‘We walk on their ground’ On 29 April 1892, the Casey family of Coolcurtoga, near Glenflesk, Co Kerry were evicted.[1] One hundred and thirty years on, the story of this family is told by Mary O’Donoghue of Coolcurtoga who lives and farms there with her husband Sean. Mary, who is now a grandmother,…… Continue Reading
Fitzgerald of Adraval and Knockrower
Adraval (spelling varies), near Scartaglin, was once a residence of the Fitzgeralds, Earls of Desmond. There is no local memory of the property and its precise location has not yet been ascertained.[1] John Galvin of Adraval describes the townland as follows: Adriville (the Central Village) is in the centre of Scartaglin Parish being…… Continue Reading
The Iron Church, Darrynane and the Earls of Dunraven
Darrynane Church of Ireland, Co Kerry, was dedicated in September 1915.[1] It was a portentous year in which to embark on a church building project, as events of the following year proved: Archdeacon John Fahy, Protestant Rector, Waterville, applied for £10 by reason of the Protestant Church at Darrynane being maliciously injured on the…… Continue Reading
Twiss leads way for Pardon for Poff and Barrett
On Thursday 16th December 2021, formal application was submitted to the Department of Justice in St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, for the Presidential Pardon of Sylvester Poff and James Barrett. As with the recent Posthumous Pardon of John Twiss, application was made to the Department by Castleisland District Heritage, formerly the Michael O’Donohoe Memorial Heritage Project,…… Continue Reading
Purcell’s Castle: An Earlier Chapter in the Unending Tale of the Colleen Bawn
A copy of The Colleen Bawn (2018) by Patrick T Fitzgerald has been added to the archive of Castleisland District Heritage. It synthesises over two hundred years of research and literature relating to the mysterious and tragic tale of Ellen Hanly, better known as ‘The Colleen Bawn.’[1] In 1819, a badly decomposed corpse bound…… Continue Reading
Unholy Christmas! The Tale of the Priest and the Presbyterian
My Irish-preaching was very successful at first, but greatly opposed afterwards In 1863, Rev Henry MacManus, the first Irish Missionary of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, published Sketches of the Irish Highlands.[1] He discoursed on the development of spreading the gospel in the Irish tongue in pre-famine Ireland: Preaching…… Continue Reading
John Twiss: A Modern-day Hero
by Janet Murphy, Archivist, Castleisland District Heritage Recently, while driving my car, I had the strange sense that John Twiss was seated beside me. I could even sense the colour and texture of his clothing, and I said aloud, ‘I hope it is good news for you soon, Mr Twiss.’ Strange talk perhaps,…… Continue Reading
Parknageragh: A Tale of Two Houses
Parknageragh House, Castleisland, dates to pre-Famine times. It was built by the Thompson family.[1] Early records show that in 1823, one Alexander Thompson Esq of Parknageragh was summoned to the jury panel. In May 1828, Mrs Thompson, wife of Mr William Thompson, a lady ‘much esteemed,’ died at Parknageragh after ‘a lingering illness.’ On…… Continue Reading
An Overview of the McMorran Collection
Castleisland District Heritage has recently acquired a selection of papers from the collection of the late historian, Russell McMorran, courtesy his brothers, Chris and Clare McMorran. The material, which has been added to the Castleisland District Heritage archive, includes photographs, journals, Financial Reports of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (1957) and a copy of the…… Continue Reading
A Tale of Two Fountains
A mid-nineteenth century altercation between two civil engineers casts an historic light on one of Castleisland’s famous landmarks. In the Famine year of 1846, the construction of two fountains – one in Tralee and one in Castleisland – to supply a ‘sufficient and unfailing supply of water to the poorer classes of townsfolk’ was being…… Continue Reading