Category: Tipperary - Reading the Signs

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Shtephen & Searah

25/9/2025

I have often asked the question – is that with a PH or a V?

The reply then received from a Stephen or a Steven.

Upto my visit to Shanrahan Cemetery, I had not ever contemplated a spelling of SHTEPHEN.

It may be an engraving error but maybe in the 1770’s that was the spelling……..

A Few Shades of Green

24/9/2025

Shanrahan Cemetery. Co. Tipperary

Neil Greene was the husband of Margaret Green

I am assuming the addition or addition of the third E is an engraving error but there could be another explanation.

It does appear like a missing E.

Grey is the new Green…

9/10/2022

St. Luke's Cross - 2022.10.09

St. Luke's Cross - 2013.04.27

40 Shades of Green

Taking my morning coffee and croissant earlier today, I wondered as to the post box across the road at St Luke’s Cross.

It was definitely not the normal shade of green for postboxes – Emerald Green. This evening, I returned to photograph and suspect that the brighter green is an undercoat as the demarcation between the green and black is far from sharp.

‘In keeping with this, a circular was issued by the Chief Clerk, J. J. Coonan, on the 22nd February 1922 informing postmasters that
The Postmaster General of the Irish Free State has decided that in future all Letter Boxes are to be painted emerald green instead of P.O. red as at present. The words “An Post” in Gaelic characters should be inserted in yellow over the doors of the Letter Boxes. Black paint should be used for the bases of Pillar Boxes.’

The Irish Post Box – Silent Servant And Symbol Of The State - Stephen Ferguson

I suspect that same excuse does not apply to the wall box at Mitchel St in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. The box is still open for use but is painted camouflage grey – possibly to fool the tourists…..

The Fairy Tree

29/7/2020

Shanrahan Cemetery – Part 4

Trinity Well, Newmarket, Co. Cork

Holy Well of St. Colman MacDuagh, Oughtmama, Co. Clare

I have read of and encountered Rag Trees at Holy Wells.

Most people would have heard of the planned motorway in Co. Clare being rerouted so as to avoid knocking a Fairy Tree.

Until last week, I had not heard of the song, The Fairy Tree sung by John McCormack among others – or heard of Kate Ryan who features in the song’s lyrics.

As we were making to leave the cemetery for the first time, local residents, P.J. and his good wife, out for their evening stroll, educated me as to The Fairy Tree and brought me to the grave of Katie Ryan where the headstone records the name of the deceased and the song.

It is a bad day when one does not learn something new.

“They’ll tell you dead men hung there
Its black and bitter fruit
To guard the buried treasure
Round which it twines its root
They’ll tell you Cromwell hung them
But that could never be
He’d be in dread like others
To touch the Fairy Tree “

“From moonrise round the thorn tree
The little people play
And men and women passing
Will turn their heads away
But if your heart’s a child’s heart
And if your eyes are clean
You’ll never fear the thorn tree
That grows beyond Clogheen”
Temple Lane

Finding A Lost Séamus Murphy

27/7/2020

Maybe Not Lost Lost – Just Lost In Plain Sight

Shanrahan Cemetery – Part 2

Those of you who drop by here regularly will be well aware of my appreciation of and interest in the work of the Cork Sculptor, Séamus Murphy.

The book published by the Crawford Art Gallery continues to be a source for some detours on my various journeys to visit his headstones, statues or plaques that I have not yet photpgraphed and touched – touching of stonework, especially headstones, is very important.

The book does not list any headstone in Clogheen or Shanrahan. It makes no reference to Edward Sackville-West.

When in Shanrahan last week, I decided to look out for headstones, the subject of Photo Requests on the Find-A-Grave website. Three requests proved elusive. William Wade was spotted close to the O’Callaghan mausoleum.

The date of death of 1965 suggested that the headstone of Edward Sackville-West would be easily found in the new part of the cemetery and it was. His Find-A-Grave biography does read of an interesting life.

