Sunday, April 26, 2020
Thursday, April 23, 2020
The Gooseberries of Wrath
The Gooseberries of
Wrath
By
Rónán Gearóid Ó
Domhnaill
It was June of 1921, a few months before the Truce that would
bring an end to the War of Independence. Around 15 members of the flying column
lay in wait at Carrantryla, Dunmore. They had been tipped off that the RIC would
come by that day. From a military point of view the IRA, outnumbering the
enemy, were well prepared. Despite being armed the RIC were on the harmless
mission of gooseberry picking that day. Within moments they would be dead. They
however stopped at the estate gate and waited a while before mysteriously
cycling away again. The watching IRA found their behaviour peculiar. It was as
if someone had warned the RIC of their presence. The incident would not have
merited much attention had I not recently discovered that my own relatives were
involved in it.
My grandmother, Agnes Boyle, born at Carrantryla in 1915,
often spoke of encountering the IRA in the woods there as a young child. Towards
the end of her life in 2015 she spoke a lot of the Big House there, vivid in
her mind but obliterated from the landscape in the 1940s. Her father, John
Edward Deneny was the caretaker there. I was researching the murder of Thomas
McEver when I came across the witness statement of Captain Thomas Mannion of Brackloon,
who gave a statement to The Bureau of Military History in 1956. The Bureau was
set up in 1947 by former IRA man and Minister for Defence, Oscar Traynor. Its
aim was to record for future generations the actions of IRA volunteers during
the fight for Irish freedom. The statements were given on condition that they
would not be made public until all the witnesses were dead. Thus they remained
closed until 2003. Part of the statement made reference to the unsuccessful ambush
and described the role of my great grandmother in it. Mannion wrote:
“One day in June 1921, before the ambush on the Moylough/
Mountbellew Road, as far as I remember, about 15 or 16 men of the flying column
under the command of Brigade Commandant Patrick Dunleavy took up ambush positions
along the drive leading to Carrantryla House near Munmore. A small party of
R.I.C. from Dunmore was expected to come to the house for gooseberries. They
had been there some days before on the same mission, but they were told that
the fruit was not ripe. Mrs. Denneny, wife of the owner of Carrantryla House,
told Volunteer Martin Kenny of the Dunmore Company about the first visit of the
R.I.C. and the date on which they were to come again. Volunteer Kenny told me,
and I informed the flying column. Four R.I.C. came to the gate of the house,
about half a mile from the house itself. They remained at the gate for a few
minutes and then went away. We could not understand this as we were certain
that they had not seen us.”
Mrs Deneny was the wife of John Edward. They say opposites
attract and in this case political opposites most certainly did. While he
represented British law and order his wife was more Republican inclined. Mary
Deneny née Murphy was born in Knocknagoshel, County Kerry in 1878. John Edward Deneny was born in Cavan in 1863,
joined the RIC in 1882 and was posted to Kerry when the couple met and
subsequently married in 1901. Jobs were
thin on the ground and working for the British administration was viewed as a
chance to better yourself. The RIC was an armed colonial police force, the eye
and ears of the British government. The recent furore over the commemoration of
the RIC shows that they are poorly regarded and from 1919 onwards were regarded as traitors yet this was
previously not the case and with the exception of evictions were seemingly well
regarded. In 1902, Arthur Griffith, the
founder of Sinn Féin wrote the following in The
United Irishmen about the force:
“The Royal Irish Constabulary is a body of Irishmen recruited
from the Irish people; bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh. The typical
young constabularyman is Irish of the Irish; Catholic, and (as the word goes)
Nationalist; the son of decent parents; his father a Home Rule farmer . . . his
uncle a patriotic priest; his sweetheart the daughter of a local Nationalist
district councillor and patriotic publican. He is smiled on by the Irish
clergy; he is smiled on by the Irish girls; he is respected by the young
fellows of the street corner and the country crossroads.”
To avoid conflicts of interest RIC members were never posted
to their home county. He was serving in Rearcross, County Tipperary when he
entered the 1911 census details for himself and the three other RIC men in the
barracks. Perhaps for security reasons the details differ from those of a
normal citizen. His surname is only represented by the initial D and reference
to being an Irish speaker or having any children is left blank as are those of
his three other colleagues. He retired in 1912 with the rank of sergeant.
Rearcross was his last posting, a county where seven years later the War of
Independence would start. We can only speculate how he would have fared had he
still served during this time. As a boy I often asked about my
great-grandfather. ”He was in the RIC” was the start and end of the information
I received. It was neither praised nor condemned. It wasn’t really spoken
about. After retiring he moved his family to Galway to take up the position of
gamekeeper and caretaker at Carrantryla House.
Though not mentioned by name in Mannion’s witness statement as a former
RIC man he would have been suspected of being an informer and the republican
sympathies of his wife may well have kept him alive. After all it was she who
helped set up the ambush. Peace came to Dunmore and the gooseberry incident was
forgotten. Four men very nearly lost their lives and it was never revealed who
warned them. The Deneny family continued to live in the Big House until its
owner, a Major Handcock returned in 1928. John Edward died in 1949 and was
buried in Dunmore. His grave makes no mention of RIC service. This is not
unusual and it is mostly the gravestones of those who died prior to 1922 that
mention any connection to the force. Mary Deneny died in 1955 and was buried
with him.
