A Brief History of Athenry Post Office (Revised 2016)

This year marks 230 years since the first Post Office opened in Athenry town, in 1786, and this article seeks to mark same. Athenry would go on to play an important role in the development of the postal service in Galway. Since the start of the nineteenth century, when Joseph Lopdell was Postmaster, Athenry has played a critical role in communications in the region and would remain a head office for postal services in the county until the 1 March 1912 - managing offices as far away as Ballyglunin and elsewhere in South Galway for a period in the early 1900s.
   Early Days It was however a fluctuating role as in 1834 Athenry had been reduced to a sub-office, under Craughwell, following the establishment of the Penny Post between Craughwell and Monivea (through Athenry). It was restored as a ‘Post town and Head Office’ in 1852, and in April 1849 Athenry was given free post delivery. In his work on ‘Galway Postal History’, Jimmy O’Connor (1995) confirmed that N. Browne was Postmaster until 5 May 1821 when he was dismissed (owed £10 16 2½) being replaced by Wm B Persse (on a salary of £25).
  

Technology
Technological advances were pervasive e.g. the system of sending and receiving of telegrams had been first developed privately in 1846. In 1870 the Electric Telegraph Company transferred to state ownership and so the Post Office entered the world of telecommunications. By December of that year the telegraph office of Galway was transferred to the Post Office.
   Next, the Morse System was introduced and used up until 1957 until it was replaced by teleprinters.

Disorderly
There were sometimes ‘performance issues’ as in March 1852 when Mr Neptune Persse (Postmaster 1831-52) was warned on his intemperate habits (drinking on duty), while in 1883 the Postmistress, Mary Anne Rushe, was warned for neglecting her duties after she had refused to issue a Money Order or Postal Order to Joseph Biggar MP at 7 p.m.

Shooting
In 1913 a telegraph messenger, Patrick Shea, who had been employed to convey mails from Athenry to Attymon was shot at when passing Clonkun. With pellets in his head and back, Shea was brought to the postmaster of Galway W.G. Todd, and then to the Galway Infirmary where he was examined by Dr. Colohon who was medical officer to the postal authorities. Three years later (1916), in rationalisations, two Postman positions were abolished in the town.

Raids
In the 1920s Athenry Post Office experienced raids. The first one happened on 25 April 1922 with £200 stolen, and the second happened on 14 December 1923 with the raiders had getting away with c. £282, and £170 in cash. Dispute On Sunday 10 March 1935 a meeting was called in Athenry to protest against the wage claim which had been on behalf of the National Executive in view of low wages being paid. The Post Office at this time was on the right hand side of the square i.e. where AIB is today.

Sources

O'Connor, J, 'Aspects of Galway's Postal History 1638- 1984', JGAHS Vol. 44 (1992). O'Connor, J, ‘Galway Postal History’, JGAHS Vol. 47 (1995). 1913 and 1935 Irish Times Online Archive

Postal Workers in the Athenry Area from the 1901 census

Michael Feeney, Aux postman, Ballygurran South.
Michael Heavy, Postman, Athenry Town.
Michael Duffy, R Postman GPO Dept., Caheroyan.
Thomas Barrett, Post Office Official, Athenry Town.
Owen Judge, Postmaster, Athenry Town.
Margaret O'Reilly,Post Office Clerk, Athenry Town.
John O' Reilly,Rural Postman,Athenry Town.
Tom O'Reilly, Rural Postman, Athenry Town.
Pat O'Reilly,Rural Postman,Athenry Town.
James O'Reilly, Rural Postman,Athenry Town.
John West, Post Office Clerk,Athenry Town.
Patrick McNamara,Postman, Athenry Town.
Thomas McInerney, R Postman GPO D, Ballygurran Sth.
Ellen Dooly, Post Office Clerk, Athenry Town.
John Coleman, PO Pensioner,Athenry Town.

Note: Barrett was born in Dublin, Judge in Mayo, O’Reilly in Cavan, West in Sligo, and McInerney in the East Indies

Religon in Athenry: The Wesley Visits extract by Ronan Killeen

"On Tuesday 17th, Wesley travelled through Crusheen and Gort to the village of Kilchreest, where he received an invitation from Colonel Persse to visit him in Roxborough House. From Roxborough the Colonel drove him to preach at Kilchreest. 

