31 Tuesday Dec 2013
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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 39,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 14 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
30 Monday Dec 2013
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Banking Collapse in Cork in the 1820s Roches and Leslies Bank and House of Commons, London, Select Committee Query re Collapse, only functioning Bank left Pikes. Newenhams had been engaged but withdrew.
A long boom, unprecedented started in Britain and Ireland in 1785 and ended suddenly on the day the Battle of Waterloo ended in 1815.
War prosperity had disguised the weaknesses of the Irish economy and suddenly producers were exposed to competition from the most advanced economy in the world and agricultural products faced competition from North America.
This caused widespread distress. See:
https://durrushistory.wordpress.com/letter-from-lord-carbery-1826-re-destitution-and-emigration-in-west-cork-and-eddy-letters/
It also commenced large scale emigration from West Cork to New Brunswick and other parts of North America.
The local banks were undercapitalized and when there was a run on them the authorities sought to help but then as now these phenomena were not fully understood.
The recently digitized papers from the Chief secretaries Office suggest that official action was stymied by among other things at the lack of appropriate legislation, The Attorney General and de facto head of the Irish Administration William Saurin advised that there was no legal power to intervene:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Saurin
http://www.csorp.nationalarchives.ie/context/progress.html
http://www.csorp.nationalarchives.ie/context/1820.html
The effects of the banking collapse were felt in all area and made a bad situation immeasurably worse. For example in Dunmanway the Church of Ireland Vestry return for 1827 state that the previous years collection was deposited with Leslie’s Bank in Cork and lost when the Bank collapsed even though that happened in 1820.
See Ballincollig site re Leslie family, the Bank and their Gun powder Mills, their house as Wilton House later a religious seminary and adjoining Wilton Shopping Centre:
http://ballincollig.wordpress.com/gunpowder-mills/ballincollig-gunpowder-mills-may-2010/
House of Commons Select Committee:
http://books.google.ie/books?id=jCNDAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA1-PA84&lpg=RA1-PA84&dq=leslie%27s+bank+cork&source=bl&ots=_WhXMNykmU&sig=ldEA2wzTxBxOUYsoJ3Q_MttLfrA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yoN3VIOhEoPfsAS0qYD4AQ&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=leslie’s%20bank%20cork&f=false
| NAI REFERENCE: | CSO/RP/1821/743 |
|---|---|
| TITLE: | File of papers relating to collapse of banking house of Messrs Leslie, Cork |
| SCOPE & CONTENT: | File of papers relating to the collapse of the banking house of Messrs Leslie in Cork city in 1820, and their request for financial aid from the government and from the commissioners for assistance of trade and manufactures, to re-establish their bank, and thereby facilitate trade in Cork city. Includes letters from Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 1st earl of Donoughmore, on behalf of Messrs Leslie; legal opinions of William Saurin, Attorney General of Ireland, and of John Sealy Townsend, KC and legal advisor to Chief Secretary’s Office, Dublin Castle, on the case; and letters from John Galloway, secretary to the commissioners for assistance of trade and manufactures, on the subject. Also includes letter from Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd earl of Liverpool, Prime Minister of Great Britain and Ireland, to William Gregory, Under Secretary, Dublin Castle, enclosing letter from Donoughmore, to Liverpool, on behalf of Messrs Leslie, expressing concern at the ‘the most unpromising state of Credit in the City and County of Cork’. Also expressing his belief that ‘the commissioners have done every thing in their power to interrupt the liberal policy of the Government, and to prevent the re-establishment of the Banking House of the Messrs Leslies again in Cork’, 6 September 1821. Also encloses detailed statement of the circumstances surrounding the bank’s collapse, and subsequent requests for government aid, [September 1821]. Also includes copy of letter from Liverpool, Fife House, Whitehall, London, to Donoughmore, explaining the details of the legal position of both the government and the commissioners, concerning a possible advance of money to Messrs Leslie, 17 September 1821. |
| EXTENT: | 18 items; 70pp |
| DATE(S): | 21 May 1821-27 Dec 1821 |
| DATE EARLY: | 1821 |
| DATE LATE: | 1821 |
| ORIGINAL REFERENCE: | CSORP1821/768 |
29 Sunday Dec 2013
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Following my post on JJ O’Leary https://durrushistory.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/j-j-oleary-businessman-dublin/ I was contacted by John King, a Transport Historian about his connection with the foundation of Aer LIngus.
