, precious metals used for the book shrines and liturgical objects. The Irish response to the attacks was one of terror; the Vikings came to conquer. But these invaders were also sea-faring merchants who established the town of Dublin, and other coastal towns of Waterford, Wexford, Limerick and Cork. By the middle of the 10th century, these towns were thriving centers of trade with the rest of Europe. -- Excerpts, "The Irish, A Treasury of Art and Literature," ed. Leslie Conron Carola (1993).

Update: National Archives of Ireland 1911 Census Records http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie:80/ The 1901 and 1911 censuses are the only surviving full censuses of Ireland open to the public. Both censuses cover the island of Ireland. They were released to public inspection in 1961, because of the stream of requests for information about people's ages, particularly those born before civil registration of births began in 1864. The records for 1911 are being digitised first, then those for 1901. The 1911 census was taken on 2 April 1911. The 1911 Census records for DUBLIN, ANTRIM, DOWN and KERRY are now available on line for researching. Publication of the other counties will follow, in the order listed below, between now and mid-2009. More precise time scales will be posted when available. a.. Donegal b.. Cork c.. Wexford d.. Galway e.. King's County (Offaly) f.. Limerick g.. Mayo h.. Waterford i.. Armagh j.. Carlow k.. Cavan l.. Clare m.. Fermanagh n.. Kildare o.. Kilkenny p.. Leitrim q.. Londonderry (Derry) r.. Longford s.. Louth t.. Meath u.. Monaghan v.. Queen's County (Laois) w.. Roscommon x.. Sligo y.. Tipperary z.. Tyrone aa.. Westmeath ab.. Wicklow

SNIPPET: Fine Gall ("territory of the foreigners"), anglicized as Fingal/Fingall, is the name applied to an area of north Co. Dublin settled by Vikings and Hiberno-Scandinavians between the 10th and 12th centuries. It extended northwards from the Liffy as far as Skerries and westwards to the modern county boundary. It was controlled by the Hiberno-Scandinavian kings of Dublin and included within its bounds the monasteries of Swords and Lusk. Despite the collapse of the kingdom of Dublin, the area retained a tradition of territoriality reflected, for instance, in the creation of the PLUNKETT earldom of Fingall in 1628. (In 1993 the county of Fingal was created as an administrative division of the Irish Republic, from territory formerly within Co. Dublin). Vikings (Scandinavian adventurers), subsequently known as Ostmen (Old Norse "men of the east") or Lochlannaigh (Irish "people from the land of loughs"). They first appear in Irish sources as plunderers and this remains their dominant image in popular memory. In reality their involvement with Ireland lasted almost 400 years, during which time the Scandinavians were transformed into farmers, traders, colonists, and urban developers. The first Viking raid on Ireland occurred in 795 when Reachrainn, probably Rathlin Island (but Lambay Island has also been suggested), was attacked. During the next 25 years there was, on average, one Viking attack per year. The raids were hit-and-run affairs. Monasteries were the prime target, not only because they possessed treasuries of precious objects but also because they were densely populated centres with substantial stores of provisions and potential slaves. The pattern of hit-and-run raids ceased during the 830s with the arrival of large Viking fleets on the rivers Liffey, Boyne, Shannon, and Erne. The forces transported by these fleets were substantial and, commonly, they terrorized an area for some weeks or months before returning to Scandinavia for winter. The success of these campaigns clearly gave rise to the next development, the foundation of longphorts at Dublin and Annagassan, Co. Louth, in 841. It was also used to describe the new Scandinavian settlements established at Waterford in 914 and at Limerick in 922. Longphorts were defended closures designed originally to protect ships. The sites are characterized by a sheltered harbor which was easily defended and had immediate access to the sea. (Subsequently the term was applied to any fortress or stronghold). Among modern scholars the earliest period of Viking occupation at Dublin (841-902) is usually referred to as the longphort phase. These were the first permanent Viking settlements in Ireland and were originally envisaged as defended bases in which the Scandinavian forces could overwinter and plan the renewal of campaigning in the spring.. In the course of the 9th century Dublin developed into an important slaving centre. In 848 the longphort at Cork was captured, while the assault on Dublin in 902 was so successful that the Vikings abandoned the settlement and moved to Northern Britain and the Isle of Man. In 914, a great Scandinavian fleet originating in northern France landed at Waterford, initiating a new phase of plundering. Munster was devastated in 915 and Dublin was re-established two years later. It has been argued that the Vikings had a negative impact on Irish society, promoting violence, accelerating church abuses, and terminating the "golden age" of Irish art. Modern historiography, however, has largely discredited these views and the port towns of Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, and Limerick are generally regarded as the Scandinavians' most enduring legacy. Scandinavian settlement in Ireland is unusual in its urban bias and motives more complex than the provision of pirate bases may have influenced the foundation of these towns. They were all well-placed, for instance, to take advantage of trade with the interior. The colonization of large tracts of territory does not seem to have been a primary objective of the Scandinavians in Ireland and it cannot be without significance that they put so much of their resources into the development of towns. An influencing factor in this regard may have been the view that Britain (rather than Ireland) was the principal area in which to achieve conquest and colonization. -- More reading: "Settlement and Society in Medieval Ireland," ed. J. Bradley (1988).

