Blind Harpist Arthur O’Neill, Recollection of Night of Music at Colonel John Irwin’s House, Co. Sligo 1759.

Jones William Irwin of Streamstown, County Sligo, whose house was famous for hospitality to itinerant musicians. Jones Irwin’s own father, Colonel John Irwin, was a patron of the famous blind harpist, Turlough O’Carolan, who, in 1713, dedicated a ballad, ‘Colonel John Irwin’, to him. (4) The harpist, Arthur O’Neill, also blind since childhood and one the last of the traditional bard harpists, records a visit to Jones Irwin’s house in 1759 in his memoirs.
I am totally at a loss how to describe this gentleman’s uncommon manner of living at his own house and among his tenantry. This gentleman had an ample fortune and was passionately fond of music. He had four sons and three daughters who were all proficients; no instrument was unknown to them. There was at one time a meeting in his house of forty-six musicians who played in the following order: the three Miss Irwins at the piano; myself at the harp; six gentlemen, flutes; two gentlemen, violoncellos; ten common pipers; twenty gentlemen, fiddlers; four gentlemen, clarionets. At the hour this hospitable gentleman’s customary meeting was finished, some guests contiguous to their places went away, but those who lived some miles off remained, and in order to accommodate them Mr and Mrs Irwin lay on chairs in the parlour. For my part, I never spent a more agreeable night … (5)

Art O’Neill in Beara

Memoir of Blind Harpist Arthur O’Neill, visit to Murtagh Mac Owen O’Sullivan at Berehaven, Co. Cork, Milesian Festival held by Lord Kenmare c 1720.

First sign of emergence of Cork Middle Class, Offer in April 1762 of £200 for apprehension of Leader of the ‘Levellers’, individuals names. Also list of Grand Jury and agents April 1765. This is from John T. Collins, Newspaper Extracts. He says this was the first time the Catholics emerged from the shadows of the Penal Laws. It was hazardous to come out against the Levellers. The listing names the prominent Catholics in the city at the time.

The administrative affairs of Co. Cork was run by the Grand Jury 23 in number a self perpetuating clique. It was not until the County Councils came into being in the 1890s that a democratic administration was put in place.

‘An Act to prevent the further growth of popery’, Convert Rolls for 18th Century Co. Cork and other Renunciations against ‘Popery’, Co. Cork with letter January 1732 from Parish Priest, Bantry listing supporters of Crypto-Catholics.

The Bantry letter was located probably in the 1950s by Father TJ Walsh in the Archives of Cork Dioceses. He was later Parish Priest, of Durrus. He was an esteemed historian.

The book compiling the Convert Rolls was done by a scholar Eileen O’Byrne for the Irish Manuscripts Commission. A revised version is now available on line.

http://www.irishmanuscripts.ie/servlet/Controller?action=publication_item&pid=61

https://plus.google.com/photos/100968344231272482288/albums/6090895410812374209

The enclosed spreadsheet (a work in progress) sets out a summary together with some genealogical information with Dr. Edward Mac Lysaght’s version of the Irish names for families of Gaelic origin.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12-TQFfRKt_p6AGtxLaHODge_ReszztDcE-NFF1626_c/edit#gid=0

Looking at the names the cluster of old Cork families emerges. The Penal Laws obeyed the Law of unintended consequences, some of its provisions were used by Catholic and Crypto-Catholic lawyers to subvert it, so up to 30% of the land of Ireland remained in de facto Catholic hands.

It also promoted genetic diversity as it meant over time the Planter families were intermarried with stock of Gaelic, Norman, or Danish/Norse ancestry. Despite the ostensible names the population of Co. Cork is in fact very diverse in its origins.

Public renunciations against Popery and Conversions in Clonakilty, Inniscarra, Kilnagross and Caherconlish, Co. Cork, 1769-70 from John T Collins, Newspaper Abstracts.