On the evening of 17 th December 1919, Michael Blanchfield, Principal of Rennies National School,... more On the evening of 17 th December 1919, Michael Blanchfield, Principal of Rennies National School, entered Quinn's Pub in Nohoval (now the Finders Inn), together with his friend, Edward Searles. Blanchfield had met Searles earlier that evening while visiting Mrs Haslaman elderly lady, who was the village dressmaker and who at the time was very ill. After leaving Mrs Haslam's-they proceeded to Searles' house-from which his wife ran the local Post Office. There Blanchfield purchased some jam, as he intended to give a treat to the children at school before they broke up for the Christmas holidays. It was about 9pm when they both entered Quinn's pub. Blanchfield had 2 medium whiskies while Searles had 2 pints. In the pub, Blanchfield joked with Tim Lyons about killing hares-Blanchfield himself served as secretary to the local coursing club so it was a subject with which he was very familiar. According to Searles, there were only 2 others in the pub at that time-a Mr O'Neill and a Mr. Collins. Having finished their drinks, Blanchfield and Searles returned to Mrs Haslam's house-where they sat by the fire talking to Mrs Donovan, who was minding the sick woman. At 11pm Blanchfield decided to leave. He had recently purchased a derelict house approximately 300 yards outside of Nohoval Village-in the direction of Rennies School. He was still decorating it, but slept there most nights. As he reached Nohoval Crosswalking near the Church wall in the direction of The Rennies-a shot rang out. Blanchfield was hit in the lower back-through the left lung. 'Lord God Almighty!' he cried out, and stumbled. As he did so, a second shot was fired. Due to his hunched posture, following the impact of the first shot, the second shot hit him on the side of the head and he fell on the road. For more than an hour, Michael Blanchfield lay on the road, before finally succumbing due to shock and loss of blood.
See you not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon ... more See you not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.' The above quotation, from the Gospel of Matthew, refers to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. However, in a local context, it could also be used to refer to Oysterhaven House, which stood near the townland of Coolnagaug, just beyond Kilmonoge Cemetery. 1 When one examines the map from Griffith's Valuation of 1851, the imprint of a large house is shown, together with extensive walled gardens, plantations and out-offices. Visiting the site today, apart from the remains of two outbuildings near the entrance, there is no trace of the house to be seen-and the site is now a grassy field.
Journal of the Kerry Historical & Archaeological Society, 2020
The parish of Ballyduff in North Kerry and the parish of Tracton in South Cork share many similar... more The parish of Ballyduff in North Kerry and the parish of Tracton in South Cork share many similarities. Both consist of small villages surrounded by a large rural hinterland, the village being Minane Bridge in the case of Tracton parish. Both contain the remains of medieval abbeys, Rattoo Abbey with its round tower in Ballyduff, and the scant remains of Tracton Abbey in Cork . Both are feared by opponents on the hurling field. However, the two parishes share one further commonality. Throughout the 19th Century, both contained vast estates that were the property of the same family – the Stoughtons. In the case of Tracton Parish, the Stoughton family obtained the Gortigrenane Estate through marriage with the Daunt family. This advantageous marriage also brought them large estates in England – including Owlpen Manor in Gloucestershire, where the Daunts originally came from . The Stoughton home estate, prior to this marriage, had been at Ballyhorgan House, Ballyduff. The purpose of this article is to compare their management of their English and Cork estates, with that of the Ballyhorgan estate, and to examine relationships between the family and the people of Ballyduff.
Details concerning the death of Lt Robert Henry Warren Heard of Pallastown House, Belgooly, Co. C... more Details concerning the death of Lt Robert Henry Warren Heard of Pallastown House, Belgooly, Co. Cork during the First World War. He served with the Irish Guards.
Journal of the Cork Historical & Archaeological Society, 2017
The ruin of Belgooly Flour Mill – more commonly known as 'Belgooly Distillery', still dominates t... more The ruin of Belgooly Flour Mill – more commonly known as 'Belgooly Distillery', still dominates the village of Belgooly, on the main road between Cork and Kinsale. Built in 1832 – it operated as a flour mill for approximately thirty years. In 1872, it was converted into a whiskey distillery. Despite high borrowings and vast amounts of money being spent – the venture was a commercial failure. Abandoned, and with its copper fittings stripped out, it was used by the local community – and was the cause of two court cases among the small population of Belgooly. Dismantled in the 1940's, the ruin remains, despite the best efforts of the Irish Army to demolish it completely. Recently, plaques have been erected at its gates to give a snapshot of its history, by the Belgooly Tidy Villages Committee. The following article is an attempt to fully trace the history of this enigmatic building.
Details of the shooting of RIC Constable Edward Bolger in Kilbrittain Co, Cork in December 1919. ... more Details of the shooting of RIC Constable Edward Bolger in Kilbrittain Co, Cork in December 1919. Constable Bolger was the first RIC constable to be killed in Cork after Easter 1916.
