WELCOME TO A KERRY GLEN

THE retired National School teacher of the Glen, Patrick O’Leary, in 1973, produced a booklet of his native area entitled ‘Welcome to a Kerry Glen’, priced at 20p.

One particular article outlines the total population that lived in the Glen at each census year-beginning in 1841 and ending in 1971

Pat O’Leary wrote thus: The lesson learned from these figures is that the population of 1971 is six times smaller than that of 1841.

It was normal to expect the figures of 1851 to be considerably lower than than those of 1841 because one must allow for the large numbers who died during famine times (1845-48). About one of every two who survived those black years emigrated to to the USA.

Many Glen people faced the broad Atlantic, as there was little emigration to England at the time.

Locals have it that an O’Connell girl left Faha on the ‘Valentia Ship’ and was accompanied by a family from the island on the long lonely voyage. She was accompanied by her mother as far as Coomaceoge Top, who wanted to bid her farewell, as she would see her no more.

This was a sad occasion indeed but it was typical of those times. From post-famine times up to the early twentieth century, crowds left the Glen and went to ‘Yankee Land’, the continent and some to Australia.

Footnote: The Valentia Ship referred to in Pat O’Leary’s book would have been either the Furnesia or the Belgravia which left Valentia Harbour in 1883, loaded with emigrants from surrounding Iveragh areas, at the commencement of their journey to America.

At the time it was a financialy assisted British Government Free Emigration policy to aid a struggling people. The Examiner newspaper correspondent of the time stated that a large crowd of about 5,000 assembled on the shores of Valentia and Renard to bid farewell to their dear ones about to leave for America.

The two ships carried a total of about 1,200 people and were seen off by Canon Brosnan, PP of Cahirsiveen. It left a devastating depopulation mark on the area. Sad times indeed, and days of woe in Iveragh.