Millstreet.ie

Hannah Mary O’Connor, and the O’Connors connection with the Keel go further back than 1965. One of her brothers Jerome Francis O’Connor, 1890 – 1938, was the last Master of Millstret Workhouse which was burnt by the IRA in May 1921. He was also the last Secretary of Millstreet Rural District Council. The Poor Law Union and Rural District Councils were abolished 1924/26 after which he worked in the North Cork Board of Health in Mallow until 1938. Hannahs other brother Joesph was Clerk of the Poor Law Union as was her father Thadddeus who was both Clerk to the Union and the Rural District Council for many years. Her interest in the graveyard stems from her familys administrative duty of having to bury in the Keel those who had died in the Workhouse. She is buried slighty to the right in front of the Cross which she was involved in errecting.

Does anyone know if records of people using (c.1880) the Millstreet workhouse are kept? If someone died whilst in the workhouse where would this record be kept and where would they be buried

I was wondering the same thing John. where can we find these records?

Many of the people who lived at Millstreet Union Workhouse came from the Mallow area. There is a possibility that records may be available from Cork Co. Council, Annabella House, Mallow. Dublin would then be the next possibility.

Re: The Keel and Millstreet Workhouse Records.

The Cork City and County Archive have no records for the Millstreet and Skibereen Workhouses – as they were burnt down.

They do however have some records relating to Milstreet Rural District Council abolished cica 1945/26. It may be worth checking out what they have. Check their website – Cork City and County Archive. Their phone number is 021 – 4505886.

As per John O Connor’s book – The Workhouses of Ireland [the fate of Ireland's poor] – Anvil Press 1995, pages 178, and 262 Millstreet Workhouse was built and opened in 1852. It was part of the second series of Workhouses built to relieve congestion on the established Workhouses.

As per Appendix 6i – Statement showing the Amount of Workhouse Accommodation in Ireland – 1st May , 1847,[ pages 233 to 238] Macroom and Kanturk, established 1843 and 1844 respectively, were the nearest established workhouses to the Millstreet area. Macroom was built to accommodate 600 and required an additional 60 place during the famine. Kanturk was built to accommodate 850 and an additional 250 places were needed in 1847.

Millstreet Workhouse and the later Workhouses were built to an improved design to meet criticism of the planning shortcomings in the original plans.

The cost of building Millstreet Workhouse was £5,950 in 1852 . The cost of fitting it out was £1,215. It was built on 6 acres of land with the capacity to accommodate 600 people. See pages 262/263 of O Connors book.

Note in particular his observation page 263 that:
“Following the opening of the workhouses, additional adjoining lands, ranging from a few roods up to as many as ten or twelve acres, were acquired at almost all workhouses as sites for ancillary buildings to provide work for the inmates, or as workhouse burial grounds”

It is probable that the Keel was acquired sometime around the mid 1850s for this purpose.

[Incidentally if Ballydaly School is closing down – what steps are being taken to preserve its records, photos, roll books etc? This is an invaluable source of local history for the area. Steps should be taken to preserve for the community. Also detailed photographs of the site, building and grounds, should be taken. What is to become of the building and its contents? ]