I reread a book recently I had bought in the Strand Bookshop in New York (supposed to be the world’s largest second hand store atmospheric by the bucket).  It is ‘Outwitting History’ the story by Aaron Lansky of the rescue of books in Yiddish.

He was born 1955 and had done a program in Yiddish studies and found it very difficult to get books in the language.  He was then offered volumes in the language and proceeded to gather books in the language.  At the time it was estimated that there were around 70,000 books in existance.  The truth as set out in the book was that there were in excess of 1.5 million and the story of rescuing the volumes from tumbling house and skips is fascinating.  He now heads the National Yiddish Book centre one of the fastest growing Jewish cultural groups i the world.

In one episode…

The letting may be apocryphal.   Before the opening of the Four Courts, Dublin, in 1796 many of the Superior Courts were located on the first floor of buildings in a quarter of Dublin known as Hell.   This was across the River from the present Four Courts in the precincts of Christchurch and had an unsavoury reputation for taverns, brothels and gaming dens. At one stage students of Trinity College risked expulsion if found in the area.

The completed 4 courts with its symbolic Round Hall and Dome was the inspiration for Melbourne Superior Court instigated by Chief Justice Stawell who had practised at the Irish bar and was from Mallow,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_Victoria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Courts

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/stawell-sir-william-foster-4635

Outer reach of Norman Conquest in West Cork, Caheragh in ownership pre 1317 of John de Cogan, cluster of Norman surnames in area Burke, Barrett, Goggin, devolution of Townlands to Monasteries of Youghal and Waterford.

From Maziere Brady’s history of Cork Dioceses 9online Cork and present):

Maziere Brady de Cogan Rotated Caheragh Scanned MEE Image

Maziere Brady:

Click to access brady_vol1_cropped.pdf

The Cathedral of St. Fimbarrs, in Cork, succeeded in title to some of the old Norman lands including the townland of Letterlickey nearby as well as lands in Schull. Kilcrohane and the Bantry area.

Charles Haughey and Roger Hayes a reforming duo at the Department of Justice 1959-1964, the Succession Act influence of the Brehon Laws outrage to the threat to the integrity of the family farm and the threat to ‘Women of certain age’

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Haughey#Minister_for_Justice

The public sins of Charlie Haughey are well known and ventilated. A lesser episode in the career of this complex character is his tenure at the Department of Justice. Firstly as 2 years as Parliamentary Secretary to Oscar Traynor and as full Minister for around two years from October 1961. There Is a road in north Dublin called after Traynor.

Traynor was an elderly cadre veteran like many in FF/FG of the War of Independence and Civil War. Like many of his confreres he ruled a rigid unyielding Department over one of the microstates of Ireland post partition. The Department in the 1950s was involved in holding the…

Tenants of Hedges Eyre Estate, town of Macroom, Co. Cork,c 1810.

From the Patent of 15th March 1679 to hold Fairs at Ballygobban (part of present Bantry) to Bantry Market, West Cork, July 2014.

July 2014 Market:

https://plus.google.com/photos/100968344231272482288/albums/6035140813157711873

http://corkgen.org/publicgenealogy/cork/potpourri/corkancestors.com/Bantry.htm

When the Old Age Pension was introduced it was sometimes necessary for the authorities to enquire to the Public Records Office. This was done by looking at the census of 1841 or 1851 to determine if the applicants date of birth was correct. The original census were destroyed in 1922 and this is evidence in some cases of birth and census entry. It can be consulted in the national Archives in Dublin.

https://plus.google.com/photos/100968344231272482288/albums/6035940755000209185