Tos Quinn / Dr. O'Neill's medical practice

The relentless march of time each day brings changes to our lives. Some for the better which are welcomed but there are also many unwelcomed events which leave us saddened. I have just come away from St. Michael’s cemetery where for the second time in a week I have attended the funeral of a friend. My friend and colleague, Tos Quinn, died suddenly and unexpectedly on Sunday morning and with his passing Solicitor colleagues have lost a man who practiced law in the best traditions of the Irish legal profession. On the day of his death I spoke of his qualities as a person and as a Solicitor and how his passing had caused widespread regret amongst his Solicitor colleagues and members of the Bar. ‘Tos’s courteous manner made him one of the most popular Solicitors in the county, but his was not a popularity which prevented him from fearlessly pursuing his clients’ best interests. He pursued the justice of his clients’ cases with vigour, but at all times with honesty and without any hint of deception. His integrity was acknowledged by all of his colleagues.’ The legal profession and the medical profession have in recent times found themselves on opposing sides in the Courts of Justice. Not a week goes by without media coverage of a medical negligence case. The practice of medicine has become a minefield for litigation, but despite this local communities have come to expect, even demand, fairly comprehensive legal and medical services at local level. Looking back over press reports of the mid-19th century it appears that local doctors, but apparently not local Solicitors, then had the time and leisure to get involved in local politics and indeed membership of the local town commissioners. One such doctor was P.L. O’Neill of Geraldine House and it is remarkable to reflect that his great grandson, Dr. Giles O’Neill, is the fourth generation of the O’Neill medical family to provide a G.P. service in Athy. Dr. P.L. was followed by his son Dr. Jeremiah whom I believe practiced for a while out of Geraldine House before transferring to that part of the Abbey off Emily Square subsequently occupied by the late Barry Donnelly Solicitor. It was there that Joe O’Neill was born and when he qualified as a doctor he practiced and lived for some years in the house on the other side of the Abbey before moving to Athy Lodge on Church Road. In my young days I recall Dr. John Kilbride who had succeeded his father Dr. James Kilbride and who practiced from Athy Lodge. Athy Lodge had once been home to local Solicitor John Lord and his family before they emigrated to Canada in the latter part of the 19th century. Dr. Joe O’Neill who graduated in 1943 took over Dr. John Kilbride’s medical practice in 1959 and lived and worked in Athy Lodge until he retired in 1991. I remember Dr. Joe with great fondness and immense gratitude for he saved my son’s life with a speedy prognosis of a burst appendix and a swift despatch to a Dublin hospital where his young life was saved. Dr. Joe also diagnosed, luckily at an early stage in my case, the need for an appendix operation which I had in Naas Hospital under the care of surgeon Gibson. Dr. Giles O’Neill graduated in 1975 and after practising in Dublin and England returned to join his father’s practice in 1981. The following year a new surgery was built on the grounds of Athy Lodge where Dr. Joe and Dr. Giles practiced and where in recent years Dr. Giles has been joined bv Doctor Raymond Rowan. The medical practice at Church Road closed its doors for the last time on Friday last and transferred to premises on the Carlow Road which were first occupied some years ago by Dr. John Macdougald. There the medical team of Dr. Giles O’Neill and Dr. Raymond Rowan will be joined by Dr. Anthony Reeves who until now has practiced on his own account at Convent Lane next to the Town Library. When I look back over the past 39 years during which time Tos Quinn and myself shared the same Court bench in the local Courthouse sitting side by side immediately behind the prosecuting team I can’t but recall the men and women of the local legal and medical professions. All of them with varied attainments, but amongst them stand out as Solicitors the late Tos Quinn, Cyril Osborne and Barry Donnelly and medical practitioners Dr. Joe O’Neill, Dr. Brian Maguire and the recently retired Dr. John Macdougald, all men who displayed the finest qualities of those two ancient professions while working amongst the local community here in Athy.

Teddy Kelly

Long forgotten memories flooded in on me as Teddy Kelly’s remains were lowered into the grave at the new St. Michael’s Cemetery. Memories which prompted me to recall that in that very same place where mourners were gathered Teddy and I had played as youngsters. For Teddy Kelly was my friend from the time we were old enough to be let out to play on our own. We were neighbours in Offaly Street, went to school together, firstly in St. Joseph’s and then to the Christian Brothers school in St. John’s Lane. As youngsters in Offaly Street, Teddy and I spent every free hour of the day in each other’s company. I would call to his house at No. 27 if he had not already called to my house and we would head off for the day. Not going very far however, as our horizons were fixed mainly on the nearby park which we claimed as part of the fiefdom of the Offaly Street boys. Our ambition to go further afield saw us starting to dig a hole inside the main entrance gate of the park, as we later told our parents so we could reach Australia. That hole, which bore witness to our youthful efforts, was to be seen for many years thereafter. Offaly Street in our young days was a vibrant community of young families and our friends included Willie Moore, Tom Webster and in the early years Andrew and Basil White before they went to live in Athgarvan. The leader of our group was Teddy’s brother Leopold, a year or so older than the rest of us. Leopold was an adventurous fellow, whose life sadly ended in February 1967 just two years after he was ordained for the priesthood. We younger fellows followed Leopold with unquestionable loyalty, and I recall the great excitement which greeted his announcement that we were to build a den in the park. We marched to Flemings sawmills in Chapel Lane where Leopold had negotiated the acquisition of timber off cuts which we brought back to the park. Several trips were made to Flemings sawmills before sufficient timber was on site to complete the job. When completed it was our pride and joy for only two days for on the third day when we arrived in the park it was discovered that the den had been removed. The Duke of Leinster’s agent had obviously decided that the ‘whipper snappers’ from Offaly Street were not to squat on his Lordship’s property. I have written of Teddy Kelly in previous Eyes on the Past, the first many years ago to mark his 40 years working in the asbestos/Tegral wages office. That Eye appeared as the last article in Volume IV of Eye on Athy’s Past. The back cover of that book featured a few photographs, two of which were of a youthful Teddy Kelly with the writer and some others. In keeping with his youthful adventurous nature Teddy was pictured sitting on one of Bill Cash’s horses, while a second photograph featured Teddy and his faithful dog Toby with his brother Leopold, Micky Moore, my brother Seamus and myself. We must have been 10 or 11 years old at the time the photograph was taken. In that article and in a later article written to mark his retirement I wrote of the adventurous exploits of Teddy and myself and the other lads from Offaly Street. We were past masters in finding adventure and heightened pleasure in what we describe as ‘releasing over ripened pears and apples from local orchards.’ Ours was an innocent age when youthful escapades courted danger, none more so than the day Teddy said to me ‘I dare you’. That was not an infrequent test of one’s ability to do something or other but on this day it was a dare I have never forgotten. It was to walk on the parapet of the railway bridge from one end to the other as it passed over the River Barrow and the Grand Canal. I did the walk, oblivious to the danger given that despite summer visits to Bummeries I had not as yet mastered the skill of swimming. It’s strange what one remembers after 65 years or so – the dangerous parapet walk, the earlier attempt to reach Australia and my first bottle of stout given to me by Teddy’s mother. The bottle of stout was believed to be an appropriate tonic for a sickly youngster, but in my case it helped to nurture a lifelong dislike of alcohol. Teddy and I shared classrooms for 14 years from 4 years of age onwards. We shared fond memories of Sister Brendan in St. Joseph’s School and admiration and gratitude for a wonderful teacher in the Christian Brothers School. Bill Ryan was that teacher who unlocked the world of possibilities for the pupils he taught. When we reached the Leaving Certificate class there were just 11 of us left from the 50 or more who started with us in St. Joseph’s School. Seared in my memory are the faces of those who shared school days with Teddy and myself but who for whatever reason did not get the opportunity to achieve what they were capable of. Friendships forged in my youth are an important part of my life and are treasured for the memories they gave me. When I passed the biblical three score and ten, I learned to appreciate more than ever before the value of those early friendships. Teddy Kelly was one of my first friends and his recent death leaves me with unforgettable memories of the happy years I spent in Offaly Street and the wonderful people who lived there. Sadly, the day before Teddy died another older neighbour, Tommy Tuohy, also passed away. Teddy and Tommy are part of the memory bank of my youth and their passing closes another chapter in the life of Offaly Street of old.

Athy Workhouse Minute Book 1892/'93

Images of Charles Dickens’s characters came to mind as I studied the Minute Book of 1892/’93 in which the Master of Athy’s Workhouse recorded the decisions of the Board of Guardians and his reports of the day to day running of the Workhouse. The Athy Union Workhouse catered for Athy town, Castledermot, Ballyshannon, Monasterevin, Stradbally, Ballylinan and all areas in between. The Union area had a population in 1881 of 27,961 and on 15th October 1892 the Workhouse had as inmates 96 men, 100 women and 29 children. A separate heading in the Minute Book showed 88 persons under medical treatment in the Workhouse Hospital and 1 person in the Fever Hospital which was a separate building [now housing the Galilee House of Studies] which was also under the control of the Board of Guardians. Under the heading ‘Lunatics and Idiots’, 7 inmates were recorded as living in separate wards from other inmates. A total of 32 ‘night lodgers or casuals’ as they were described, were accommodated during the week, with 12 casuals comprising 7 men, 3 women and 2 children in the Workhouse on the date that the Master made his weekly return. Given the recent report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission I was particularly interested to see what the Minute Book recorded about women and children in the Workhouse. The first reference I found was the Master’s report on five children whose continuing presence in the Workhouse was questioned by the Board of Guardians. He reported that on 12th July 1892 twins were admitted to the Workhouse with their mother who died soon afterwards. As to two other illegitimate children, one of them was hired out of the Workhouse but was obliged to return due to sickness and in the meantime the mother left the Workhouse. Another child had since left ‘after her mother claimed her at harvest time’. Bridget Roberts, an inmate of the Workhouse, sought the Board’s approval for some clothes for her child who was also in the Workhouse. Strangely her application was refused. The action of the Board contrasted with two acts of generosity noted in the Minute Book. Local man F.J. Minchin gifted three pounds and ten shillings to provide ‘a treat for the inmates of the Workhouse and the infirmary’ while Lord Seaton of Bert, a member of the Board of Guardians, gave two pounds and a quantity of oranges ‘to provide comfort’ for the same inmates. I found reference to the ‘offences and punishment book’, maintained by the Workhouse Master and in which he noted in December 1892 that Bridget Roberts was guilty of cursing and swearing on three occasions following which she was incarcerated in the Workhouse cell on each occasion. This would appear to be the same woman for whose child the Board of Guardians refused clothing. The Board of Guardians directed that she be prosecuted at the local Petty Sessions with Mary Fleming, another inmate, who refused to obey the orders of the Workhouse officers. The local Petty Sessions presided over by men, some of whom were also Board of Guardian members, frequently heard complaints by the Workhouse Master against Workhouse inmates, but especially those referred to as casuals or night lodgers. On 25th January 1893 twelve casuals were each sentenced to 14 days hard labour, and a week later 3 casuals appeared before the local magistrates. Two were sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with hard labour. Inmates who refused to work as directed by the Workhouse Master were also prosecuted. One such prosecution involved inmate Patrick Hackett who was described as ‘an able-bodied man’. Hackett apparently not only refused to work, but had also assaulted the Master of the Workhouse. He was sentenced to three month’s imprisonment. The Local Government Board was in the meantime pressing the Athy Union to take action in relation to children who were in the Workhouse without their parents. The Minute Book records payments made to several named women for ‘nurse children’, indicating that young children were fostered out by the Workhouse, at what age and for how long the records do not state. There was a form of contract entered into with the nursing mothers, as I find a reference to a Local Government Board letter which claimed that ‘the agreement used in Athy Workhouse for orphans and deserted children was not in accordance with the prescribed regulations’. An interesting entry in the Minute Books refers to the P.P. of Moone, Rev. Edward Dukay who wrote to the Board of Guardians recommending that ‘the child Doody be given out to nurse to Edward Timoney of Ballitore’. The Board agreed to do so. The Workhouse children attended the Workhouse school where the school mistress was Miss Conroy. During the latter part of 1893 Miss Conroy was absent for an extended period due to illness. The Reverend Mother of the local Sisters of Mercy offered to make a nun available to give ‘religious and industrial instruction’ for two or three hours every day. At the same time she regretted that ‘owing to want of accommodation in the Workhouse convent she could not place a sister in temporary charge of the Workhouse school.’ The Board of Guardians later agreed to provide the necessary accommodation. In May 1893 the District School Inspector visited the Workhouse School in Athy and reported: ‘I visited for the purposes of examining the pupils for results, ….. 23 pupils were present, 15 boys and 8 girls ….. On the occasion of my visit there was no timetable, none of the Commissioners rules or regulations, no pupil’s programme, in fact the school seemed utterly devoid of any furnishings that would indicate that it was a National School except the desks.’ The last entries in the Minute Book for the week ended 4th May 1893 shows that there were 39 children in Athy’s Workhouse, of whom 7 were under 2 years of age, with 10 children between 2 and 5 years.

Arts Council Grant and the development of the arts in Athy

The Art Council’s announcement of a grant of €450,000 over a period of three years to help the development of creative opportunities for people of all ages in Athy was welcome news for the South Kildare town community. Athy’s rich music culture and its development over the years is a recognisable part of community arts which owes it’s success to community and individual initiatives. Equally important as one looks back over the years was the part drama played in the social and cultural life of the local people. In it’s current development plan Kildare County Council commits to facilitating the delivery of social, community and cultural infrastructure to meet the needs of the people of Athy. The Council identified the local Heritage Centre, now the Shackleton Museum and the Arts Centre in Woodstock Street as two important components in developing the arts in Athy, both of which occupy important places in the cultural life of the town. Both centres were born of local initiatives and have continued to develop, largely due to continuing community wide involvement and support. The following is part of a submission made on behalf of the local Arts Centre in support of the grant application to the Arts Council. ‘Athy Arts Centre was developed as a necessary part of the emerging cultural infrastructure for the town. The townspeople’s involvement in the arts was in the 1940s and later channelled through participation in local dramatic groups, either as performers or as members of audiences attending plays and musical shows in the Town Hall and St. John’s Hall. St. John’s Hall is no more, while the Town Hall is given over exclusively to the Heritage Centre/Shackleton Museum. The opening of the Arts Centre in Woodstock Street twelve years ago was seen as an essential requirement to meet the needs of the local community for a cultural facility in the town. Since then the Arts Centre has hosted exhibitions, plays and musical performances with local and visiting artists. In addition, the Arts Centre has been recognised as a useful facility for emerging artists/bands in which to practice and rehearse. It has become an important element of the town’s cultural stream, joining the library and the museum in a triumvirate of cultural facilities readily accessible to the general public.’ Over 35 years ago UNESCO commissioned a study of cultural policy in Ireland and the subsequent report noted the narrow ‘arts’ definition of culture and the task facing cultural policy makers of recognising that culture is a dynamic force to be developed in and by all the people through education as well as cultural development at community level. In other words, art must identify with community involvement in music of all types, drama, dance, literature and not just the visual arts. The training and nurturing of creative and performing artists must be seen as an important part of the recently announced grant, but hopefully some amount of funding will be made available for arts related physical infrastructure, without which the development of arts and the cultural needs of the community may not be satisfied. Community arts requires local initiatives supported as needs be by state agencies and this grant provides a very real opportunity for Athy to further extend access to the arts, especially through educational programmes. The hope is that the Creative Place Grant Scheme will make a major contribution to the cultural life of Athy over the next three years and for many years into the future. The Irish Humanities Alliance, as part of the consultation on National Cultural Policy initiated by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, made a written submission in 2015 to the ‘Culture 2025’ discussion document. Pointing out that Ireland’s international reputation is predicated on its cultural achievements in literature, drama, poetry, music and the arts in general it suggested local authorities such as Kildare County Council have a ‘distinctive role in fostering the cultural life of communities’. The creative funding grant awarded by the Arts Council which is to be administered by Kildare County Council is acknowledgement of the local authority’s key role in assisting and nurturing local initiatives in relation to cultural activities. Development of the arts must come from community-based initiatives involving local people and should not be seen as something imposed from the top, whether from government agencies or local authorities. Far too much centralisation has weakened local communities, but this Creative Place funding gives a real opportunity to the local community in Athy to develop cultural education and training programmes designed to increase local involvement in the arts and cultural activities in general.