Ireland was a late starter in aviation, the troubles not help and links to Britain were in the hands of British based shipping and railway companies. Seán Lemass, the Minister of Industry and Commerce was anxious to develop aviation but only if at least 50% of any structure was under Irish control. Dublin was also handicapped by having no airport apart from the Military Aerodrome at Baldonnel. From such modest beginnings Aer Lingus developed and recent spin offs include European low cost travel through Tony Ryan/GPA/Ryanair and Dublin/Shannon as centers of worldwide aircraft leasing.
John has sent a note of conversations with JJ O’Leary re the origins of Aer Lingus and the part he and Seán Ó h-Uadhaigh (formerly John Kirwan Woods) 1886-1959: http://www.ainm.ie/Bio.aspx?ID=205 to and Colonel Charles Russell played:
I first had contact with JJO in the early 1970s when I first started researching the formation of Aer Lingus in the 1930s. My notes do not indicate who suggested that I contact him but it is clear from my notes that I first spoke him by telephone on 15th March 1973. He asked me to write to him which I did the following day.
He replied on 27th March, offering any help he could. He noted that he was one of three who drew up proposals in 1934 for an Irish airline, the others being Sean O’hUaghaigh, a Solicitor, (he would be the first chairman of Aer Lingus in 1936) and Col Charles Russell who before leaving the Military had been in charge of the Irish Air Corps from 1922 to 1926.
I first met JJO on 15th May 1973 in the Irish AA Club in Dublin. He described Russell as being the driving force for an Irish airline (in fact, I knew that Russell had been pushing for civil aviation since at least 1928.) O’Leary helped Russell with details of costs etc while Col Delamere helped with technical aspects – the latter was still a serving officer with the Air Corps.
The completed document of Russell, O’Leary and O’hUaghaigh was submitted to the Minister for Industry & Commerce. (I think that I have a copy of the document which I obtained from Aer Lingus – unsigned, it is dated April 1934).
The document asserted that in Ireland it was not considered sound business practice to invest money in any enterprise that would not show a reasonable return in a short period. In the absence therefore of Government assistance by way of certain guarantees as to principal and interest, it was thought not to be possible to obtain the whole of the necessary capital. The following paragraph was headed Capital Arrangement. It stated that the capital necessary for carrying through the first objective – a Dublin-London Air service- was estimated at £60,000. It suggested that a Public Limited Liability Company be formed with an authorised capital of £100,000 divided into 80,000 4½% £1 preference shares. THE NECESSARY CAPITAL COULD THEN BE OBTAINED BY A PUBLIC ISSUE OF 48,000 PREFERENCE SHARES AND 12,000 ORDINARY SHARES.”
Another scheme for an Irish airline had been prepared by a Cork group which was headed by R F O’Connor, the Cork County Surveyor. At the request of Lemass, JJO incorporated the Cork scheme into Russell’s.
I wrote to JJO on 1st April 1975 with a number of questions which he answered but in a rather negative “no knowledge” way.
I first met JJO in Dublin on 29 May 1975. He was friendly and not unhelpful but I appeared to make few notes other than his assertion that private capital would have been forthcoming in Ireland for an Irish airline as he and the other two were in contact with businessmen in Ireland
I wrote to him again on 16th June with more questions. Again he answered the questions but not in the way I had hoped for, I mentioned a meeting at the Shelborne Hotel on 8th June 1934 which he presided over for the amalgamation of the two schemes; and that in October John Leydon, Secretary of the Department of Industry and Commerce and longtime confidant of Lemass, said that Lemass was not happy about the new scheme. He queried this and said his impression at the time was that Lemass did not think the time opportune to seek cabinet approval. (I am not sure that I agree with his interpretation)
My final meeting with JJO was at the Military & Navy Club, Piccadilly on 29th November 1976. We discussed the availability of capital again and he was of the opinion that this would have come partly from the Industrial Credit Company which Lemass had set up to foster the start up of Irish industry. JJO was a director of the company.
