https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Derreennalomane,+Co.+Cork/@51.5863811,-9.5281993,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x48459f1017e6ba6b:0x2600c7a7bb4c0372

March 1863, Charles Thomas has chartered Schooner from Drogheda ‘Monkey’ Captain David Carroll to take 130 tons of Sulphate of Barytes from The Earl of Bandon’s Mine at Derrynalomane from Ballydehob to Liverpool.

In time the developed mine would the, if not, then one of the largest in the world. A specially constructed jetty in Dunmanus Bay was fed by an Aerial Ropeway. The mine closed in 1920 due to a combination of post World War 1 depression and the effect of the Troubles locally. In its prime around 1910 it employed over 150 men in well paid jobs. The school register of Carrigboy (Durrus) reflects this in the father’s occupations.

Barytes Mines Derreenlomane, (Doirín na Lomán: Little Oakwood), Ballydehob, West Cork.

Overview of mining in West Cork, commencement of copper mining, Allihies 1813, Ballycumisk and Horse Island 1814, Balllydehob 1820, Cappagh 1820, Gortavallig Kilrohane pre 1854 and 1890, Barytes Bantry, Scart, Derryinagh, Dereenlomane, Mount Gabriel, Dunbeacon Lead in Ballydehob, Gortycloona/Hollyhill (Bantry), Letter, Skeagh.

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Skibbereen,+Co.+Cork/@51.5559239,-9.2621303,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x4845a5b8ee671cad:0x28dab316351c3ffb

March, 1863, First Soire of the Skibbereen Scientific and Literary Society, with Oration on Literary Irishmen, Varied With Appropriated ‘Irish Melodies’ sung by Mr. C. Edmondson, Professor of Music.

Skibbereen Eagle:

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Letter+Lower,+Co.+Cork/@51.5628999,-9.7606008,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x484583af7861609f:0x51bba18059bc3c3b

The Tobins of Kilcrohane, West Cork, from Catholic Church Records, Muintervara from 1819, the Seven Sisters of Gloun early 19th Century and John F Kennedy Connection, 1740s Lease of Donemark Mills, 1820s Lease of Part of Whiddy Island, Richard ‘King’ Tobin and Lord Bantry, Road Contractors, Richard Tobin, Letter, Member Bantry Board of Guardians.

There was a certain amount of difficulty associated with the Whiteboys up to the 1820s at the western end of the Muintervara peninsula. The times were unsettled with a slump caused by the end of the Napoleonic wars. This formed a small part of n Lord Bantry’s estate which was managed by Mr Bird. Lord Bantry remarked that Tobin of Lower Letter had done more than all the magistrates to root out ‘Whiteboyism’ and that he was ‘King of the West’ after which he was known as ‘King Tobin’.

It was said locally of the Tobins that they would be seen on a horse, with a gun and a dog.

The Kilcrohane ‘King’, Tobins were part of a network of prosperous Catholic families in the general area. These would include The McCarthys and Murnanes of Letterlickey from 1820s leases of Hutchinson estate. The Catholic Shannons of Brahalish who married into the Tobins would be in the category, there were Wards Minor Landlords of Glenlough and Droumatinaheen early 1800s. The Rosses of Glendart and Crowleys of Ballyourane, Caheragh. These families even though far apart tended to inter marry and as the 19th century went up produced clergy, teachers and later professionals.

Richard Tobin Junior, probably in the 1850s in Durrus but from Letter, Kilcrohane, was probably a member of the Bantry Board of Guardians from the late 1850s and represented Cess Payers at meetings of Magistrates. One of the Richard Tobins was probably the contractor with Thomas Donovan who got the contract for the road repair from Durrus to Kilcrohane 1869 for £2.

Contract July 1864 for new road from Skibbereen to Dunmanway and Bantry and also Inchigeela to Richard Tobin, Daniel Gallagher, James Fitzgerald for £272. The Tobins were intermarried with the Baltimore Fitzgeralds who were the same family as JF Kennedy’s mothers. The Kilcrohane Gallaghers were also related by marriage. Skibbereen Eagle 16th July 1864.

In the family lore it is believed that an early form of gelignite was used in the roadworks. Many of the extended family were later to go to the USA and engage in road works as well as settling in Casper, Wyoming..

