Photo Gallery – Teachers

Photo circa 1913, showing John Robinson, Principal, with assistant Mrs. O’Toole and monitor Joe Foley (standing).

Photo: circa 1938 showing: L. to R. Ml. Fennessy, Elsie Burke, Mary O’Toole, Mary Colgan, Bridget Cormack, Thomas F. Melody

Photo c. 1969 showing L. to R.: Margaret M. Flood, Angela Geoghegan, Seán Fahy, Hilda Deeley, Mary B. Duffy.

 

Photo circa 1970 Left to Right: Mary McGuinness, Angela Geoghegan , Mary B. Duffy, Bríd Porter, Rose Fahy.

Photo circa 1992 Left to Right: Bríd Porter, Mary J. Dermody, Gráinne McMahon, Breda Cunningham, Seán Fahy, Adeline Finneran, Angela Geoghegan

Photo 1996 Left to Right: Front Row: Joan Scanlon, Angela Geoghegan, Adeline Finneran,
Back Row: Breda Cunningham, Kathleen Campbell, Bríd Connolly

Photo School Staff 2009 – 2010
L.to R.: Front Row: Arlene Quinn, Maura Hanney, Gerry Murray, Cathy Moran,
Eoin Fenton,
Back Row: Breda Cunningham, Chris Reilly, Mary Dermody, Marian Larkin,
Aisling Thornton.

 

 

 

 

Priests Native to Parish

Priests Native to Parish

Killimor parish is justly proud of producing its share of clergymen down through the years.

Fr. Brian Clarke

Brian Clarke was born on the 14^th December 1917 in Lisaniska to Brian Clarke and Brigid Kemple.  He had two brothers and five sisters.  After his primary education, Brian studied with the Mill Hill Missionaries and was ordained a priest on the 29^th June 1944, in Glasgow Cathedral, Scotland.  He worked as a missionary in Pakistan and in Ireland.  He retired in 1989 in Dublin. He died on the 25^th June 2008 at the age of ninety years.  He is interred at Bohernabreena Cemetery, Tallagh, Dublin.

 

Rev. Fr. Joseph A. Dervan.

Fr. Dervan was born in Ramore, Killimor, and was ordained a priest for the Society for African Missions.  During World War ll, when the missions were closed, he went to the United States and since 1942 had been a member of the Youngstown Diocese.   He later was appointed pastor at the Summitville parish (Ohio) and afterwards he was chaplain at St. Joseph’s Hospice in Louisville (Kentucky).   His parents were Anthony and Marie Dervan.  He died February 8^th 1960.

 

 

 

Fr. Michael Hanrahan

Fr. Hanrahan was born in Garryard on 30^th April 1907 to parents Martin Hanrahan and Margaret Croffey of Killure.  He received his primary education in Killimor National School and then attended St. Joseph’s College, Ballinasloe.  He was ordained in Thurles for the Overseas Missions on 10^th June 1937.  He served in three parishes in New South Wales namely, Cessnock, Tarrow and Newcastle.  He died 1^st February 1988 and is interred in Sandgate Cemetery, New South Wales.

 

Fr. Pat Kenny

Fr. Pat Kenny of Kylecrow, Killimor, is son of John and Nora Kenny (née Silke).  He attended Raheen National School and afterwards went to secondary/boarding school in St. Anthony’s College, Clara, Co. Offaly.  He completed his Leaving Certificate examination there in 1960 and went to work in London.  He spent from 1963 to 1969 in St. John’s Seminary, Waterford, and was in Vancouver Archdiocese, Canada, between 1969 and 1981.  He served in Woodford Parish in 1982 and ‘83 and studied in Rome in 1983 and ’84.  Fr. Kenny was chaplain in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe for ten years and took a sabbatical in ‘94/’95.  He spent three years in Kilrickle parish and was then appointed parish priest of Bullaun/New Inn in 1998.

 

Fr. John Kirwan (? – 1893)

Numerous references are made to Fr. John Kirwan in Fr. Egan’s book The Parish of Ballinasloe.  Fr. Kirwan was the first Administrator of the mensal parish (a parish in which the Bishop is really the parish priest) of Ballinasloe.  He was a native of Oxgrove, Killimor. Fr. Kirwan ministered as curate in Ballinasloe from 1855 to 1857; as administrator in Ballinasloe between 1857 and 1882; he was parish priest of Cappatagle from 1882 to 1885 and finally he served as parish priest in Eyrecourt between the years 1885 and 1893.  He died in 1893 and is interred within Eyrecourt church.

 

Fr. Michael Kirwan,

Fr. Michael Kirwan, brother of Fr. John, possibly went to Auckland, New Zealand.  Very little information is available about his life or his ministry in the church.  He died circa 1900.

 

 

Fr. Patrick (Laurence) Lyons O.S.A.

Fr. Laurence was a man of three parishes!  He was born on 19^th September 1925 in Lisduff, was baptised in St. Laurence’s Church, Tynagh, went to Coolagh Old National School, and received First Holy Communion and Confirmation in St. Brendan’s Church, Mullagh.  His parents were Patrick and Kathleen Lyons (née Keary from Kylemore, Killimor).  He had family, friends and many associates in Killimor and celebrated Mass in our church when on vacation.  He entered the Augustinian Novitiate in Orlagh/ Rathfarnham, Dublin in 1945, and was ordained an Augustinian priest in Rome on 22^nd September 1951.  He began his priestly ministry in Yola, Nigeria, West Africa in October 1952.  He served as priest, Augustinian Superior, First Prior and Parish Priest of the Benin City Catholic Community until 1988.  He then became Prior of the Augustinian Community, Washington Street, Cork, until his retirement in 1996.  Fr. Laurence died in Cork on 11^th February 2006.

 

Monsignor Thomas A. Matthews.

Fr. Thomas A. Matthews was born in Killimor on 2^nd February 1898.  He was the son of John and Anne Matthews, who originated in Aughrim, had a grocery shop in Clontuskert for some time, and eventually arrived in Killimor in 1880 to open a public house.