On the evening of 17 th December 1919, Michael Blanchfield, Principal of Rennies National School,... more On the evening of 17 th December 1919, Michael Blanchfield, Principal of Rennies National School, entered Quinn's Pub in Nohoval (now the Finders Inn), together with his friend, Edward Searles. Blanchfield had met Searles earlier that evening while visiting Mrs Haslaman elderly lady, who was the village dressmaker and who at the time was very ill. After leaving Mrs Haslam's-they proceeded to Searles' house-from which his wife ran the local Post Office. There Blanchfield purchased some jam, as he intended to give a treat to the children at school before they broke up for the Christmas holidays. It was about 9pm when they both entered Quinn's pub. Blanchfield had 2 medium whiskies while Searles had 2 pints. In the pub, Blanchfield joked with Tim Lyons about killing hares-Blanchfield himself served as secretary to the local coursing club so it was a subject with which he was very familiar. According to Searles, there were only 2 others in the pub at that time-a Mr O'Neill and a Mr. Collins. Having finished their drinks, Blanchfield and Searles returned to Mrs Haslam's house-where they sat by the fire talking to Mrs Donovan, who was minding the sick woman. At 11pm Blanchfield decided to leave. He had recently purchased a derelict house approximately 300 yards outside of Nohoval Village-in the direction of Rennies School. He was still decorating it, but slept there most nights. As he reached Nohoval Crosswalking near the Church wall in the direction of The Rennies-a shot rang out. Blanchfield was hit in the lower back-through the left lung. 'Lord God Almighty!' he cried out, and stumbled. As he did so, a second shot was fired. Due to his hunched posture, following the impact of the first shot, the second shot hit him on the side of the head and he fell on the road. For more than an hour, Michael Blanchfield lay on the road, before finally succumbing due to shock and loss of blood.
See you not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon ... more See you not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.' The above quotation, from the Gospel of Matthew, refers to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. However, in a local context, it could also be used to refer to Oysterhaven House, which stood near the townland of Coolnagaug, just beyond Kilmonoge Cemetery. 1 When one examines the map from Griffith's Valuation of 1851, the imprint of a large house is shown, together with extensive walled gardens, plantations and out-offices. Visiting the site today, apart from the remains of two outbuildings near the entrance, there is no trace of the house to be seen-and the site is now a grassy field.
Journal of the Kerry Historical & Archaeological Society, 2020
The parish of Ballyduff in North Kerry and the parish of Tracton in South Cork share many similar... more The parish of Ballyduff in North Kerry and the parish of Tracton in South Cork share many similarities. Both consist of small villages surrounded by a large rural hinterland, the village being Minane Bridge in the case of Tracton parish. Both contain the remains of medieval abbeys, Rattoo Abbey with its round tower in Ballyduff, and the scant remains of Tracton Abbey in Cork . Both are feared by opponents on the hurling field. However, the two parishes share one further commonality. Throughout the 19th Century, both contained vast estates that were the property of the same family – the Stoughtons. In the case of Tracton Parish, the Stoughton family obtained the Gortigrenane Estate through marriage with the Daunt family. This advantageous marriage also brought them large estates in England – including Owlpen Manor in Gloucestershire, where the Daunts originally came from . The Stoughton home estate, prior to this marriage, had been at Ballyhorgan House, Ballyduff. The purpose of this article is to compare their management of their English and Cork estates, with that of the Ballyhorgan estate, and to examine relationships between the family and the people of Ballyduff.
Details concerning the death of Lt Robert Henry Warren Heard of Pallastown House, Belgooly, Co. C... more Details concerning the death of Lt Robert Henry Warren Heard of Pallastown House, Belgooly, Co. Cork during the First World War. He served with the Irish Guards.
Journal of the Cork Historical & Archaeological Society, 2017
The ruin of Belgooly Flour Mill – more commonly known as 'Belgooly Distillery', still dominates t... more The ruin of Belgooly Flour Mill – more commonly known as 'Belgooly Distillery', still dominates the village of Belgooly, on the main road between Cork and Kinsale. Built in 1832 – it operated as a flour mill for approximately thirty years. In 1872, it was converted into a whiskey distillery. Despite high borrowings and vast amounts of money being spent – the venture was a commercial failure. Abandoned, and with its copper fittings stripped out, it was used by the local community – and was the cause of two court cases among the small population of Belgooly. Dismantled in the 1940's, the ruin remains, despite the best efforts of the Irish Army to demolish it completely. Recently, plaques have been erected at its gates to give a snapshot of its history, by the Belgooly Tidy Villages Committee. The following article is an attempt to fully trace the history of this enigmatic building.
Details of the shooting of RIC Constable Edward Bolger in Kilbrittain Co, Cork in December 1919. ... more Details of the shooting of RIC Constable Edward Bolger in Kilbrittain Co, Cork in December 1919. Constable Bolger was the first RIC constable to be killed in Cork after Easter 1916.
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