Category: Books - Reading the Signs

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All Round Gaelic Champion of Ireland - 1895 & 1896

20/6/2016

ALL ROUND GAELIC CHAMPION OF IRELAND 1895

Not for the first time, a trip to the cemetery has led to learning and connecting of historical dots of information.

The cemetery in question is at St Bartholomew’s Church in Kinneigh, Co Cork – the location of the only round tower with an hexagonal base, as well as headstone commemorating O’Mahony Mór.

Sophie Peirce d. 9th May, 1937

9/5/2016

The Snare is Broken And My Soul Is Set Free

26/1/2016

I was in Rathcooney Cemetery recently. Among other things, I was looking to photograph the headstones of Seamus Murphy and came across this in the newer part of the graveyard.

I was struck by the message. It definitely left an impression with this reader that Louie Rickard was very happy to depart this life when the time came. I don’t think I have ever heard of life being called a ‘snare’ previously.

The cemetery caretaker advised that she was a famous author.

As a fellow north-sider, I had never heard of this former Montenotte resident, I was intrigued. The internet provided answers and some connections.

Wikipedia did provide quite a bit of information including details of some of the many books but it also included a photograph of a picture which I had spotted a while back on a tweet from Jean Prendergast.

Seemingly, the picture by Mantania, The Last General Absolution of the Munsters at Rue du Bois, includes Louie Rickard’s husband on horseback.

Once more – joining the dots of information…

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

LOUIE RICKARD

WHO DIED

AT MONTENOTTE

27TH JANUARY 1963

The snare is broken and my soul is set free

21 January 1854 - 380 Die

21/1/2016

Last November, I was in Portrane and spotted this anchor on display near the seafront. It was the first time that I had heard or read of the ship, Tayleur.

Over Christmas, I was in Liam Ruiseal’s bookshop. I spotted ‘The Sinking of RMS Tayleur’ by Gill Hoffs and it has been on my ‘To Buy’ list since.

Today, I read on twitter that 162 years ago today, the Tayleur ran aground.

These three associated dots of knowledge were more than enough to warrant connection in today’s blog.

A short history of the Tayleur

The sailing vessel, TAYLEUR, skippered by Capt. Noble, sailed on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne on Thursday, January 19th 1854 with a company of 652 persons of whom 71 were crew. The vessel was the largest sailing ship built in Britain up to that time. Many of the passengers were bound for the goldfields of Australia. The ship encountered rough weather in the Irish Sea and with visibility reduced the Tayleur dropped two anchors in an attempt to ride out the gale. Both cables snapped almost immediately and the ship drifted onto the rocks off Lambay Island. The Tayleur was washed back by heavy sea and sank in deep water, taking with her 380 persons.

The raising of the Anchor

This anchor known as the “Bower” anchor was removed from the deck of the Tayleur near the ship’s bow during a number of dives which took place in the Summer of 1985. The anchor was subsequently towed to Malahide by a boat called The Albatross. The ship’s “Kedge” anchor is currently on display in the town of Rush, Co. Dublin.

This anchor was unveiled on the 16th of May 1999 by Councillor Cathal Boland, Cathaoirleach Fingal County Council as a memorial to the 380 souls who lost their lives on the vessel, Tayleur, which sank off Lambay Island on the 21st January 1854.

Kindly donated to Donabate and Portrane Chamber of Commerce by:
Mr. John Finucane – Dive Leader and Project Organiser
Mr. Tom Durcan – Diver and Boat Skipper
Mr. John Alcock – Diver

Restoration sponsored by Donabate and Portrane Chamber of Commerce
Erected by Fingal County Council Parks Department

Water as Gaeilge

6/1/2016

I think it was ‘Miss Smilla’s Feeling For Snow’ where I read of the Inuit having many words for ‘snow’, in its very many different states or conditions.

I was reminded of this as I have been flicking through a lovely little book which I picked up before Christmas – “An Sanasán Uisce – The Water Glossary” by Carol Anne Connolly.

It lists so very different Irish words for water in its very many different forms – rain, rivers, ponds, sea and may others.

Every couple of days, I will flick through and try to add another word to my Irish vocabulary. My favourites to date include:

drúchtín – a dew drop

cómh-shnúadh – a meeting or confluence of rivers or waters

scim – veil of haze or mist

puiteáil – the act of messing in a puddle

The Boy, Allen

24/11/2015

Last year, I blogged about some monuments to the Manchester Martyrs, that I had seen around the country.

