Millstreet.ie

Back 1998 the Euro Lamberetta Jamboree was held in the Green Glens, Millstreet from the 19th to the 21st of June, when hundreds of Lambretta owners from all over Europe descended on Millstreet for three days.

Cesare Battaglini was an Italian who was the most famous of all long distance Lambretta riders, riding all over the world on his bikes, and he was in Millstreet for the festival. His recent death reminded us of this event: “Most times he continued riding to each event, either on a model D or a series 2. His first Irish Euro to Millstreet, for instance, involved a 2,700 mile round trip.” - from Jetset Magazine

Here are a few photos from the Jamboree: continue reading…

Taken in 1947 up at Carriglea the home of the Singleton family: left-to-right:  Agnes Lyons Cotter (San Francisco), Jim Cotter (Schull), John Singleton (Millstreet), Jimmy Cotter (their son born in San Francisco), Mary Singleton and Kate Singleton. Mary and Kate were from Carriglea, Millstreet, and were children of Bill and Kathleen Singleton.

Many thanks to Nancy Singleton from San Francisco for use of the photo.

Presentation Convent National School, Millstreet. Class of 1980 with Sr Agatha and Sr Elizabeth

Back row- left to right: Marie O’ Connor, Ida O’Riordan, Helen Muphy, Breeda Burke, Annemarie Murphy, Joan O’ Leary, Margaret Dennehy, Elaine Dineen
Middle row: Sr.Agatha, Paula Browne, Helen Murphy, Eileen Cotter, Veronica Lyons, Eda O’ Sullivan, Karena O’ Sullivan,Tina Murphy, Carmel O’Leary, Fiona Wall, Louise Casey, Sheila O’ Connor.
Front Row: Noreen Barret, Margaret Browne, Anna Murphy, Margaret Healy, Sr.Elizabeth, Patricia O’Keeffe, Sinead Hickey, Maura Manley, Majella Healy, Ciara Culhane.

With thanks to Paula O’Callaghan (nee Browne) for the names.

This historic poster for the Drishane Garden Fete 1938 appeared recently for auction on eBay.ie.

We previously featured a photo from a 1930s Fete in Drishane in preparation for the most recent Fete. Click the image below to see it in full.

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One of our regular readers was looking at old Ordinance Survey maps from the 19th century, and noticed that the bridge over the Finnow on the Glebe at the back gate of Drishane was named Wallis’s Bridge (click on the map – right). Seeing as he’s not heard it called that before, he’s wondering what it’s called these days, either officially or unofficially?

There’s a postcard from the 1940′s Lawrence Collecion that refers to it as simply “Drishane Bridge”.

The latest from the Aubane Historical Society is unusual in that it is a love story set in Millstreet and written in 1905 by one of the best known writers of the day, George Egerton. It is called “The Marriage of Mary Ascension.”

Egerton was in fact a woman, Mary Dunne, who had lived in a cottage named ‘Ardrath’ near Millstreet for some time (1892-1894), and the story is based on her experiences here. It is an unsparing account of the town and some people in it.

It is interesting in a number of ways. Among other things she suggests that the town had a previous Gaelic name that meant “the little town in the lap of the hills.”

It is currently available from Wordsworth in the Square and other outlets for €5.
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Cornelius Corcoran was the son of Cornelius & Mary Corcoran. Born March 17 At Millstreet Co. Cork Ireland, and died January 14 1884 At Kaufman, Kaufman Co. Texas 31 yrs 9mo 27 days. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery, Denison, Grayson County, Texas, USA (see the headstone on the left).

Interestingly, another Con Corcoran who was born in Millstreet is buried in the same graveyard. It is quite probable they were related but this one is Cornelius T. Corcoran (March 19th 1880 – Jan 30th 1820)  son of Tim & Mary (neé Kennealy) Corcoran of Coolekerane (see the headstone on the right). Read his baptismal information. continue reading…

Bill Brien bought and sold hens and eggs and ducks and chickens
Turkeys, guinea fowl and geese and rabbits too
And in his van he drove around Duhallow
And with him went his faithful kerry blue.

One of the last of an old breed of dealers
A stocky fellow with a husky voice
You ask him for ten bob for skin of fox or badger
And Bill was sure to beat you down in price.

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Timothy Deasy (seated at the far left), in 1863 at Culpepper, Virginia during the American Civil War

Information on a Fenian who was involved in Millstreet’s turbulent past has come to light. Timothy Deasy had  partaken in the American Civil War, before returning to these shores and leave his mark on history:

… The most important and prominent of the Ninth’s Fenians was Timothy Deasy (also spelled Dacey), whose story MacNamara included in his regimental history. Deasy attained the rank of first lieutenant in the Ninth and received a wound at the Wilderness, As a Fenian overseas, he led an uprising at Millstreet, Co Cork, and was later assigned to oversee activities in Liverpool. At three o’clock in the morning on September 1867, Col Thomas J. Kelly and Deasy were arrested by the by the English while loitering on the street after a meeting of Fenian officers continue reading…

Hi, I’m trying to find out if my relative, Jeremiah Foley died in the Millstreet workhouse. We have his death date as Feb 20, 1872. He was born in or around 1827 in Islandbrach. He may have had a son James born in Millstreet as well, in 1870. Anyone have any ideas on how to find out this information?
Linda
[ contact: <email> ]

Last September (2010) and Australian Film crew rolled into Millstreet, to shoot part of a documentary on the history of the Eurovision Song Contest (held in Millstreet 2011). They received a great welcome from the locals as normal, and had a great few days here. The documentary is called The Secret History of Eurovision Song Contest was aired yesterday (Monday 2nd May) on RTE1. If you missed it, you can still see it for the next few weeks  on the RTE website. Above are a few screen grabs from the programme, and there are more below. continue reading…

From the Daniel Dennehy military archive (Rathmore):

WITNESS STATEMENT NO.76 (EXCERPT)

STATEMENT OF SEAMUS HICKEY, MAIN STREET, MILLSTREET, CO. CORK PERIOD: 1913 TO MAY, 1916. UNIT: MILLSTREET COMPANY, I.V.

We had purchased the single shot .303 rifles in 1914 for 50/- each from Dan Dennehy, Rathmore. He had got 14 of them for sale. I had made a mould for manufacturing slugs in 1915. This had gone round to four Companies; a number of slugs were made and continue reading…

For our memories as ever we go to the past
And the clock on our lives ever ticking on fast
Our memories our gift with others for to share
Of what i say here many would be aware

Old scenes of the past do inspire me to rhyme
I go to the fifties that is going back in time
When young Dan Carroll on the horse drawn milk cart trotted up and down
The quiet streets of morning through old Millstreet Town
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The Southern Star this week carries an article on the Carbery Football of the 1970s at the West Cork GAA awards. the Millstreet team are highly praised as fine adversaries :

… Millstreet were probably the strongest club team in the county with a handful of county players like the great Dinny Long, Humphrey Kelleher, John Coleman and Connie Hartnett and they fought some great battles with Carbery.

Who will ever forget the clash between Donal Hunt and Humphrey Kelleher in Macroom. Two iron men, neither backing down from the challenge, we can still hear the thump. Of course, those were the days when referees allowed the physical in football and there was a definite place for tough men. The pity was that such a fine Millstreet team never got to win the county …

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Nóra Ní Shíndile was a native of Millstreet, and a professional keener (“bean caoinadh”) in the late 1790′s/early 1800′s. It is thanks to her that the poem Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire survives today. About 1800, the scribe and poet, Éamonn de Bhál, transcribed Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire from her rendering, thus preserving the full version of the caoineadh for posterity.

Tomb of Art O'Leary in Kilcrea Friary, Ovens.

Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire is one of the greatest love poems of the Irish Language. Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill composed it capturing the life and death of her husband Art on May 4, 1773 in Carriganima.

The Irish tradition of keening over the body at the burial is distinct from the wake (the practice of watching over the corpse – which took place the night before the burial). The “keen” itself is thought to have been constituted of stock poetic elements (the listing of the genealogy of the deceased, praise for the deceased, emphasis on the woeful condition of those left behind etc) set to vocal lament. While generally carried out by one or several women, a chorus may have been intoned by all present. Physical movements involving rocking, kneeling or clapping accompanied the keening woman (“bean caoinadh”) who was often paid for her services. continue reading…