Added Note: Harry CLARKE was the greatest of all Irish stained glass artists, as well as a talented painter and book illustrator. In his short life (he died in 1931 in his early 40's), he carried out a bewildering array of commissions, but probably his most viewed creation was the window for Bewley's Cafe on Dublin's Grafton Street. In 1916 he was commissioned to illustrate Hans Christian Andersen's "Fairy Tales," and he provided 16 color plates, one of which is particularly beautiful - "The Garden of Paradise" - shown in the May-June 2009 issue of Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine. Ten of his watercolors are on display in the National Gallery, Dublin, from May 16th to August 23rd, 2009, and well worth the visit. More info.: www.nationalgallery.ie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> To: <IrelandGenWeb-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 9:16 AM Subject: [Irish Genealogy] Ireland's Great Stained Glass Artist - HarryCLARKE, North Dublin > SNIPPET: Born on St. Patrick's Day in 1889, Harry CLARKE literally grew up > in a world of stained glass. His father, Joshua, owned a North Dublin firm > that created and supplied stained glass to churches. <snip>

SNIPPET: Born on St. Patrick's Day in 1889, Harry CLARKE literally grew up in a world of stained glass. His father, Joshua, owned a North Dublin firm that created and supplied stained glass to churches. Harry began learning the craft in his father's studios as a teenager. He had already exhibited a remarkable talent for drawing. By his early 20s, Harry CLARKE was an accomplished illustrator and stained-glass artist. Over the next twenty years he turned out a prodigious quantity of windows - largely for Irish churches, which most still can be viewed - and illustrated several books with striking drawings. His characters bear something of a stylistic resemblance to the drawings of Aubrey BEARDSLEY - willowing figures with long, solemn faces and powerful eyes, placed before ornate, exotic backgrounds. The scenes often come from a mix of Irish history, early Irish saints and legends - St. Brendan the Navigator meeting an eternally burning Judas on a remote island, St. Gobnait, patron saint of beekeepers, or St. Dymphna, whose pagan father had her beheaded. (In his mammoth triple window at Newport, Co. Mayo, depicting the Last Judgement, a green-skinned Harry CLARKE is among the sinners being cast into hell). The books he illustrated included works by Edgar Allan POE, considered an ideal combination of author and artist. As striking as his drawing style was his use of color is what stands him apart. Standard stained-glass windows literally pale in comparison to CLARKE's hues. CLARKE's windows shimmer and sparkle with iridescent midnight blues, burning reds and lustrous greens. His luminous colors set flowing robes in motion and transform border details into jewels. Much of CLARKE's stained-glass was a visual celebration of the Celtic Revival, of the Irish peoples rediscovery of themselves and their marvelous heritage. The artist lived during a tumultuous time when the Irish language once again flowered, the Abbey Theatre was founded, Patrick PEARSE led the Easter Rising and YEATS' poetry captured our imagination. CLARKE catapulted to fame with his first church commission. It was for some of the windows in a perfect architectural jewel of the Celtic Revival, per article in "Irish America" magazine, the Honan Chapel at University College, Cork. The small chapel is a replica of an idealized 12th-century Irish church that features stone carvings and imaginative mosaic floor and carved oak pews. CLARKE's works can be found at the Wolfsonian Museum, Miami Beach; the Basilica of St. Vincent de Paul in Bayonne, New Jersey; throughout Britain; in Newport, Co. Mayo (his stunning Last Judgement); St. Joseph, Terenure, Co. Dublin; Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan; Ballinasloe, Co. Galway; Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary; St. Barrahane's Church of Ireland, Castletownsend, Co. Cork; the Presbyterian Church in Clontarf, just north of Dublin; the Church of Ireland church on Sanford Road in Ranelagh, just south of Dublin; Belcamp College, just off the main road at Raheny, north of Dublin; the chapel at the Presentation Convent in Dingle, Co. Kerry; the Dominican Convent Chapel on the Falls Road in Belfast; Basicila of St. Patrick's Purgatory on Station Island, Lough Derg, Co. Monaghan; Crawford Municipal Art Gallery at Emmet Place in Cork; Municipal Gallery of Art, Dublin; International Labor Office, League of Nations Headquarters, Switzerland and Bewley's Oriental Cafe on Grafton Street. (Inquiries should be made beforehand as to hours his works can be seen). Unfortunately, CLARKE died at the age of 41 after a long illness during the time of controversy regarding his breathtaking Geneva Window that depicted scenes from authors' works felt representative of Irish literature (YEATS, JOYCE, SYNGE, O'CASEY, and Liam O'FLAHERTY); beautifully created with dazzling designs and intense colors, it was rejected in Ireland, felt by some as unpastoral and less than heroic with features that brought blushes to the cheeks of a number of Irish leaders with a seductive, semi-clad dancer, a decidedly drunken-looking lout, etc. However, when an exhibition, "The Stained Glass of Harry Clarke," was later staged in London by the Fine Arts Society, the controversial Geneva Window, which had been carefully cleaned and restored, was the hit of the show and was purchased by a wealthy American collector who found a home for it at his new Wolfsonian Museum in Miami Beach. CLARKE's friend, the writer Lennox ROBINSON, wrote, "People who write books and plays and poems have their work put away on shelves where they may lie for years, unopened and unread. Harry CLARKE in the east end or transept of many a church in Ireland and elsewhere comes to life with every dawn and will have his daily resurrection."

