Something for everyone in journal
THERE’S something for everyone in the latest Journal of the Rosslare Historical Society which was launched last week by local historian Brian Murphy in Kellys Resort Hotel. Items range from a 1915 spy alert to the lifeboat houses and the people of Rosslare have always been fascinated by The Duggan Millions, a vast fortune which, it was said, was waiting to be claimed by members of the Duggan family. This extraordinary story, involving vast wealth in gold and landed property and links to the British aristocracy, is also examined in the latest publication of the society. This is the fifth journal to be published by the society since its establishment 12 years ago, and it contains many articles and features which should prove of interest to a wide readership. In Churchtown’s ancient cemetery in Rosslare lie the remains of John and Mary Barry (nee Kelly), parents of Commodore John Barry, Father of the U.S. Navy. Laurence Doyle of Orchard Park, Tagoat, has compiled a list of those who are interred there. He has been able to do this with information obtained through interviewing old residents in the area, from studying the headstones in the cemetery and from memory cards amassed over the years by his brother, Michael. The results of these researches provide valuable information for people from the area attempting to trace their ancestry. Christine Murphy (nee Duggan), a former principal of Rosslare National School, shares her memories of growing up in the Burrow, Rosslare, at a time when fishing was a very important part of life in the area and when there were seven or eight cots fishing out of the Burrow. Adelaide Bishop is one of Rosslare’s oldest residents. Still active in her nineties, she has led a very full and interesting life, and in an interview, she talks about the good old days in Rosslare and about her time working in the Crichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries, Scotland. Ann FitzSimons, a native of Rosslare, writes about ‘ The Best Teacher I ever Had’, and provides a selection of school photographs which will almost certainly provide a topic for conversation for some time to come. Tuskar Lighthouse has been a beacon of hope for seafarers for two hundred years, but the work involved in the construction of the lighthouse proved to be no less treacherous than the seas that surrounded it. Among many other articles are: Fort Lifeboat Houses, First World War Took Its Toll, A Notable Sporting Occasion of Bygone Years and The Changing Face of Rosslare.