This week’s blog is by Rosemary Raughter, an independent scholar, who has published widely on women’s and on local history. Her discovery of a collection of love letters, written 1898-1901, from her grandmother, Sarah Whelan, originally of Roscrea, to her grandfather, Thomas Eades of Birr, led her to research aspects of life in Birr at the turn of the twentieth century.
In the autumn of 1899 my twenty-one year old grandmother, Sis Whelan, was living in Newtownbarry (now Bunclody), Co Wexford. Far from home and friends, she kept up a regular correspondence with the young man whom she had met while working in Birr, and whom she would eventually marry.[1] Like Sis, Tom Eades was a shop assistant: reared in Fortal, since his early teens he had been employed in Fayle’s hardware shop on the Main Street. Sis’s life was a narrow one, confined for the most part to the drapery shop in which she worked, to her lodgings above it, to the Methodist chapel across the square where she worshipped, and to the riverside paths and woods just outside the town where she walked on occasional free afternoons. Current national and international events impinged hardly at all on her consciousness, which was not surprising: as she told Tom, ‘we never see a paper here’.[2]Continue reading →
East View, Terrace beside the Kilbeggan Bridge in the 1940s
James Scully on the life and times of his mother Nellie at her funeral oration on Monday 7 May 2018 in Clonminch Cemetery, Tullamore. Mrs Scully, her late husband Jimmy (died 2000) and their friends and neighbours represented the life and times of another generation and many of our readers overseas will be happy to recall these days. The importance of housing can be seen too and of having good and appreciated neighbours.
The author of this article is Dermot McAuley of Dublin who is the eldest son of the late Joan McAuley (nee Egan) of Acres Hall, Tullamore (now the offices of the Tullamore Municipal Council in Cormac Street. Patrick Egan (the “P” of P. & H. Egan) and Elizabeth Moorhead were married at the church of St. Paul’s, Arran Quay, Dublin on 31st August 1874. While Patrick’s Egan ancestors from Westmeath and Offaly are well documented, what is less well known is that Elizabeth too had Egan ancestors – her maternal grandmother Julia Humphrys (née Egan) (sometimes spelt Humphreys) was born into a prominent family of Egans in Roscrea. While the two different branches of the Egan clan may have had some common ancestor in the dim and misty past no close relationship between the two Egan branches is known (so far). Nevertheless, there are some intriguing parallels between the histories of the Tullamore and Roscrea families. And of course, any descendants of Patrick and Elizabeth carry the genes of two sets of Egans, not one.
Undoubtedly, the history of Tullamore jail would make a study in itself for besides the mundane occurrences which are themselves worthy of historical analysis there were a few extraordinary events such as the imprisonment of some of those involved in the Plan of Campaign including William O’Brien and John Mandeville in 1887-88, the women’s suffrage prisoners in 1913, the Tullamore Incident prisoners of 1916 and, of course, the executions, the last being in 1903 and of a woman, Mary Daly. A study of the jail might also involve a study of the pattern and frequency of crime in the nineteenth century and now the law was administered. These questions were raised from time to time as with the death of the Alice Dillon of Geashill, aged 79, imprisoned in Christmas Week 1861 for allegedly begging for alms; again with the botched executions of a brother and sister in 1870; and the treatment of the Plan of Campaign prisoners in 1887-8.
James A. Ennis was born in 1901 at Rhode, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, the fourth of six children of parents, James and Sarah (Grogan) Ennis, Shopkeeper, Merchant, Publican and Farmer, Offaly County Council representative.
The Ennis siblings were Patrick (later York, USA), Michael (Clonmeen) Rhode, James A. (Tullamore) Mary, Catherine, and Rose (nee Stephenson). The girls all lived their lives in Rhode as did Michael. All were educated in Rhode national school but James Anthony was sent to Mount Saint Joseph’s College in Roscrea where he received his secondary education completing his leaving cert in 1920.
Below a First Communion in Rhode where James A. Ennis would have had his early schooling.
James Anthony went to University College Dublin to study law, received a distinction in his studies and trained as an apprentice solicitor with F. B. O`Toole (solicitor) in Edenderry. He qualified in 1924 and in 1926 went to Tullamore where he joined James Rogers of Rogers & Co. Solicitors, and became a partner. Mr Rogers was appointed County Registrar immediately and left the practice to James who managed the practice until Mr Rogers returned after he retired in 1943.
Opening of the reconstructed courthouse in 1927. James A. Ennis is in the back row.
