CRS MARCH MEETING : MARY McAULIFFE - FINDING WOMEN IN THE RECORDS

 

MARY McAULIFFE

 on 

FINDING WOMEN IN THE RECORDS

8pm Thursday 19^th March, Old Ground Hotel.

 One of the main problems in finding women in the records is the lack of a paper trail.  The records that survive focus on men.  This reflects the problem of women's' social, political and legal status down through history.  Women are born with their father's name, and change their names on marriage, and this can make it difficult to trace women in the historic records.

Mary advises us that women are documented, but that very often it's all about effective use of the records.  Many of the documents we associate with family history: census, church and civil records, land records like Griffith's Valuation and the Tithe Appointment Books, can be extended to include lesser known, and less frequently used sources, including diaries, letters, journals, pension applications, some Union records, amongst others.

Mary recommends some of the data-bases in the National Archives, in particular the sadly under-used Directory of Sources for Women's History in Ireland; and advised us all to read the National Library's own Research Guide for Women in Irish History, which can be found online. 

DOUBLE BOOK LAUNCH : MEMORIES OF CUSACK ROAD / CLAUREEN & ONE MILE INN SQUASH CLUB 1974-1991

There is no excuse for not being able to discover the history of Ennis, County Clare  

what with the numerous great publications being released by the 

Clare Roots Society 

and their many members who have a passion for history.

The most recent publications are to be launched next week...

YOU ARE INVITED...

by 

CLARE ROOTS SOCIETY

Thursday Night the  26^th  June at 8.00 p.m. in the Old Ground Hotel  

to the double book launch

of

MEMORIES OF CUSACK ROAD / CLAUREEN 

   

and 

   

ONE MILE INN SQUASH CLUB 1974-1991

Both books will be launched by Councillor Mary Howard 

who is representing the Mayor of Ennis Johnny Flynn.

 “MEMORIES OF CUSACK ROAD / CLAUREEN ” 

written and researched by 

MARY FEALY MC MAHON

 

via Google Maps

The Cusack Road / Claureen booklet covers the People, Buildings, and Roadway Features from the Maid of Erin Roundabout to the boundary of Claureen on the Lahinch Road. It commemorates the Manchester Martyrs,  Allen, Larkin & O’ Brien. 

The Maid of Erin Monument was erected in 1881 and was moved on two subsequent occasions to its current location. 

The area is unique in Ennis as it has 3 historical houses that have undergone little change since their construction, Ashfield House, Westbourne House, Claureen House. 

The associated families and Bishops are identified and detailed.

The two Bridges associated with the area Claureen (built c. 1760) & Victoria Bridge (built c. 1840) are reviewed from their design to their construction.

 The booklet also includes the history associated with Ennis Swimming Club at the Turrett 

from 1856 to the construction of Ennis first permanent Swimming Pool in October 1969 

until the current facilities were opened in September 2003.

Sporting legends Turlough Considine, Matt Nugent & Stephen McNamara had links to the area,  while public representatives Dan O’ Driscoll, Senators Derry & Tras Honan, Michael Howard and Mary Howard have all represented Ennis in their own way.

We learn about the history of the One Mill Inn from its foundation on the 26^th June 1970 to its closure and subsequent sale. 

During this time the Building & Lands were the home of a Squash Club, Pitch & Putt Club, and Hermitage Soccer Club.

 Various Set Dancing groups are also featured. Various Circuses along with Marquee Dancing pitched their tent on the lands of the One Mile Inn.

The Building of four grass courts associated with Fergus Lawn & Tennis Club took place in 1935.

Childhood memories are recalled by Jerry Cahir, Brendan Carroll, Fr. Frank Cassidy, Mary Fealy McMahon, Rory O’ Connor, Aidan Deegan.

Some of the current and past residents of Claureen / Cusack Road listed are 

Allen, Ambrose, Bannatyne, Barrett, Berth, Butler, Byrth, Cahir, Canny, Casey, Cassidy, Collins, Coote, Corey, Cullinan, 

Davoren, Deegan, Donnellan, Drinan, Duggan, Egan, Fealy, Fitzgerald, Graham, Greene, Griffin, Hanrahan, Honan, Howard, 

Keane, Keane, Keavey, Larkin, Linnane, Lucas, Mahon, McBeth, McCrum, McMahon, McNamara, Moriarty, Morley, Moroney, Murrihy, Murry, 

Nagel, Nugent, O’Driscoll, O’Grady, O’Halloran, O’Loughlin, O’Mara, Parkinson, Quinn, 

Reidy, Roughan, Ryan, Rynne, Scarratt, Sexton, Slattery, Walsh, Whyms.

The book is illustrated throughout with photos.

Mary Fealy Mc Mahon is the only daughter and youngest child of Jim & Mary Fealy Claureen Ennis. 

Her school years were spent in the Holy Family & Coláiste Mhuire. After leaving school Mary mainly worked in sales. 

She is married to Gerry McMahon and they have two grown up children, Oliver and Denise.

 

Mary first became interested in genealogy in the 1980's and has since been able to piece together a tapestry of her grandfather's life. 

Genealogy is addictive, it can keep you sane or drive you insane. But it's a hobby which you can pick up any time 

and just continue from where you left off no matter how many years it lays on a shelf or in the attic. 

It was only natural that when Clare Roots Society was founded Mary and her husband Gerry were in attendance.

