Heuston Station / Remembering Eamon Walsh / Noel and Carmel Reddy

I don’t know how many times I have passed through Heuston Station, Dublin but as I exited the station last week I noticed for perhaps the first time on the top of the Corinthian pillars the lettering ‘Vic vii ….. 1844’. This referred to Queen Victoria, then in the eight year of her reign, and the date 1844 I presume refers to what was the expected date of completion of work on the railway station. The building was not however completed until November 1848 due to a stonemason strike. The Great Southern and Western railway line to Athy and to Carlow was opened on 3rd August 1846 during the second year of the Great Famine. Not many, if any, of the 1,200 or so poor unfortunates who died in Athy’s Workhouse during the Famine ever had the means to travel by rail to Dublin. Railway travel was extremely expensive in those early rail days, even if the rail companies sought to engage with the poor by providing third class carriages which were open to the elements. In those days few from Athy and south Kildare ever got the opportunity to see the splendid new railway station which has been described as having the appearance of a great Renaissance House. Every time we pass through what was once called Kingsbridge Station, we can treasure the thought that the great figures of Irish history were frequent users of that same station. Charles Stewart Parnell set out from Kingsbridge Station for that fateful open-air meeting in Creggs, Co. Roscommon in September 1891 which was his last public appearance in Ireland. He would die on 3rd October after returning home to Brighton following that meeting which he had attended despite his doctor’s warning that he was not fit to travel. Padraig Pearse used the same station on many occasions when travelling to Rossmuc, Connemara where his holiday cottage was located. Reflecting on the 1844 date made me realise what great advances were in hand in Ireland at that time as various railway companies pressed on with their plans to extend railway lines across the Irish countryside. But if there were advances there was also great hardship endured on a regular basis by a majority of the people of Ireland. That same year the Athy Workhouse was opened on 9th January and the first inmates include 6 men, 15 women, 13 boys, 5 girls and 2 infants. The workhouse and the two ancillary workhouses which were opened during the height of the Great Famine would at one time in 1848 accommodate 1,254 impoverished men, women and children. It was almost three years since I wrote to the then Chairman of Kildare County Council, Councillor Mark Stafford, asking for the Council to erect a memorial to Athy’s famine dead who were buried in unmarked graves at St. Mary’s cemetery just across the road from the former Workhouse. Mark very kindly agreed to put the request to the Council and I believe the Council agreed to erect a memorial. Subsequent correspondence passed between the County Council and the HSE regarding ownership of the cemetery. Imagine my surprise to read recently that the promised memorial is now being mentioned as a memorial for the mothers and babies who died in the County Home. The County Home which was not a mother and babies home but primarily a place for the elderly and the infirm, is now being regarded as part of the Mother and Babies Home regime. It was never that and the County Council should not lose sight of the famine dead from Athy and the surrounding areas whose sad lives ended in a workhouse and whose remains were left in the ground at St. Mary’s without any recognition or identification. We need to remember our famine dead, and I hope Kildare County Council will do that by erecting a suitable famine memorial in St. Mary’s before too long. During the last few days the town lost two of its well loved and highly regarded members with the passing of Noel Reddy and Eamonn Walsh. By a strange coincidence both Noel and Eamonn were porters in the Bank of Ireland and the Allied Irish Bank respectively and both came from families with generational old connections with Athy and south Kildare. Indeed, Eamonn’s father Eddie Walsh was the porter in the Provincial Bank for 41 years and on his retirement was replaced by Eamonn who served in the same position for 34 years. Noel was an ever-optimistic supporter of Kildare in the county’s quest for an All-Ireland senior football title, while Eamonn was a musician who graced the musical scene for many decades as a member of the Spotlights and other groups with which he was associated over the years. Eamonn was the subject of an Eye on the Past No. 549. Noel’s death followed the death of his wife Carmel just a few weeks earlier. Carmel was an energetic and valuable contributor to many community-based activities, and I will remember the important role she played as secretary of Athy’s Development Group in furthering the call for an outer relief road instead of the inner relief road planned by Kildare County Council. It’s sad that she did not live to see the opening of the new road which she and many other local men and women campaigned for over many years. Like the forgotten famine dead, the true record of more recent events such as the campaign for the outer relief road and the famine memorial fade from memory as new narratives tend to give us a different and not necessarily true account of the past.