A resource for research: http://www.cyndislist.com/

SNIPPET: In the July-August 2009 issue of Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine, readers shared their stories and impressions: Tina SCHULER, South Dakota, USA: "I am a student and amateur photographer from Rapid City, South Dakota (home of Mount Rushmore). My family went on a holiday and to research our genealogy in Ireland in June 2008. We had a wonderful time. The country was beautiful, green, full of flowers and horses. What an incredible country. The people are fantastic, the locals took time to explain the sport of hurling to us. Mr. Tom MURPHY of New Ross, Co. Wexford, showed us his Gypsy Vanner horses which are rare in the United States. We also went to Ballyellen Equestrian Center and had our first English riding lesson. We can't wait to come back; thanks for the wonderful memories, Ireland." (My note: In the issue is a photograph of the very beautiful white and black Gypsy Vanner horse.) Christine FIELDING, New York, USA: "I am a longtime reader. I thoroughly enjoyed your Nov-Dec 2008 issue, most especially your article on Derry. I met my husband Keith there in September 2004, at Peadar O'Donnell's, the best pub in Derry City - one of the best pubs you mentioned. Derry is a beautiful city, the people are extremely friendly, and I was thrilled to see it profiled in your publication. Slainte!" (My note: Their wedding photo is shown in the July-August 2009 issue.) Eileen Stack TOMIDY, NY, USA: "Imagine my surprise to read about my nephew John STACK and the article about his book, "Ship of Rome," in the March-April 2009 issue of your magazine. His dad is my brother Gerard STACK and I had received a signed copy of John's book in January. I enjoyed reading the book immensely and just felt I had to write to you and let you know what a thrill it was for me to see the article in IOTW. I enjoy your magazine very much and pass it along to my friends." Michael McCONE, San Francisco, CA: "In what must have been an inadvertent omission in your May-June 2009 issue, the article "Write On," neglected to mention the name and talent of Benedict KIELY, who died in Dublin in February, 2007. Born in County Tyrone, he lived all of his professional life in Dublin, and in novels, short stories, countless reviews, a biography of William CARLETON, and two volumes of memoirs ("Drink to the Bird" and "The Waves Behind Us"), Ben left a rich heritage of writing. Every September in Omagh (Tyrone), where he grew up and went to school, there is the Benedict KIELY Literary Weekend, which celebrates his life and work. As Seamus HEANEY said at his funeral, KIELY "looked with a warmer eye on our human and natural world." May I suggest some research and hopefully an article on this great and gentle man?" Barton B. MacLEOD, USA: "Really nice to see the story on Maureen O'HARA. I worked with John WAYNE and Maureen O'HARA, and she sent me her signed picture. You can see them with me on my personal website, www.bartonmacleod.com " Michael J. RIORDAN, MD, Ireland, pointed out in his letter that actress Maureen O'SULLIVAN made her first Tarzan movie with Johnny WEISSMULLER in 1932, about seven years before Maureen O'HARA went to Hollywood.