A 3 year contract from O’Donovan’s Cove to Ahakista with George Bird (also Agent to Lord Bantry) to keep road in repair: Skibbereen Eagle 17th January 1863.

There is were also Tobins members of the Church of Ireland in Fahane possibly associated with the Atteridges.
The local O’Donovan Landlord Family:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eq_IayaxdUyWZWbpDf6LWlLNg7o-3tNJiqPGYIALy80/edit

Reverend/Father Daniel McCarthy and the Blairs:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BnjAwZ6eFk_0sTMsjxYBo3YFQLNqJ4J2utWIftpJXqs/edit

In the surname distribution post 1845 in the Registration districts:

http://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-perform-search.jsp?namefm=&namel=tobin&location=&yyfrom=&yyto=&type=B&submit=Search

http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/search.jsp?namefm=&namel=tobin&exact=&name2fm=&name2l=&location=muintervara&yyfrom=&yyto=&diocese=&parish=&century=&decade=&sort=date&pageSize=100&ddBfrom=&mmBfrom=&yyBfrom=&ddMfrom=&mmMfrom=&yyMfrom=&ddDfrom=&mmDfrom=&yyDfrom=&ddBto=&mmBto=&yyBto=&ddMto=&mmMto=&yyMto=&ddDto=&mmDto=&yyDto=&locationB=&locationM=&locationD=&member0=&member1=&member2=&member3=&member4=&member5=&member6=&member7=&member8=&member9=&namef0=&namef1=&namef2=&namef3=&namef4=&namef5=&namef6=&namef7=&namef8=&namef9=&namel0=&namel1=&namel2=&namel3=&namel4=&namel5=&namel6=&namel7=&namel8=&namel9=&event=M&keyword=&submit=Search

The name is clearly based in the West Waterford, South Tipperary and South Kilkenny areas. There are outliers in Clonakilty and Bantry. The Bantry ones are most likely based in Kilcrohane or people who were originally based there.

There are long standing links between Waterford and Kilcrohane. In the 1780s ledgers of the Cathedral of St.Finbarrs of Cork there are townland of Kilcrohane listed. This probably arises from the Norman Monastery of St. Catherines? of Waterford or Youghal having an interest inland and tithes which later transferred to the Earl of Cork.

In family lore the seven Tobin sisters were from Gloun in the farm currently farmed by Charlie Donovan. One of them is reputed to have married a Fitzgerald of Baltimore and they are the ancestors of US President JF Kennedy’s mother of Boston.  The other version is that the other Kilcrohane Tobin line has that connection.

In the Kenmare Estate records of the 1740s a Richard Tobin is leasing the Mills of Donemark outside Bantry. There is a later lease on the Bantry Estate c 1820 involving the Tobins. Interestingly one of the lives named is one of the children of Timothy O’Donovan, of O’Donovan’s Cove, a Catholic Landlord and Magistrate.

In the 19th century the Tobins of Kilcrohane were the local agents to that part of the Bantry Estate. One, the ‘King’ became notorious. In one reputed instance he cleared an area of the smaller tenants. One of their descendants who emigrated to America, did very well and had a lifetime ambition to urinate on the grave of the ‘King’, in later life he succeeded in doing so.

Richard Tobin of Durrus originally Kilcrohane was in the late 19th century a very successful businessman, with a hotel in Durrus probably now Rosses, landing sea sand opposite the Good Time Cafe and paying royalties to the Bandon Estate, He was also renting large tracts of land. In the 1901 census his daughter was an art student most unusual for the time.  He either owned or was enting Blair’s Coe in 1909 as he is listed as having pedigree cattle by the Congested Districts Board.

He made his money in the Australian Gold Rush (according to local lore) in the 1860s and returned. His family is most likely associated with the memorials in Durrus Church built 1900 and the enormous Celtic Cross Tombstone just opposite the church. He may also be of the same.

Tobins and related O’Mahony major fish merchants at the time.

https://wordpress.com/post/28206803/10618

1830. Applications to set up National Schools, Durrus and Drimoleague, West Cork 1830.

Listing of Patrons and Patronesses of Cork Masonic Female Orphan Asylum, 1862, Concert, Mardyke, Skibbereen.