 

Mary reminds us that the lives of those mentioned in her book have loved, lost, laughed, wept,

 but for you and me they live again in spirit inside our Family Tree.

GER BROWNE , 

a member of Clare Roots Society 

will also launch his book 

“THE ONE MILE INN SQUASH CLUB 1974-1991”. 

Every club and every sport has a story to tell, 

records need to be kept and published but far too many, 

for whatever reason, never get around to putting it down on paper.

 In the booklet

 “A HISTORY OF THE ONE MILE INN SQUASH CLUB” 

Ger Browne has brought many memories back to an area in 1980 when 21 courts and 14 squash clubs featured in the County for both men and women. The opening of the One Mile Club in 1974 lead to the development of other clubs across the county.

This book, running to 80 pages, recalls the formation of the club before going through year by year, and their various successes giving details of the many competitions promoted within the club. The book lists the various committees that served, the many teams that brought titles to the club and the team that won a Munster junior title in 1982.

Ger recalls the many great matches involving the leading players in the game in Clare including 

Denis Maurer, Tony Lillis, Colm McLaughlin, Liam Cahir, Dickie Pyne, the late Paddy Kelly, Margaret Lacheiner, Mary Hennessy, Paul Costelloe and many others.

There are many stories like the night a member argued that the ball had burst after he threw the ball into a packed balcony. Nobody bothered to check at the time, but when the crowd were leaving the balcony after the game the ball was found to be in perfect condition.

Ger Brown a member of Clare Roots Society was the former chairperson of the One Mile Inn club.This book will bring back many memories of enjoyment to anyone that was part of the One Mile Inn Squash Club.

 

BOOK LAUNCH ...ENNIS AT WORK IN THE 19TH CENTURY BY LUCILLE ELLIS.

Transcription below...

From: Clare Roots Society

On: Ennis At Work in the 19^th Century by Lucille Ellis.

Issued By: John Bradley P.R.O. Clare Roots Society.

 Thursday Night the 15^th May at 8.00 p.m. in the Old Ground Hotel Clare Roots Society will launch its latest book "Ennis at Work in the 19^th Century". The book will be launched by CIlr. Mary Coote Ryan, Mayor, Ennis Town Council, The book looks at the trades and occupations of milling, building and printing, the drapers and grocers and wine merchants, and the doctors and lawyers, as they developed and changed throughout the course of the 19^th century.  Researched and edited by Lucille Ellis, the book looks at the trades through the lives of certain families who were prominent in these areas, and their stories tell of life as it was lived in Ennis.  Families researched include Bannatyne, Carroll, Cullinan, Gallery, Gibson, Knox, McBeath, O'Brien, Parsons, Russell and Shaw. To those who walk old Drumcliff these names will be familiar and linked to a number of family tombs.

Ennis was large enough to have its own milling business and because it was the capital of the County, there was a demand for infrastructure and public building as well as private housing. These trades serviced a fairly large and populous hinterland so both the shopkeepers and the professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, had a wide clientele. In addition the population of the county was sufficiently educated and literate to support at least two local newspapers throughout the century.

A thread common to all of the families that are written about is their involvement in the civic life of the town. All at some stage in their lives were members of the Poor Law Guardians, the Town Commissioners or Committees for local charitable groups. They were also usually involved with their Church, be it Catholic or Church of Ireland. We also learn how a number of these families coped after bankrupcy.

In her research Lucille has matched with examples for each trade one or two prominent families and woven their personal histories into the history of their given occupations.  When it comes to the printing trades we read about the Knox and Parsons families who were the clear leaders in their field.

The final chapter in her book takes us back to an evening in June 1868 when a huge part of the population of Ennis attended a musical evening on the River Fergus with up to 20 boats taking part.

The research includes the standard building blocks in family research, state birth, marriage and death records and the parallel church records, the Griffith's land valuation records along with the Valuation books which document the ownership of the land records up to the mid-twentieth century. Use was also made of the 1901 and 1911 censuses. She has also drawn on some new sources such as leases of lands, and marriage settlements. Some of the best sources of information came from the newspapers of the day.

The book is illustrated throughout with old photographs, contemporary maps and newspaper advertisements.

Lucile Ellis was born and is living in Dublin but has two grandparents from Clare. Twenty years of family history research have established that related families are still living in West Clare and East Clare on the same lands, since the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries respectively, with one branch having Ennis connections.

While teaching the senior classes in primary school, she was fortunate that the curriculum encouraged involvement in local history, in her case, the Dún Laoghaire/Dalkey area. When she retired she decided to combine the two interests of family and local history and did a local history course at NUI Maynooth, writing the final paper on some business families in Ennis (this paper is in the Local Studies Centre). Then with the backing and encouragement of the Clare Roots Society, and in particular Larry Brennan and Eric Shaw, this paper developed into the book "Ennis at Work in the 19^th Century".

In the early 1970s when she did her degree in History researching primary sources wasn't the norm; now this is encouraged, even at primary school level. The past can really come alive to us now through old newspapers, photographs and maps, many of which can be accessed online or in places like the Clare Library Local Studies Centre which is a treasure trove of the past. Ennis is fortunate in having so many people, both in the Local Authorities and in the general population, who have a deep interest in the history of their town and wish to retain and record as much of it as possible. Lucille hopes that this book adds a little more to this effort, and she hopes to continue researching the past of this wonderful town.