That evening I met P.J. and his lady wife who were out for a stroll and advised that they understood that Edward was descended from the family that gave its name to Sackville Street – now O’Connell St. in Dublin. The referred me to a book by local historian Ed O’Riordan – Lonely Little God’s Acre on Shanrahan cemetery which has now been requested through the Inter-Library Loan.

On a Tuesday evening, outside Clogheen in County Tipperary, I was smiling broadly once the carver’s name was spotted. The headstone was admired, and touched.

The Timing Of Commemoration

26/7/2020

Earlier this week, a long day’s work after an early start finished in Cahir just after five and I decided to treat myself to a Supertramp evening – I took the Long Way Home , the road not previously travelled.

I have recently started putting my ‘To Visit’ locations on a Google Map so that it is easier to cross-check diversions and distractions when time may permit on a journey.

I recently learned of Fr. Nicholas Sheehy via Tipperary Studies on Twitter. He was hung drawn and quartered in Clonmel in 1766 and buried in Shanrahan Cemetery, outside Clogheen in Co. Tipperary where he is also remembered with a monument outside the church and in the name of the local GAA Club – An t-Athair Sithigh.

Fr. Sheehy’s grave is in a reasonably prominent position in the graveyard – a double grave adjacent to the old church, shared with Rev. Dr. James Glison.

It is interesting to note that the plaque was erected in 1898, the centenary year of the 1798 rebellion and 132 years after his death. The tomb conservation was in 2013. The final project of my Local History course is on remembrance and commemoration – the To Do list not contains questions:

why the delay in commemoration
were there no 1798 local heroes to commemorate at the centenary in 1898
why 2013 for the conservation works?
When was GAA Club formed?

As ever, some knowledge leads to more questions.

The Five Alley

2/9/2018

This afternoon, I had an ‘I Wonder’ moment.

These sometimes convert into ‘Eureka’ moments when one goes back to research and check. Often, the moment is merely a joining of curious connections.

It is probably over 25 years since I was in the Five Alley premises, on the Limerick Road, just outside Nenagh. The first time I heard the name, my mind processed ‘Fivelly’ – only when I arrived at the premises, I learned the true spelling.

I cannot recall if I did ask of the landlady family as to whether there were five handball alleys, but that is how I had the pub and area filed away – until that ‘I wonder’ moment today.

On our walk in the Regional Park in Ballincollig, I saw the bilingual sign for Beech Walk. I pronounced the translation of beech in my head and wondered – Five Alley – Fáibhilí.

Logainm does not have a listing for Five Alley in Tipperary. There is one in Co. Offaly, north of Birr and the literal translation of its name in Irish is The Court and the notes do refer to Handball Courts or alleys – but none in Tipperary or anywhere else in the country.

The extent of Beech trees outside Nenagh is yet to be investigated. It may only be a curious co-incidence, or I may have been right to wonder…..

No Riding Here

19/3/2015

I remember growing up hearing of and wondering about Tipperary North Rising and Tipperary South Riding.

My logic was puzzled as to why Cork was not similarly split as we had been told it was the largest county – but the City Corporation and County County Council were used as an explanation.

“Council” and “Corporation”, I could somewhat understand – but “Riding” was something else. It was only English but my recollection was of it being more exotic than that.

I knew that there were only two ‘Lord Mayors” – all except Dublin and Cork were just ordinary ‘Mayors’. But it was two – not one.

And Tipperary were lucky enough to be the only county to have ‘Riding’.

Last Saturday, I spotted this car as it was pulling away. I had known of the merger of Tipperary North Riding and South Riding but this was the first time that I had seen (or maybe taken notice) the implication.

I wondered if my eight year old will ever ponder the borough division of a ‘Riding’.

Pumps

25/2/2015

A while back, Ian’s blog reminded me of old petrol pumps, Sine then, I have recorded the few that I have come across – in varying stages of neglect. And one unusual installation at Begley’s Forge.

MeticulousMick’s update today prompted a picture gallery.

