Monday, July 2, 2018

Gone But Not Forgotten reviewed in The Kerryman



Exploring Kerry's link to past - one grave at a time

Book explores stories from all over the county




Fergus Dennehy
They say that you only truly die when the last person visits your grave.  If so, then Galway native Rónán Gearóid Ó'Domhnaill has certainly done his part in helping to keep hundreds of forgotten stories alive here in Kerry.
Now living and teaching in Dublin, Rónán has spent a few weeks of each summer over the past two years travelling around to almost every graveyard in Kerry and recording the graves and stories he finds there. 
He has since published a book on the subject called 'Gone But Not Forgotten: Historic Graves of Kerry', which is now on sale in all good bookshops around the county. "I like to look at old graves and monuments, and through these, I examined the history of Kerry," said Rónán.
"I think that graveyards are under-explored parts of our heritage. They are an important part of our culture and traditions and a great link to the past. They are full of forgotten histories." Some of the graveyards which he visited over the course of his research included Rathass in Tralee; Muckross Abbey and Killegy graveyard in Killarney; and Sneem cemetery.
Among the stories that Rónán touches on in his book is the Tarbert drowning, which claimed the lives of 17 young people in August 1893. Another graveyard he writes about is Dromavalley, which contains the graves of the first casualties of the Easter Rising. In Cahersiveen, Rónán discovered the grave of Killarney native and Vatican Pimpernel, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, who helped thousands escape from the Germans during the Second World War. "Kerry people of all hues are represented in this book. I leave no judgment in this book; I am only seeking to tell the stories of those who made Kerry."
Kerryman

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