Friday, April 10, 2020
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Irish wine
Ireland is not really suitable for wine growing.The Romans called this place Hibernia, meaning cold place. There is however a tiny wine production of 500 bottles a year in North County Dublin. Its a nice Merlot but expensive.
https://llewellynsorchard.ie/premium-quality-from-irish-orchards/lusca-irish-wine/
Baby' s Grave, Balbriggan
In 2018, the body of baby was discovered on a beach in Balbriggan.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/baby-found-on-balbriggan-beach-was-stillborn-postmortem-finds-1.3734502
I came across this in Second Hand bookshop in Kilkenny. A great find. The man knows how to write a story.
https://professionalstoryteller.ning.com/profile/brendannolan
Man O War Pub - Balbriggan, County Dublin
Situated on a hill on the original Dublin to Belfast Road, the Man O’War Public House has been recorded in deeds dating back to 1595.
In 1732 an Act of Parliament established the tolled Coach Road called the Dublin to Dunleer Turnpike (1732—1855) and a turnpike (toll booth) was situated at the Man O’War Pub.
Weary travellers stopped at the Man O’War for refreshments as it was halfway along the turnpike route. Wolfe Tone had his breakfast here in July 1792. Other famous visitors include Dr. John Gamble and Austin Cooper who both wrote about their stay at the Man O’War.
Various highwaymen plied their trade along the route, the most famous of these being “Collier the Highway man” (1780—1849).
The origin of the name “Man O’War” is the subject of much speculation. Its location on a hill (mean bharr, meaning “middle height”) is an obvious answer, but more romantic views have been put forward. One is that the area was once covered by trees which were felled and used to construct British Man O’War ships. Another theory is that the name arose because of the cavalry barracks which was situated at nearby Malhenry.
However, the most popular story concerns the “Turks Head” — a massive wooden carving depicting a Turks Head which for ages adorned the pillar outside the pub. It was thought that this unusual figurine which came from a shipwrecked Man O’War ship, may have lent its name to the area.
http://www.manowar.ie/
Osprey Irish History Titles
The titles below are some of what Osprey has to offer Irish history buffs. They also cover Irish regiments of The Great War and the Second World War.
Let It Grow- First time Experience of the Garden Allotment
I tried to get this article published back in August of 2019 but the main newspapers were not interested. I still feel it has something to say. The allotment was sadly closed during the corona epidemic. It will eventually reopen and we will rebuild.
Let It Grow- First time
Experience of the Garden Allotment
Community
gardens are becoming more popular in urban areas and are a common feature in several
European capitals. I was deeply
impressed by the mini-gardens dotted around Vienna, a city which was my home
for five years, and to see and how much they enhanced the built up areas. Dublin
too has several garden allotments around the city and county, though they are often massively
under advertised and their relevance to quality of life is equally understated.
Last February, I realised I was spending
way too much time on the couch and decided to try one out. Apartment living in
Dublin has its limitations and though our gated apartment complex does have a
communal garden, consisting of a few token trees and a patch of grass, it is
not supposed to be used for anything.
The allotments are run by
the council and the Belmayne allotments, just off the Malahide Road at Northern
Cross, were launched in 2014. They were initially intended only for the
residents of the area but now open to anyone in North Dublin. The choice of
location is apt as more than 30% of the vegetables grown in Ireland are from
North Dublin. They cover a mere two
acres but enhance the area greatly. The site itself was once the garden of a
Big House which has long since disappeared from the landscape.
A communal area provides
a place to relax. Anti-social activity is discouraged by a surrounding fence
and a padlocked gate. Every February, two types of allotments from the 112 on
offer are available at a very reasonable rate. The larger plot measuring 64
squares metres costs 120 euro while the smaller one, measuring 30 square metres
costs 60 euro. We chose the latter as we were initially unsure whether we could
make it work.
As
I had no previous gardening experience I was unsure how to start. Other
allotment holders were however quick to introduce themselves, offer the loan of
tools and more importantly impart tips. So I pulled weeds and prepared the
soil. We planted fool proof vegetables such as potatoes and onions and
experimented with strawberries and raspberries, with varying degrees of success.
The most interesting feature was a small pond I dug which I hope will attract
frog spawn and which has developed into its own mini eco system.
Working
the allotment is a way for the whole family to do something outdoors. It is ideal for young
children and it is on their doorstep. My son is obsessed with Minecraft
and while I recognise that computers will be a large part of his life so to do
I realise the need for fresh air. After initial protestations the fine weather
encouraged his participation. Both he and his twin sister are now content to
pull weeds, water plants and dig for insects, all in a safe environment. Though
only six years old, they can now identify several plants and insects that would
leave many stumped.
The allotment like nearby Father Collins’ Park offers a refuge from the
noise of the traffic. The pace of life suddenly slows down and only a few
metres away from a busy road an oasis of tranquillity in the urban sprawl reveals
itself.
It has also proven
surprisingly inexpensive. Tools were acquired second hand and among allotment
holders there is a readiness to share extra seeds and bulbs as well as avail of
the use of the greenhouse on site. Twice a year the council delivers top soil
free of charge.
The allotment is more
than just getting your hands dirty. The mushrooming residential developments
leave little time for community and often a terse greeting from the neighbours,
if at all, is all you can expect. Not so at the garden allotment where the
allotment holders readily give you the time of day. The allotment is all about
community building and experiencing quality of life. To further enhance this the allotment holders gather together at the
end of the harvest for a barbeque and to discuss future plans. The future
however like many other things is uncertain. It is not just the
weeds that threaten to choke the allotment but the need for residential
development may soon see their obliteration.
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