Wicklow as the Great War came to an end
A MINE OF INFORMATION TO LOCAL HISTORIANS AND LOCKDOWN WEB SURFERS, THE MINUTES OF WICKLOW COUNTY COUNCIL ARE ON WWW.WICKLOW.IE. REPORTER DAVID MEDCALF HAS EXTRACTED SNIPPETS FROM THE RECORDS FOR THE YEARS 1916 TO 1918 IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.
AUGHRIM: James Phelan from Aughrim was one of nine candidates recommended to the council on a list of students to take scholarship examinations at University College, Dublin in July of 1917. Rural District Council around this time was one Mr. Patrick J Carey, Justice of the Peace, from Tomanierin, Aughrim.
Blessington: the search engine on the archive site throws up 46 references to Blessington, most of them arising from the operations of the Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway Company – a subject of infinite complications and ramifications… Permission was allowed to Tobias Halpin, as secretary of the United Irish League, for meetings of the league in the local council chamber, subject to the eminently sensible condition that these would not clash with the meetings of the Blessington District Council.
Coolkenna: officials urged in 1918 that steps should be taken to enforce the contract agreed with Arthur Kinsella, Knockeell, Coolkenna Road, for road improvements in Killinure. There were scores of such contracts around the country as the network of dirt tracks were brought up to something approaching 20th-century standards.
Donard: The only reference to Donard in this volume of the minutes comes in 1918, courtesy of the good old Poisons and Pharmacy Act, 1908. The folk of the area must have breathed a sigh of relief as Frederick J. Allen, Donard was granted renewal of his licence.
Enniskerry: a rare reference to the ‘present political situation’ was made during 1917 in correspondence from H Morell as the county’s inspector in the Royal Irish Constabulary. He successfully looked to have Sergeant Michael Roddy appointed Food and Drugs Inspector for the Petty Sessions Districts of Enniskerry and Newtownmountkennedy. Great title, sarge… In the same year, Elijah Somers, Killegar, Enniskerry sought to erect a hay shed in his yard, ‘inside the road wall’. No objection was recorded. I wonder if the shed was built and if it is still there?
Ferrybank: 10 applications were received from candidates for the university scholarships offered by the county council for 1917-18. Among them were Bridget Veronica Turley, Ferrybank, Arklow, with neighbours Edward Mulligan, Coolgreany Road, Arklow, and Margaret Duffy, Wexford Road, Arklow. All 10 were referred on to take the examination in UCD on July 3, 1917.
G: a brief trawl for G’s brings up no reference to Glenmalure or to Grangecon, but the less wellknown townland of Garryduff near Rathdrum does rate a mention in a stern letter of 1918 from county surveyor SG Gallagher. ‘The following Roads, are not being satisfactorily maintained,’ he thundered, submitting a lengthy list, which included ‘Garryduff three roads to Ballymaghroe’.
Hollywood: it was proposed by Councillor DJ Cogan, seconded by Councillor M Langton that retiring allowance of just over £23 be paid to
Michael Kelly of Harristown, Hollywood as he stepped down from his role as Poor Rate Collector… A letter from curate Patrick Kavanagh, writing in his capacity as chairman of the School Attendance Committee for Dunlavin and Holly
wood confirmed the appointment of Mary Kelly, of Kinsellastown, Dunlavin as school attendance officer at a salary of £35 per year.
Inch: there are several Irishtowns in County Wicklow, and at least one Inch, but none made any impression on this section of the archive. However, contractor James Mulhall, formerly of Kilpipe in Aughrim, wrote in 1918 seeking to be freed of his responsibility for looking after a stretch of local road as he had moved to Kilanerin in Inch – the Wexford Inch. His plea drew little sympathy as councillors were informed that the road in question was in an ‘absolutely neglected state’. Mulhall was directed to put things in order by the end of the year.
J: Johnstown is one of the most common place names in Ireland, with County Wicklow having at least seven such townlands. None of them shows up in the annal for 1917-1918.
Kiltegan: Councillor Michael Kelly from Englishtown, Kiltegan, indicated early in 1918 that he must resign his seat due to ill health… Kippure: The transporting of timber was a source of repeated vexation to the county surveyor, who wanted roads around Kippure strengthened before they were cut up by such traffic.
