Clonakilty Town Council A History

We are delighted to announce that the Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage published book, ‘Clonakilty Town Council a History 1613 – 2014’, is now available.

This project was organised by a sub-group of Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage who engaged the services of Dr Matthew Potter, an authority on local government in Ireland, who was joined by Dúchas members Tomás Tuipéar and Michael O’Mahony, to write this comprehensive history. In the words of our Cathaoirleach Tim Feen, ‘this is a veritable history of Clonakilty’.

The limited edition of 200 illustrated books, containing previously unpublished documents and research specific to Clonakilty, are available at :

COUGHLAN’S, Rossa Street, KERR’S, Ashe Street and PADDY MEADE’S, Pearse Street, at € 25.

Official Launch Clonakilty Historical & Archaeological Journal Volume 3

This volume will be launched by Dr Danielle O’Donovan. Danielle is from Ardfield, just outside Clonakilty. She gained her PhD in architectural history from Trinity College Dublin in 2008 and publishes on Irish medieval architecture and learning in museums. Danielle has worked for Trinity Irish Art Research Centre, Trinity Centre for Research in IT in Education and the Irish Heritage Trust. Danielle is the programme manager at Nano Nagle Place, which has just been awarded the Council of Europe Museum Prize for 2022.

The journals are available at a price of €10 in the following Clonakilty bookshops: Coughlan's Bookshop (who can arrange for delivery by post), Kerr's Bookshop, Paddy Meade Newsagent and the Michael Collins House.

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Dec 20, 2021 08:00 PM 

Register in advance for this meeting: HERE
 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please note, this is a meeting not a webinar, so please ensure you are on mute when you join.

Utter Disloyalist Tadhg Barry and the Irish Revolution

Our next lecture is as follows (see link to register below):

Utter Disloyalist

Tadhg Barry and the Irish Revolution

Zoom Lecture

by

Dr Donal Ó Drisceoil

on

Thurs November 25

at

8pm

Tadhg Barry, the last high-profile victim of the Crown forces during the Irish War of Independence, was shot dead in Ballykinlar internment camp, Co. Down, on 15 November 1921. Half the population of Dublin lined the streets as his body was borne through the capital, and his funeral in his native Cork dwarfed even those of his fallen comrades, Tomás MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney. Who was this man and why has he since been largely forgotten?

Barry was a fascinating activist, trade union official, journalist, poet, Irish Volunteer, GAA official and author of the first book on the rules of hurling. He was described by his British enemies as an ‘utter disloyalist’ and by a comrade as ‘a characteristic product of Rebel Cork – courageous, kindly, generous to a fault, bold and daring, and independent in speech and action’.  

Barry had many connections with West Cork: Coláiste na Mumhan in Ballingeary was a home from home, he organised workers across West Cork for the ITGWU, and he wrote a column on Cork City affairs for both the Skibbereen Eagle and, later, its nationalist competitor, the Southern Star. Among those interned with Barry in Ballykinlar was John Flyer Nyhan of Clonakilty, who was among those Barry was waving goodbye to when he was shot dead by a sentry. 

To mark the 100th anniversary of Tadhg Barry’s death, Dr Donal Ó Drisceoil of the School of History, UCC has produced a new biography, published by Mercier Press: Utter Disloyalist: Tadhg Barry and the Irish Revolution Copies of his book are available in Clonakilty bookshops.

The Industrial Heritage of West Cork

Clonakilty local history video launched for Heritage Week

National Heritage Week continues until this Saturday 21st August.  

Unfortunately, due to the COVID restrictions, Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage was unable to organise its traditional heritage week events this year. 

However, an hour-long professional video featuring three topics of local interest has been produced and is now available to view on YouTube.
The first section deals with the history of Lisselane Estate and in particular two of its owners – the infamous landlord William Bence Jones and from more modern times, C. O. Stanley. 

The second section concentrates on Kilgarriffe old cemetery and some of the many important individuals and families interred there over the last three hundred years or so. 

The final section of the video highlights Ring Village and the nearby Ballintemple Graveyard, detailing the importance of Ring as a port and the 800-year history of the cemetery wherein lay the remains of local 1798 leader Tadhg an Asna among other notable names. 

The video is sure to be of great interest to Clonakilty people near and far as well as historians from wider afield. 

The professional production took a number of weeks to complete and the work was undertaken by a small sub-group of Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage supported by a grant from Cork County Council under the ‘County Cork Heritage Grant Scheme 2021’ and the Heritage Council as well as support from the Bank of Ireland. 

There are some great photos throughout of all three locations including some spectacular drone footage and the hour-long film was produced by Donal O’ Driscoll of “Pitchside Media”. 

The video was launched during the week by Clonakilty Community Mayor Anthony McDermott and is available to view on the Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage website and Facebook page.

Click here to watch

Clon historical lecture on West Cork people in US Civil War

The Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage zoom May lecture on "Recovering the Voices of West Cork in the American Civil War" by historian, archaeologist and a former curator in the National Museum of Ireland Dr. Damian Shiels was another great success and enjoyed by the large crowd who “tuned in”.
In his wide-ranging talk, Damian said that it is estimated that around 250,000 Irish Americans fought for the Union during the American Civil War and the records left behind offer some of the most detailed insights into the ordinary lives of Irish emigrants in 19th century America.

Utilising new research, he explored what these records tell about emigrants and emigration from West Cork to the United States, and what they reveal about how those from the area were impacted by the war. The words of the men and women themselves, left behind in their letters and statements from more than 150 years ago were quoted throughout the talk.

Dr. Damian Shiels runs the www.irishamericancivilwar.com website and has written a number of books on this topic. The lecture was recorded and the recording is available to look at for members of Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage who have been emailed out the log in details.

Membership of Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage is free for 2021 and all details are on our Facebook page and website.