.
The other interesting note I made was that JJO went with Col Russell and Bonass (a Senior Civil Servant in the Dept of Industry & Commerce ?staff section) to Greystones for the weekend. After mass (on the Sunday), Russell opened an envelope with the details of the Cork scheme. He blasphemed violently when he read the document as he reckoned that it was copied from their scheme. What had happened was that the Cork people had gone to the home of Eddie Smyth, the Assistant Secretary of the Marine & Transport Section of the Dept of Industry & Commerce, to talk about their scheme. Smith told them to get it onto paper. There was a typist present and Smith dictated details of aircraft and airports etc from Russell’s paper. The typist muddled the details. (Who was Miss Hamilton? – she was present)
Unfortunately I never asked JJO if he had kept his diaries and other records. He did not suggest that he might have.
In my file of this scheme, I have many press cuttings relating to Russell and a very small number of notes from railway archives in Britain.
John King, London SE12
27 Friday Dec 2013
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William Smith O’Brien’s history is given in Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Smith_O’Brien
He is a descendant of Brian Ború d 1014, and it is probably through his line that Queen Elizabeth of England traces her Irish Ancestry. He is credited with the inspiration of the Irish Tricolour, ‘The new Irish flag would be Orange and Green, and would be known as the Irish tricolour’. He was a Protestant and received an education at Harrow.
The National Library of Ireland has his workbook containing transcriptions of Irish poetry, sean focals and much more. It is probable that it was done by him. It is item number M803 and was acquired in 1956 from Alister Matthews.
Gaelic_Manuscripts_List-9 in NLI Dec 2013
https://plus.google.com/photos/100968344231272482288/albums/5960693160376226161
27 Friday Dec 2013
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She was born in Bantry, her father was Patrick Desmond a lawyer and her mother Esther Jagoe. On her mother’s side she may have been a grandchild of John Jagoe, Fish Merchant and later Inspector, his wife was O’Connor. His mother was one of the Young fishing family in Bantry probably since at least 1600. Through them he probably owned the store where the present Maritime Hotel in Bantry s built.His father’s line were from Dunmanway.
He was writing to the Chief Secretary in Dublin Castle in 1825 supporting non denominational education. His son John a barrister and possible an uncle of Anna Maria was fighting for evicted tenants in Bantry in 1843.
Her uncle John Jago BL may have emigrated to Australia in the 1850s. Her sister emigrtaed and married in Australia
From the Australian dictionary of National Biography:
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/desmond-anna-maria-5962
Anna Maria Desmond (1839-1921), best known as Mother Benigna, nun and teacher, was born on 6 December 1839 at Bantry, County Cork, Ireland, daughter of Patrick Desmond, lawyer, and his Irish wife Esther, née Jagoe. Educated at home in singing, instrumental music, dancing and languages, she helped in the relief of the poor, admired her father’s fight against injustice and acquired the Christian vision which governed her life. In 1862 her application to enter the Convent of Mercy of Cappoquin was granted and she was given the name of Sister Francis Xavier. She took her final vows on 26 November 1865.
In 1871 Mother Vincent Whitty returned to Ireland seeking recruits and Sister Francis Xavier volunteered. As there was a nun of the same name aboard the Silver Eagle on which she travelled to Australia, she took the new name Sister Benigna. She landed in Brisbane on 24 May 1872.
Helping to establish a convent at Rockhampton in 1873, next year she returned to Brisbane where she taught music and carried out charitable work until 1878. When the Sisters of St Joseph were recalled from his area, Father W. M. Walsh of Townsville invited the Sisters of Mercy to provide religious education. They arrived on 13 November 1878 and prepared to reopen St Joseph’s School for the 1879 school year. Sister Benigna took charge of the community in January.