Thomas Matthews attended Killimor National School and entered St. Joseph’s Junior Seminary, Ballinasloe in 1911.  He went to Maynooth in 1916, arrived in Los Angeles in 1921, and was ordained at St. Mary’s Academy, Los Angeles in 1922.  He ministered in various parishes and eventually came to Holy Rosary Parish, San Bernardino in 1933, where he took care of various hospitals, established a preschool clinic for children, purchased a church for Mexican people, built and furnished a church at Lake Arrowhead-the Rectory, School and Convent at Holy Rosary.  He served on many committees and was a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus.  He died in Holy Rosary Parish on 15^th December 1961.

 

Below: Dr. Patrick Winters with his parents Patrick and Kathleen.

His Lordship, Most Rev.  Dr. Patrick Winters

Dr. Patrick Winters, S.C.A., son of Patrick and Kathleen (née Broderick), Ramore, Killimor was born circa 1907.  He received his primary education at Killimor National School and afterwards attended the Diocesan College at Garbally, Ballinasloe.  In October 1931 he entered the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, Thurles, and in 1935 his superiors sent him to the Gregorian University, Rome, for his theology course.  He was ordained in Rome, in 1938, and in 1940 he and two companions went to Tanganyika working with the Missions of the Holy Ghost Order.  He was consecrated a bishop in Thurles Cathedral in 1952.

 

 

Nuns Native to Killimor Parish

Nuns Native to Parish

Killimor Parish is justly proud of producing its share of nuns down through the years.

Sister Stephen Campbell (Annie) of Lisaniska, Killimor was born on the 23^rd May 1917.  She entered the Ursuline Convent, Brentwood, Essex, England on the 19^th June 1936.  She made her final vows as a nun on the 11^th February 1939, and worked for many years as Finance Manager (Bursar) in the Ursuline Convent boarding school.

 

Sister Carmel Colgan (Jane Mary), daughter of Thomas M. Colgan (policeman) and Mary Foley Colgan (teacher) was born 8^th July 1921.  She attended Killimor National School and then studied Domestic Economy in Coolarne.  She entered the order of The Daughters of Charity in 1939.  She became a novice on the 9^th May 1940 and took her final vows on the 31^st May 1945.  She was posted to Henrietta Street, Dublin, Fair Street, Drogheda, and Pelletstown, Navan Road, Dublin, before being transferred to Layfield, England, in 1953.   She served in various convents.   She spent sixty six years looking after children, visiting the sick, the elderly and the lonely in their homes and undertook the pastoral care of young women in hostels.  She is credited with being feisty, having a good sense of humour and she loved driving.  She bore the cross of ill health for many years. Her funeral Mass was celebrated at the Marillac, Warley, Brentwood, Essex, England, on 8^th January 2007.

Patrick and Mary Duffy (née Cosgrave), of Raheen, Killimor, had ten children, Peter, Patrick, Maureen, Rita, Delia, John, Larry, Lena, Frank and Michael.  Of the four girls three entered the religious life.

Sister Rosarii (Rita) did her Leaving Certificate Examination in Kinvara Boarding School.  She qualified as a national teacher in Carysfort Training College, Blackrock, Dublin.  She entered the Mercy Convent in Gort, but had to leave after a short time due to ill health.  She taught in Co. Tipperary for a number of years.  When she was thirty seven years of age she entered the Presentation Convent, Lismore, Waterford.  She spent many happy years there teaching and visiting the elderly in the community.  When the convent and school in Lismore were sold, Sister Rosarii moved to the Presentation Convent in Cashel, Co. Tipperary.  Her retirement was spent visiting the sick and lonely in that area.  She then fell ill herself and spent her final weeks in Milford Hospice in Limerick.  She died peacefully on February 29^th 1996, aged seventy nine years.

Sister Imelda (Delia) was born on March 22^nd 1919.  She entered the Convent of Mercy, Tipperary Town, in 1938, and made her Final Profession on 21^st June 1944.  She graduated from Mercy Hospital Nursing School, Cork, on 5^th August 1946.  She began her nursing ministry in Our Lady’s Hospital, Cashel.  She then spent twenty four years in St. Patrick’s Hospital, Cashel, and later nursed for a short time in St. Vincent’s Hospital, Tipperary Town, and was Infirmarian in the community in Templemore.  Sister Imelda was artistic, gifted with her hands, generous with her talents and faithful to her commitments.  She was most welcoming and hospitable to visitors and callers to the Convent.  Her last seven years were spent in McAuley House, Limerick, where she died peacefully on March 27^th 2009 after a long illness.

Sister Jerome (Lena) who was born in 1924 was the third youngest of the family.  She went to school in Raheen and then to the Mercy Convent, Kinvara, as a boarder where she did her Intermediate Certificate Examination.  She did her Leaving Certificate Examination in Mountmellick in June 1944.  She then entered the Mercy Convent, Loughrea, in September 1944.  Like her sister she trained as a nurse in Mercy Hospital Nursing School in Cork.  Sr. Jerome made her final profession in 1949 and spent the next twenty six years caring for the sick and elderly in St. Brendan’s Hospital, Loughrea.  In 1975 she took a career break and went to Kenya for two years.  After that she was two years in the Mercy Convent, Portumna, and two years in Eyrecourt, and then returned to St. Brendan’s Hospital, Loughrea, until her retirement in 1989.  She again opted for mission life and was sent to Zambia but had to return after six months because of health problems.  Sr. Jerome now resides in the Mercy Convent in Loughrea.

 

Sister Josephine Fahy was daughter of Martin and Ellen Fahy, Treananearla, Killimor.  She was born in 1933 and received her primary education in Killimor National School.  She later was a boarder in Presentation College, Mountmellick, and received her third level education in University College Galway.  She entered the Mercy Order of nuns in Ballinrobe in 1952.  She taught in their secondary schools in Ballinrobe and Glenamaddy.  She passed away in July 1998 and is interred in Ballinrobe.

 

Sister Anastasia Finnerty (Margaret) was daughter of Michael and Mrs. Finnerty of Heathlawn, Killimor.  She entered the novitiate of the Ursuline Convent, Brentwood, Essex, England on the 19^th June 1936.  She was professed on the 11^th February 1939 and worked as head chef in the convent for many years.  She passed away on the 22^nd November 2001.