  Then he returned with his host, 'but the house being full of genteel company', Wesley was out of his element, as he had not an opportunity to speak upon spiritual things. Next morning he had reached Athenry by 6 a.m. 

  On the road he heard that a little girl - Mary Brooke 'had sat up all night, and had walked two miles to see him, so he took her into his carriage, and was surprised to find her continually rejoicing in God'.

   According to an account in the Wesleyan Magazine (1845), she was converted at the age of  twelve, and lived a consistent Christian life in Dublin for more than sixty years.
   He breakfasted in Athenry, had dinner in Carmorris (probably Cahermorris House) and reached Ballinarobe at 4 p.m.

In A History of Methodism in Ireland: Vol. II by C. H. Crookshank a paragraph writes "At Athenry, the Catholics eagerly purchased all the Testaments that were for sale. 

The following extract is from Wesley's One and Twenty Visits to Ireland: A Short Survey by Robert Hare & A History of Methodism in Ireland: Vol. II by C. H. Crookshank

Thank You Readers by Ronan Killeen

For the past five years I have been working on this blog. I would like to thank all those who have interacted with the blog by reading my articles. The site has been viewed an estimate of 74,000 times all around the world which include the USA, Ireland, UK, Russia, Germany, Australia, France, Ukraine, Canada, New Zealand and many other countries.

When I get more time I will be revising old articles and adding new ones. Thank you readers for regularly reading my articles.

Athenry Rugby Football Club 1925-1932 by Ronan Killeen

Athenry Rugby Club 12 March 1927 Connacht Tribune. I would like to thank Anne Tierney for sending me on this photogrpragh.

Something I never knew before, until I found it by accident when looking for something else on Athenry's history through the Irish Newspaper Archives website. There was, it turns out an Athenry Rugby Football Club back in the 1920's in the town.

The first piece of evidence I have come across is from the Connacht Tribune on the 27 February 1926. The Athenry Rugby Football club had an inaugural meeting on the 18 February 1926. The meeting  was presided by Dr. Foley. The meeting had been well attended. A vete of thanks was given to Dr. Foley.  Mr. W. P. Higgins lended  his premises for the occasion.

That same year the A. R. F. C. planned to compete in the Connacht Rugby (Junior) League and also for the Connacht Cup (Junior). Three Rugby teams in all of Athenry were set up and had a membership of fifty-two people. The A. R. F. C. were known to have many good players. In one report from the Connacht Tribune a very good player who wished to remain anonymous was known as ‘The Grand Old Man’ of the game. A general meeting was held at the Town Hall Athenry on Friday 18 September 1926 at 9pm.

At one particular meeting in September 1926, there had been commotions over the internal involvement of the club but was capably adjusted soon. The following members elected for the following year were:

Mr. Walsh B. A. (President); Mr. Cagney of the Munster and Leinster Bank (Treasurer); Mr. Daly (Honourable Secretary); Mr. B. and Mr. P. Higgins; H. Taylor; M. Fenton (Captain); T. Rafetery (Vice-Captain) and C. L. Broderick (Vice-Chairperson).

On two separate occasions in 1927 condolences were given. It was proposed by Chairperson Mr. Walsh, and seconded by by C. Daly were given to two members of the A. R. F. C. Mr. Thomas and Mr. Martin McGlynn, who’s mother Mrs. McGlynn of Creggaturlaugh passed away at a meeting on the 2 April 1927.

The second condolence given was to Rev. M. F. Broderick at special meeting of the A. R. F. C  in October 1927.

According to a report about subscriptions in the Connacht Tribune on 26 November 1927 there was a lack of support for the Rugby Club:

‘The hon. Secretary, of the A. R. F. C. enclosed a cheque of £4.4s.6d. (Four pounds; 4 shillings; and 6 decimal pence) for takings of a Rugby match played at Athenry on the 13 November 1927 which was in aid of Connemara Distress Fund. It is the best we can do, we get very little support locally, and we wish it was ten times more.’