24 Tuesday Dec 2013
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In a recent discussion with Miriam O’Callaghan the Monaghan writer Pat McCabe in Dalkey Town Hall was asked about his Protestant neighbors growing up in Clones. He said there was little if any difference Catholic or Protestant and said the question reminded him of Freud’s phrase ‘the narcissism of small difference’
Recent DNA work would seem to suggest that a considerable number of the Scots who came to Ulster during the Plantation of the early 17th century were descendants of the Irish who moved to Scotland before the 10th century.
These census results would support the idea of the cultural affinity of Scotland in Ireland in linguistic terms.
Click to access filetoupload25794en-protestants-and-irish-17th-century.pdf
http://www.irishorigenes.com/content/irish-origenes-presentation-coleraine-november-2013#
Presbyterian Irish and English:
Church of Scotland Irish and English:
Methodist Irish:
Baptist Irish and English:
Society of Friends/Quaker Irish and English:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/results.jsp?census_year=1901&surname=&firstname=&county=Antrim&townland=&ded=&age=&sex=&relationToHead=&religion=Society+of+Friends%2FQuaker&education=&occupation=&marriageStatus=&birthplace=&language=Irish+and+English&deafdumb=&marriageYears=&childrenBorn=&childrenLiving=&search=Search
Society of Friends/Quaker Irish
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/results.jsp?
census_year=1901&surname=&firstname=&county=Antrim&townland=&ded=&age=&sex=&relationToHead=&religion=Society+of+Friends%2FQuaker&education=&occupation=&marriageStatus=&birthplace=&language=Irish&deafdumb=&marriageYears=&childrenBorn=&childrenLiving=&search=Search
Plymouth Brethern Irish:
https://durrushistory.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/teaching-of-irish-at-belfasts-royal-royal-academy/
23 Monday Dec 2013
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https://plus.google.com/photos/100968344231272482288/albums/5960717828745569137
From the National Library collection of Irish Manuscripts. The Library also has original conveyancing deeds in Irish going back to 1540.
22 Sunday Dec 2013
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The Commissioners of Education reported on Classical Schools in 1812 including. Midleton, Bandon Kinale, Clonakilty:
http://eppi.dippam.ac.uk/documents/10244/eppi_pages/226615
Midleton (Middleton):
Founded by Elizabeth Countess of Orkney, provided for an endowment fro 2,000 acres, worth in 1812 £2,000 per annum. School house can accomodate 50 borders, very old over a century. in bad repair. Headmaster Rev Richard Grier appointed 1799, salary £100 and £40 as usher, £10 as agent. £10 for repairs, four exhibitions of 10 shillings each. 6 boarders, 8 day scholars for two of whom are Catholics four scholars have left two have entered University. Staff consists of one classical assistant £40 with board and lodging.
Terms are 30 guineas for boarders 8 guineas for for day-scholars.
Numbers have declined in 1783 there were 65 boarders, 1788 10 boarders, 8 day scholars and in 1812 14 in total. Several large classical schools nearby Fermoy, Midleton another nearby the headmaster of which is a Catholic Priest. In 1723 Mr. Harris of Cork left rents for a Mathematical Lectureship but not taken up.
Bandon:
Endowed by the Earl of Cork and Burlington 1610 now £20 per annum. Headmaster Rev. William Sullivan his house lately built by order of the late Duke. 20 boarders and 25 day-scholars, one classical assistant. No provision in endowment for free education.
Clonakilty:
Recently established by the earl of Shannon. This is can accommodate 30 boarders opened 1808. Rev.W.Stewart Master in view of reputation of present master he has enlarged by taking an adjoining house can now accommodate a total of 100 boarders. and 12 day-scholars. Three resident assistants as well as Masters of French, Writing and Dancing.