Sister Mary Hardiman (Mary Eileen/Evelyn) was daughter of John and Elizabeth Hardiman of Killeen, Killimor.  She was born in 1935 and was educated in Killimor National School and in Portumna Vocational School.  In 1950 she joined La Sainte Union de Sacre Coeur in London and was professed in 1956.  She trained as a teacher and served in various areas including Kent, Mold in Wales, and Grays and Aveley in Essex.  She also worked with handicapped children, drug addicts and as a parish sister.  She spent many years in Haiti (Caribbean Island) from 1990 onwards.

Sister Celsus Hanrahan (Nora) daughter of Martin Hanrahan and Margaret (née Croffey) was born in Garryard, Killimor, on August 10^th 1913.  She joined the congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Ghost and taught in various elementary schools of the congregation in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas from 1831 to 1998.  Many of her last years were spent in Catholic schools in Dallas, Texas, and after her retirement she looked after children with special needs.  She was 75 years professed in 2006 and died in the Mother House in San Antonio, Texas on the 18^th March 2007.

Sister Ita Hanney and Sister Theresa Hanney were daughters of Edward and Mary Hanney, Kylemore, Killimor.  Both joined the Religious of Christian Education (RCE), on February 11^th 1933.  This was a French Congregation of nuns based in Tournai, Belgium.

Although we grieved leaving our family and home, when we arrived and were taken to the Chapel, the feelings we experienced were indescribable.  We received the wonderful grace of perfect happiness, calm and peace in the Lord’s own house.  Everything was new and strange, especially the language, which was French.  We began to study the language and prepare for the Religious Life.  We wore the Postulant’s cape and veil for the first six months and this was followed by the full religious habit and white veil.  By this time fluency in the French language had greatly improved.  At the end of our Novitiate Year we submitted, our own free will, a written request to the General of the Congregation to be allowed to take our First Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.  Permission was granted and we made our First Profession of vows for a period of three years.  At the end of three years we made our Final Profession.

In time Theresa was sent to Farnborough, Hampshire, England, and Ita served with the congregation in Vincennes outside Paris.  Communications were very difficult during the 1939/45 World War with little or no news from Ireland.  Ita managed to send a message through the Swiss Red Cross, but only fifteen words were allowed and it took over three months to go and for a reply to come back.

Sisters Ita and Theresa are now together and live in retirement with the Religious of Christian Education in Templeogue, Dublin.

 

The Haverty Nuns: L. to. R.: Sr. Edwarad, Sr. Dominic and Sr. Veronica with their sister Peggy, 1962.

Three of the Haverty sisters joined the religious life.  They were Cissie, Annie and Nellie, daughters of Edward and Mary Julia, of Lissaniska, Killimor.

Sister Veronica (Cissie) who was born in 1920, entered the Sacred Heart Convent aged sixteen years and became a teacher in Whetstone, London.  She died April 6^th  1990, in the 52^nd year of her Religious Profession.

Sister Mary Dominic (Annie) entered the Mercy Order, St. Michael’s in Uckfield, Sussex.  She too became a teacher in a private boarding school in Uckfield.  She died 14^th January 1991 aged sixty five years.

Sister Edward (Nellie) entered the Augustinian Order of nuns.  She was first sent to Belgium and then Rouen, France.  She became a nurse and worked mostly in the theatre in a big hospital in Rouen.   She died on 6^th January 1997, aged seventy eight years having spent over sixty years in the religious life.

Sister Emily Hanney, Heathlawn, born on the 29^th June, 1912 was daughter of Matthew and Mary (née Broderick).  She was fifth in a family of eleven having had two sisters and eight brothers.  Her father died when she was a child and her mother died in 1941.  Three of her brothers died in their thirties while she was in the United States.  Emily entered the Religious of Christian Education order in 1931, and began her novitiate in the Institute of Christian Education, 28 Quai Des Salines, Tournai, Belgium.  Having taken her first vows in April 1933, she went to the USA and taught in schools and colleges there for many years.  She returned to the Irish Province in August 1967 and spent her remaining years working in the Orders’ Schools at Bushy Park House, Templeogue Road, Terenure, Dublin.  She always loved sewing and continued working with students and parents up to her last days.  Sr. Emily died in February 2004 and is interred in Dublin.

 

Sister Columba Kelly (Ann) was born in Moate, Killimor, on July 23^rd, 1917, and received her primary education in Gorthanumera National School.  She entered the Sacred Heart Convent in Hitchen, England and later went to France where she studied French, Theology and Scripture.  Having returned to London she qualified as a teacher at the Maria Assumpta Training College. Following her retirement from teaching, she moved to Limavady, Co. Derry, and from there to London where she passed away on March 19^th 2003.

 

Sister Mary Kelly (Eileen), born on 9^th November 1930, was daughter of Michael and Catherine Kelly of Derrew, Killimor.  She received her primary education in Killimor Girls’ National School.  She entered the Convent of Mercy, Loughrea, on 18^th April, 1952.  She made her first profession on 6^th May, 1955, and her final profession three years later.  Her sisters in religion described her as a lovely gentle person whose delicate health was a problem after a couple of years in the convent.  Sadly she passed away on 7^th January, 1959, not having reached her 30^th birthday.

 

Sister Mary Brendan Larkin (Mary/May) was daughter of Jack and Annie Larkin of Derrysiskal, Killimor.  She was born in June 1935 and attended Killimor National School.  She entered the Convent of Mercy, Ballyshannon, in 1951, and was professed five or six years later.  She trained as a nurse and worked in Stranorlar for many years.  Sister Brendan died in November 1992.

 

Sister Anne MacDermott,

Anna Maria MacDermott, affectionately called Miss Nina, was daughter of James MacDermott and his wife Lucy (née Hutchinson) of Ramore Estate, Killimor.  Anna Maria became a nun at the Convent of La Retraite in Bruges, Belgium.  She was then known as Sr. Anne.  She died on 5^th February 1989.  She wrote a very interesting document on Ramore House and life lived there.

 

 Sister Mary Lilia McGann (Brigid Agnes) was daughter of Patrick and Nora McGann (née Campbell), of Killeen, Killimor.  She was born in January 1927, and entered the Sisters of Mercy, Midhurst, Sussex, in 1942.  She made her final profession in 1948.  She then trained as a nurse and carried out various duties among children, schools and youth groups.  She served as superior of her convent from 1983 to 1989.  Sister Lilia died in June 2002.

