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The Kerry Examiner

Tuesday March 12 1844

The Kerry Examiner did its best to make sense of a complicated statement made in the House of Lords by the Marquess of Westmeath George Nugent, referencing his colleague, the Marquess of Normanby, and disputing Normanby’s version of the alleged suspension from office of a Westmeath priest.

Nugent’s claim was that the priest, a Fr Murray, who had since died, was suspended by Bishop Cantwell after refusing to assist in the collection of money for the repeal of the Union.

Nugent had told the House of Lords that what was described as “a monster meeting” was to take place in Mullingar, but the priest “had exerted all his influence to prevent the collection of money and also to prevent his parishioners from attending the meeting”.

As a result, he was told that a curate would be sent to his congregation for three Sundays.

The meeting, meanwhile, went ahead on May 14 1843, with 51 priests attending, and the bishop, Dr Cantwell, in the chair. Nugent’s information was that at the dinner after the meeting, Dr Cantwell, stated that the Irish deserved and should have self-government.

“He then expressed the great pleasure that he felt at the glorious demonstration that had taken place that day, and he expressed the determination on the part of the Irish people to follow the course they were adopting till they wiped off the stigma that rested upon Ireland, and until they again made her what she ought always to have been – a nation.”

The Marquess of Normanby responded with a letter from Dr Cantwell stating that he had never either spoken or written a word to the late Dr Murray, parish priest of Clonmellon (four miles from the residence of the Marquess of Westmeath) regarding the Union and that for the 14 years that he had been bishop of Meath diocese, in which Dr Murray had been 45 years the incumbent of a parish, he had lived with the Reverend Gentleman on terms of the closest friendship, and had always regarded him with respect, esteem, and affection.

The Marquess of Westmeath said that their Lordships would be able to decide between the two statements.

Irish Examiner

March 1 1854

Athlone came up for mention several times at the half yearly general meeting of the shareholders of the Great Southern and Western Railway, in the context of the expansion of the rail network, the paper reported.

At the meeting, it was recalled that the previous September, the directors visited the district to see for themselves whether the creation of a rail link between Tullamore and Athlone was warranted.

The meeting heard that if this were to come to fruition, it would open direct railway communication between Athlone and the south and south-east of Ireland as had been recommended by a House of Lords committee in 1846.

The report of the chairman to the shareholders stated: “The proprietors must be aware that for some time past steps have been taken by the principle (sic) landowners and influential inhabitants of the counties of Roscommon, Sligo and Mayo, to promote the extension of railway communication through these counties… These public movements have resulted in applications to the Great Southern and Western Railway Company from the above parties to assist them in the formation of a company to construct a line of railway from Tullamore through Athlone to Sligo, Westport and Ballina, or such portion thereof as parliament may sanction.”

Westmeath Independent

March 19 1864

“To Smokers”, was the heading over an advert admitting smoking carried health implications but indicating these could be avoided through use of an ‘atoxic pipe’.

The advert, on behalf of James Martin, stationer, Athlone, quoted from Cornhill Magazine:

“Tobacco,” it stated, “in virtue of two of its constituents – nicotine and empyreumatic oil, which are generated during combustion – produces certain special effects upon the nervous system. It affects the brain, the spinal cord and the sympathetic nerves. In very large doses it has a paralysing influence upon these organs and through them upon the heart and lungs.”

Going on to promote the ‘patent atoxic pipe’, the advert listed the advantages of the pipe: “The smoke, in passing through the stem is cooled, the watery vapour charged with poisonous products (nicotine and empyreumatic oil) is condensed, and prevented by a simple contrivance from being drawn up into the mouth or damping the tobacco.”

The advert went on to say that with the pipe, “the smoker can enjoy the fragrance of the weed without injury to health”.

Leinster Express

March 7 1874

Reporting on the level of activity at Moate Fair the previous Monday, the Leinster Express stated that this important cattle, sheep and horse fair was not so largely supplied with stock as usual, but the animals exhibited were worthy of the districts of the finest grazing counties in Ireland.

“The descriptions in most demand were three-year-old heifers and bullocks and good yearlings. One-and-a-half-year-old heifers were in rather small supply, and in good demand. They averaged from £9 to £10 10s; two-year-olds realised from £11 TO £12 10S; two-and-a-half-year-olds from £12 10s to £14; three-year-old unfinished heifers ranged from £15 to £16 10s each.

“Fat cattle went in some cases as high as £24; they averaged £18. Best beef was sold at from 70s to 75s per cwt.

“In the sheep fair, there was a show of wedder mutton, which was bought at from 8d to 8.5d per lb. Hoggets were not in good supply and the demand was also dull; they ranged from 45s to 52s each.

“Ewes were much sought after, and went up to 70s when the quality was superior. In the horse fair, some good animals were offered for sale, but the prices asked prevented many purchases from being made. Farm horses in good demand, the approach of spring making animals of that class very valuable. Prices ranged from £12 to £40. In the pig fair a good supply of heavy bacon was bought at 57s per cwt. Store pigs went at from 25s to 45s each.”