At present one of the most reputable and largest Classical Seminaries in the South of Ireland
Kinsale (Kingsale):
Endowed in 1767 by Lord de Clifford, with a salary of £50 per annum with a large house formerly occupied by his ancestor Mr. Southwell. Schoolmaster Rev. John Stewart in 1810 in Mr. Stewart’s private house cannot accommodate more then 2 or 3 boarders and 30 day scholars. Boys are the sons of neighboring gentlemen and wealthier class of Shopkeepers
22 Sunday Dec 2013
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This return was made to Parliament. The House of Apothecaries continued to operate in Dublin until 1972.
Transcribed by Kae Lewis:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mturner/cork/apothecaries.htm
Apart from the main urban centers there are many from the smaller towns in the northern counties. Many of these may have emigrated later.
Cork
William Gallewey, 1685,
William Gosnell 1835,
William Gonell, the Younger, 1838,
John Herrick, 1751,
George Holmes 1741,
George Holmes 1843,
John Kinneally 1749,
In the West Cork area:
Bantry
1754 William Goodwin, Apothecary, named in White Lease Lease 1754 between Richard White and Richard Goodwin, Apothecarry, for a tenement and premises near Great Bridge formerly held by Rev. John Kenny and Item 732, UCC Library, Bantry House Collection.
Samuel Young 1792, 1800 set up own shop (the Youngs were in the fishing business in Bantry since the 1640s)
John Young 1818
Samuel Young 1818
John Field 1822
Bandon
William Belcher, Bridge Street 1787,
George Beamish, 1796,
William St. John Jagoe, Bridge Street,1787,
William Jagoe 1811,
Edward Homan 1811,
Francis House, 1787,
Edward Hayes, 1813,
Francis Hayes 1810
Richard Lone and surgeon 1787,
James Trasilian 1816
William Gash 1816
Robert Wheeler 1816, 1824 set up own shop
William Cooke 1817
Henry Belcher 1820
Edward Toole 1822
David Scott 1822
Alexander Heard 1824
Castletown Bere
Richard Duchet, wife Harriet daughter Avice, 1839
Mathew B. Lepubure, also doctor, wife Angelina, daughter Anglina Coppinger O’Donovan, son Cladius Anthony Lewis, 1840.
Clonakilty
James Deasey 1813, 1821 open on his own
Gresham Herrick 1813
James Spiller 1816. 1819.
Michael Deasy 1819
John Bennett 1820
James Collins 1820
James O’Regan 1820, 1823
Tomas Spiller 1829
Dunmanway
Thomas Holmes 1828
Kinsale
Moses le Croix, Huguenot, late 17th century
Denis Kelly 1806,
Denis Kelly 1813
Patrick McAllenon 1813
John McCarthy 1813
Thomas Markhams 1824,
John Newman, wife Elizabeth son Martin, 1728,
John O’Regan 1826
Richard Griffith 1827
Thomas Hackett 1826
Robert Smith 1787
Macroom
Nicholas White, wife Mary, son 1821 sponsors Corless Hawkins Barter Mrs Eliz Cooper
Thomas Massey (Janeville) 1824
Rosscarbery
JohnM Mahoney 1826
Skibbereen
James Crowley 1800
Alexander McCarthy 1808 set up own shop
John McCarthy 1816
Francis Clerke 1817
Stephen Sweetnam 1824
Jonathan Clarke 1824
Cornelius O’Driscoll (Hollybrook) 1826
Daniel Donovan 1826
Jer Crowley 1827
Denny Taylor 1827
G.A.Rountree 1828
1835 James William Carey aged 1 year 8 months died his father Mr. Carey Apothecary, Skibbereen
http://eppi.dippam.ac.uk/documents/10244/eppi_pages/226615
The Royal College of Physicians have returns of Apothecaries from 1792 to 1972:
http://www.rcpi.ie/article.php?locID=1.12.19.28
On medical matters in the Irish Catalogue of the National Library there is an extensive collection of manuscripts of medical textbooks, books of remedies, cures etc all in Irish which can be inspected and photographed. Some of these go back to the 13th century.