Manor Kilbride: James Craul, Oldcourt, Manor Kilbride, had his Poisons and Pharmacy Act licence renewed. The list of renewals in 1917 also included licences issued to individuals or businesses in bigger towns but in smaller places too such as Laragh, Rathdangan, Tinahely, Aughrim and Shillelagh. Hollywood had two – Michael Tutty and Mary Toomey – as did Ashford – Elizabeth Williams and Joseph Deegan – and Rathdangan – Patrick O’Neill and John Kilmartin. In that same year, Patrick Hoey of mighty Knockenarrigan (sic) was added to the list.
Newtownmountkennedy: it was decided in 1917 to appoint two ‘ladies’ to fill vacancies on the county’s Local War Pensions Committee after Miss D Barton, Glendalough House, and Mrs AC Ryan, Rathdrum resigned. The nominees were Mrs W Taylor, Bryn-Avon, Rathdrum, and Mrs RA Newell, Newtown-Mount-Kennedy… John Roberts of Callow Hill in Newtown-Mount-Kennedy (again two hyphens!) wrote asking to hire the council’s ‘second Engine for threshing operations’. He was informed that this versatile piece of equipment was not available as it was now required for road improvement work. In 1918, members of the finance committee were made aware that an ‘armed party’ had seized all explosives at quarries in Newtownmountkennedy and Glen of Downs.
O: nothing for Oldbridge and nothing either for Old Conna.
Powerscourt: a mysterious legal action – referred to as the ‘Powerscourt Malicious Injury Claim’ – was withdrawn but the County Court
Judge directed that the applicant should pay the costs of the application.
Q: Quigginroe (in the Shillelagh area) draws a blank. The best I can do for a Q is find reference to a Richard Candy of Kilquiggin, Coolkenno, a road contractor in the Shillelagh district.
Redcross: it was reported in 1917 that the Kilbride to Redcross road was ‘utterly neglected’. The surface was bad. The drains had not been cleared. The edges had not been attended to. No material had been supplied. What a mess.
Shillelagh throws up 89 references, principally because the name is used in both a rural district and a poor law union. The 89th search result comes in the intriguing affair of ‘Damage To Mr. Morrissey’s Sleeping Van’. The Morrissey aforementioned complained that the damage had been caused in 1916 by overhanging trees on local roads. Assistant surveyor Boyd was detailed to examine the scene but he could not find any trees likely to cause the damage claimed.
Tinahely: the secretary of the Tinahely branch of the County Wicklow General Labourers’ Association wrote seeking to have Joseph Murphy, Tinahely, co-opted to fill the vacancy created by the death of Councillor EJ Byrne, Tinahely, in 1918. The plea went unheeded as RW Coates of Tankersley, Ballinglen, was drafted in instead.
Upper Bulllingate (sic) was mentioned in a letter from H Croker, dated November 13, 1917, in which the correspondent from Bunclody drew the ‘Council’s attention to the Scandalous way the road is kept from Coolmeelagh, at the County Bounds at Upper Bullingate.
Vartry: another dodgy road. The powers that be alleged that contractor John Bray had neglected the drainage on the thoroughfare running between Mount-Kennedy and Vartry Bridge and Tinnepark.
Woodenbridge: a specimen of water analysed for the Reverend Robinson of the Rectory in Woodenbridge disclosed, among other things, the presence of Albuminoid Ammonia, Saline Ammonia, Nitric Acid and Chlorine. ‘An inferior water’ was the conclusion. The reverend’s experience was a contrast to that of Captain Cope, also of Woodenbridge, who submitted a sample of milk, found to be ‘of very rich quality’.
X, Y, Z: forget it!
A world war, a simmering nationalist insurgency and a flu pandemic are the main features of the period, according to the historians, but these minutes of the county council suggest that other aspects of life continued as normal. Councillor J Carroll attempted to raise the influenza issue in a letter of October in 1918, concerned that the County Infirmary was not being utilised for influenza patients: ‘the poor are dying and the infirmary is practically closed’.
He prompted a unanimous resolution that both the infirmary and the fever hospital ‘shall be opened at once for the reception of all Influenza patients’. Otherwise, the outbreak merits no obvious mention.
A SPECIM EN OF WATER IN WOODENBRIDGE CONTAINED ALBUM INOID AM M ONIA, SALINE AM M ONIA, NITRIC ACID AND CHLORINE