In 1927 James attended the opening of the newly rebuilt courthouse at Tullamore where sixteen years later he was employed as County Registrar. In 1928 he was initiated into the Knights of St. Columbanus in Edenderry (CK29), he transferred to Tullamore (CK83) where he now resided. He held various offices during his career up to Grand Knight and was a founder member of the first executive of the newly formed Area 11(Meath) where he took a position of Advocate, He became a loyal member of the order receiving the long service medal 1950, Honorary Life member 1974 and awarded the 50 year membership in 1979. He remained a member up to his death.
In 1932 he became a member of Tullamore Urban District Council and was elected chairman on two occasions. Like his father James A. was elected on to the county council on the Fianna Fáil ticket. Elected in the same year he held his position until 1939. During this period he became a close friend of Eamon de Valera and had brought him to Tullamore for a public meeting, entertained him in his house where he was to come on two other occasions during his election campaigning.
Opening of O’Molloy Street in 1938. James A. Ennis is second from the right.
Also in 1932 he employed Margaret Gibbons a young solicitor and a first female solicitor in Co. Offaly in his practise. Ms Gibbons was one of a dozen female solicitors who had qualified in Ireland that year.
In 1938 he was a founder member and honorary president of Offaly Historical Society
James A. was a much travelled man taking holidays in and around the Mediterranean Sea. In 1936 while on holidays with his pal Kevin Adams in Spain they were extradited to France as aliens during the start of the Spanish civil War.
In 1939 he married Bernadette Rowan from Rochfortbridge Co. Westmeath. They went to Deauville in France on their honeymoon but after two days had to leave and return home as the Second World War was declared. During that year he had his own house on the Charleville road, built by John Duffy and called the house Deauville. He represented the urban council at the official opening of O`Molloy street new scheme of council houses by President Sean T. Ó Ceallaigh in the company of parish priest Monsignor James Flynn Tullamore, Tom Duggan County Engineer, John Duffy, builder contractor, and members of the Urban Council. Tullamore was thriving in that year with the opening of the outdoor swimming pool by the urban council on the Geashill Road and the new county hospital on the Arden Road very much in progress. In 1942 he was invited to become a board member of the Central Council of the Red Cross Society
James Rogers, possibly on the day of his second marriage in 1943-4.
In 1943 James A. Ennis was was appointed Offaly County Registrar to replace the retired James Rogers who returned to his practice, James Ennis carried out the duties of registrar with great pride. A fluent Irish speaker he enjoyed the courts which he attended around the county. His love of elections and as the director in Offaly he was always out early on polling day to visit as many polling booths as possible within the hours of opening and then the count on the following day in Portlaoise where he and his counterpart in Laois would manage the count until completion. He had two hobbies in his life and the first was as honorary member of the Tullamore Bridge Club he and his regular partner Roly O`Neill won many competitions around Ireland and represented Ireland abroad. He was installed as President of the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland in the Lake Hotel, Virginia Co. Cavan in 1962. His second love was GAA games and he never left his roots. He was chairman of Rhode GAA Club for many years and was a loyal supporter of the team arriving at a match with a football or refreshments for the team. His favourite players were Mick and Paddy Casey, Paddy McCormac, Eugene Mulligan and Seamus Darby. His love for the game gave him the pleasure of setting up the homecoming of the Offaly minor team after winning the All Ireland final in 1968. He also was chairman of the welcoming committee for the Offaly Senior Footballers in 1971 and 1972 with Sam Maguire.
James and Detta Ennis had five children: James M. (Fr. Hyacinth OFM), Michael (Kells), Rufina Recks (Clara), Barbara Canella (Montreal Canada), Patrick (died in Infancy) and was buried in Mucklagh Cemetery, a church of Rahan parish. His family home was on the Charleville Road in the parish of Rahan.
James was involved with the formation of the L.D.F. during the emergency. His life was based on community activities and he loved sport of all nature and was rewarded with success by all his children. His children were away at boarding school, when Jimmy Jnr. attending school at Gormanstown College announced he was joining the Franciscan order at their Novitiate in Killarney 1958. He took Hyacinth as his religious name, He was summoned home in 1959 on the news that his mother was critically ill. Detta Ennis died October of that year and was buried in Rhode Cemetery
Rufina and Barbara were at the Bridigine School in Mountrath and Michael was doing his leaving at CBS Tullamore. By 1961 James A. found the house on Charleville Road too big so he sold it to Dr Ted Vaughan and family and bought a bungalow on the Ardan Road where he remained until his death. Rufina married Richie Recks (Clara) in 1965 and James married Madeline Dunne, Rosenallis in 1966. He celebrated his son Hyacinth`s primary vows in Killarney 1959, his graduation at UCG and final vows in Galway 1962, his doctorate at Louvain Universary 1972 and ordination in Rome in March 1968. That same year in September Fr. Hyacinth assisted at the marriage of his brother Michael to Ina Kavanagh of Chapel street, Tullamore. In 1980 Barbara married Jose Canella (Montreal Canada) at Durrow Catholic church.