Whites Castle and the early years of medieval Athy

Last week’s Kildare Nationalist carried a news item concerning White’s Castle and an announcement of the forthcoming auction of what was described as a 2.5 acre development site in the centre of Athy. It was an unusual coincidence which highlighted on the same paper two important elements of Athy’s past history, even if the development site description might not immediately signal any historical significance. But in fact the site located off Emily Square has a history which predates that of White’s Castle by over 150 years or more. The site was correctly identified in the notice as being located within the old ‘Abbey lands’, a reminder that a few years ago it was the site of the Abbey, a fine 18th century house which was pulled down overnight. The name came down to us over the years because it was the site of the first Dominican Abbey or Friary founded in 1257. The French speaking Anglo Normans who sailed up the river Barrow and opened settlements at various locations in the Barrow valley founded one of their most important settlements at the Ford of Ae. They built a fortified castle at Woodstock around which the medieval village of Athy developed. Within a few years the Crouched Friars founded a monastery on the west bank of the River Barrow in the area still known to this day as St. Johns. A few years later the Dominicans founded their monastery on the opposite bank of the river in the area which the auction notice called the ‘Abbey lands’. The Dominicans occupied their monastery until the Reformation when Henry VIII suppressed the Irish and English monasteries and sequestered the Abbey property which was leased to Martin Pelles, constable of the castle of Athy. The Abbey consisted of a church with a bell tower, a chapter house, dormitory, kitchen, rooms and two halls in addition to an open cloister, a cemetery, an orchard and a garden. The buildings were in time destroyed and levelled to the ground leaving only, I believe, traces underground. The Abbey site has an important story awaiting to be told and it is a story which can only be fully explained after a comprehensive archaeological survey of the site has been carried out. Following the Battle of Ardscull on 26th January 1316 when the Scottish troops under Edward Bruce defeated the Anglo Normans, the Book of Howth records that ‘of the Scot side were slain Lord Fergus Anderson, Lord Walter More and many others whose bodies were buried in the Abbey of the Friars Preachers Athy.’ Also buried there were the Dominican Friars who in the first 300 years of the Abbey’s existence lived, worshipped, and prayed in Athy’s Abbey. This important historical site needs to have an archaeological assessment and investigation carried out as a matter of urgency. White’s Castle recently purchased for the third time in recent years by a private individual without any interest being expressed by Kildare County Council, has been awarded funding under the Community Monuments Fund. I understand the purpose of the funding is to help protect the historical building and facilitate access to it by the general public. White’s Castle is an iconic building at the heart of our town which stands not alone but is twinned with the adjoining Crom a Boo bridge to provide a symbolic representation of the town’s ancient history. Picture Athy in your mind’s eye and almost certainly images of the castle and the bridge will come into view. For so long at the heart of town life in Athy the Castle, as a garrison fortress, as a prison and as a police barracks has witnessed the passing of so many different generations stretching back over 600 years. I had hoped that White’s Castle would again become an integral part of community life in Athy with its development as a heritage centre/museum to complement the Shackleton Museum in the former market house. I don’t know what plans the new owner has for the castle but the successful application for Community Monument funding is an encouraging sign that private enterprise might yet take up the challenge which Kildare County Council and Athy Town Council so abysmally failed to do in the past.