Many of the Landed families listed had disappeared within 40 years.

Skibbereen Eagle February 1862 quality poor.

Green Tops, White Rocks, Sherry Blues, Cruffles, Flounders, Seed Potatoes, For Sale, Skibbereen, 1863.

First mention of Potato, West Cork in Castlehaven, 17th March 1658, Coastal Trade in Potatoes from Baltimore, Courtmacsherry and onward export West Indies, Portugal, ending of Trade with coming of Railways.

Raphoe:

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Raphoe,+Co.+Donegal/@54.87387,-7.5994379,14z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x485fc18bdecdaa07:0xa00c7a997321fb0

Tenants on the Abercorn estate, 1794:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~donegal/abercorn.htm

Dromreagh:

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Dromreagh,+Co.+Cork/@51.6143084,-9.5034165,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x48459fbf5aa6407b:0x2600c7a7bb4c0162

The Brooks/Brookes of Dromreagh (Drom Riabhach, stripe, grey ridge), Durrus, West Cork coming early 19th century as Weavers from Ryelands, Raphoe, on the Abercorn Estate in East Donegal, some go to New Zealand early 20th century, and 1926 sale of family holding Dromreagh on move to Courtmacsherry, subject to ‘a trifling annuity’ with an acre and a half of furze meadow.

The sale in 1926 was by Richard Kingston (Brooks on his mother’s side) who was moving to Maraboro in Courtmacsherry. This is consistent with a pattern at the time to move to better land and larger farms nearer Cork City.

The Brooks came from East Donegal either around 1805 or later in the century as weavers to Dromreagh in Durrus. In that and the surrounding townlands of Coolculaghta and Ardogeena there are a number of families who probably came into the area as weavers such as the Lannins, Johnsons, possibly again from the North of Ireland.

Susan Baretta of Salt Lake City in Utah’s work on the 1830 Tithe Applotments shows the families resident in the relevant townlands who had some type of property interest:

http://www.corkgen.org/publicgenealogy/cork/titheapplot/durrus/tithe.html

The Brooks were largely Methodist as were some of the families from a weaving background. There are a number of marriages to Methodist families such as branches of the Drimoleague Kingstons, Sullivans, Clarks, the can now be accessed in general terms in the digitalised civil records:

http://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/agreement.jsp

In the mid 18th century Sir Richard Cox founded Dunmanway and introduced flax and linen weaving with the assistance of families from North Leitrim and Fermanagh. Across the hill from Dromreagh the Beecher Estate brought down the Marmions from Dundalk around 1740 to improve the estate which probably included the introduction of flax

The townlands mentioned were in the ownership of the Evanson family at the time. It is not possible to say if they directl ran the estate or had a stewart.

The work of Gordon Kingston and Anne Coury in New Zealand has tracked the marriages and movement of family members and with credit to them is included here, at 1g:

Descendants of William John Kingston of Clodagh, Drimoleague

Níl aon Leabhairín mar do mheabhair-chinn fhéin.

New by Eilís Uí Bhriain in Bantry Bookshop, with old Durrus photographs.

Workbook in Irish of William Smith O’Brien 1803-1864, Young Irelander, London with Transcriptions of Poems by Dermot O’Mulqueeney, and other Munster Poets, Sean Fhocals (Wise Sayings) Newspaper extracts

Seanfocal ‘Is Fearr Focal sa Chúirt ná Punt sa Sporrán’ (a word/friend in court is better then a pound in the purse).

Fileann an Feall ar an Feallaire; Deceit haunts the Fraudster, Seanfocal

Updated

Jeremiah Wholey, Bringing the Iron Wheeled Threshing Machine from The Mealagh Valley, West Cork from the 12th October to West Waterford in the 1940s and others in the area, 1910 Threshing Photographs, Coomkeen, Durrus, Jack Attridge’s home built Threshing Machine.

