The Cloyne Historical Society in east Cork has, over the years, been producing material of both local and national interest. In north Cork, its counterpart is the Aubane Society. These local organisations never fail to impress. They gather volunteers who take pride in their locality and its history. Quietly, they bring forward publications that always add to our store of local knowledge.
I mentioned last week that Cloyne, in the centre of the village, has a wonderful round tower. It is a living monument to our past in a scenic part of east Cork, although a little off the beaten track. That is no excuse. Cloyne and its tower are worth a visit. During the summer, people driving down the coast could do worse than make the diversion.
Richard Henchion, author of Gravestone Inscriptions of the Cathedral Cemetery of Cloyne, Co Cork, has been associated for more than 30 years with the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, contributing articles on cemeteries in Cork city and county to the society's journal. His name is on the fourth publication by the society, which has previously published The Book of Cloyne, (1977), The Pipe Roll of Cloyne (1996), and Cluain Uamha, essays and poems for the 21st anniversary of the society, by Domhnall (Na Greine) O Buachalla.
Mr Padraig O Loingsaigh, press officer for the society, says the latest publication is not about events, policies and movements as much as about people. It was launched in Cloyne Cathedral recently and will, says the society, afford local people an opportunity to delve into their past. He adds: "In olden times, to be buried in Cloyne had some peculiar virtue. The celebrated Cormac, King and Archbishop of Cashel, directed that on his death, he should be buried there. An old manuscript in the British Museum says that the `best bloods of Ireland' chose that their bodies be buried there, and in Keating's account of the battle of Bealach Mughna in AD909 it says that Cormac O Cuilleana in, Ri Mumhan, expressed a wish to be buried at Cluain Uamha."
The latest volume from the society shows us that gravestones and their inscriptions can be a key to history, often unlocking mysteries of the past. Things like this: "As the name Casey appears only on one headstone, it might be mentioned that a family so called stoutly resisted the efforts of the Fourth Earl of Bristol, when he was Bishop of Cloyne from 1767 to 1768, to withdraw a proprietary right which the Caseys had claimed in the bog of Cloyne, then situated in Commons East townland. They tore down the gates and fences as fast as the bishop erected them. In the end, however, he triumphed and the right of the See of Cloyne to the bog was finally established." This is another gem from the society.