‘We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland’ Castleisland District Heritage has acquired a replica of Poblacht na hEireann, the 1916 Proclamation of Ireland, measuring an impressive 6ft x 4ft.[1] The artefact was produced in 2016 by a team of third level Multimedia Design students in the (then) Institute…… Continue Reading
To the Grist: Three Centuries of Milling at Ballymalis, Co Kerry
Kerry Woollen Mills at Ballymalis, tucked away in the vicinity of the old castle of that name, dates to about 1745.[1] A contributor to the 1930s Schools’ Collection ascribed the origin of the mill to a man named Leahy: About 200 years ago a man named Leahy built a small mill driven by water,…… Continue Reading
River Island Hotel, Castleisland hosts Groundbreaking Talk on the Irish War of Independence
William K Storey, Professor of history and great grandson and namesake of Head Constable William K Storey RIC, grew up in America with a strong sense of ‘a skeleton in the cupboard.’ Professor Storey – ‘Bill’ as he has become known to his new friends in Castleisland – knew his great grandfather had died in…… Continue Reading
O’Connell Bridge Castleisland: Setting The Liberator in Stone
While Bourns, the engineer, explained to his Foreman, By his physics, the centring of the O’Connell Bridge, Said this King, and that Queen-post would ever support man, The O’Connell without ever introducing a wedge.[1] There was considerable excitement in Castleisland in late 1831 as the new O’Connell Bridge neared completion: The bridge is a…… Continue Reading
In the Footsteps of Froude: A Fortnight (and more) in Kerry
Eminent English historian James Anthony Froude (1818-1894) had a particular interest in the progress of Ireland in the nineteenth century, and spent considerable time in County Kerry. In 1870 and 1871, he published a two-part essay entitled A Fortnight in Kerry in which he described his sojourns at Derreen House near Lauragh, a property of…… Continue Reading
Search Warrant: Uncovering some RIC Personnel stationed in Castleisland
The Royal Irish Constabulary was formed as a result of the Irish Constabulary (Ireland) Act 1836. The earlier Constabulary Act of 1822 established the County Constabulary, Ireland’s first countrywide police force, which subsequently merged to form the RIC, the Royal appendage being added in 1867. From 1920 to 1922, Royal Irish Constabulary ‘Temporary Constables’ made…… Continue Reading
Field Study: The Discomforting Truism of John B Keane’s Drama
Appeals fall on deaf ears. The people neither see, hear nor say anything – Review of ‘The Field’ in The Stage, 4 November 1965 It is generally accepted that The Field, a 1960s play by the late Listowel writer, John B Keane, is a thinly disguised account of the Reamore murder which took place in…… Continue Reading
Kozae, Cork: A Short Note on a Short-Lived ‘Celtic Tiger’ Fashion House
‘Reasonable prices but high fashion edge’ Regrettably for Cork fashion duo Graham Clarke and Jess Cummins Lucas, with Managing Director Patrick Kenny, it would prove to be a bad time to launch their fashion label Kozae on 25 October 2007 at South Mall/Pembroke Street, Cork, the former premises of Niall Roberts Fabrics.[1] The ‘Celtic…… Continue Reading
Krawlies, Scrub Spray and Gum Socks: A Note on the Entrepreneurial Pobalscoil Corca Dhuibhne
Castleisland District Heritage has added an unusual item to its archive: a pair of Krawlies, protective knee socks for babies on the move. On the tag of the one-size cotton and nylon product is ‘Young Entrepreneur Winner.’[1] The Young Entrepreneur Programme (YEP), aimed at 15-23 year olds in Kerry’s second and third level institutions,…… Continue Reading
‘Some Golden Space’: A Tragic Tale from a German Coffee House
Still may Time hold some golden space Where I’ll unpack that scented store Of song and flower and sky and face, And count, and touch, and turn them o’er – Rupert Brooke For many, coffee shops play an important part in the social calendar. Castleisland boasts a host of them, and many an important or…… Continue Reading