Adverse or favourable, discussion about the elements is part of our daily lives. Our literature abounds with tales about weather-related events and their effect on people and the environment. In times gone by, before the improvement of roads and bridges, people in everyday situations were often caught out by freak weather conditions. In Castleisland,…… Continue Reading
Keeping up with the times: Carnegie Library and Hall, Castleisland
Castleisland’s cherished Carnegie Library reopened its doors in September 2017 as a modern, revamped, co-working office space.1 The building had been idle since the courthouse closed its doors in 2011, exactly one hundred years since Mr William Hugh O’Connor had thanked Mr Andrew Carnegie for his generosity in handing over £1,500 for the…… Continue Reading
Maps of Kerry through the Ages
You do not have to be a cartographer to enjoy the fascinating compilation of maps of Kerry, dating from the 1500s to the present, held in the Castleisland Collection.1 It contains almost one hundred maps which illustrate not alone the geography of Kerry but the peculiarities of spelling and the artistry…… Continue Reading
Castleisland Church and People by Fr Kieran O’Shea
Michael O’Donohoe made a study of Castleisland Church and People, a book (now rare) written by Fr Kieran O’Shea in 1981 (reprinted 1982). Michael’s study resulted in a handwritten index to the work, transcribed below, of great use to those conducting research into the town of Castleisland and vicinity. The book also contains…… Continue Reading
Michael O’Donohoe Collection: Accessions
During the process of cataloguing the Michael O’Donohoe Collection, additional material was acquired by donation and purchase.1 This material, which included books, documents and photographs, was catalogued separately. Among those who contributed were Breda Brooks (sister of the late Michael O’Donohoe); Johnnie Roche, Tomo Burke and John Reidy (committee); Jan Wesley, Peggy Reidy, Dave Geaney,…… Continue Reading
Rates Records of Castleisland
Data from rates and census records of 1853, 1885, 1897 and 1911 collated into useful booklet form is held in this series of the Castleisland Collection. The result is a magnified glimpse of town and inhabitant in the second half of the nineteenth century. IE MOD-59-59.1 Thirteen page record of names (Ahern…… Continue Reading
Landlordism in Castleisland
‘Forfeitures of Kerry lands have been taking place since 1200’, observed Jeremiah King in his History of Kerry, describing the occurrences as ‘systems of robbery’.1 Within the ‘systems of robbery’, King identified the period of landlordism as 1710 to 1921. Michael O’Donohoe took a particular interest in this period. The collection contains…… Continue Reading
Michael Collins and the apple woman
Politician Michael Collins and the Civil War period find place in the O’Donohoe Collection.1 About one week before Michael Collins was shot, he won the blessings of an old apple woman. It occurred on 14 August 1922, just two days after the death of President Arthur Griffith, when ‘the responsibilities of controlling a…… Continue Reading
Animal Sports in Castleisland
Castleisland has a great tradition in animal sports. As far back as 1747, Castle-islanders got behind a five day horse-racing event for prizes of up to a ‘purse of 30 shillings’. Day two of the event was to be run by ‘real hunters’ who had been at the death of two brace of foxes…… Continue Reading
Ivy Leaf Theatre, Castleisland
The Castleisland collection includes a selection of newspapers, local and national, retained by Michael O’Donohoe for their relevance to the subjects of his research. A local publication, Castleisland News, relates to the town’s Ivy Leaf Theatre and Arts Centre.1 The theatre, which finds home in a refurbished Church of Ireland, has been host…… Continue Reading