An annual dance was held on Sunday, February 19^th 1928. Tickets were 12/6 (12 shillings  6. pence) for gentlemen. For ladies it was 10/- (10 shillings). For double it was £1.

In 1932 at a meeting of the Committee of the Athenry Rugby Football Club held on the 14^th January 1932; ‘It was unanimously agreed upon that tickets applied for the Connacht Branch for the International match with England at Lansdowne Road on 13^th February, will be accepted only on the understanding that the National Flag will be flown at Lansdowne Road on the day of the match.

Nothing seems to appear in the Irish Newspaper Archives after 1932? Hopefully, I will find out more.

Sources:

 Connacht Tribune on the following dates; 27 February 1926; 18 September 1926; 26 September 1926; 23 April 1927; 1 October 1927; 26 November 1927.

Irish Press on 27 January 1932

Naming the Names: Boys National School at the Old Handball Alley photograph by Ronan Killeen

The above photograph are the boys would have went to the Boys National School Athenry beside the
old handball alley at Abbey Row.  The photo is taken opposite the handball alley. Can any of you help name the boys in this photograph and the year please? Photograph is Courtesy of Pearse Coffey.

Contact athenrylohis@gmail.com if you can.

A List of Athenry Drama Group Plays Compiled by Ronan Killeen (Revised 2016)

1.  The West's Awake or The Dawning of Freedom - 26/12/1930
2. The Right O'Way- 06/01/1931
3. The Shaughran- 28/06/1931
4. Lord May- 11/10/1931
5. The Honour of an Irish Soldier- 06/03/1932
6. In the Days of Fans- 16/04/1933
7. Eloquent Dempsey- 30/06/1935
8. Look at the Heffernans - 05/11/1939
9. Autumn Fire- 31/03/1940
10. Plough and the Starts - 11/02/1943
11. Shadow of a Gunman & The Monkey's Paw - 23/05/1944
12. The Rugged Path - 11/11/1943
13. Juno & the Peacock - 06/01/1945
14. She Stoops to Conquer - 17/03/1945
15. Cradle Song - 06/12/1945
16. Shadow and Substance -18/04/1948
17. Mungos Mansion - 18/04/1949
18. The Rightious are Bold - 06/01/1950
19. Mauric Harte - 02/1951, 24/04/1952
20. The Cradle Song - 19/03/1953
21. The Wise Have Not Spoken - 24/03/1954
22. I'll Met by Moonlight - 03/03/1955
23. Arsenic & Lace - 01/12/1955
24. The Playboy of the Western World - 13/03/1956
25. A Murder has been Arranged - 11/12/1956
26. Spreading the News & In the Shadow of the Glen - 01/05/1957
27. They Got what they Wanted -11/12/1957
28. Margaret Gillian - 06/03/1958
29. The Will & The Way - 11/12/1958
30. The Playboy of the Western World - 07/03/1959
31. Sive - 12/11/1959
32. Lovers Meeting - 1961
33. Black Stranger - 1962
34. Juno & The Peacock - 1963
35. Shadow Substance - 1964
36. Plough & The Stars & Home is the Hero - 1965
37. Playboy of the Western World & Sive - 1966
38. Shadow of a Gunman & Workhouse Ward 1967
39. She Stooped to Conquer -1968 & 1969
40. The Far Off Hills & The Country Boy - 1970
41. Importance of Being Ernest - 1971