Sister Mary Anastasia McGann (Kathleen Elizabeth) was also a daughter of Patrick and Nora McGann of Killeen, Killimor.  She was born in April 1929, and entered the Sister of Mercy, Midhurst, Sussex, in 1946.  After her final profession in 1952 she trained as a nurse in the Southlands Hospital and received her S.R.N. in 1956.  She served as matron and sister-in-charge in Uckfield Convent School until it closed in 1976.  Among her duties were caring for children aged four to sixteen years in Uckfield until 2002.  She returned to Midhurst where she enjoys her retirement.

 

Sister Mary Francis Mattimoe (Marie) was daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mattimoe, Killimor.  Mrs. Mattimoe later became Mrs. Austin O’Toole and was a teacher in Killimor Boys’ National School.   Marie began her schooling in Killimor on 23^rd April 1919, and her date of birth was given in the register as February 1916.  In 1929 she went to St. Louis Convent, Kiltimagh, where she received her secondary education.  Afterwards she joined the Mercy Order of Nuns and served in Swanage, Weymouth, London’s East End and Fishguard.  In the beginning her visits home were very restricted – first once every seven years, then once every five years and eventually one visit was allowed every three years.  These visits home entailed morning pick-up and evening drop-off at whatever convent would accommodate visiting nuns.  Then times changed, as did the nuns’ mode of dress, frequency of visits home and removal of obligation to billet in the nearest convent.  Sr. Francis spent more than thirty years as a teacher in Swanage Convent School and finally became head-mistress there.  She then became mother superior at the Convent of Mercy in Weymouth.  Her dedication to her religion, learning, teaching and community did not preclude her involvement with family.  In later years she attended many family celebrations – weddings, christenings and jubilees.  Her last years were spent in Fishguard and she was interred there on January 4^th 2007.

‘Habits gave way to mufti, boats to planes,

And still she came to love and laugh and liven us’.

 

Sister Gabriel Moran (Catherine/Kitty)

Sr. Mary Gabriel Moran was born in Derrysiskil, Killimor, on 24^th August 1912.  She was the youngest of five children of Thomas and Mary Moran, her siblings being John, Gerard, Michael and Mary.  She received her primary education in Coolagh National School.  She entered the convent of St. Augustine at Park House, Waterloo, Liverpool, England, on 30^th June 1931.  Sr. Gabriel was professed in 1934.  She lived there for the remainder of her years, visiting Killimor many times.  Sr. Gabriel passed away on 13^th July 1975 at the age of 62.

 

Sister Mary Pauline O’Connor (Margaret/Madge) was daughter of John and Mary O’Connor (née Duffy).  She was born on 2^nd September 1916.  She attended the primary school in Killimor, spent one year in St. Louis Boarding School, Kiltimagh, and then joined her two sisters in Kinvara Boarding School.  She entered the Convent of Mercy, Loughrea, on 22^nd April, 1938.  Having completed her novitiate she trained as a primary school teacher in Carysfort Training College, Blackrock, Dublin.  She taught in Loughrea for some time and then was appointed principal to Eyrecourt primary school from 1951 to 1965.   She then went to Ballinasloe as principal, spent 1973/1974 in Portumna and changed back to Eyrecourt in 1974 from which post she retired in 1982.  During her retirement she became involved in prayer groups and did the training necessary to give Síol retreats.   She loved to walk and cycle and even learnt to drive.  She passed away on 2^nd December 2003, in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, and was interred in the Convent Cemetery, Loughrea.

 

Below: Sr. Ailbhe Reilly and Sr. Helen Reilly with their mother Mrs. Annie Reilly, family and friends 1960.

Sister Ailbhe Reilly (Nora) was daughter of James and Annie Reilly, Ballycahill, Killimor.  She entered the Irish Sisters of Charity, Dublin and worked as a nurse in St. Vincent’s Hospital.  She passed away at a young age in 1969.

Sister Helen Reilly (Philomena) was also a daughter of James and Annie Reilly, Ballycahill, Killimor, and was born on 16^th September, 1925.  She entered the novitiate of the Ursuline Convent, Brentwood, Essex, England on 1^st November, 1944, and was professed on 28^th September, 1947.  She worked as a nurse in the boarding school of the Convent.  She passed away on the 24^th November, 1978.

Sister Joseph Ignatius Ryan (Anne or Dot) was daughter of John and Teresa Ryan of Sandymount, Killimor.  She was born in 1897, entered the Convent of Mercy in Galway, and taught for many years in Galway and Oughterard.  Sister Joseph Ignatius died in the early 1950s.

 

Sister Teresa Winifred Ryan (Edith) was daughter of John and Teresa Ryan of Sandymount, Killimor.  She was born in 1901 and entered the Sisters of Charity, Milltown, Dublin.  She spent many years in London.  Sister Teresa Winifred died in 1982.

 

Sister Kathleen Winters (Rev. Mother Catherine) was daughter of Patrick and Catherine (née Broderick) Winters of Ramore, Killimor.  In 1931 she entered the order of Christian Education at Tournai in Belgium and was professed in 1938.  Sr. Kathleen received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of North Carolina in 1943.  She did graduate work at Boston College, Arizona State University, Iowa State University, Duke University, Vanderbilt University and at the University of Hawaii.  She served her community as a teacher and was principal in Asheville (Pines School), Waltham, Milton, Arlington and at Asheville Catholic High School.    She retired in 1986, and passed away on April 13^th, 2001, aged eighty nine years, at Santa Maria Nursing Centre, Cambridge, Mass.

 

 

 

 

Jack’s Memories

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack’s Memories of Lisduff Mill

Lisduff Mill 1855

Jack Lowry of Carhoon, Tynagh, said that Jimmy Abbot, a Scotsman, who owned over two hundred acres and the big house on the land, built Lisduff Mill in 1855.

Change of Ownership

The Land Commission took over the land and mill and divided it up in 1918.  At that time the value of the mill was £4,000.  Pat Winters, who originally worked in Lisduff Mill, got the mill in 1918 and he subsequently sold it to Tom Glynn in 1921.

Use as a Corn Mill

It was always listed as a corn mill and so people from within a ten-mile radius, stretching from Power’s Cross to Moorefield to Limehill and to Portumna, brought corn to the mill to be ground.  Oats was rolled and cracked for animal feed and ground into oaten meal for human consumption.   Wheat was also ground into flour for human consumption. Barley was rolled or crushed for animal feed.  The charges made were 2d. (two old pennies) per stone.

