In March 1887, contractors were sought by Rev T Moriarty, parish priest of Brosna, for a national school house at Knockbrack, located between Feale’s Bridge and Headley’s Bridge in Co Kerry. Up until then, the school was conducted in a dwelling house, as shown in the records of the Tralee Board of Guardians of May…… Continue Reading
The People’s Priest: Rev William Casey of Abbeyfeale
Castleisland District Heritage holds a copy of James D Harnett’s A Sketch of the Life of Rev Wm Casey, PP, of Abbeyfeale published in 1908, soon after Rev Casey’s death.[1] The beloved Rev Casey died on 29 December 1907 aged sixty-three, and a measure of his popularity might be taken from the 12,000 people –…… Continue Reading
Three Wasps and A Skylark: Return of the Nature Poets
They love each other’s company, whatever place they meet, Though captive in the glass, the three, each knew their life was sweet. – from The Three Wasps, unpublished poetry of M J Reidy In an age dominated by technology, with so many – including toddlers and children – perched unnaturally immobile in front of…… Continue Reading
American Legacy: The Last Will of Mary Frances White
“The whole parish of Cordal was related to Mary Frances White” – Pat Jo McAuliffe, Cordal native, 8 August 2022 In 1939, news of the last will of Mary Frances White caused a sensation in the Castleisland district. More than eighty years on, the story was almost lost to posterity until a flash of…… Continue Reading
The Rise and Fall of Orpen’s Fort, Killowen, Kenmare
Less than a mile outside the town of Kenmare, on the road that leads to Kilgarvan, the passer-by might glimpse the ruin of a building set low in a field close to the river. It was built by Sir William Petty as a residence for his agent, and was known as The White House. …… Continue Reading
The Eagar Family of Kerry: A Penny’s Worth of History
Russell Walker, a postal history collector in Glasgow, recently acquired a document relating to journalist and founder of The Tralee Chronicle, James Raymond Eagar Esq of Tralee. The document, with stamped addressed envelope, related to a life insurance sought by Eagar from the Albion Life Insurance Company, London. In this document, dated 9 November…… Continue Reading
‘Why Make a Long Story of it?’ The Publisher’s Writer’s Tale
‘A pilgrim in whose heart God had set eternity’[1] Frederick Joseph Harvey Darton was born on 22 September 1878, eldest son of Joseph William Darton (1844-1916) of ‘Lacklands,’ Beckenham, Kent.[2] He was educated at Sutton Valence Grammar School, Kent, Dover College and St John’s College, Oxford. While at St John’s, he joined reading parties…… Continue Reading
W B Yeats and the Story of a Castleisland Curate
In 1892, a correspondent of The Academy, writing under the concealed identity, ‘A Lover of Originality,’ complained that the newly published Book of the Rhymers’ Club contained a plagiarism. The offending composition was ‘The Ballad of Father Gilligan’ by W B Yeats: Will you allow me to point out what appears to me a…… Continue Reading
A Short Tribute to Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
Today, 19 September 2022, the UK more or less shut down to give its monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, a Funeral of Funerals. The occasion was remarked on as ‘a brilliant blend of ancient and modern,’ and ‘an embodiment of greatness.’ It was a spectacle most fitting for a strong and tolerant woman who…… Continue Reading
Fr Michael Leahy’s Tops of the Town, Castleisland
Fr Michael Leahy was appointed curate to the parish of Castleisland by Bishop Eamonn Casey in January 1971 where he served for four years. He set about forming the Castleisland Youth Club, and a committee to build a Community Centre in the town. He is particularly remembered today for his role in organising the…… Continue Reading