At end of Summer, POF told me of a memorial at Kilbrogan Graveyard in Bandon – so a visit was made. I also spotted that they are commemorated on the National Monument in Grand Parade.

I still have not got around to reading the book but the amount of times that I have read of them this year does make me wonder as to why I was so unfamiliar prior to this.

They were killed on 23rd November, 1867 so there has been many On This Day type references in the past few days including ExecutedToday, Stair na hÉireann, Ireland In History and StuartBorthwick.

Jean Prendergast’s tweets regularly include clips form newspapers 100 years ago. The Manchester Martyrs featured often recently with marches, parades, prayers among other anniversary actions. ComeHereToMe’s blog yesterday mentioned a final march to Glasnevin cemetery, without the bodies.

Maybe the book will educate but it appears, just like Pearse’s words at Rossa’s grave, that the Fenian dead Manchester Martyrs were a rallying call, a cause behind which Republican groups united in a common cause – such unity proving beneficial for later activities.

HE ALWAYS TOLD ME HE WAS ILL

3/11/2015

‘Dead Funny’ was one of my purchases on my most recent visit to An Café Liteartha when west of Dingle for the Bank Holiday.

I smiled on page 2 at ‘I told you’s I was sick’.

I definitely did not expect to see something similar only a week later – in Curraghkippane.

But I did.

CATALPA – a delayed appreciation

9/10/2015

During the summer, I saw Catalpa at The Everyman - a one-man play written and performed by Donal O’Kelly with live music by Trevor Knight. It was enjoyable but I left the theatre somewhat disappointed.

I bumped into a friend one night in a pub earlier in the year. He and others had just been to Catalpa and raved about the show and the performance. He has been to many plays. That night he said that Catalpa was one of the best he had ever seen.

That build-up created a sense of expectation that was not fulfilled for me that night – partly by comparison with another one-man play seen a few weeks before, but mainly due to my lack of knowledge as to the history of Fenian times. It was good but not the best.

Mikel Murfi in The Man In The Woman’s Shoes remains high in my appreciation for his delivery and his use of pause and silence, filled with facial expression, shrug or posture.

Catalpa, from the outset, was definitely not of a similar speed. It was so much faster. It had to be as there was so much more lines and actions to be conveyed. On the night the speed meant that one did not have long to appreciate the many different characters, and the odd animal, played.

Thinking back now, there were much more lines to be conveyed. There were more characters in Catalpa than Woman’s Shoes and they were all distinct. Purely from a quantity perspective, Donal O’Kelly had a tougher gig than Mikel Murfi but I didn’t appreciate that then.

Cork International Short Story Festival – Thank You

20/9/2015

But I am a little puzzled....

Friday night was Culture Night and making our way from the English Market to the Masonic Hall, I spotted bunting for the Short Story Festival and Munster Literature Centre on the railings of Bishop Lucey Park.

I think they were in the process of shutting up shop for the evening, but I spied a sign mentioning a Lucky Dip for a free Book of Stories – a tad surprised that these freebies had not been snapped up already. My hand was allowed into bag.

John Kinsella’s book is now on the To Be Read list and then hopefully released.

The fact that it has a sticker but is not on Long List on website just makes it more intriguing for this reader….

The Seamus Murphy (Thursday) and Frank O’Connor (Wednesday) films and Wednesday evening’s reading at Triskel have all been entered into the diary – here’s hoping I’ll get there.

Captain Jim Burke, d. 28.08.1922

10/9/2015

Another curiosity successfully scratched.

When in Dunmanway last week, I took a ramble through the old graveyard off the Kilbarry Road and spotted this headstone.

I learnt that there was a 1st Western Division of the Free State Army – something new for me.

I could not recall very many memorials or headstones spotted for members of the Free State Army in the Civil War and so decided to explore further.

IrishMedals.org has a list, in date order, of National Army men killed during the Civil War but 28 August 1922 only has a listing of an ambush in Co. Mayo in which Private Charles Sullivan died. Wikipedia Timeline has no listing for that date. Going back to my daily email from Stair na hÉireann, I still found no reference to Captain Burke.

This lunchtime, I went over to the reopened City Library and quickly found the article below which confirmed that Captain Burke was on horseback and was killed from the first volley of shots at Castlemaine – which was the second of five ambushes encountered by the National Army column that day.