42. Plough & The Stars -1972
43. The Father - 1973
44. The Year of the Hikes - 1974 (I wonder is the suppossed to be John B. Keanes The Year of The Hiker?)
45. Playboy of the Western World - 1975
46. Small Irish Drama - 1976 & 77
47. The Matchmaker 1978
48. Meadow Sweet - 1980 & 81
49. Sive - 1981
50. Bugle in the Blood - 1982
51. The Mourning Thief - 1983
52. The Paddy Fiddler; Bedtime Story;  Pound on Demand & The Bitter Pill - 1984
53. The Field - 1986
54. Big Maggie - 1987
55. School Drama Festival - 1988
56. Say Cheese B. Farrell 06/05/1989
57. Crabbed Youth and Age - 1990
58. Radio; & Spreading the News - 1991
59. Moll - 1992
60. Green for Danger, & A Bit of Land - 1993
61. Shadow of the Glen & Bedtime Story - 1994
62. Year of the Hiker - 1995
63. The Black Stranger; & Spreading the News  - 1996
64. Drama at Inish & Merry Regiment of Women – 1997
65. (Early in the Year?)The Workhouse Ward, The Proposal & Merry Regiment of Women, The Bespoke Overcoat 65. (Middle of the year?) - The Pot and Broth, The Bespoke Overcoat, Bedtime (Late in the Year?) Lorca/Blood Wedding - 1998
66. The Hostage  - 1999
67. The Communication Cord- 2000
68. Galway Girl; Bar & Ger; & On the Outside. Sive - (Done October 2001 in the Castlegate  but done in the An Taibhearc in January 2002.)
69.  The Watchman; Murder Play; My First Confession (All One Acts February 2002). Olaf and the Ogre, I Can't Remember Anything, A bit of land (All One Acts in August 2002). The Playboy of the Western World (Three Act done in December 2002 and done in The Taibhdhearc in 2003)
70. Brenton vs Brenton; & The Donohue Sisters (All One Acts April 2004) One flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - 2003
71.  The Ruling Class (November 2004)
72. Spreading the News; & On the Oustside (All One Acts done as a Tribute to deceased residents Seamus Fahy and Kitty Lardner inclduing a musical melody by the Athenry Musical Society in May 2005) The Weir  - (October 2005)
73. (Dancing at Lughnasa (Three act), Rum & Vodka; The Good Thief & St. Nicholas (All One Acts for Project ‘06) The Field (Three Act December 2006)
74.     .         15 Minute Hamlet; Galway Girl; & Dinner For Two (All One Acts) - 2007
75.  The Valiant; Two Wives and Dead Guy; Marrying Mary (Apri 2009)  The Workhouse Ward; The Matchmaker; & Dave – (All One Acts November 2009)
76. The Importance of Being Ernest followed by three one acts The Proposal: The Wedding: & The Airport - 2010
77. Moll (April 2011) , I can't remember anything, The Yank Outsider; & The Spotted Man (All One Acts December 2011).
78. The Last of the Last of Mohicans; The Rising of the Moon; & The Daisy Market (All One Acts) - 2012.
79. Conversations on a Homecoming -  (One Act) 2013.
80. A Wake in the West (Three Act 2014).
81. Big Maggie (Three Act 2015)
82. An Eviction Scene reenactment at the Farming and Country Life 1916 (Tegasc, Athenry)
83. Pretend Sick
84. Bookworms
85. The Stations