SNIPPET: Per the 2007 issue of the "Leitrim Guardian" periodical, the death has taken place in her 90th year of the Honorary President and founding member of the Leitrim Association in London of Nora McGreal. Nora died peacefully on Sunday morning 11th June in the Good Hope Hospital Sutton Coalfields Birmingham in the presence of her children, grandchildren and other relations and friends. She had lived with her daughter Mary since last November and had been in hospital for the past three weeks. Born Nora McGrail in Knockacullion in the parish of Aughnasheelin in December 1916 she was reared with her aunt Margaret McGourty and family in Stradrina Ballinagleara as her mother the late Brigid McGrail died shortly after Nora's birth. She immigrated to Scotland in 1937 and the following year joined her sister the late Maggie Boyle in Maidstone Kent where they both worked as psychiatric nurses. She married Francie McGreal of Slievnakilla Ballinagleara in London in 1945. Her late husband who played football with Ballinagleara, Drumkeran and Fenagh Leitrim and Tara's London died in 1973. Nora and her husband and Michael Mulvanerty and others founded the Leitrim Association in 1952. Her daughter Mary was also Secretary of the association. Among the many Leitrim friends who were in the association with them were Eamon Sheridan and Jim McGarry. She later became involved with the North Leitrim/West Cavan Association. Her house at Blanford Road in Chiswick London was open to all visitors and it became a stop over place for the many Leitrim people who visited London. Anyone from Leitrim was always welcome. Many visiting priests from Kilmore and Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Diocese stayed with her. Indeed, many had keys to her house and could come and go as they pleased. She along with Francie were also member of the Tara's Club which had as its main driving force Prinsious Redican who is still involved in GAA in London. In 2002 she was made a presentation by the Leitrim Association for the life-long commitment to the Leitrim association in London. She is the last of the McGrail family from Knockacullion who all had a passionate interest in Irish Traditional Music and dancing to die. Her funeral arrangement will be made later in the week and will take place in Ballinagleara Church where she will be buried beside her late husband Francie in Fahy graveyard. She is survived by her son John, London, Mary, Birmingham, grandchildren Marianne, Laura, Kevin and Sinead, her nephews, Francie Joe McGourty, Ballinagleara, Arthur Boyle, Keadue and nieces Bridie Reynolds, Dublin, Mary Slack, New York, and Kathleen Cornyn, Dowra, and a large circle of friends and relations. Ar Dheis De go raibh an Ainm Dhilis.

I have added the tithe applotments for Moyne Civil Parish (North Riding) to the County Tipperary section of my website. -- Pat Connors, Sacramento CA http://www.connorsgenealogy.com

I have just added the Moylough Civil Parish tithe applotments to the County Galway section of my website. -- Pat Connors, Sacramento CA http://www.connorsgenealogy.com

I have just added the tithe applotments for Muckno Civil Parish to the County Monaghan section of my website. This is a huge transcription with over 1000 entries. However, the handwriting was strange and hard to read so please read my transcription notes, especially if you think you found an ancestor. -- Pat Connors, Sacramento CA http://www.connorsgenealogy.com