Roadside Memorial for Thomas O'Connell, Carlow Kildare I.R.A. Brigade

It’s almost twenty years ago in Eye on the Past No. 600 I wrote of roadside memorials in and around Athy and mentioned a particular memorial which unknowingly I passed on many occasions. I wrote: ‘Indeed on first becoming aware of its existence some months ago I kept a careful look out for it when I drove to or from Carlow. I could not find the memorial until yesterday when returning to Athy I stopped my car near Maganey and walked the narrow road, keeping a watchful eye on the speeding cars which threatened at every bend to put a premature end to my search. Eventually I found the memorial on the side of the road where Tommy O’Connell, Officer commanding the Carlow Kildare I.R.A. Brigade was killed in a road traffic accident on 31st August 1924.’ The memorial was hidden from view by a generous growth of briars and I returned some time later to cut back the briars and reveal the inscription on the stone base into which a metal cross had been set. The inscription read:- ‘Mrs. Kearney presented this memorial cross to the staff of the I.R.A. Carlow Brigade to be erected where their gallant O.C. accidentally lost his life on 31st August 1924.’ Tommy O’Connell had succeeded Eamon Malone of Barrowhouse as Officer commanding the Carlow Brigade. He was previously Vice O.C. of the Brigade, comprising six battalions of which the fifth battalion area included Athy, Kilkea, Castledermot, Ballylinan and Barrowhouse. When the Civil War broke out he took the anti-treaty side and was subsequently captured and imprisoned but having escaped from prison went on the run for some time. Some months after I cut the briars surrounding the O’Connell memorial I was disappointed to find that the metal cross had been broken and was nowhere to be seen. I mentioned that in a subsequent Eye on the Past but there seemed little prospect of recovering the missing cross. Fast forward to three months ago when Jerry O’Toole from Kilbride, Carlow who having read my articles on Tommy O’Connell phoned me enquiring where the roadside memorial was located. Jerry told me that his late mother had a photograph of Tommy O’Connell in her home and that his father and two uncles had served in the I.R.A. under O’Connell. I gave Jerry directions to the memorial and he found it hidden behind briars and hedging. Last week Jerry phoned me again. Having enquired locally he discovered that the cross had been broken during hedge cutting arranged by the County Council but luckily enough the broken cross was kept safe by a local farmer. It turns out that the local farmer’s late father and grandfather had attended Tommy O’Connell at the accident scene in 1924. Jerry O’Toole had the memorial cross restored, the roadside memorial repainted and the surrounding hedging cut back so allowing the memorial to the former I.R.A. leader to be visible to everyone passing the scene of the accident of almost 99 years ago. An interesting fact which Jerry discovered when replacing the cross is that it was made in the foundry of Duthie Larges of Athy. Tommy O’Connell was buried at Monasteroris, Edenderry on 2nd September 1924 and as his funeral passed through Athy the Nationalist and Leinster Times noted ‘the windows in Athy were shuttered all day on Monday in token of sympathy and great numbers joined the funeral cortege as it passed through the town on its way to Edenderry.’ Jerry O’Toole has also discovered that Tommy O’Connell’s mother gave his address as c/o Mrs. Kearney, Brown Street, Carlow when she applied for a service pension. This was presumably the same Mrs. Kearney who presented the memorial cross which Duthie Larges made in their Athy foundry. Can any of my readers identify the late Mrs. Kearney and the part she may have played during the revolutionary years. Jerry O’Toole is deserving of great praise for his work in restoring the O’Connell monument and the photographs which he has copied to me and in which I reproduce here are those of the late Tommy O’Connell and the memorial at Maganey as it is today.