If anyone of you believe I may have left plays out feel free to e-mail me at Athenry at athenrylohis@gmail.com.

Cahertubber Eviction 1848

Poor Law

Ireland was a poor country for centuries. Before the Poor Law was enacted in 1838. It had been up to individual parishes to provide relief for poor. The Poor Law Union divided the country into 130 different ‘unions’ and each would have its own workhouse. Families were separated once they entered the workhouse.

Outbreak! 

In June 1845 serious reports of blight was discovered in Belgium. It had been believed that blight had originated in South America two years previously. Thousands of people died across France, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands because of huge crop failures. People who lived in parts of Europe were not as dependent on the potato as those in Ireland.

Sir Robert Peel & The Relief Commission 

Potatoes doubled in price in December 1845, which coincided with the cost of living. The Member of Parliament Sir Robert Peel decided to purchase £100,000 of Indian Corn from America because it was cheap but unfortunately it was not popular because of it being hard to digest and its colour it became known as ‘Peel’s Brimstone’.
Peel also decided to set up a relief commission which formed local committees of landowners, their agents, magistrates, clergy and residents of importance. The purpose of the relief commission was to set up food depots throughout Ireland.

Sir Randolph Routh 

Sir Randolph Routh, who was originally the senior officer of the Commissariat department, which supplied food to the British Army was appointed as Chairperson of the Relief Commission in 1846. It became his duty to supply Indian Corn because he had extensive experience in feeding large bodies of people in sudden emergencies.
He was answerable to ‘The Treasury’. Any expenses would have required sanction by the Treasury such as famine relief. The ‘The Treasury’ was Charles Edward Trevelyan who is synomous to the song ‘The Fields of Athenry’.

Charles Edward Trevelyan 

Charles Edward Trevelyan was the Assistant Secretary and was also the head of Treasury. Trevelyan was a deeply religious man as he was known to ‘read the bible aloud’ and he firmly believed that the Great Famine in Ireland was ‘Punishment by God, on an idle, ungrateful, rebellious country’.
When Sir Robert Peel’s government fell. Trevelyan changed his scheme. Trevelyan and Charles Wood, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, decided that, in the second failure there was to be ‘The provision of food for Ireland was to be left entirely to private enterprise and private traders’. 
This causes consternation between Sir Randolph and Trevelyan,  as Sir Randolph did not like private enterprise to import food.

Second outbreak! 

The second failure of the potato crop happened in 1846 and rapid reports of distress and deaths quickly followed.

Evictions Begin 1846?

There were different reasons for evictions.  Landlords were liable for rates of tenants paying under £4 in rent under the Poor Law. When tenants could not afford to pay the landlord on their estates. The only way to collect money was to clear the poor of their small plots. 
Some landlords evicted tenants so they could  modernise their land for agricultural purposes for Bullock Pasture such as the case in the evictions Ballinglass, Co. Galway on Marcella Gerard’s estate in 1846.
It is not know how many were evicted before 1848. The police began to keep records between 1849 and 1854, were 49,000 families were dispossessed. There were thousands of ‘voluntary surrenders’ where tenants surrendered possession of their patch of land and began to beg, usually heading for the nearest town.
Tenants were also cheated into thinking the workhouse would take them, where they had been persuaded to accept a small some of money, and sometimes they helped tear down their own dwellings themselves.

Emigration was also and option for landlords where they would give their tenant enough money for a passage to America and Canada. Some landlords hired ships to transport them. Other tenants got aid from charities or had been sent money by family members who had already gone.

Many evicted families would shelter in ditches until bad weather drove them to the workhouse.  Emigration was an option whereby landlords gave their tenants enough money to emigrate other emigrants got charitable aid, and some family members abroad sent money for emigrants to emigrate.
Sometimes the land would be let to middlemen. Profit would be made by sub-letting the land to tenants, smallholders and cottiers.

As population grew the demand for land increased. Landlords and middlemen availed of the opportunity to increase their income by allowing holdings to be divided and sub-divided and by letting holdings ‘at-will’. This reduced the security of tenants and enabled rents to be raised from year to year, a practice known as ‘rack-renting’.

Black ’47

Black ’47 was known as Black ’47 because it was the worst year of the Great Famine in that same year the death toll of the county of  Galway was 5,556 in 1846 which then rose to 12,582 in 1848. For the town of Galway the death toll in 1847 was 1, 919, which rose to 2,000 in 1848. Over 11,000 inmates died in Galway workhouse.

Religious Society of  Friends ‘The Quakers’ 
The religious society of Friends were known as the ‘Qaukers’. In 1847 a group of ‘Quakers’ cam to Ireland. They established soup kitchen’s across the country. One of the ‘Quakers’ stated that the Irish children were ‘Like skeletons, their features sharpened with hunger and their limbs wasted, so that there was little left but bones, their hands and arms, in particular being much emaciated and the happy expression of infancy gave from their faces, leaving the anxious look of pre-mature old age’.
  In June 1849, the Quakers gave up relief work on June 2^nd.  Thomas Larcom of the Relief Department reported to London that the system could not be continued. Little of value ‘had been created at a vast expense, labour had been diverted from cultivation and masses of rural poor were dying physically incapable and some new scheme would have to be take its place.’ 

