An Overview of the McMorran Collection
Castleisland District Heritage has recently acquired a selection of papers from the collection of the late historian, Russell McMorran, courtesy his brothers, Chris and Clare McMorran. The material, which has been added to the Castleisland District Heritage archive, includes photographs, journals, Financial Reports of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (1957) and a copy of the […]
A Tale of Two Fountains
A mid-nineteenth century altercation between two civil engineers casts an historic light on one of Castleisland’s famous landmarks. In the Famine year of 1846, the construction of two fountains – one in Tralee and one in Castleisland – to supply a ‘sufficient and unfailing supply of water to the poorer classes of townsfolk’ was being […]
Game of Stones: The Earls of Desmond and ‘The Rubbage’
In the closing quarter of the seventeenth century, a series of sketches was taken from two stones found in rubble in Tralee Abbey. They were made between the years 1684 and about 1692 by Robert Downinge, Deputy to Sir Richard Carney.[1] The curious illustrations were captioned by Mr Downinge:[2] The above is found on […]
Stop Press: Michael O’Donohoe and the Kerry Newspapers
Michael O’Donohoe made great use of the local Kerry newspapers in his historical researches of Castleisland, most notably Tim Harrington’s Kerry Sentinel, printed in Tralee. In 1902, twelve newspapers were published every week in Tralee. These included the Kerry Weekly Reporter, founded in 1882 as an advertising medium for merchants and traders, the Kerry […]
Rosario and Roche: A Credible Union
A curious, handwritten document in the O’Donohoe Collection states: Around 1668, King Afonso of Portugal wrote to Charles II of England with a recommendation for John Roche, formerly assistant to Rosario O’Daly, to be given a post in the Queen’s Bedchamber.1 Rosario O’Daly, otherwise Daniel O’Daly, whose life has recently […]