SNIPPET: In 1995, Seamus HEANEY, an unassuming man from South Derry, a rural Catholic and farmer's son, won the Nobel Prize for Literature almost 30 years after he published his first book on poetry. HEANEY was born in 1939 to Margaret & Patrick Heaney, the eldest of nine children. Here are three poignant verses that he wrote in memory of his mother: The cool that came off the sheets just off the line Made me think the damp must still be in them But when I took my corners of the linen And pulled against her, first straight down the hem And then diagonally, then flapped and shook The fabric like a sail in a cross-wind, They made a dried-out undulating thwack. So we'd stretch and fold and end up hand to hand For a split second as if nothing had happened For nothing had that had not always happened Beforehand, day by day, just touch and go, Coming close again by holding back In moves where I was X and she was 0 Inscribed in sheets she'd sewn from ripped-out flour sacks. ---- When all the others were away at Mass I was all hers as we peeled potatoes. They broke the silence, let fall one by one Like solder weeping off the soldering iron: Cold comforts set between us, things to share Gleaming in a bucket of clean water. And again let fall. Little pleasant splashes >From each other's work would bring us to our senses. So while the parish priest at her bedside Went hammer and tongs at the prayers for the dying And some were responding and some crying I remembered her head bent towards my head, Her breath in mine, our fluent dipping knives -- Never closer the whole rest of our lives. --- In the last minutes he said more to her Almost than in all their life together. 'You'll be in New Row on Monday night And I'll come up for you and you'll be glad When I walk in the door...Isn't that right?' His head was bent down to her propped-up head. She could not hear but we were overjoyed. He called her good and girl. Then she was dead, The searching for a pulsebeat was abandoned And we all knew one thing by being there. The space we stood around had been emptied Into us to keep, it penetrated Clearances that suddenly stood open. High cries were felled and a pure change happened. -- Seamus Heaney,"Clearances"

I have been reading an extremely interesting book about Irish farming and thought that others might well be interested as it gives real insight into how the land was cultivated and distributed, the types of housing for both families and stock, the types of breeds of cattle, horses, pigs, sheep etc etc. Even the different farm implements and crops and how those crops were harvested. If your family came from Ireland, it offers a considerable idea of how they would have lived. " A History of IRISH FARMING 1750 - 1950 " by Jonathan Bell and Mervyn Watson published by Four Courts Press Ltd., 7 Malpas St., Dublin 8 ISBN 978-84682-208-7 pbk The Four Courts website is: http://www.fourcourtspress.ie and you can order directly from this website Jonathan Bell and Mervyn Watson were both at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. Mary

Bill, take a look at the very last part of this page -- you have to get that word REQUEST in there, it's read by a computer. Nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: "BJ Murphy-Bridge" <svkuanyin@ns.sympatico.ca> To: <irelandgenweb@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 7:37 AM Subject: [Irish Genealogy] unsubscribe > unsubscribe > > Check out the Ireland GenWeb website at: http://www.irelandgenweb.com/ > > Great place to get help with your family research. > > Help wanted: County Coordinators > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IRELANDGENWEB-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

SONG OF THE PLOUGH Turn down the green, O man who ploughs: Guide thou the plough with sharpened share! Turn up the brown to sapphire skies! Mankind on thee for bread relies. Bright shines the sun and God looks down On man, on beast, on hill and town Then sow the seed in mellowed earth to harrow's away and wild birds' mirth. The joyful hum of threshing time, And later drone as mills make flour, Mankind gets bread: but what man thinks It was your sweat that forged the links? But, sure, the world must bend its will In every age to ploughman's skill: Then, Oh! Hurrah, all men who toil, You're masters of the sullen soil. Turn up the brown, O man who ploughs! The waken'd earth to warming sun, And give all men their daily bread, Your work is God's for He has said He'll bless your work, your plough-team too, Reward is sure for what you do. Then, Oh! Hurrah, sons of the soil, God speed the plough, God bless your toil. Composed by the founder of the National Ploughing Association, J. J. BERGIN, Athy, Co. Kildare. Per the web: Ploughing as a sport between neighbours has probably gone on for hundreds of years but it was in 1931 that the ultimate challenge was put to Kildare man J.J. BERGIN, Athy, by his long time friend Denis ALLEN, Gorey, Co. Wexford when they argued which county had the best ploughmen.The first inter county ploughing match was organised with 40 entries and the National Ploughing Association was born.The first National Ploughing Championships held that year cost of £9 3s and 5 pence. Today the NPA concept challenge remains the same but today over 300 competitors from 32 counties as well as international visitors take the ploughing challenge.