It was interesting to see that the article is noted as ‘Passed by Censor’ – I had not realised that there had been censorship in the Civil War.

Going back to the web, the report contents are mentioned in The Civil War in Kerry by Tom Doyle. Then I realised that IrishMedals.org page has the death of James Burke in July 1922 – not August.

IN
AFFECTIONATE MEMORY
OF

CAPT. TIMOTHY P. JIM BURKE
OF DUNMANWAY
WHO WAS KILLED AT CASTLEMAINE, Co. KERRY
28TH AUGUST 1922

R. I. P.

ERECTED BY THE OFFICERS AND MEN
OF THE 1st WESTERN DIVISION
FREE STATE ARMY

“Capt. Burke who was killed at Castlemaine, was educated at the Presentation Brothers College and University College Cork. He fought as a brave soldier through the Irish war. His death at the hands of his own countrymen is deeply deplored.”

Cork Examiner (Passed by Censor)

Cork Examiner - August 1922

UPDATE 2018.10.29

Interesting to learn from the RTE programme Who Do You Think You Are? that Captain Burke was a second cousin-once removed of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Also that on the day following Cpt Burke’s death, Volunteer and prisoner, Jack Galvin was killed by National Irish Army near Ballyseedy outside Tralee.

A Star Danced And Under That I Was Born

22/8/2015

Prompted by Seamus Murphy.

There are quite a number of blog entries here concerning Seamus Murphy – plaques, headstones, and even dog water troughs. There are many other photographs of his work taken that could yet appear hereabouts.

Earlier in the summer, we were in Gougane Barra, and spotted the headstone to Tadhg Ó ’Buachalla, and his wife Ainstí which was carved by Seamus Murphy.

This led to the buying of Stories of The Tailor which was read during my holidays and The Tailor and Antsy which was packed away for this weekend.

The more one learns, the more one realises how much one does not know.

God Has No Country

21/8/2015

I added to my bookshelf this week.

There have been a number of dots joined in one year because eighteen months ago I would not have known who Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty was. That was my thought when I read of a talk in Dingle that had happened prior to our holidays.

Shortly after, his name cropped up when I was trying to find information on Delia Murphy. Then I spotted the statue in Killarney and had an item on the To Do list for the blog.

This summer the murals in Tralee and Killarney were spotted and have prompted today’s blog – now to get around to reading the book…..

Rossa – A Chance to Learn More

12/8/2015

The play a few weeks back has definitely sparked a desire to learn more about Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa so I will try to get to Waterstones on Thursday for Shane Kenna’s book-signing.

The play is being staged again this Sunday 16th and Monday 17th in Skibbereen – definitely worth a visit.

Rosary & Pints

5/8/2015

Dún Ṁuire, Grand Parade - Legion of Mary

Premises on cover owned by proprietors of The Albert

Did the Legion of Mary operate out of a pub? Can you imagine what D’Unbelievables would have done with such a scenario?

Or is there a glitch between the printing and the cover page of the first Sean O’Faolain book that I have read – which was enjoyed.

Maybe the edition for Ireland had a different cover but the acknowledgement to The Albert may not have been changed.

It gets curiouser when one checks Google images for the book and none appear to be of The Albert.

So maybe it was a prediction and Taylor Walker are about to enter the Irish pub market

The building in 2015

Dún Mhuire

‘... photograph, c. 1960, shows the attractive building at the riverside end of the Grand Parade, then known as Dún Mhuire. Originally called Daly’s Clubhouse and later the City Club, it dates from around 1787, but was extensively altered and refaced to the design of Sir John Benson. In 1952, the City Club having amalgamated with the County Club at the latter’s South Mall premises, this building was purchased at auction for £9,125 by the Legion of Mary for use as a Diocesan headquarters. It was officially opened as Dún Mhuire on 7 December 1952. In more recent times, it has become a financial business premises.’

CORK In Old Photographs – Tim Cadogan (2003 Gill & Macmillan Ltd)

Belfast Murals

1/8/2015

Once more, An Café Liteartha comes up trumps.

I was just browsing and found this absolute peach. It hits so many of my peculiar boxes – wall art; Gaeilge; listing with co-ordinates – so many of my obsessive compulsive tendencies.

If only I could justify a trip to Belfast…..