New collection brings Tipp’s history to life

A NEW digitised picture collection tells a thousand words about farming and rural life in Co Tipperary in the early 20th century. In October, Tipperary Studies, which is based in Thurles Library, received a donation of photos taken by the landowning Murphy family of Ballinamona House in Cashel.

The photos, which include more than 1,000 negatives, tell the story of an Ireland of the past and were donated by the current owners of Ballinamona House, the Clifton-Brown family.

Dr Pat Bracken of Thurles library spent more than four months sorting through the collection which is now available on digital format on Tipperarystudies.ie. He says the collection is of real interest to those who enjoy farming history as it shows the animals reared by the family, the machinery used and fair day in Cashel.

“They were a Catholic landowning family who farmed a mixed herd of cattle, sheep and horses. The photos of Cashel fair day are particularly interesting and seeing the old ploughs they used being pulled by horses,” he says.

“They also kept pet rabbits. It was a typical farm of the period that had a bit of everything.”

Pat says that the collection has received a lot of interest from those in the US and Australia with a look to tracing their family history in the area. He also adds that it gives people an idea of what life was like for the Irish farm labourer in the early 20th century.

“It shows the transient nature of agricultural work. Farm labourers at the time would have moved from place to place to wherever the work was, so their addresses would’ve changed a lot through the years,” he says.

The pictures were taken by brother and sister Edmond and Mary Kathleen Murphy from 1898-1932. Edmond was a member of the Irish Rainfall Association and the pictures highlight the family’s travels around the country to Dingle and Belvedere House and also to the UK.

Pat says that the collection not only provides information about Tipperary but is important to understanding the social fabric of Ireland. “The family integrated with the community a lot and took photos of the locals who lived in cottages and they had a lot of involvement in the Cashel Racecourse as well,” he says.

Pictures of lawn tennis and cricket enjoyed by the family also show how the family were, in ways, far removed from the reality of poverty and civil unrest in Ireland at the time.

Tipperarystudies.ie was launched in 2016 and aims to promote and preserve history in the Premier County.

It contains various other collections including GAA year books and workhouse records, along with a wide range of other services provided by Tipperary County Council.