SNIPPET: The craft of grinding grain between two stones is an old as man. The use of the waterwheel to power the process goes back as far as the Greeks. If you drive through Kilkenny City from the north, you continue straight ahead for about ten miles to the village of Kells. At the end of that village turn right, and a branch to the right a mile beyond takes you to a huge old mill that has come alive again, powered in the old way, by water, per story w/photos and diagrams by Liz CODY in the March-April 1985 issue of Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine. The diagram is of the workings of the KILLENNY MILL built c. 1760 (original mill on the site c. 1150). Kells is a tiny village in the rich river valley farmlands of Kilkenny. A century ago KILLENNY MILL (the name of the townland where the mill stands) locally known as BOLANDS MILL, was one of 12 working mills on a 10-mile stretch of river. Eight centuries before, the monks of Kells Priory milled their wheat on the same spot and by much the same simple method as did Oliver MOSSE in the mill he brought to new life in 1984. The mill is a huge old stone building five storeys high, fed by a channel from the King's River which in turn is a tributary of the salmon-full Nore. In April 1983, over the old white dusting of flour which lay everywhere, lay a further thick layer of dust. Cobwebs hung like curtains from rafters and beams. Tools lay where they had been left aside decades before. The immense wheel was broken and decaying. This then was the scene into Oliver MOSSE and his partner Suzi TAYLOR arrived. Oliver, 24, belonged to an old-established Kilkenny milling family. Suzie, a Dubliner, had no connection. But she took to the life as someone born to it. Together they set to and over the next year swept the dust and debris of decades from floor to floor, grappled with the cobwebs, repaired and oiled the wheels and clogs, cleared the shoots, set pulleys and gears creaking into movement. Two 15-ton wooden storage bins were built, descending through three floors. As well as repairing belts and conveyors, many of the bearings needed replacing. This could have been a considerable problem were it not for the fact that in the cleaning-up operation, Oliver found among the rafters the original wooden models for all the bearings. So all he had to do was take them to the foundry and get them cast. The old millstones, on the first floor up, were dressed and set. And as one of the biggest jobs, the immense undershot water-wheel was repaired and put in order again. Oliver personally made 500 bolts to attach the new paddles made of local aspen. On March 1, 1984, Oliver MOSSE pulled the handle that raised the sluice-gate that started the waterflow to turn the wheel that drove the cog that rotated the stone that ground the flowing grain and released the first flow of stone-ground flour into the waiting bag. It was only a trickle but it was more precious to them than any of the many tons that have flowed through since. That evening with their families, in a quiet celebration, they broke bread made from the newly-ground flour. A year later it was producing about 5 tons a week, the texture varied to meet different demands and tastes by the slightest turn of a cog which shifts the half-ton stone up or down a hair's-breadth. But because there was no large market in Ireland with a taste for and appreciation of the particular qualities of stone-ground flour, KILLENNY MILL, had to compete directly with ordinary commercial mill products. Local bakeries were very supportive, though, having themselves a strong sense of tradition. Oliver and Suzi were doing it all alone, back in 1985, the heavy work and maintenance. Slender Suzi was heaving 50-pound sacks of flour around, or manhandling the crowbar that shifted the clearance of the huge grinding stones. Water-mills are few in Ireland. This one brought fascinated viewers from far and wide, and many from nearby, who remember it from their childhood days. In the early days Oliver and Suzi brought people round and showed them the workings at any time of the day, but after a while things got so busy that it became impossible. "We were getting no milling done, with the sightseers," explained Oliver. "And with children particularly, you couldn't let them around on their own. Much too dangerous." So they confined viewings to special times, much as they regretted having to do so. "There were times it wouldn't have mattered," they added. "Like some of last summer, when with the wonderful weather the river ran too low and we could only use the mill-race for a few hours every day." And the neighbouring people were heard to be saying, "It's good to see the old wheel turning again!" (Perhaps it still is???)

