Charleville Festival of History to focus on Croke family

THE Archbishop of Cashel & Emly, Most Rev Dr Kieran O’Reilly, and the president of the GAA, Aogán Uas Ó Feargháil, will be among the speakers at Charleville Heritage Society’s fifth annual festival of history, on September 9-11, when the Croke family’s association with Charleville will be remembered in two seminars at the Charleville Park Hotel.

Archbishop O’Reilly and Aogán Ó Feargháil will be on the panel on Friday evening along with Very Rev. Seán Canon Cotter retired P.P. of Charleville parish.

Topics for this opening seminar will include Archbishop Croke’s role in the foundation of the GAA and years and he contracted Famine his life and times. Canon Cotter will Fever and died at a very young age deal with aspects of the life of Rev. Fr. and is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery. Thomas Croke, who was the parish Fr. James Croke went on to become priest of Charleville for 46 years from Vicar- General of San Francisco. 1827 to 1873, during which time he On Saturday night the fascinating was involved in the rearing of the story of the Croke family continues family of six boys and two girls of his with Sr. Bernadette Maria Knopek late brother, William, and his widow, of the Convent of Mercy Charleville, Isabella (Plumber) Croke. who will trace the lives of the two

One of those boys was later to become Croke sisters, Sister Ignatius and Sister the Archbishop of Cashel and Joseph, who entered the Convent in Emly, and a founder member and patron Charleville. They made their mark as of the Gaelic Athletic Association. nuns of the Mercy Order both at home

Two more of the boys also entered and abroad during the Crimean War the priesthood. Fr. William Croke was and in Bathurst, Australia. Curate in Charleville during the Famine John Coleman from Cork will give an account of the remaining Croke siblings, Fr. William, Fr. James, John, Daniel and David.

John Corkery, Niall O’Sulllivan and Flann O’Reilly from Kilbrin Community Council complete the speakers on Saturday night and they will talk on the restoration of the old Croke homestead in Kilbrin, where the family was born and other aspects of Croke history. The restoration work on the house was completed last year and it was opened in October 2015.

The weekend will be officially opened by the Mayor of County Cork, Cllr. Seamus McGrath, and music will be supplied on Friday night by the Craobh An Rath Comhaltas Group and on Saturday night by St. Patrick’s Brass and Reed Band under musical director Jim Foley.

The programme continues on Saturday morning with a visit to the Provincial Heritage Centre at the Convent of Mercy Charleville at 11am and a trip by bus to the view the restored Croke family home in Kilbrin in the afternoon. The bus will leave the Charleville Park Hotel at 2.15pm and patrons should note that places are limited. The weekend will come to an end with a commemorative Mass at Holy Cross Church at 12 noon in Holy Cross Church Charleville.