Making of Oaten Meal

To make oaten meal, corn had to be dried in the kiln, and then put through the mill to take off the hulls (shells).  A fan overhead blew off the shells and it was then ready for collection.  Fourteen stone was called one barrel.   The miller himself assessed the quality of oats received and gave the best quantity of meal for the best oats.

Features of the Mill

Important features of the mill included the wheel, the engine, the kiln, the quern stone, the river, the sluice, the sluice gates and the pond.  A plaque on the wall at the front of the mill is dated 1855.

Water Supply

As there wasn’t sufficient water coming through to generate power, an engine, to help in the process, was installed by Tom Glynn, in a galvanised house at the back of the mill.  The kiln was used to dry corn from 11 am to 9 pm.  Turf was the fuel used to generate the heat in the kiln.  The pond was man-made, the workers being paid 2d. per day to store a supply of water.

The Employees

The employees in this family-run business included Jack Lowry himself, Joe Mannion, Connie Lyons and many others.  Jack earned nine shillings per week and could purchase a bottle of stout for 6d. and ten cigarettes for 6d.    In 1937 he bought a suit of clothes for £3.10s.0d. and a pair of boots for eighteen shillings.

Johnny Lyons Recalls

Johnny Lyons, Ramore remembers that Lisduff Mill continued to operate until the 1970s.  He recounts that great use was made of that mill, particularly from September to Christmas, when it was worked twenty four hours a day.  Horses and carts, and asses and carts lined the road leading to the mill.  Local people never had to wait as their corn was ground during the night.

Sadly the mill building has fallen into disuse since it ceased operating.

 

Augustine E. Costello

Augustine E. Costello

“A Killimor Fenian”

Background and Education

Augustine E. Costello was born in Killimor in 1846.  In a letter, dated July 9th 1891, to his cousin, Charles Costello, who lived in Killimor, he described his early years.  He attended a hedge-school, located about three miles from Killimor on the old Portumna Road.  His teacher was Johnny McDermott, “a most worthy man”, easy tempered but “could use the rod without compunction of conscience”.  After that he went to Mrs. Kirkaldy’s school in Hearnsbrook and later continued his education in the school-house run by a Mr. Manning.  Augustine was a “callow boy of 15” when he left school; he went to work in Kells, afterwards in Dublin and then set sail for America.

 

The Jacmel Episode

Augustine got involved in the Fenian Movement in America, and, with others, attempted to bring guns and ammunition into Ireland on the ship Jacmel, after the Fenian Rising in Ireland in 1867.  The shipment was intercepted and Costello, together with many of his companions, were arrested near Helvic in Waterford.  Costello was sentenced to twelve years penal servitude for treason-felony.  He was released after twenty one months and returned to America.

A Checkered Career

Augustine was a man of many parts.  He was a lieutenant in the United States Civil War and worked as an actor in New York.  He continued his association with the Fenian Movement and attended many “rebel reunions”.  He was a police reporter for the New York Herald and a prolific writer who produced at least twenty three books which dealt mostly with the function and history of the police and fire departments in New York, New Haven, Jersey City, Minneapolis and Chicago.  A letter written by Augustine E. Costello to his cousin, Charles, in Ireland, is among the extensive collection of Irish Literature in the Kenneth Spencer Research Library in the University of Kansas.  His sentiments and nationalistic leanings are evident from a letter he wrote to Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa in 1893 and which is housed in the Catholic University of America, Washington DC.

Concluding paragraph of Augustine E. Costello’s letter to his cousin, Charles.  The letter was dated July 9th 1891.

Death and Interment

Augustine passed away in December 1909 leaving a wife and three daughters to mourn his loss.  He was interred in Old St. Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

Tributes

Augustine E. Costello’s death was recorded in various newspapers.  Tributes were paid to him in The Galway Pilot and Galway Vindicator or December 4^th 1909, in The Connacht Tribune of January 1^st 1910 and also in The Galway Express.

A copy of his book “Our Firemen – The History of The New York Fire Departments From 1609 to 1887” was generously donated by Liam Ryan (originally from Moneenaveena, Killimor) and is now in Killimor Heritage Centre.

For further information on Augustine E. Costello, see Chapter 15, Killimor on the Defensive in our publication “Killimor Our Parish and Our People”.

 

 

Memories of WW11

Memories of WW11

 A Killimor Nurse

The Slough Observer reported at the weekend at some length and with much affection, on the death in nearby Maidenhead of Kitty Hanrahan née Muldoon, who, for many years, was matron of St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Slough.  She was 79 and a native of Killimor, Co. Galway.  Having qualified as a nurse, she came to Britain at the beginning of World War 11 and was based at Dulwich Hospital which cared for many of those wounded at Dunkirk and later for victims of the blitz.  One night when she was on duty, the hospital itself suffered a direct hit and went on fire.  She helped evacuate the patients.

After the war, she returned to Ireland – worked at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, before being appointed district nurse for Achill Island in Co. Mayo.

Having married in Ireland in 1949, she, her husband William, and their three children moved to Slough in 1957 and settled there.  The town remembers her as the kindly matron at St. Joseph’s School.

The debt which Britain owes to Irish nurses – especially in the war years and the two decades which followed – is immense and, I’ve often felt, has never been properly acknowledged.

The splendid city of Manchester is, however, about to make an acknowledgement – not just of Irish nurses but of the contribution which the Irish at large have made to Greater Manchester.  It will be formally done with the City Council unveiling a plaque at Walker’s Croft, near Victoria Station, on August 20.  Ironically, many of the Irish who died in Manchester, victims of the Great Famine are buried in that part of the city.

The above extract is from an unnamed newspaper or journal, commenting on articles in British newspapers.  Courtesy of Seán Ryan.

War Memories

The Day of the “Bomb”.

It was the early 1940s.  I was out in the yard at about 2 pm while the other family members were finishing dinner in the kitchen.  There was a strange noise on the roof of the turf shed.  A snake-like object was writhing and twisting and making a terrible racket on the corrugated iron roof.  I thought “so that is what a bomb is”.  Bombs and guns and warships were the major topics of conversation in those years.

