The Tuam Herald, Saturday, March 6, 1909 Tuam, Co Galway, Ireland Pithy Pars. - Personal, Parochial Provincial and Particular --------- Major Napoleon Joseph Blake, DSO, late of the Middlesex Regiment, was born in 1852 son of Captain Maurice Lynch Blake, second son of Maurice Blake, of Ballinafad, and Margaret, daughter of Captain Wallis. He entered the army in 1873 and served in the Zulu war in 1879, and was made a captain in 1881, and major in 1890. He was second in command of the Middlesex Regiment in the South African war, and being mentioned in despatches was awarded the D S O. He has retired since 1901, and is married to Alice, daughter of Robert Page Henderson, of Oswaldkirk, Yorkshire. --------- Thomas Joseph Blake, B L, fifth son of Valentine O'Conor Blake, of Towerhill, Co Mayo, is a member of the Connaught Bar. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and B. A. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1873 and is a member of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. --------- Charles Joseph Blake, J P for Queen's Co and Co Galway, who was born in 1840, is the second son of Valentine O'Connor Blake, of Towerhill, and was educated at Stonyhurst College and at Trinity Collage and B A in 1860. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1862 but never practised, and was High Sheriff for Queen's Co in 1895. He refused to stand in the Nationalist interest for Mayo in 1880 and would have been elected. He is a member of the Jockey Club and a great authority on racing, having bred some of the best race horses in Ireland. --------- Father John Hughes, S J, who some few years ago was the popular and distinguished rector at St Ignatius, Galway, has, we regret to say, been very ill, but is, we are pleased to learn, entirely recovered. --------- His countless friends, lay and clerical, in the County Galway, will be glad to know that his Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne has completely recovered from his recent indisposition. --------- Count Llewellyn Blake, Colonel 3rd Connaught Rangers, J P for Co Galway and D L for Co Mayo, was born in 1842. He is the only surviving son of Maurice Blake, of Ballinafad, by Anne, daughter and heir of Marcus Lynch, at Cloghballymore. He gave over his estate at Ballinafad to a French religious order. He was made a Count of the Papal Court in 1895. --------- Robert ffrench Blake, of Ballyglunin Park, by Adelaide, daughter of Robert Ffrench. Of Monivca Castle. He succeeded his brother, Walter, in Ballyglunin Park in 1891. Mr Blake was High Sheriff for Galway town in 1892. He is the owner of extensive estates in the neighbourhood of Ballyglunin, and at Kilbannon, near Tuam. --------- The Most Rev Dr MacCormack, Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh, in his Lenten message, says: - As this is my last Lenten instruction to my flock, I take occasion to convey to you a Father's blessing. It has been my sacred duty, as your Chief Pastor, to guide you for the past two-and-twenty years, and now I shall be soon surrendering my spiritual charge into the hands of my successor; meantime, I take this opportunity to thank you, my beloved flock - both priests and laity - for your invariable kindness and unfaltering docility and submission. One favour I beg of you: I ask the charity of your prayers that the evening of my life may be blessed by God, that I may finish my earthly course in his holy love. And rest assured, dearly beloved, that I shall faithfully remember you in the Holy Mass as long as the Lord is pleased to give me strength to stand at His Altar. --------- Lord Gough left Coutra Park last week for London. He attended the King's Levee on Friday. --------- Lady Gregory, who has been ill the last fortnight is, we are very pleased to say, now wholly convalescent. She is devoting her spare time to planting trees of which she has put down a very large quantity already in her beautiful and picturesque demesne. --------- In the year 1837 Ireland's population was 8,024,000; taxation, £5,175,000, or about 12s 11d per head; in 1901, the population had fallen to 4,479,175, and taxation had risen to £9,505,000, or 43s per head. 23.1 per 1,000 were receiving workhouse relief in 1907, which throws a still greater burden on the taxable ratepayer. Jim McNamara British Isles Family History Society - USA, Newsletter Editor http://www.rootsweb.com/~bifhsusa