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…

The year was 1985 and a group from Millstreet were in France to formalize the twinning of Millstreet and Pommerit-le-Vicompte. Above is a newspaper cutting from a French newspaper of the time. The caption reads ” Wednesday afternoon was devoted to a visit to Argoat. ” continue reading…

The Kennelly Archive represents a lifetime of work by Padraig Kennelly and his wife Joan, bore out of a passion for photography, that has culminated in an in-depth pictorial record of Co. Kerry. They have now digitized the negatives of the photography which appear on their website kennedyarchives.com.

Fortunately, he visited Millstreet a few times in the late 50s and 60s, attend a dance in the Star Ballroom, The Pipe Band Festival of 1958 and a few more visits. In total there are 143 photos in the collection which were taken in Millstreet, and amongst them some wonderful photos of people from the time. Many are still with us, some are no longer

All the photos are available for purchase on KennellyArchives.com and we would recommend that you would purchase those ones that are relevant to you as these kinds of photos only turn up once in a blue moon. However, all photos are available for previewing and details on how to view all the photos are given below: continue reading…

2010-01-07 Brian Dennehy on the Late Late

Brian Dennehy’s appearance on the Late Late on Friday evening is available on RTE’s website until January 28th. He refers to Millstreet where his grandfather came from twice in the interview and also to Noel C Duggan.

The interview lasts for the first 21 minutes of the programme. Watch the interview here. continue reading…

Vintage All Irish Made 8 1/4″ Character Doll by Clara Toys  Millstreet Co. Cork., Guaranteed Irish on box! Currently on sale from eBay.

They don’t make them like that any more!

A lot of men in my young years in Millstreet did like their sports and did enjoy their grog
And they shlauned peat to warm their family homes in Winter in early Summer in Gneeves mountain bog
Around their fire grates on nights in the depths of Winter current affairs were discussed and other things they did recall
Such as politics and sporting greats and of great teams and games of hurling and gaelic football
They told stories of the War of Independence in Sliabh Luachra and Duhallow such as the ambush at Tureengarriffe Glen
Of a battle celebrated and often written about of the bravery of Sean Moylan and his men continue reading…

The Millstreet Poor Law Union had a wide catchment area, and included Millstreet, Ballydaly, Knocknagree, Cullen, Derinagree, Kilcorney, and back into Millstreet again. Wikipedia has a list of all the Townlands in Cork, and within that the Millstreet Townlands are listed. From the smallest townland of Glebe (in Kilcorney) (13 acres) to the largest townland of Caherbarnagh (3,626 acres) there are a total of 182 townlands covering an area of over 74,441 acres or nearly 117 square miles (10.8miles x 10.8 Miles).

The full list of townlands covered by the Millstreet Poor Law Union is below:

Photo of a Junior Infants Class in the original Presentation Convent N.S. from 1977 (approx) The new (current) building dates from 1978.

Back Row: Teacher – Mary McSweeney ? (originally of Minor Row), Denis Cronin, Mark Doherty, John O’Riordan, Edward O’Sullivan, Kieran Kelleher, Adrian Kelleher, Conor Corcoran, Stephen Duggan, Martin O’Shea.

Middle Row: Dan Barry, Thomas Barrett, Kevin Smith, Mick Murphy, Paddy Cotter, Noelle Crowley, Lisa Murphy,  Carmel Dineen, Rose Regan, Noel Creedon, Donal Moynihan, Dermot Daly, Brian Murphy.

Front Row: Veronica O’Mahony, Liz Cotter,  Eileen McCarthy, Karen Kelleher, Tina Murphy,  Nuala O’ Leary, Michelle O’Leary.

Special thanks to Lisa Murphy (who now lives in New York) who gave us the the photo. She also asked to “Please ask all my Millstreet friends to keep my 3yr old son Adam in their prayers as he is due to have his 3rd open heart surgery very soon”. continue reading…

Julie Thomas from Wellington, New Zealand has been in Millstreet for the past few days completing research for her book "Seven-eighths Irish". Julie is a great, great, great Grand-daughter of Andrew Dennehy of Millstreet. (Seán)

It’s quite amazing how we’ve have had two people from New Zealand tracing Millstreet roots over the past few days – Fr. Bernard Dennehy on Tuesday and now Julie on Thursday.   Incidentally, our very good Friend,  Denis Murphy of Cahirdowney, Millstreet,  successfully carried out research as to

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Paddy McCarthy

Volunteer Paddy McCarthy
90th Anniversary Commemoration

Assemble: Clara Road, Millstreet.
Parade up Main Street and return to Mill Lane
MacCurtain/McSwiney RFB In Attendance
2.00pm Sunday 31st Oct.
Speaker: Bandon Sinn Féin Cllr. Rachel McCarthy
Fáilte Roimh Cách / All Welcome

Paddy McCarthy (8/Feb/1896-22/Nov/1920)

The late Paddy McCarthy was born in Meelin and reared in Freemount, not far from Millstreet. He became an active member of Óglaigh na hÉireann following the 1916 Easter Rising.
On May 8, 1918 he was charged with a gun offence and imprisoned for 18 months.
He was held in Belfast and in Manchester where he managed to escape in October 1919.
He took part in the capture of Mallow Barracks in September continue reading…