Poverty in Athy and the Work of Athy Lions Club

The population of Athy has increased substantially over the last 20 years or so. For over one hundred years previously the local community numbers were always around 4,000 and generally somewhat lower than that. Athy, we were told, was a prosperous market town with more than 40 pubs/grocery shops and was often described as the leading market town in Leinster. Hidden behind the main streets of the town however were many two roomed cottages let by private landlords who in the absence of any local authority housing schemes controlled the availability of housing in the town. In the census of 1901 Athy returned a population of 3,599. The majority of the local people lived in the most primitive conditions. A report prepared by the local medical officer claimed that little effort was made to keep the laneways in the town in a sanitary condition. His report continued: ‘the state of the back yards is also a danger to health ….. large accumulations of manure heaps and other refuse matters are in proximity to the houses ….. and the back yards where these accumulations exist are very small and confined and undrained and in many instances pigs are kept in them. A considerable number of houses have no back yard accommodation whatsoever.’ What part did these poor living conditions and the poverty which they indicated play in encouraging so many young Athy men to enlist in the British Army during World War I? A report in the Nationalist and Leinster Times on 9th June 1917 claimed: ‘In Ireland workers when deprived of employment have only one recourse – to join the army, a mild form of conscription is accordingly enforced in this country at the present time.’ True to tell there was widespread poverty in Athy at that time. Employment opportunities were limited to the local brickyards and seasonal work on neighbouring farms. The merchants of the town were by all accounts well off, but amongst them were a number of kind hearted individuals who came together every week to further the work of the local St. Vincent de Paul Society in helping local families in need. This generosity of spirit, which in the early years of 1900 was found in the members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, was many generations later to witness a resurgence with the foundation of Athy’s Lions Club. Today the Lions Club and the St. Vincent de Paul Society continued to work voluntarily for the betterment of those individuals and families who find themselves experiencing financial difficulties. The Lions Club, which is a member of the largest worldwide charitable organisation, was founded following a meeting in the Leinster Arms Hotel in June 1971. The first President of the Lions Club was the late Des McHugh, a pharmacist from Duke Street and with him at that first meeting was a large number of businesspeople and professionals. It was then an all-male organisation, which in recent years has welcomed female members. Indeed, the current membership of Athy Lions Club shows a majority of female members who have brought a refreshing vigour and enthusiasm to the work of the club. Over the years Athy Lions Club has been involved in many fundraising projects where all the funds collected are used for local charitable purposes. Cycle rallies, family walks, St. Stephen’s Day run, charity auctions, concerts and not to forget the annual Christmas Food Appeal are but some of the many events organised by the Lions Club. Amongst the many unique projects undertaken by the Lions Club there are two which stand out. In 1982 the Club in conjunction with St. Michael’s Parish, then led by the Parish Priest Canon Owen Sweeney, jointly purchased Dreamland Ballroom for use as a community facility. Now known as A.R.C.H. (Athy Recreational Community Hall), the parish interest in the hall has in recent times been transferred to the Lions Club and the A.R.C.H. continues to be managed by a voluntary committee on behalf of the Lions Club. The other major project undertaken by the Lions Club was the development of a sheltered housing scheme in the grounds of St. Vincent’s Hospital. The Lions Club initiated this housing project in consultation with the Eastern Health Board, which resulted in the construction of ten houses which were made available for elderly persons. The work of the Lions Club, like that of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, seldom receives publicity as their work is done quietly and discreetly. It would be remiss of me however not to pay tribute to two of the founder members of the Lions Club who with 52 years as members continue to attend the monthly meetings of the club and participate in Lions events. Michael Dwyer and Gerry Cleary are the members in question, who a few years ago were recipients of the Melvin Jones award for services to their community. Membership of the Lions Club is open to any person wishing to serve the people of Athy in a voluntary capacity. If you would like to offer your help to the Lions Club, whether as a member attending monthly meetings or as a volunteer for organised events, can I invite you to contact the current Lions Club President Brian Dooley on Ph: (086)137-8612. Don’t forget the lecture tonight [Tuesday] in the Arts Centre, Woodstock Street. David Walsh’s illustrated talk on ‘Athy and the Great War in Twenty Objects’.

Civil War in County Kildare (Part 2)