Westmeath Examiner

March 1 1884

The Spring Assizes for Westmeath were due to take place the Wednesday March 5 of 1884, and the paper was pleased to report that there was just one prisoner for trial, “the woman Burston”.

Mrs Burston was to appear for the alleged stabbing of her husband, a soldier in the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers stationed in Mullingar.

“The county is surely to be congratulated on its peaceable state, and if things were done properly, the judge ought to get the white gloves, considering that the only alleged criminal is a total stranger to the county, being an Englishwoman imported into the town with the British garrison,” the paper wrote.

The only other significant case listed was that of Flood versus the MGW Railway Company. That was an action for £1,000 damages for negligence in leaving open the door of a carriage, whereby the plaintiff’s husband fell out and was killed.

Westmeath Examiner

March 3 1894

An advert enticing people to emigrate and settle in Canada revealed a strong incentive: free land. Under the heading “Free grants of land in Canada and bonuses to actual settlers”, the advert revealed that those opting to settle in Manitoba and the North-West territories would be given 160 acres.

Land was also being granted free, “or on advantageous terms” in other provinces – Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Meanwhile, in the same edition, an advert publicising a weekly boat crossing from Liverpool to Philadelphia via Cobh listed the following locations as being sellers of tickets for passage on the ship: A Cleary, family grocer, Mullingar, McCormick Bros, Merchants, Mullingar; Thos Kelly, The Mart, Moate; John Ganly, Church Street, Athlone; Patrick F Neary, merchant, Athlone; Laurence Kelly, grocer, Castletown Geoghegan; Laurence Gibney, draper, Castlepollard; Thomas Farrell, Delvin; John Sherlock, grocer, Kinnegad; James Stirling, spirit merchant, Tullamore; P&H Egan, Bridge House, Tullamore; M Egan, Ballymahon and TL O’Callaghan, Killucan.

Westmeath Examiner

March 5 1904

At the Knockdrin Petty Sessions, before Messrs PD Sullivan RM (chairman), TM Reddy and Captain Smyth, the Fishery Preservation Society for Co Westmeath charged a man named James Brady, Portnashangan, with using a gaff in the river known as Portnashangan River, flowing between Portnashangan and Ballinafid.

Mr Rainey, who appeared for Mr EE Mason, solicitor, Mullingar, prosecuted on behalf of the Society.

James Nolan, of Clonhugh, deposed: “I am a water bailiff, and on the 29th January, I got the defendant with a long gaff in his hand, which he was using in the waters of Portnashangan river. He was stopping over the bank and never saw me until I spoke to him. I asked him did he get anything and he said he did not. I then asked him to show me the gaff till I would see if I could get anything. He threw it to me and said that he had found it. It was ten minutes to two o’clock in the day time. This is a very good spawning river, and he was working the gaff backwards and forwards.”

The chairman of the assizes remarked that the gaff was “a curious implement to find”, and that the fine for such a conviction was not more than £10 and not less than £4.

“I am a poor man, and hope you will consider me,” the defendant appealed.

“We have no alternative,” the chairman replied, imposing a fine of £4.

Freeman’s Journal

March 7 1914

In its “London Correspondence” column, the Freeman’s Journal reported that Sir Thomas Esmonde had left for Ireland to attend the funeral of his brother-in-law, Colonel Pilkington, who had died in London on the Wednesday of that week from septic pneumonia.

“Colonel Pilkington, who was the son of Mr HM Pilkington QC, of Tyrrellspass, Co Westmeath, had since his retirement from the army, contributed a good deal to English newspapers and magazines upon Irish affairs under the nom de guerre of ‘Patrick Perterras’.

“He was a strong supporter of Sir Horace Plunkett’s movement.”

Freeman’s Journal

March 5 1924

A claim by a Finea woman for compensation arising out of cattle drives at her farm was heard at Mullingar Assizes and was reported on in the Freeman’s Journal.

The account stated that a crowd of 200 men, some armed, had come to the home of Miss Hepenstall, Ballinscurry, Finea, and told her that if she did not clear off the stock, they would shoot her dead.

For that particular event, Miss Hepenstall obtained a decree for £74 from Judge Fleming.

Miss Hepenstall stated that a further cattle drive took place on May 15 1922, when about 100 beasts were driven off her lands. She had never got back 20 of these cattle.

Miss Hepenstall told the court that for years she had been boycotted and her workmen had been threatened with revolvers.

A few weeks after the first drive, about 80 cattle were again taken from the lands, but she got them all back.

“On both occasions the animals were very badly handled, and witness declared that they appeared to have been driven through fences and over walls,” the report said, going on to add that as a result of threats, Miss Hepenstall had, in 1923, sold her cattle.

The report concluded by revealing that a claim by the same applicant for £5,250 for damages to her house and stables by burning, had been adjourned.

Irish Press

March 5 1934

At a meeting of the Westmeath County Committee of the Gaelic League, Rev J Cogan presiding, a resolution was adopted calling on shopkeepers, especially during Irish Week, to display notices, price lists, etc in Irish. It was also decided to ask the Vocational Committee to co-opt at least two members of the Gaelic League.