Liam Whelan - Munich Air Disaster

13/2/2015

Last week, both Myles and Stair na hÉireann reminded as to the Munich Air Disaster on 6th February, 1958.

When in Dublin on Monday, I took a trip to the Liam Whelan Bridge.

On my way home, I was contemplating that there were quite a few memorial plaques that I have come across to air crashes and their victims - and I haven't photographed Ahakista - yet.

Road Road

21/1/2015

Sign in Ballina, Co. Tipperary

Logainm tells us that the name of the town/village of ‘Boher’ derives from ‘An Bóthar’.

‘Bóthar’ translates ‘road’.

‘Slí’ translates as ‘way’

Surely the correct Irish translation of ‘Boher Road’ is ‘Bóthar an Bhóthair’ – so good they named it twice.

bóthar masculine noun
genitive bóthair, nominative plural bóithre, genitive plural bóithre

road

Pota-Focal.ie

An Bóthar

genitive: an Bhóthair

validated name

(Irish)

Boher

(English)

Logainm.ie

slí feminine noun
genitive slí, nominative plural slite, genitive plural slite

way

Pota-Focal.ie

Gowls & Armpits

20/11/2014

Gabhal

Anyone who has travelled on the train from the south to Dublin would have heard many announcements about the stops en route – including Limerick Junction. As can been seen from the sign, this translates as Gabhal Luimnigh.

Recently in discussion with POF, including about the origin of some words used in English, he mentioned that Gabhal translated as a junction. He outlined the junction at the top of one’s legs and suggested as a basis of the term-of-non-endearment, gowl.

It made sense to me, and has been confirmed elsewhere.

Having had to spend an hour once at Limerick Junction (one will only ever do that once), it was time enough to consider how much of a gowl I was…..

Ascaill

More than once hereabouts, I have commented on the translation of the word ‘Avenue’ in streetnames in various places.

When discussing this with fluent Irish speakers, I was educated that ‘Ascaill’ also means ‘armpit’ .

Imagine that the next time you are thinking of the price of a property situated in an armpit……

“gabhal masculine noun

genitive gabhail, nominative plural gabhail, genitive plural gabhal

crotch, junction”

Pota Focal

“ascaill feminine noun

genitive ascaille, nominative plural ascaillí, genitive plural ascaillí

1 avenue

Ascaill na Páirce Park Avenue

2 armpit

faoi ascaill [duine] under [somebody's] arm

tháinig sé agus leabhar faoina ascaill aige he arrived with a book under his arm “

Pota Focal

p.s. Ní fhaca mé aon damhsóir gabhail I Gabhal Luimnigh

P.P.S.

Sign on M8, Co. Laois

Stone Graffiti

29/10/2014

I had understood that graffiti was something that was carried out without the permission of the owner of the property and without him knowing of it being applied.

I always imagined graffiti as something that was carried out quickly to avoid apprehension. I always liked the notion aroused by ‘FAR AWAY IS CLOSE AT HAND IN IMAGES OF ELSEWHERE’ that was on the wall of the railway in London and carried out one night.

On two occasions recently have I come across the term, ‘stone graffiti’, and have had to change my understanding as stone engraving cannot be carried out that fast – can it?

At a recent talk at the Ennis Archaeological and Historical Society on the IHS tiles in Galway, Eamonn Fitzgerald commented on stone graffiti where between 1812 and 1817 by J. Healy where the IHS lettering was engraved on buildings – quite a number of building.

Then earlier, I was reading on Louise Nugent’s blog of medieval stone graffiti at Cahir Castle. I was then told that there are two similar engravings at the old Ennis Friary.

I need to either appreciate how quickly stone engraving can be executed or else amend my understanding as to how long graffiti can take………

Galway

Manchester Martyrs

21/9/2014

Ladysbridge, Co. Cork

Galtee - Not So Easi

15/9/2014

A number of lessons were learnt last Sunday week on the walk up Galtymore.