There was another rope-like object barely outside the yard wall, and a third shorter one, trailing from what looked like a huge, greeny-blue balloon in the sky, over the river to the right of the bridge (Hearnesbrook Bridge).  I did not have enough sense to be afraid, but the animals were terrified.  Our two dogs were whimpering under the horse-cart.  The cows, cattle, two horses and the donkey ran from the fields round the house into the front field, snorting and blowing, eyes staring and tails straight up.  Mother picked me up and ran back into the kitchen.

The “Bomb” drifted, slowly over the bridge towards Hara’s house.  Father, who was the Local Security Force Officer, decided to report the matter, but when he arrived into Killimor, all the people were out looking up at the object.  The Local Security Force and Gardaí followed it on bicycles for a bit.  Eventually it got trapped in some trees near Woodford.  We were so disappointed that that did not happen in the Hearnesbrook trees!

The following week The Connacht Tribune said the “Bomb” was a Barrage Balloon that had broken free from some city in the north of Ireland, probably Derry.  These balloons, made from sturdy material were fixed to the ground with long cables.  Their primary function was to prevent low-flying aircraft from accessing an area.  Occasionally the odd balloon escaped, and sailed away, as happened in the case of the Barrage Balloon seen over Killimor.

The above article was written by Liam Ryan formerly of Killimor.

 

Seán in the FCA

 

 

Seán in the FCA
Seán’s Memories

Seán Gilchrist of Ramore, Killimor, gives an account of his twenty years with the Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCA) in Killimor.

Joining the FCA

Seán joined in 1956 when weekly meetings were held in the Old Hall.  This branch was affiliated to the Loughrea Battalion FCA, which was later called D. Company 16^th Battalion, and in 1979 became D. Company 25^th Battalion.  The meetings were transferred to the Community Centre, Killimor, when it opened.  Thirty or more members attended but numbers dwindled drastically due to emigration in the 1960s.

Training of Members

Members were taught arms drill, foot drill, and first-aid, and were given lessons on the use of the hand grenade.  Rifles were supplied, and had to be maintained in good condition through the use of oil and a “pullthrough”.  Field Days were a big feature, during which participants practised firing on ranges, from a rifle, from a Bren gun (light machine gun), and a sub-machine gun called a Gustaf.  They also fired anti tank grenades – both live and dummy, and the MMG (heavy maching gun) on the range.  Seán remembers firing mortars in Oranmore, in the Glen of the Imaal, in Kilchreest and on the local range in Hearnesbrook.  Members also did sub-maching gun firing in the Esker sandpits in Dunsandle and in Ballinasloe.

Annual Training

Annual training took place in Finner Camp (Donegal) and in Athlone, Mullingar and Galway Barracks.  They once went to Lahinch and slept under canvas.  Army NCOs from Loughrea, and based in Athlone, provided and supervised the training and were very strict on safety.  An Army Officer supervised the whole operation.  The Quarter Master was responsible for issuing boots, and the ammunition for the live practices; this ammunition was always weighed and counted.  Manoeuvres were sometimes carried out at these annual camps and included: Battalion in attack and Battalion in defence.  Army transport, generally trucks, and sometimes vans, collected members from home and brought them back again.  Members got basic pay and a bonus, on condition that they trained their required amount of hours.  Medical tests were carried out by an Army doctor during annual training.

Guard-of-Honour

The FCA provided a Guard-of-Honour at Corpus Christi processions, for de Valera when he visited Loughrea, and at the installation of a bishop.

Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCA) group taken in Loughrea circa 1960

The front row includes:  Jim Donoghue, Noel Byrnes, Kevin Ryan, Mikey Hanney, and Noel Scott
Middle:  Jody Brien, Mikey Hanrahan, Seán Treacy, John Peter Treacy, and Pakie Hanrahan
Back: Michael Keane  (Seán himself is not in this photograph).

 

 

 

The Old Age Pension in Killimor

The Old Age Pension in Killimor 

 

A headline on the Irish Times of 1^st January 1909 read: “The Greatest Blessing of All: The Old Age Pension in Ireland”.  This followed the introduction of a non-contributory pension for eligible people, aged seventy years and over, by the passing of the Old Age Pensions Act 1908.  This Act came into law across Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales in January 1909.

 

 

Applicants’ Circumstances

In order to qualify for the Pension, the applicants’ income had to be less than £31.10s.0d. per annum and they had to be of good character.  Some people were automatically disqualified, for instance anyone who served a prison sentence within ten years of applying, institutionalised “lunatics”, anyone convicted of drunkenness, or people, who, though fit and able, had a history of “habitual failure to work”.  In the first three months of 1909, two hundred and sixty one thousand, six hundred and sixty eight applications were made in Ireland.  By 31^st March 1910, one hundred and eighty thousand, nine hundred and seventy four Irish pensions were in force.  A pensioner whose income was less than £21 got the full pension of 5s. per week.  With every extra £2.12s.6d. annual income earned, the pension decreased by 1s. per week.  The pension was payable on a Friday and was administered by the Post Office.

Eligibility Proved Difficult

Eligibility for the pension in Ireland proved quite difficult as State registration of births here did not begin until 1864 and applicants had no official documentation to substantiate their claims.  Therefore, officials chose to search the 1841 and 1851 censuses for evidence of the applicants’ age.  The applicants had to provide the names of their parents and where they lived in March 1841 or 1851, as well as stating the age they believed themselves to be in the appropriate year.  Pensions Officers then sent details of the applicant on Form 37 to be checked against the census of the townland or address given, to see if the applicant could be found and his/her eligibility proved.  Many searches were successful but, if the applicant could not be located, Form 37 was returned with ‘not found’ or ‘no trace’ written on it.

Records for the Parish

Five records were found for the parish of Killimor under the Old Age Pension Census Search Forms.

Clarinda Connolly – Application Number D10 21006
Clarinda Connolly applied for the pension on the 20^th of September 1910.  In 1841 she resided with her parents.  Their full names were Wm. and Kate Connolly.  Their address was given as: County Galway, Barony of Kilconnell, Parish of Killimordaly, Townland of Killimor; part of that address was crossed out and replaced, in pencil, by Barony of Longford, Parish of Killimorbologue.  Notes written on the records said “Expedite”, “not in bundle” and “not found”.

