Local History: Richard Roche on the life and times of Achonry, the destruction of Tallaght, and in-depth looks at Leinster and Wexford
Anything written by Father Liam Swords merits special attention. So it is with A Dominant Church - The Diocese of Achonry 1818-1960, the third in his history of the diocese of Achonry, which includes parts of counties Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. This 700-page book records not just the ecclesiastical history but also the political and social events in the diocese from 1818 to 1960. These, of course, included the Tithe War, the Great Famine, the Fenians, the Land War, the Parnell split, the 1914-18 war, the 1916 rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War. Interlaced with such national and international events is the story of the triumphs and vicissitudes of the Catholic Church in the region, told with exacting objectivity and clarity by an authority on the subject. So impartial is it that the introduction to the book, by Bishop Flynn of Achonry, carries a warning that "we may not like it all but it is part of what we are" and that "what is seen as objective reporting by a historian may be interpreted as unfair by family relations". There is plenty in this massive volume that could be interpreted so but this objectivity adds to its value as a record of the times in Achonry. There are lengthy appendices with lists of priests, nuns, brothers, teachers, wartime casualties; with many photographs and a rich bibliography. No finer history of Achonry can be conceived.
In the late Paddy Healy's book All Roads lead to Tallaght, there is one overriding assessment. It is that we have lost a significant part of our heritage with the destruction of so many ancient sites and buildings - all in the name of progress and development. Patrick Healy (1916-2000), a founder member of Tallaght Historical Society, worked for years as a field archaeologist and left an archive of unpublished writings on the history of several localities in the Greater Dublin area. This is the first of what may become a series of publications and concerns an area close to his heart - Tallaght and its neighbourhood. Old burial sites, castles, "big houses", mills and waterways feature in this valuable record. Most of these have disappeared under spreading suburbs, new roads, factories and parks. Happily a few of the castles and "big houses" have survived - Terenure House (incorporated into Terenure College), Bushy Park House (now a school for girls), Templeogue House (now a training centre), Cypress Grove House (now held by a missionary order), Kilvare (now a rehabilitation centre), Tallaght Castle (now part of the Dominican Priory) and Belgard Castle (now the headquarters of Cement Roadstone). There are numerous illustrations in this attractive book, which is great value at €5.
Local histories normally confine themselves to limited territorial areas - the townland, the parish, the barony or the county, Thus it is unusual to find a publication dealing with the history of a province, which is what the first volume of Ossory, Laois and Leinster courageously essays. The title is intended to convey the geographical range of interest of the journal, based on the early population-groups of "Osraige, Loígis and Laighan" and the eleven contributors have successfully achieved that aim under the scholarly editorship of Pádraig Ó Macháin of the School of Celtic Studies. The subjects range from the career of Cearbhall of Osraighe (842-888), through an investigation of the Brennache (Walshe) tomb at Pollrone, Co Kilkenny, to the listing of poems and prose written by John Keegan, of Shanahoe, Co Laois (1816-49). One of his poems, 'To Bibulus', has as its opening line: "Oh drink! Dark murderer of our race". It seems little changes.
Wexford County Council, its Public Library Service and the compiler, Celestine Rafferty, have combined to produce an exemplary guide to the historical administrative divisions of Co Wexford. But Between Place and Parish : A Guide to the Historical Administrative Divisions of County Wexford does more than delineate the baronies, civil parishes, townlands, Poor Law Unions and electoral divisions. It also, and importantly, includes an alphabetical townland index giving the Ordnance Survey names of townlands which, in many cases, are poor translations of the authentic placenames in Irish. Some modern philistines have further bowdlerised many of these beautiful and historic names, in either newly translated or phonetic renderings. Don't get me started on estate and street names! Celestine Rafferty has called on the work of several contemporary experts to bring us, arguably, the best guide to the toponymy of the county yet published.
One expects excellence from Ballinakella Press, where Dr Hugh Weir is editor and designer, and Houses of Wexford, the fourth in this series, does not disappoint. Previous volumes covered the houses of Clare, Kerry and Cork (volume one). This one merits praise for its content, format and appearance - A4-sized pages of two columns, cloth-bound in purple with gilded titles (the Wexford GAA colours, incidentally) and holding details of 1037 houses, most of which are still occupied. There is a wealth of information (historical, genealogical and architectural) on the houses, even on those either demolished or in ruins and 400 of the buildings listed are illustrated in fine line drawings by David Rowe and his son Brian. An incisive foreword by Kevin Whelan points up the fact that demolition accounted for at least one historic house a year in the 20th century, while the main threat now is urban development. The genealogical details in each entry (organised alphabetically) will entice many Wexford families associated with the listed houses to purchase and enjoy this magnificent compendium. It is a book to treasure.
Richard Roche is a local historian and author.
Dominant Church - The Diocese of Achonry 1818-1960, by Liam Swords Columba Press, €35.
All Roads lead to Tallaght, by Patrick Healy South Dublin Libraries, €5
Ossory, Laois and Leinster, Vol I, OLL, Crosspatrick, Co Kilkenny, €20
Between Place and Parish: A Guide to the Historical Administrative Divisions of County Wexford by Celestine Rafferty Wexford Co Council Public Library Service, €10
Houses of Wexford By David Rowe and Eithne Scallan Ballinakella Press, €66