History

The recent passing of Andy Forde prompted the scribe to reflect on the commercial life of Abbey Street in bygone decades.  Andy of course had a lovely grocer shop and deli in the centre of the [...]

Recently this columnist wrote an account of the businesses in Abbey Street and Joe Langan of the Men’s Shed in Ballina spoke to me about it and he offered to give me a fuller account of the many [...]

He was born in Lehid,  Ardea on the Kenmare Peninsula in South Kerry in 1879.   He attended De La Salle College in Waterford and qualified as a teacher studying from 1899 to 1901.  He undertook a [...]

Oatlands House was built in 1859 by Charles Downing a Justice of the Peace who bought the O Dowda Estate in 1854 after it was declared bankrupt under the Encumbered Estates Act of 1849.  Downing [...]

By 2030 the turf machines will no longer harvest turf or peat to burn in power generating plants so the news tells us. Turf was important during the war the Turf Board was established as a semi [...]

A special decade of commemoration has been organised by government.  It is a decade of centenaries that is there to remember the historic events that influenced Ireland from 1912 to 1923 and it [...]

My mother tells of how when they were young they would go to the dance in the local hall and on the way home they would go to the nearest wake house to keep the family company until day break and [...]

The United Irish League was founded on the 23rd January 1898 after a public meeting at the Octagon Westport, by William O’ Brien MP.  A broad range of nationalists was present.  The League [...]

Robert Briscoe was born in Dublin in September 1894 to Jewish Lithuanian parents and it is believed that the family name could have been Cherrick in Lithuania.  His father was a self – made man [...]

Fadó, bhiodh na daoine ag teacht le chéile chun cabhair a thabhairt dá chéile chun obair na feirme a dhéanamh.  Meitheal an tainm a bhiodh ar na grúpaí oibre seo.  Anois agus an samhradh linn is [...]