Peter Brien – Application Number C20 6110
Peter Brien applied for the pension on the 21^st of May 1920.  He gave his address as: Lisdeligna, Killimor, Ballinasloe, Galway.  He stated that the full names of his father and mother were: Terrence and Bridget Brien (née Smyth) and that their residence in 1851 was in County Galway, Barony of Longford, Parish of Killimorbologue, Townland of Lisdeligny.

Apparently this information was not found on the 1851 census.  The application form was replaced on 28/5/20 and a copy of the replacement, together with a S.A.E., was despatched to the applicant’s address on 29/5/20.

Michael Cormockan – Application Number C16 1525
Michael Cormockan of Ballyglass, Portumna, Co. Galway, applied for the pension on the 23^rd of February 1916.  He gave the names of his parents as Laurence and Bridget Cormockin (née McDonnell).  Their address was: County Galway, Barony of Longford, Parish of Killimorbologue, Townland of Oxgrove.  Notes written on the records said “Try again for Cormican”, “not found”, and “Only one farm in Oxgrove, viz. John Soughley, herd”.  Further notes on the records read “2/- retd”.  and “Unless you state the exact name of the tld in which you were living in 1851, your name will not be found in the CRs of that year.  If your brother proved his age by means of a CRs kindly forward his certificate to this Dept. 23/3/16”.

Bridget Langtry – Application Number C17 6070
Bridget Langtry applied for the pension on the 13^th of August 1917.  At the time of application her address was: Mr. Patrick Burnell, Camas, Meelick, Eyrecourt, Co. Galway.  The full names of her parents were: Michl. and Anne Langtry.  Their residence in 1918 was in County Galway, Barony of Longford, Parish of Killimorbologue, Townland of Rathmoreahanduff, Rathmore Demesne.  The records did not indicate if Bridget was awarded the pension.

Maria Coghlan – Application Number C21 1856
Maria Coghlan applied for the pension on the 4^th of March 1921.  She gave her address as: Old St., Portumna, Co. Galway.  Her father and mother were William and Anne Coghlan (née Donohoe).  In 1851 their address was: County Galway, Barony of Longford, Parish of Killimorbologue, Townland of Kilcrow.  Written on the records was “Form replaced by TW 9/3/21” and “Copy despatched to Applicant’s Address 10/3/21”.  The records did not state if Maria was awarded the pension.

 

 

 

A Tribute to Tony Dervan

A Tribute to Tony Dervan
 
In 2005 Killimor GAA Club tragically lost one of its leading lights, the Club Treasurer, Tony Dervan.  Ciaran Tierney wrote the following appreciation in the Connacht Tribune:

Untimely passing of Galway Hurling Board Treasurer

It was a measure of how much Tony Dervan loved Galway hurling that he defied medical opinion to leave his sick bed in Galway in order to fly to Dublin to see his county contest last month’s All-Ireland Finals at Croke Park.

He startled the helicopter pilot who arrived at University College Hospital, to transport him to the capital that Saturday afternoon.  Which hospital was he going to, the man wanted to know.

“Hospital! What hospital? I’m going to Croke Park”, said the Galway Hurling Board Treasurer, who was a guest of the GAA President, Sean Kelly, in the Presidential Box in the Hogan Stand the following day.

Dervan, who became Treasurer five years ago, had been a delegate for his beloved Killimor Club for a decade and a half.  He took great enjoyment from the progress the county’s minors, seniors, and U21s made, in reaching the finals during a difficult summer in which he fought bravely against his terminal illness.

He was so close to the Galway players that four members of the Senior Panel visited him on the day he died.  They were regular visitors at UCHG.  The team captain, Liam Donoghue, rang him from the Galway dressing room after the side’s thrilling Semi-Final win over Kilkenny in August, described by many as the best game of hurling ever seen..

Dervan, despite his illness, was determined not to miss out on Galway hurling’s biggest day in four years and it reflected his ‘ never say never’ attitude that he made it to Croke Park just  a month before his passing, at 56 years of age, last Friday.

The senior county players formed a Guard of Honour at the church in Killimor last Sunday night and a sliotar, hurley, and Galway jersey were offered up as gifts, to reflect his love of the game.

It was in his native Killimor that he first came to prominence in the GAA two and half decades ago, becoming the driving force at the Club.  He was the main figure behind the superb redevelopment of the Club’s grounds in the 1980s and was highly regarded for his fundraising, organisational skills, and the way he looked after the needs of young players.

Dervan was an optimist who had no time for negativity and continued to push projects forward in the community even when people said they couldn’t be done.  He helped set up the Community Employment Scheme in the parish, as well as developing a leisure facility on the Club’s grounds.

In 1991, he took over the management of the Club’s Intermediate team on the night when the entire back-room team resigned ‘enmasse,’ following a demoralising defeat.  Later that night, at 2 a.m. to be precise, he told the Club Chairman, Jimmy McClearn, and Pakie Moran over a few drinks, that he appointed them as selectors.  They were shocked.  But they didn’t have a chance to turn him down and the following morning the three of them picked a team which went all the way to the County Final, only to lose to Padraig Pearses in a replay.

He earned a growing reputation for looking after young teams and as a result, the then Galway Minor manager, John Fahey, brought him in as a selector for two years in the early 1990s.  Fahey, now Hurling Board Secretary, said the regard in which he was held by the current Galway players was reflected in the presence of every one of them in Killimor last Saturday night.

The former Secretary, Phelim Murphy, said the Killimor delegate was a “good lad who got on well with everyone”, who proved a popular choice for Treasurer when he was elected to the position five years ago. “It’s a major loss to everyone in Galway hurling, he suffered a lot but still managed to stay very positive right to the end”, said Murphy.  He was fortunate enough to have his birthday on December 25th, so every year the Christmas parties at Dervan’s were legendary.  Around Killimor, nobody ever dared to tell him something couldn’t be done.

Dervan, who was at the heart of virtually every development in Killimor for the past twenty five years, is survived by his wife Rose, daughter Sinead, son-in-law Des, grand-daughter Ailbhe, his extended family and a wide circle of friends.
 
His memorial plaque in Killimor GAA Pitch reads: 

Tony Dervan 1948-2005
Treasurer Galway Hurling Board 2001-2005
Treasurer Killimor GAA Club 1985-2005
In recognition of his work, for his dedication
to club and county.
A leithead ní bheidh ann arís.
 