Hi Jean   many thanks for all this info - the main family I am looking for in Clara is BROWN. David Hastings BROWN married Frances FENWICK in 1866. He was described as a miller - living at Clara Mills. His father was also decsibed as a miller on the marriage certificate.   The family later moved abroad - not sure when. Presumably Clara Mills and Belmonts Mills were two different mills - were they connected in any way? Were they nearby each other?   thanks again   ray   --- On Thu, 6/11/09, Jean R. <jeanrice@cet.com> wrote: From: Jean R. <jeanrice@cet.com> Subject: Re: [Irish Genealogy] Clara Mills (flour mill) - King's County/Offaly To: irelandgenweb@rootsweb.com Date: Thursday, June 11, 2009, 7:54 AM Hi Ray - What surnames are you researching? For help in genealogical research in Cos. Laois (Queen's) and Offaly (King's).  A fee for record search is involved, but there is a free query contact e-mail for them to assess whether they can be of help in your particular case.. http://www.irishmidlandsancestry.com/index.html The National Library of Ireland (Dublin city) apparently has the following: Clara Mills and Belmonts Mills, Co Offaly: account books 1843-88. Also http://homepage.eircom.net/~kilcormacgns/famine.htm This website has much about the famine in Co. Offaly and mentions Clara Mills.  In part: Offaly society in 1845; Offaly had a number of small industries that had prospered in the pre-famine period. The Clara mills, distilleries in Tullamore and Birr and the grain trade from the south of the county generated prosperity for some and employment for others. It was the structure of rural society which created the impression of comfort. Five landowners had over 100,000 acres in the county while some of it might not be of great value, these were big estates with healthy rent-rolls. The big five were Lords Digby, Charleville, Rosse, Downshire and Colonel Bernard, Lord Rosse and Bernard were generally resident and took a keen interest in their lands. The others were infrequent visitors, Charleville' having built his extravagant castle outside Tullamore, was reputedly bankrupt, travelling abroad to avoid his creditors. The principal tenants were men of property. The poor generally were found on the peripheral land. This explains the distribution of class four houses, or one roomed cabins associated with poverty in the county. Only 19% of families in Geashill, owned completely by Lord Digby, lived in class four houses. In contrast in Ballyboy where the land was broken into smaller estates, the percentage of families in class four houses was 38% the highest in the county. In Ballyboy, the O' Connor Morris's later lost land to the court because of old debts, gamble of Killooly survived by remortagaging in 1847 and Molloy of Greatwood lost this estate. William O' Connor Morris was a barrister and later a county court judge in Roscommon.His brother later became the last postmaster-general of Jamica. It was mainly those with less than 10 acres who were in difficulty, during the crisis. Their struggle for survival involved emigration and resistance to high rents. Unlike the small holders in Donegal they were unaccustomed to leaving their holdings for seasonal labour and it was for that reason Lord Ross could write in 1847 that the farmers were unsuited to labour. The real poor and the famine casualties were the cottiers particularly those relying on potatoes sown on conacre plots. The poor cottier having no land of his own was forced to take land at rents varying from £6 to £9 per acre for a crop. The acreage of potatoes was down to a quarter of its 1844 level in 1847 but a poor yield in 1848 spelled ruin for not just the poor with conacre but the small farmers as well. The West of the county fared worst because of the high concentration of labourers and the poor land quality... Ray - If you conduct a Google search for "Clara Mills" as a phrase and with additional keywords Offaly and King's County. A detailed website: http://www.belmontmill.com/BelmontMill.pdf. There are some old images of Clara at this website: http://www.oldirishimages.com/towns%20and%20villages/co%20offaly/clara/clara.htmlYou might also want to check out the Offaly Historical Society websites.The older website (2003) lists many publications.  At the 2009 website,there is a "contact me" e-mail address and you could inquire aboutpublications related to Clara.  I think it is a subscription-type website,but you can check and see.You might try and find a copy, for background reading,  of J. FEEHAN's "TheLandscape of Slieve Bloom:  a study of the natural and human heritage,"(pub. 1979), a copy of which is in the National Library in Dublin.  Anotherreference in the library is M. BYRNE's "Sources For Offaly History (1977).Directories with material regarding Co. Offaly include:1824 Pigot and Co., "City of Dublin and Hibernian Provincial Directory."1846 Slater's "National Commercial Directory of Ireland."1856 Slater's "Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland.1870 Slater's "Directory of Ireland."1881  Slater's "Roya! l National Commercial Directory of Ireland."1890 John Wright, "The King's Co. Directory" (reprinted as "Offaly 100 yearsAgo," Tullamore, 1989).1894 Slater's "Royal Commercial Directory of Ireland.Jean----- Original Message -----From: "ray" <rayfenwick@yahoo.com>To: <irelandgenweb@rootsweb.com>Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 3:15 AMSubject: [Irish Genealogy] Clara Mills (flour mill) - King's County/OffalyDoes anyone have any information about the mills and millers at Clara inKing's County (Offaly) - any period?Directory entries for Clara or anything else. I haven't been able to findout anything but they are mentioned on relevant marriage in 1866 and I a mtrying to piece things together.many thanks for any helpray Check out the Ireland GenWeb website at:  http://www.irelandgenweb.com/ Great place to get help with your family research. Help wanted: County Coordinators ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to IRELANDGENWEB-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message