In the era of horses on farms there was an ongoing demand for oats so many farmers grew oats. After harvesting they were piled in a stack awaiting threshing which from the late 19th century was do by a steam threshing machine. This continued to the 1960s, in the Durrus area there was a threshing on the Shannon farm in Rossmore in 1965 and thereafter the use of the threshing machine petered out. By the mid 1960 the combine harvester had arrived in the area with the O’Donovan brothers from Kealties followed by Phil Shanahan.

The Wholey brothers from the Mealagh Valley threshed in the Bantry area and traditionally the last was carried on around the 11th October on the farm of Barnaby Deane, . That had been a Vickery farm since 1785 and is now owned by the O’Sullivan family. Barnaby had a particular requirement to mix light and heavy hay with the straw which involved a day long process. On occasion he was helped by the Reverend Doherty who was also adept as the use of the scythe in cutting corn while his wife Mrs. Doherty helped the women to cater in the kitchen. Oats was the crop generally threshed sometime barley or wheat. If wheat was used it involved a thorough cleaning of the machine to remove all traces of oats.

When Jeremiah Wholey was finished he would proceed with a three man crew to West Waterford. Progress with the steam engine was slow, the machine travelled through the night. The two crew members not driving would sleep in hammocks on the travelling machine. He was thorough on one occasion one of the crew had to cycle and back to Cork to get a machine part.

There was a long tradition of spailpíns going seasonally from the poor congested area of West Cork to West Waterford from the later 18th century.

In West Waterford an area of large farms the harvest was kept in large sheds out of the weather. Despite the use of reeks in the Bantry area the corn could deteriorate over a few weeks. On some farms the threshing could take week. This continued until almost Christmas.

Another of the Wholeys also had a machine which went to Waterford as did the Kearney family and Peter (Pete) O’Neill from Ballycomane.  Pete was helped by among others Eugene Crowley, Ahagouna, Sonny Hosford, Kealties adn members of the Ballycommane Kelly family.  Later in life he was a shopkeeper in Goleen adn ran a taxi he died in 1983 adn is buried in Moulivard.

McCartys of the White House in Kilcrohane did the western end of the Muintervara Peninsula..In the Scart area the McCarthy Sowneys had machines.

The Crowleys in Colomane, Parish of Caheragh, also threshed around their home area and then went to Waterford also until near Christmas. Their father was Jim ( Jim Peg) and mother was Margaret Mc Carthy. Names: Mary (Geaney), John, Joe, Jimmy, Madgie, Denis. They are all dead now.

They did threshing all around there and then went to Waterford, in the ’40s.

John Crowley still working at it around the Scart area in the 50s and into the 60s.

Threshing contractors included:

Michael McCarthy (White House), Kilcrohane.
Donal McCarthy (Sowney), Scart Bawn.
Jerome & Paddy Sweeney, Beach.
Jerome Whooley, Mealagh Valley.
Pete O’Neill, Ballycomane

Recollections of Peter O’Driscoll, San Francisco, of Aughaville in the 1950s:

My interest in the Threshing photos are when I was young I remember a George Ahern a farmer in the townland of Mullaghmore often visiting (Scoraiocting) at our home with others and my father Jeremiah O’Driscoll. This George Ahern often spoke of his sister who was married to a Dukelow west some area near Durrus. George was possible a couple of years younger than my father (who was born in 1893 George was born some time in the later 1890s) George’s parents were George & Hetty Ahern. George’s brother Johnnie Ahern about the same age as my father, Johnnie did work or help or work on his sister’s farm in the early 1950s.

In their time the threshing was a memorable occasion as meitheal gathered to help and when all was done there was an evening of entertainment and sometimes song lubricated by stout.

Threshing at Hollybrook, Skibbereen, West Cork with Marshall’s Gainsboro Steam Machine 1930s

Pre 1965 farming practices West Cork, Red Elephant and Epicure potatoes, working with the grufán, threshing with the steam engine, winnowng of wheat and oats, working in the bog.

Irish Words in use 1930s Cork English and list of Irish phrases 19th century possibly Skibbereen/Bantry

Threshing Scene:

Courtesy Kinsale Historical Society:

Gashes of Tracton 1950s:

Click to access 4e5f19772774d6a1126fff6723dd9042.pdf

More Tracton, p.28, 1950s:

Click to access 7e076ce0f0df951c7a19c95110f5849d.pdf