A Shopkeeper in Killimor

A Shopkeeper in Killimor
Mrs. Julia Griffin

Few people in the present Killimor community will have heard of Griffin’s shop.

Background

This particular business was owned and run by Mrs. Julia Griffin in the building which now displays the name J. CUNNIFFE over the door.  Julia, whose maiden name was Keary, was from Gragagowan, Gortanumera, and she married Owen Griffin from Coolagh in the parish of Mullagh.  Local sources say that the Griffin family had a shop in Coolagh.  This particular place is now the property of Tom Shiel and family.  According to the 1901 census she was a married shopkeeper.  The 1911 census named her as head of the family and as owning a public-house.  Also present in the house on the night of the census were her niece Winifed Griffin, her nephew Michael Griffin and two servants, John Tuohy aged twenty five years, and seventeen year old Mary Kennedy.

Mrs. Griffin’s Ledgers

Two account books (ledgers) from Mrs. Griffin’s business still exist.  The first ledger dates from 1903 to 1920, and the second one covers the years 1911 to 1924.  The accounts in both ledgers are written in pen and ink or indelible pencil.  Some pages are missing while others are tattered and not very legible.  Nevertheless, they paint a picture of a varied and thriving enterprise.  People’s accounts show that she stocked a wide range of goods.  These included the staple foods, animal feeds, household necessities, drapery, footwear, hardware and religious objects such as scapulars, holy-water fonts and holy-water stands.  Mrs. Griffin sold smelling-salts to revive anyone who suffered an attack of the “vapours!”   An unusual sale in March 1904 was that of a herring vessel.  Sales of tins of condensed milk were very brisk during the months preceding the birth of calves when cows were “dry” and did not yield any milk for household use.  Meat was regularly noted in accounts but it probably meant bacon.  Ham also figured, as did the sale of “3 lbs. smoked bacon” in January 1912.  In December 1912, a patron bought currants, peel, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, flour, butter,  whiskey, porter and claret in preparation for the Christmas baking.  An entry for July 10^th 1904, marked “the cutting of the turf” when the meitheal, who gathered to give a helping-hand, required some sustenance.  Items purchased for this big undertaking were: a half barrel of porter, one stone of meat, tea and sugar, one pound of soda, one bottle of raspberry and a half dozen soda.

Drink and Cigarette Sales

Judging by the accounts Julia Griffin did a steady trade in the public-house area of her business.  In fact, many of the accounts held by customers dealt solely with the purchase of alcohol, for consumption either on or off the premises.  She charged 7d. for a pint of porter, 9d. for a bottle of ale, a half glass of wine for 6d. and a glass of rum for 1s.8d.  Drinks for special occasions, such as house-weddings, wakes, funerals, threshing the corn or saving the hay, were bought in larger quantities.  Gallons of porter, pints of whisky and bottles of wine were the order of the day, supplemented by an ample supply of tobacco, cigarettes and matches.

Accounts and Credit

Mrs. Griffin supplied a lot of goods on credit and customers paid off part of their accounts on a fairly regular basis, and always by cash.  As happened in the other businesses in the town, there was usually a small “balance due,” this balance was “brought forward” and incorporated in the new account.  In order to reduce a debt in August 1905, a customer, who owed over £4, paid off £1 by “painting one car”, presumably an ass’s or a pony’s cart.  Like her counterparts in business, she too lent money to customers in financial difficulties.  Loose slips of paper, found in the ledgers, indicate that Julia Griffin held an account with one of her own customers, Martin Connaire.  Martin was a local blacksmith who shod trap and dray wheels, repaired the trap, made wheel rims and shoes for the ass and pony, and even painted eave-chute holdfasts for her.

Items of Interesting Information

As well as keeping customers’ accounts in the books, Mrs. Griffin recorded items of interesting information.  Between the years 1908 and 1911 she paid a twice-yearly rent of £7.6s.3d. to Fr. Calnan (sic) indicating that, as well as owning land, she must have rented some.  She notes the payment of money to Mr. Taylor (an auctioneer from Portumna) by Mike Griffin (related to Julia but the precise relationship is not known) of Coolagh and Killimore for “the land of James Pelley”.  She took a particular interest in her livestock, documenting when cows were serviced, calves born, their gender and when they were moved out to grass.

Mrs. Griffin’s Livestock

On 15th May 1904 six calves were “sent to Killian”.  She notes “One slip  bought for £1.15s.0d.” on 15^th April 1904 (a slip: the stage in a pigs life between being a weaned bonham and reaching maturity).  In September 1904 she purchased 12 lambs for £13.7s.0d., having already sold 12 ewes for £21.0s.0d.  She adhered to the custom of the time and gave 6s.0d. “luck money” to the buyer.  She sold a cow on 18^th June 1908 for £19.10s 0d. and bought a replacement on 1^st July costing £14.0s.0d.

Payment “for the League”

A significant entry on 21^st May 1908 shows the payment of 5s.0d. “for the League”.  A further payment of 5s.0d. on 10^th October 1908 was “cash for the meeting”.  These donations suggest support for the Killimore branch of the United Irish League, an organisation deeply involved in the land issues pertaining at that time.

A Cure for Pains

Found among all the snippets of news, and dated July 1909, was a list of ingredients, which when combined, were supposed to cure pains.  The list read: 1 oz. Chloroform, 1 oz. Belladonna, 1 oz. Aconite and ½ pint best whiskey.

Recording of Deaths

Mrs. Griffin also noted some deaths:  James Kirwan was buried on 5^th March 1901; Mike Griffin died at 6 o’clock on 29^th May 1907; Mrs. Cunniffe died at Dersiskill (Derrysiskal) on 17^th April 1911; Noney Cunniffe died on 15^th January 1913; Johnny Cunniffe died at Thornfort on 6^th August 1913 at 8 o’clock in the morning; Patsy Cunniffe died at Killimore on 13^th March 1922.

Mrs. Griffin’s Death and Burial

Mrs. Julia Griffin died on 19^th February 1926, at eighty five years of age, and is buried in Killimor cemetery.  After her demise her nephew John Cunniffe took over and ran the business, mainly as a public-house, for many years.