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

Miss O’Donovan, daughter of Doctor Daniel O’Donovan Esq., of Ahakista, west Cork and of O’Donovan Cove family probable Ancestor of Sir Stanley Harrington, of Harrington Goodglass Wall, Paint Manufacturers, Blackpool, Cork.

Doctor O’Donovan may have been the father of Doctor Daniel O’Donovan the author of the History=y of Carbery, he died young. He was part of the O’Donovan Cove family. They were one of the first Catholic families to purchase an estate in 1750 after the confiscations. Timothy O’Donovan of the family was one of the first Catholic Magistrates in Co. Cork.

The Harrington factory was acquired some years ago by the then ICI.

Correspondence between Doctor John O’Donovan, L.L.D. and Timothy O’Donovan, Magistrate from 1818, O’Donovan’s Cove, Durrus, West Cork, mentioning his grandfather educated at Toulouse, France, in 1754, lands held in trust mid 17th century by Protestant ‘Nominees’ who behaved with honour, recent history concerning Jerry ‘en Dana’ McCarthy and the McCarthys of Glanda, Dunmanway, denies claim of Rev. Morgan O’Donovan, of Douglas, Cork, to be head of the Clan.

Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Fishing Industry, sitting in Bantry April 1836. Evidence of Richard Young gave evidence that his great grandfather had lost £2,000 when a Finance House in Bilbao had collapsed. This may have been the Consulado de Bilbao in 1651

Walls and gate remnant of Estate of Timothy O’Donovan Esquire, O’Donovan’s Cove (Kealties/Tullig) Durrus, West Cork.

A love affair between Samuel Beckett’s father Bill and Eva Murphy frustrated by her father William Martin Murphy

Building of Old Pier, and Stables Cupola and Winged feet Bantry House, 1840-2.

‘Bantry Gang’, Tim Healy, Journalist, King’s Counsel, MP. Governor General Irish Free State, A. M. Sullivan, King’s Counsel, MP, T.D. Sullivan, Father-in-Law of Tim Healy, Composer ‘God Save Ireland’, Richard Swanton, Magistrate, Cobh, Cullinane, Bantry.

William Martin Murphy, Bantry and the Noel Brown connection.

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Sir William Orpens family have strong local links. Part of a network c 1790s of the Durrus Hutchinsons, Ballydehob Swantons and Caheragh family of Eugene O’Sullivan (Protestant).

Graveyard of St. Finbarrs Church, Bantry: