Dan Carbery's pocket watch

This week’s Eye is given over to a pocket watch story of the Carbery family written by Dan Carbery, formerly of St. John’s, Athy. I am a pocket watch. I was manufactured circa 1820/’21 and am typical of watches of the day measuring about 50 mm in diameter, weighing 160 grams and enclosed in a protective metal outer case. To ensure that I continue operating my spring mechanism needs to be charged every day which is done by winding my main spring with a key through the window in my back. The time is set by using the same key on the front centre post of the watch. As a result I am known as a key wind and key set watch. Compared to watches of today it is like contrasting a model T Ford to a modern-day Ferrari sports car. I am still working and telling the time in 2022, over two hundred years after I started providing time to my owner, or owners to be exact. I have had five generations of keepers and helped regulate the lives of most, all bearing the same name, Daniel Carbery. My first owner’s name and date of acquisition is inscribed on the back of the watch. In 1821 I was purchased by or presented to Daniel Carbery who was born in 1784. We will call him Dan(1) to differentiate between him and the other Carbery men with the name Daniel through the generations. He was 37 at the time and had come as a child with his widowed mother and brother John from Edenderry, Co. Offaly to live with his uncle and wife, the Murphys, near Athy. I was possibly purchased from and made by either Thomas Plewman of Athy, or W.P. St. John of Duke St., Athy. The brothers lived and worked a small rented farm near Brackna Woods close to the Bleeding Horse pub on the Athy/Stradbally road with their uncle, and were also carpenters. On the death of his uncle Dan and his family moved to Mullenroe, Ballintubbert, Co. Laois and rented a 12 acre farm homestead and outbuildings for £13-13-0 per annum. Dan married Sarah (nee Lawlor) and they had 12 children. He farmed the land and worked as a carpenter until his death in 1860. On the death of Dan(1) in 1860 the farm and half his carpentry tools were left to his son John, the remaining tools and me, the watch, going to his younger son Dan(2). Upon marrying a local teacher Kate Dunne, we lived in Kellyville, Co. Laois initially. They had eight children, five boys (including Dan(3)) and three girls and after a number of years moved 6 miles to Luggacurran, renting a house with 3 acres from Lord Lansdowne for 4 pounds sterling a year. They opened a shop in the house and worked ‘the farm’. In addition Dan(2) did a lot of building/carpentry work for the Lansdowne estate. In the mid/late 1870s Dan(2) was asked by Lord Lansdowne to build a house for a friend of his in Rosdohan, Sneem, Co. Kerry. A new type of concrete made from Portland cement was recently invented and the father of all modern concrete was specified for the construction of the house. Before engaging in this new work Dan(2) and I went to London to become acquainted with this wondrous new material. On completion of the house, which took about two years, the family and I returned to Luggacurran. On their return to Luggacurran the family prospered. It was during this time that the Land League, under Michael Davitt, became very effective and Daniel was an active member of the Land League. In 1885/’86 Lord Lansdowne’s tenants in Luggacurran stopped paying rent. Lansdowne tolerated the withholding of rent until 1887 and then decided to evict his nonpaying tenants starting with Denis Kilbride and William Dunne, major land holders. And so the infamous Luggacurran evictions began. They occurred on a regular basis over the next two years but the eviction of Daniel and 30 of his neighbours did not take place until 2nd June 1889. With the help of carpenters Pat Knowles and Bill Breen, Dan Carbery built 21 temporary timber huts in the field beside the Luggacurran Church. The settlement became known as ‘Campaign Square’. Dan, Kate and family lived in one of the huts for a short period before packing up all their belongings in horse and carts and walking 6/7 miles into Athy to start a new life. When the family moved to Athy Dan set up as a full-time builder. The first house we moved into was in Stanhope Street opposite St. Michael’s Church and then No. 1 Emily Square. In 1896 a detached two storey house, St. John’s, came on the market together with its adjoining yard and mill house. Dan wanted the house and Matt Minch the mill and yard. Matt by agreement made the only bid of 100 pounds, so Dan split the costs and got St. Johns House for 50 pounds. Dan set about putting on a second floor to cater for his eight children. Years later it was recognised by one of the family that the additional story was an exact replica of the top story of the house he had built in the 1870s in Sneem, Co. Kerry for the friend of Lord Lansdowne. Dan(2) died in 1896 and his son, my new owner Dan(3), completed the renovations of the house. Dan(3) married Pauline Woods from Newbridge and they reared eight children in St. Johns, the eldest also called Dan(4). The building business prospered under Dan(3) and branches were established in Carlow and Kildare, run by his brothers Peter and Dennis. After a successful life in the building industry in Athy Dan(3) died in 1949, being predeceased by Pauline in 1938. After the death of Dan(3) I was retired. Dan(4), eldest son of Dan(3), lived in Carlow and ran the building business with his brother Joe who lived in Athy. He preferred a wrist watch so after a number of years I was taken over by my current minder and fifth generation Carbery with the name Daniel.