The Role of History Societies in retrieving County Kildare's lost history

When I was growing up in Athy in the 1950s history was a school subject, loathed by some, studied by many, even if disliked, as a necessary subject which faced us as we sat our Intermediate or Leaving Certificate examinations. If truth be told our history lessons were dull affairs as we learned of battles in Europe and the oft told tales of Irish rebellions and Irish martyrs. The only text book available in those days was that written by Hayden & Noonan, University professors in Dublin, which was published in the 1930s or thereabouts. All Irish history finished insofar as secondary school students were concerned with the execution of the leaders of the 1916 rebellion. There was no local Athy element in any of the history lessons delivered in the local Christian Brothers School. After we bounded up the iron stairs to the three classrooms on the first floor of the school building, we learned of the Great Famine and its devastating affect on the people of West Cork and the counties on the western seaboard. No mention however of Athy’s Workhouse or of the more than 1,200 lifeless bodies carted from the Workhouse across the nearby canal bridge to be buried in unmarked graves in St. Mary’s Cemetery. The famine dead of the Athy Poor Law Union were never part of our history school lessons. A similar loss of community memory saw the events and hangings here in Athy during the 1798 Rebellion ignored for many generations. Another aspect of the town’s story which was similarly forgotten was the involvement of Athy men in the First World War. It is only in recent decades that Ireland’s and South Kildare’s local histories have been retrieved. For this we must acknowledge the extraordinary growth in the formation of local history societies in recent years. Here in South Kildare we have history societies in Athy, in Castledermot and in Ballitore, while there are few, if any, towns or villages throughout Ireland without similar voluntary groups seeking to unearth their local histories. The oldest such society in County Kildare is the Kildare Archaeological Society founded in 1891. Its first president was the Duke of Leinster. In the intervening years the Society has published a journal containing articles relating to the history and archaeology of County Kildare. In addition, the Society initially met three times a year, twice for lectures and once for an excursion to a place of archaeological interest in the county. The society now continues to hold outings, generally six or seven per year, while the Journal is published every second year. The 2022-2023 Journal was launched a few weeks ago at the society’s annual dinner held in nearby Kilkea Castle. That annual event was planned for the former home of Lord Walter Fitzgerald, who it is generally accepted was the moving force in the founding of the Kildare Archaeological Society. The current President of the Society is Siobhan McNulty of Athy whose maternal grandfather was the legendary Tom Moore of Offaly Street. Tom was for more than half a century secretary of Rheban Gaelic Football Club, which with his brother John and others helped establish in 1929. Siobhan’s paternal grandfather was Peter McNulty whose involvement in the War of Independence as a member of Frank Aiken’s Flying Column was little known until a few years ago. Sadly his contribution during the War of Independence, like that of so many others, was not known or acknowledged during his lifetime. Siobhan McNulty’s election to the Presidency of the Kildare Archaeological Society was the first time an Athy person holds that position. Interesting to note that the Athy connection was highlighted in the Society’s recently published Journal with a photograph of Athy’s courthouse on its front cover. The photograph was taken by local photographer Peadar Doogue, whose photographic work over many years has shown him to be a photographer of the highest standard. Membership of the Kildare Archaeological Society is open to everyone and especially anyone wanting to learn more about the history and archaeology of County Kildare. Persons wishing to join the Society should contact its membership secretary, Mr. G. Connolly, Newington House, Christianstown, Co. Kildare. The final history lecture for this year was held in the Community Arts Centre on Tuesday last. Thanks to Dr. Sharon Greene for a very interesting talk on Stephen Le Scrope who died during a plague outbreak in Castledermot during the 15th century. The story of his connection with Castledermot supported the view that the medieval walled town of Castledermot, the location of early meetings, now regarded as the first Irish Parliaments, was in many respects a more important outpost than its near neighbour, Athy. Our town, situated on the Marches of Kildare, was primarily a fortress town, garrisoned as the first line of defence to protect those living within the Pale. Our town’s past, whether socially or militarily, provides us with stories which need to be recorded and passed on. Unlike the history lessons of my generation there is a wealth of information now available to us thanks in many ways to the growing interest in local history and the formation of local history societies throughout Ireland.