Eviction Act 1848

I have tried my best to put the following paragraph’s of the 1848 Eviction Act into layman’s terms from this link http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1848/en/act/pub/0047/print.html:

1.     You could not evict a person on Christmas day, Good Friday, two hours before or after sunset.

2.     You must give forty-eight hours notice of eviction for a tenant to the relieving officer.

3.     You must give the notice directly to the relieving officer or postmaster of a post office.

4.     It  is lawful for tenants who become destitute to seek relief off their relief officer electoral division for shelter, the workhouse, food, lodging, medical attendance.

5.     Every occupier should be served a notice.

6.     If a landlord does not abide by the Eviction Act 1848 giving an eviction notice to the relieving officer he must pay £20 pounds as a penalty.

7.     The sheriff or his office must be allowed to pull down, demolish, or unroof dwellings if anyone else it will be seen as a misdeameanor.

8.     This Act applies to all estates, possessions, of the crown in Ireland.

Cahertubber

Ø Cahertubber East 1841 pop. 47 and Cahertubber West has a pop. of 185.

Ø Cahertubber East in 1851 pop. rises to 168 but decreases in Cahertubber West to a pop. 101.

Ø Houses inhabitants also rise in Cahertubber East from 8 to 27 houses while Cahertubber West decreases from 28 houses to 18.

  

Cahertobber and it’s meaning

Cahertobber means ‘Quarter of the Well’ from Oliver Cromwell’s time.

Cahertobber Families 1821

Atchinson; Brennan, Burke,  Cahilan, Ceary,Clasby, Coffey, Connelly,Connor, Coppinger, Culk; Daly, Delany, Fahy, Fallon,Gamen,Geraghrty,Gibbons,Glynn;

and  Grady. Hacket, Hart, Healy, Helay, Henew; Hession, Jordan,  Kelly Kendrigan,  Larkin, Lawless,Loughnane, Mackey; Mahon; McGennis,Monaghan, Moran;Murray, Nobles,Nolan, Qualter,  Quinn;Rowlan, Ruane, Ryan, Shaughnessy; Slamen, Taylor, Wall, and Ward.

 Athenry was desribed as a very run down place in the 1830’s by a German traveller  writer named Pucklar-Muscow ‘was more poverty-stricken than any Polish village. I was pursued across ruins and brambles by a huge crowd of half-naked beggars who tried every possible flattery on him including the cry ‘Long live the King!’. When I threw a handful of coppers among them, soon half of them, young and old, lay in the mud grappling bloodily while the others rushed off to the shebeen to drink their gains.’

Family names in 1855-56

Family names that were record during the Griffith's Valuaton (A land valuation between 1855-1856 in Athenry):

Kealey, Hanly, Slamen, Mealy, Connor, Quinn, McDonagh, Connelly, Ward,

Ryan, Jordan, Dowd, Keane, Loughnane, Brennan, Kendrigan, Bourke, Skehill,

O'Brien, Callanan, Laffy, Shaughnessy, and O'Brien.

It would be the head of the household who's name would be record for the Griffith's Valuation.

I could find no census for Cahertubber West and East in Athenry 1901 and 1911.

(I was informed that night that it is under the DED of Aughrim see http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/results.jsp?census_year=1901&surname=&exact=&firstname=&county19011911=Galway&county1821=&county1831=&county1841=&county1851=&townland=&ded=aughrim&age=&sex=&relationToHead=&religion=&education=&occupation=&marriageStatus=&marriageYears=&childrenBorn=&childrenLiving=&birthplace=&language=&deafdumb=&search=Search&sort=townlandSort&pageSize=100&houseNumber=&familiesNumber=&malesNumber=&femalesNumber=&maleServNumber=&femaleServNumber=&estChurchNumber=&romanCatNumber=&presbNumberDiv=&protNumber=&parish=&barony=&yearsMarried=&causeOfDeath=&yearOfDeath=&familyId=&ageInMonths=&pager.offset=200)

Hon. Col. Bermingham Sewell

Thomas Bermingham Daly Henry Sewell was a son of Elizabeth Bermingham and Thomas Bailey Heath Sewell and grandson of Thomas Bermingham 1st Earl of Louth and Baron Athenry. His claim to the baronetcy of Athenry failed in 1800. At the time of Griffith's Valuation the Sewell estate was one of the principal lessors in the parish of Athenry and the representatives of Colonel Sewell also held land in the parishes of Clonbern, barony of Ballymoe and Dunmore, barony of Dunmore.

