JOSEPH O’LONGAIN 1816-1880. By George Langan.

Joseph O’Longain. 1816-1880.

 The youngest son of Michael Og and reputed to be one of the greatest of all traditional scholars. 

Another undated letter of ‘Launey’s’ to the Knight of Glin states – it was Joseph who executed for the R.I.A. his famous lithographic facsimiles of the oldest vellum manuscripts extant such as the ‘Book of the Dun Con’. The letter continues – ‘He was probably the greatest penman of the 19^th century and had an extraordinary command of the resources of the Irish language. He played a big part in the movement for the revival of the Irish language which began in the 1870’s and which was destined to have far reaching effects on the national life of the country.’

Another letter of ‘Launey’s’ to the Knight dated February 17^th 1959 states that Joseph was a friend of the ‘cracked Knight’. Joseph also executed the facsimiles of ‘An Leabhar Breac,’ ‘Leabhar na h-Uidhre,’ Book of Leinster etc. In the year 1849 Joseph wrote the following letter to Windele ‘Paul has received from his scholars whatever trifle was due; my brother, Peter, is teaching a sort of private tuition at a farmer’s house near home, his means are long exhausted; and as for my own earnings in troth it was too little for myself, yet out of that small sum I used to spare a little. Now if I had one 5/- that would buy 1/2 cwt of India meal, it would enable me to finish those MSS for which I would be certain to receive about £10, a sum which would enable myself and my family to weather out the bad year until we would have enough of our own corn.’

A manuscript, with metaphorical coloured capitals, transliterated by him in the 1840’s, which was found some years ago in a farmer’s house in Dromin, Co. Limerick is now in Maynooth library.

Joseph was also a 1^st cousin to ‘Launey’s’ grandfather. ‘Launey’s’ father, who was also called Thomas Culhane knew Joseph well.

A letter of ‘Launey’s’ to Padraig de Brun dated November 16^th 1965 states ‘that Joseph used to visit his Langan and Culhane relatives in Glin very often.’

There is a marriage recorded at Whitechurch, Blarney, Co. Cork on May 5^th 1850 of a Joseph Long & Mary Hickey one of the witnesses being a Paul Long.

(see Peter O’Longain above)

This indeed is the wedding of Joseph O’Longain Langan.

JOSEPH O’LONGÁN and MARY HICKEY had the following family ;

           i.  MARY⁶ O’LONGÁN, b. 13 Mar 1851, Whitechurch Co. Cork; d. 1894.

          ii.  ANNA O’LONGÁN, b. 18 May 1852, Whitechurch Co. Cork.

         iii.  MICHAEL O’LONGÁN, b. 11 Jun 1856, Whitechurch Co. Cork; d. Accidently   Drowned in  a Quarry.

         iv.  PAUL O’LONGAN, b. 07 Jul 1858, Whitechurch Co. Cork; d. 1922, Anglesea  Wales. (see Paul C. Stacpoole O’Longain below)

          v.  JOSEPH JUNIOR O’LONGÁN, b. 18 Apr 1861, Whitechurch Co. Cork.

         vi.  BRIDGET O’LONGÁN, b. 1863, Whitechurch Co. Cork; d. 1863.

        vii.  MARGARET O’LONGÁN, b. 28 Aug 1865, Whitechurch Co. Cork; d. 1921, Dublin.

       viii.  BRIDGET O’LONGÁN, b. 1867, 24 Nth  Summer . St  Dublin.

         ix.  NORA O’LONGÁN, b. 1872, 24 Nth  Summer . St  Dublin; d. 1872.

We know that he was married by 1854 as an inspector visited a school in Teampall Geal where Joseph and his wife were teaching. The Inspector wrote the following report regarding his inspection – ