TWO HISTORIC WEXFORD LINKS WITH SAVANNAH

Peter Whelan (right) was born in 1802 in Loughnageer, Foulksmills in the parish of Clongeen, in County Wexford. He emigrated to America after hearing about an appeal for priests made by John England, the popular and dynamic bishop of the new diocese of Charleston, South Carolina. He distinguished himself as a chaplain for both Confederate troops and Union prisoners of war during the American Civil War. After his death on February 6, 1871, at the age of 69, his funeral procession was the longest ever seen in Savannah. The Mass began at 10 a.m. where Whelan’s body rested in a splendid iron casket, ornamented with full-size silver roses. A wreath of laurel, emblematic of his devotion to the South, was placed at the coffin’s head. Eightysix carriages and buggies escorted the body through the crowded avenues to the Catholic cemetery and people from all over the city turned out to bid farewell to this beloved priest, including many non-Catholics. In 1842, at the age of ten, William Kehoe immigrated to America from Monamolin in County Wexford, with his mother, father, four brothers, and three sisters in tow. The family settled in the Old Fort District of Savannah with other Irish immigrants. William apprenticed in an iron foundry and worked his way up to foreman. Eventually, he bought the foundry, which was at that time, located east of Broughton Street. After World War I, he built a new foundry on the riverfront and quickly became one of Savannah’s most successful and prominent businessmen. His house, pictured above, is now one of the city’s most famous hotels.