Hon. Col. Bermingham Sewell had area’s of Ballydavid Middle, Carrowntobber West, and Carrowntobber East, Knockbaun,

The Eviction Scene at Cahertubber

"A few days ago the sheriff of the county paid a visit to the lands of Gurrane, in the neighborhood of Athenry, on the estate of a man calling himself the Honorable Col. Bermingham Sewell, and demolished the entire village of Cahertubber, leaving but two houses stranding, one of which was converted into a depot for the remnant of roofing of those that were not committed to the flames.
The wretched and unhappy victims are to be found squatted upon the road side, presenting the most frightful appearance of destitution. In vain have those beings looked for compassion from the Honourable Col, although all their gardens are well cropped, and a few short weeks of bounteous Providence would have left them in a situation to discharge the trifling demands of this most Christian landlord, who liberality, generosity and hospitality are in perfect keeping with his honourable cognomen" .

Sherriff?

I went into NUIG and looked at the following occupational directories of who was the High Sherriff of the county.

Almanac Registry Directory 1848 - Michael Joseph Browne.

Dublin Almanac 1849 – High Sherriff 1848 Thomas A. Joyce and 

Sub-sheriff Joseph McDonnell Galway. I have found out that Thomas A. Joyce was the High Sherriff of Galway City but in the newspaper Freeman’s Journal 22nd of January Captain Shawe Taylor had been elected High Sheriff of the County. 

Post- Cahertubber Eviction

Tuam Herald Saturday September 16 1848

‘Last week a man named Newel a bailiff in the employment of Col. Sewell, on part of his property, near Athenry, in a conflict with some of the persons named Ryan, about a thatch of an old house from once they had been ejected and which they alleged the gallant colonel gave them permission to take away, Newell was so severely injured as to cause his death in a few days after. 
On Saturday last an inquest was held by Thomas Walsh Esq.,  Coroner, who committed the two Ryan (brothers) to abide their trail for manslaughter at the next assizes of the county.’

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge Mr. Finbarr O’Regan, Mr. Adrian Martyn, Dr. Conor McNamara for their help with this research. Jarlath Ryan for the projector,  the Raheen Wood s Hotel for the Screen and Matthew for the use of the Town Café as a venue for my talk.

Railway Trouble (revised 2014) by Ronan Killeen

The coming of the railway in the 19th century created employment for many in the vicinity of Athenry which was then connected to Tuam, Ennis and Limerick. In 2010 the link to Ennis and Limerick re-opened with plans for the Athenry -Tuam link to follow.

While the railway brought prosperity to Athenry town it also had a dark side to it. The following series of anecdotes has been compiled by Ronan Killeen and is the first of a series of historical commentaries from that era.

1860

In 1860 a lady from the neighbourhood of Athenry was returning by rail from Dublin, and failing to find accommodation for the night at Athenry decided to walk home to Ryehill four miles from the town. After a time she noticed that two men were following behind her and as she was alone she became alarmed. Deciding to run along the road as fast as she could she found that she was being pursued by the men. She hid in a potato furrow which belonged to the plantations of General Hall, Knockbrack with her two pursuers passing several times within a few feet of her. Hearing the noise of a vehicle passing the road she screamed at the top of her voice. Fortunately, the driver was the rector of Athenry, Rev. Mark Perrin, who stopped and helped the woman into his car. The Irish Times reported that; 'This is not the only occurrence of the like nature which has lately taken place in the neighbourhood, owing entirely to the number of bad and lawless characters employed, or hanging about the works of our Tuam and Athenry Railway'.

8 February 1861

A trader named Mr. Reilly sued the Midland Great Western Railway (now the Galway-Dublin route) for false imprisonment. Reilly was a trader on Abbey street. On 13 August 1860 he took the Galway excursion train, which stopped at Athenry and other places. According to the excursion bill of this era which 'allowed the person on to return on any train'. Reilly was to return on the Galway train and was then to return to Dublin on 14 August and according to class up to 27 August.

