Fascinating talk on Eamon Ceannt’s links to Charleville

THE attendance at Charleville Heritage Society’s July meeting heard from history student Katie McCurry that Johanna Galway and James Kent, the parents of 1916 signatory Eamon Ceannt, were married at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Ballyhea, Charleville on 8th January 1870.

The ceremony was performed by Rev. John Russell with the permission of the parish priest and the witnesses were Edmond Galway and David Lynch, believed to be from the Buttevant area, as the words ‘Buttevant’ and ‘de Buttevant’ were written over their names in the parish register.

Ms McCurry unearthed this fact in her research into the Ceannt family, who had extensive connections in the North Cork area.

“The marriage is also recorded in the Buttevant parish register but with a different witness, Mary Galway, in place of David Lynch. It seems that Johanna Galway and James Kent were living in the parish of Buttevant and that the wedding took place in Ballyhea with the permission of the parish priest. In the civil record of their marriage James Kent’s occupation is recorded as ‘police’ and Johanna is a seamstress,” said Ms McCurry.

“James Kent was an R.I.C. officer and was a native of Rehill, not far from Mitchelstown. The family moved around a lot, the moves necessitated by his work as a policeman.

“He was stationed outside Kanturk, not far from Buttevant, when he met Johanna Galway. He was later stationed in Ballyclough before being moved to Ballymoe in Co, Galway. From there he was transferred to Drogheda, Co, Louth and eventually retiring to Dublin. Eamon Ceannt was born Edward Thomas Kent on the 21st September 1881 in Ballymoe, Co. Galway, the seventh of eight children,” said Ms. McCurry.

Eamon Ceannt was 10 years old when the family moved to Dublin.

He attended school at the Christian Brothers School in North Richmond Street and in the annals of O’Connell Schools he is referred to as one of the most brilliant pupils ever to pass through there.

He went on to attend at University College Dublin and afterwards secured a post in the rates department of Dublin Corporation, where after a period he was promoted to the City Treasurers’ Office and was assistant treasurer at the time of his execution.

From an early age he was a member of the Gaelic League acquiring an extensive knowledge of the Irish language and literature.

He joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and when the Rising broke out he was in charge of the Republican Garrison in the South Dublin Union. He was executed on the 7th May 1916.

Another connection with North Cork was that he shared a room with a number of other volunteers, among them was Maurice Brennan of Dromina, who was a volunteer in the Cabra Bridge Garrison.