The Civil War which had commenced with the attack on the Four Courts saw continuing action in and around Athy. On 29th November 1922 the railway bridge in Athy was damaged by anti-treaty forces. The Irish Free State was formally established by the passing of legislation in the British House of Commons on 6th December and on the same day James Kenny of Dunbrin was arrested by National Army troops. Two days later four Republican prisoners, Dick Barrett, Rory O’Connor, Joe McKelvey and Liam Mellowes were executed in Mountjoy jail. On Christmas Eve the property of James Murphy, an Athy farmer, was extensively damaged. Subsequent attacks on the property of farmers John Bergin of Maybrook and Michael Mara, both of whom were members of the Kildare Farmers Union, satisfied the authorities that the local farm labourers dispute was the cause. On the first day of the new year 1923 18-year-old National Army soldier Thomas McEvoy was accidentally shot dead at Graney crossroads, just a few weeks after four of his colleagues were killed at the same location in an ambush by anti-treaty forces. The new year was ushered in with an attack on the railway companies’ office in Athy and an arson attack on the farm buildings of Frank Plewman of Woodstock. 19year old Christopher Sweeney from Nelson Street Athy was shot dead during an ambush by anti-treaty republicans at O’Connell Street Waterford on 5th January. A week later armed men attacked and damaged a dwellinghouse at Lipstown, Narraghmore, the property of Thomas Yates of Grangemellon. This was undoubtedly the result of the local farm labourers dispute which also saw sheds and crops burned at Belview, the property of Stephen Telford and a thatched cottage at Cloney, the property of Patrick Kelly. The farm labourers dispute with the Kildare Farmers Union was the principal reason for the malicious damage caused in and around the south Kildare area at this time. Thomas Hickey, Milltown House, was another victim in that dispute when barley and straw was burned overnight on January 26th. Two days later Christy Supple, secretary of the Athy branch of the Transport Union was arrested and lodged in Carlow Military Barracks. His mother Mary died suddenly in the Union Office in Duke Street 18 days later but Christy was refused parole to attend her funeral. Anti-treaty men raided Jacksons shop in Leinster Street on 2nd February and took a quantity of goods and on the following day James Kelly of Youngstown had a consignment of porter seized by what is believed to be the same raiders. The farm labourers dispute saw further malicious damage, this time to the property of Denis Morrin, farmer of Ballyroe. On the day following Tom Barry’s call for a truce which was rejected by his colleague Liam Lynch, Dr. Thomas O’Higgins, father of the Free State government minister Kevin O’Higgins, was shot and killed by anti-treaty raiders in his home at Stradbally. Armed men raised the Bank of Ireland in Athy on 21st February, while further attacks on local farmers saw the destruction of Mrs. Hayden’s house at Brownstown and damage to Hannon’s store in Athy. On March 2nd and 3rd anti-treaty forces attacked several properties in Athy, resulting in the destruction of equipment at the railway station, the Post Office, the Civic Guards barracks, as well as the shop premises of John W. Coote and Shaws. Cars were stolen from the Leinster Arms Hotel yard, Maxwells of Duke Street and Duthie Larges. At the same time hay and other crops the property of Margaret Hayden of Churchtown were destroyed. It is believed that this damage was caused by men involved in the farm labourers dispute which had entered its sixteenth week. Christy Supple, local secretary of the Transport Union and leader of the farm labourers dispute and an Urban District Councillor for Athy, was released from jail on 22nd March. Six days later there was an unsuccessful gun attack on a National Army sentry at the Town Hall. The farm labourers strike continued and on the last day of March at a public meeting held in Emily Square presided over by the ITGWU General Secretary, William O’Brien, it was claimed that upwards of 300 farm labourers were locked out by members of the Kildare Farmers Union. Civil War activities in the south Kildare area lessened as the year progressed, but on 23rd April attempts were made to disrupt rail travel when wires were cut at Athy Railway station. This was followed a few days later with the arrest of 7 Athy men who were lodged in Carlow Military Barracks. By this time almost 12,000 anti-treaty supporters had been interned by order of the Free State government and amongst them were several Athy men Paddy McNamara and his brother. In June 1923 Athy Urban District Council workers, including the weight master, refused to weigh wool delivered by local farmers. The now infrequent raids by anti-treaty forces recommenced with a raid on the railway goods store in Athy where the property of Thomas Bergin, merchant of Duke Street, was stolen. A sense of normality was evidenced when the local press announced the formation of a branch of Cumann na nGaedhael in Athy. Peter P. Doyle, formerly of Athy’s Sinn Fein Club, was elected president. A few weeks later General Sir W.B. Hickie, president of the Legion of Ex Service Men in Ireland, visited the local British legion hall. Where I wonder was that hall as the legion hall later remembered as the Social Club premises was built in 1925/’26. Many lives were lost during the Civil War and communities were traumatised by the killing and the wanton destruction which left a legacy of bitterness for years thereafter. On Tuesday 28th March at 8pm the Arts Centre will host a lecture by David Walsh titled ‘Athy and World War I in Twenty Objects’. It’s a story of an earlier worldwide conflict which had a huge impact on families in Athy. Admission Free.