On the 11th of August the plaintiff decided to return to Dublin and got into one of the company’s carriages. The train was fairly crammed and he was obliged to kneel on the floor as he could not get a seat. After the train stopped at Athenry he stepped out in order to find a better seat. He then thought that he lost his ticket until one of the porters told him that the ticket was in the band of his hat. However the train had just pulled off. The stationmaster then told Reilly that he had broken his journey and should give up his ticket for the 'sum of one shilling'.

The plaintiff was then obliged to go along with one of the M.G.W.R. porters before a Magistrate where the case was dismissed. Following the Magistrate’s inquiry he was brought back to the stationmaster where the his name and address was taken and he was informed that the solicitor of the railway company would deal with him. Reilly did not make it to Dublin that night so he was forced to stay in Athenry overnight. Before he returned he was informed that 'The defence which was but partially gone into when the court rose, was that the party, by getting out, broke the journey and violated the bye-laws of the company'.

21 October 1873

An express train collided with an ordinary passenger train at Ballyglunin station. Although there were no deaths a number of people were injured.

19 December 1873

Thomas Burke, who was a navvy on repairing the Athenry & Tuam line of the railway was killed near Ballyglunin station. 'Returning on an empty lorry to Tuam after completing the day’s work, a sudden jolt having occurred he was thrown forward on the rails under the wheels and when taken up was found quite dead'.

28 January 1888

The M. P. Mr. Cox on his Dublin-Ennis journey was greeted with enthusiasm at Athenry station with the Athenry brass band playing national airs. Suddenly the police (R.I.C.) started attacking the people. Thanks to the efforts of Canon Thomas and his curate the Rev. F. Colgan most of the people were 'induced to retire'.  Many people had injuries. One woman had been thrown down onto the railway platform and had been badly trampled on. Mr. Cox was arrested and the empty carriages were filled by the brass band serenading the prisoner all the way to the next station!

29 March 1904

A goods clerk employed in the company of the Midland Great Western Railway, Seamus O'Grady was charged at the Southern Police Court by Detective Officers Lonegran and McKeogh for embezzlement £2 0s and 5d (two pounds no shillings and five pence), the property of the company.    

The prosecutor was Mr. Gerald Byrnes. The then station master of Athenry, Mr. William Smith, stated in court that the prisoner was employed under him as a goods clerk, and his business was to take in goods and receive the money. He should enter the amount of money given into the cash book and hand it up to the witness at night. On Saturday night at 9 o'clock he came to the witness’s office, with the cashbook and handed in the sum £57 3s as the money received.

On looking through the book the witness found that £2 0s and 3d was not accounted for by the prisoner. The prisoner had said he would make it up later, but he did not do so. The witness had not seen him since he was not arrested that morning.

Bryne stated that another clerk had been arrested at the same time, and although the charges were separate he asked that the other prisoner now be brought forward. Mr. John Doble was brought forward and charged with having embezzled £5 1d the property of the Great Southern and Western Railway company. Mr. Smith the Athenry station master deposed that the duty of the accused was to receive small parcels and the money for the carriage. He was to enter the amounts in the cash book and there was a sum of 5s 1d for which he could not account.

Detetective Officer McKeogh stated that on the previous morning at Kingstown he arrested O'Grady as he was about to embark on the mail boat.  He said his name was not O'Grady but that it was John Walsh of Castlebar, and that he was of no business. On being searched there was £16 8s 0 1/2 found on the accused.

Detective Lonegran stated that he arrested Doble on the same occasion. He gave the name of Stephen O'Grady, but subsequently he stated his real name was Doble.  A sum of £11 7s 0 1/2 was found in his possession.' The Irish Times report concludes: 'The prisoners were remanded until Wednesday, when an application would be made to send them to the Athenry Petty Sessions.' 

30 November 1907

Five miles from Athenry a shooting occurred at Craughwell Railway Station. A Mrs. Ryan had just got off on her return journey from Athenry when two shots were fired in her direction from behind a thicket close to the station. Two policemen were very near Mrs. Ryan at the time. A possible reason for the shooting was that Mrs. Ryan had bought land from which tenants had recently been evicted.