University College Cork are involved in a major project to digitalise the old Irish medical Texts:
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/medical.html
21 Saturday Dec 2013
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From Dr O’Donovan’s ‘Sketches in Carbery’:
Click to access sketchesincarber00dono.pdf
John Collins, of Myross, whose name we have often quoted already, was a man gifted with natural qualities of a high poetical character, which, had
they been matured by art, or had he lived under more favourable circumstances, might probably have placed his name high on the roll of poets. However,
as we learn from the records of his life, he had to devote the greater part of his days to the drudgery inseparable from the office of a village schoolmaster,in order to support a wife and large family. The opportunities which university education, spare time, and command of money, give to others to cultivate the mind were wanting in his case, as, being thrown upon his own resources, he had to educate himself m a great measure, and at the same time procure a livelihood.
The late great Dr. John O’Donovan styles him the last Irish scholar, historiographer, and poet of Carbery, and the name by which he was popularly known through the South of Ireland was ” The Silver Tongue of Munster.”
Collins was born about the year 1754, at Kilmeen, to the north of Clonakilty ; his parents were of the farming class; he was descended from the O’Cullanes
(Anglicised into Collins), an Irish sept, who formerly occupied Castle Lyons (in East Cork), and the district around it. The only property he inherited, like the majority of his countrymen, lay in the gifts which nature had bestowed on him—a fluent tongue, a ready wit, and a sound constitution. He was destined at first for the priesthood, but did not long pursue his studies in that line, having no vocation for a clerical life.
He ultimately during his rambles took up his residence in Myross, where he taught school for a considerable period, and in which place he composed several beautiful poems in the Irish language, amongst others—”The Buachaill Bawn,” “An Ode on Timoleague Abbey,” very much admired (translated by Ferguson), and a translation in Irish of that charming poem of Campbell’s, ” The Exile of Erin,” which Irish scholars say excels the original.
The following is a translation of a portion of the ” Buachaill Bawn,” by Erionnache. One verse only is given, merely to convey some idea, although a faint
one, of Collins’s poetry. Irish poems do not admit well as a rule of being translated into English, both languages being so dissimilar in sound, mode of expression,
BUACHAILL BAWN (THE FAIR BOY).
With crimson gleaming the dawn rose, beaming
On branching oaks nigh the golden shore,
Above me rustled their leaves, and dreaming,
Me thought a nymph rose the blue waves o’er;
Her brow was brighter than stars that light our
Dim, dewy earth ere the summer dawn,
But she spoke in mourning : ‘ My heart of sorrow
Ne’er brings a morrow, Mo Buachaill Bawn !
Some of Collins’s manuscripts fell into the possession of a Mr. 0′ Grady, of Dublin. They were written about 1774, and beside his poems contained
a history of Ireland, which was left in an unfinished state. Collins died at Skibbereen, in the year 1816, at the age of 64 years.
From Collins Genealogy: http://www.araltas.com/features/collins/
Sean Ó Coileáin (1754 – 1817) of Corca Laoidhe was a poet in the old Gaelic tradition, when poets commanded respect and were given the hospitality of the king’s castle. Unhappily for Seán, the kings had all been deposed and the people who would have been his patrons were as poor as himself. He drank, but rather than making him happy, his drinking drove away his first wife and so enraged his second (her sister) that she set fire to the house. Sean was a reluctant schoolteacher, but his poetry must have been appreciated, for he was known as the “Silver Tongue of Munster”. There is some mystery surrounding a strangely melancholy poem of his which has been compared to Gray’s Elegy. Whether Ó Coileaán or an earlier poet wrote it continues to puzzle the folklorists.
The late Peadar Ó h-Annracháin (Cois Life of the Southern Star) was given Swanton’s papers by one of his daughters. They included a letter from John Collins of Union Hall, son of the poet Sean Ó Coileain, dated March 10th, 1845, concerning the authorship of the Irish translation of the ‘Exile of Erin’. Collins asserted his father’s claim.
Royal Irish Academy:
MS G 523
‘Amhráin agus dánta Sheághain Uí Choileáin, maille le beathaidh an fhilidh’. By (James Buckley?), 1926. 9 x 7 ins.
West Cork History 