James Ennis enjoyed the addition of grandchildren to his family up to his death on the 5th March 1983 where he was laid to rest beside his first wife Detta in Rhode Cemetery. His funeral mass was concelebrated by Fr Hyacinth Ennis and Fr Pat Fallon, PP, Tullamore with priests from Meath and Kildare and Leighlin diocese together with friars from the Franciscan Order.
Valerie Ennis wishes to acknowledge the assistance she received in writing this article from members of the Ennis family. Offaly History has fond memories of Mr Ennis during his time as treasurer of the Society in the 1970s and we recall meeting him for dinner with T.P. O’Neill, the author the Longford O’Neill biography. On that occasion Mr Ennis recalled seeing de Valera at the Mansion House in Dawson Street and later at UCD in the aftermath of the signing of the Irish Treaty in London. To him and his law firm partner, James Rogers (died 1967), the Society owes a debt of gratitude for their initiative in the late 1930s and steady support thereafter.
Congratulations to the people of Offaly in having secured as their member Ireland’s Ambassador to America. Their unanimous endorsement of his mission is particularly opportune. Dr McCartan will voice a united Ireland’s demand that the Irish people be given the right of self-determination and will tell the world that Irishmen will not fight as England’s slaves. De Valera telegram to Dan MacCarthy, McCartan’s election agent for North King’s County by-election, April 1918. Irish Independent, 20 April 1918.
‘Up Offaly’ the Tullamore and King’s County Independent told its readers that ‘Offaly men can proclaim through their votes that they are no sons of a miserable English province’ but descendants of a royal race. They were not to be deceived by the ‘hireling band’ of paid politicians who would descend on the county for the by-election. ‘Poor Ned Graham’, it said, drove them out in 1914 aided only by a few priests and local nationalists. Tullamore and King’s County Independent, 30 Mar. 1918.
On 23rd April I will get another chance to show you some modern clues to our ancient past. I have a lot more evidence than I had when I gave a presentation in 2010. My article on the subject is in OHAS Journal 6, pp 84-98, published in 2011. Here is the short version again just to whet your appetite and encourage you to attend the lecture at Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore at 8 p.m. on 23rd April. Feel free to email me your questions to info@nativeguide.ie so I can answer them on the night. Continue reading →
Anyone who has read the Ballycumber chapter of the recently published Flights of Fancy: Follies, Families and Demesnes in Offaly by Rachel McKenna, may have noticed a remarkable set of snapshots from a photograph album of the Homan Mulock family of Ballycumber and Bellair. The album is still in Ballycumber House, now owned by Connie Hanniffy and thanks to her generosity, its pages have been digitised revealing life in the big house in the early 1900s. The album is more of a scrapbook filled with illustrations, sketches, and notes alongside the many photographs relating to the leisure pursuits of the Homan Mulocks. Particular interest is shown in horses and equestrian events locally and in England, with photographs from the Pytchley, Grafton and Bicester Hunts; racing at Punchestown; the Moate horse show; and polo matches and gymkhanas at Ballycumber House in the early years of the twentieth century. Continue reading →
The old town of Tullamore has gone through many changes in recent years and I see now that the settled Charleville Road has not escaped. For many years it was one of the best addresses in the county town, but now others can seek that title such as Spollanstown, Tegan Court, Mucklagh and, perhaps, Charleville View. Yet, for my money Charleville Road is still the best. It is on the high ground that starts to rise from Bridge Street and reaches a plateau at the site of Acres Folly on Kilcruttin Hill at Cormac Street. On the opposite site behind the junction of O’Moore Street and Cormac Street I read that two windmills were located from the 1700s until around the time that Napoleon was finally trounced in 1815. It all seems long ago, but to us Molloys who were here in number before anyone else its only yesterday.
A previous blog post detailed the murder in 1843 of Lieutenant and Adjutant Robertson Mackay of the 5th Fusiliers at Birr Barracks. Mackay was shot dead by a soldier he was drilling, Private George Jubee. Jubee ultimately being hung for his crime. Some twenty two years later a detachment of 5th Fusiliers were stationed in Birr Barracks, with the brutal murder of Lieutenant James Henry Clutterbuck taking place on the River Brosna. Continue reading →
Opening of the reconstructed courthouse in 1927. James A. Ennis is in the back row.
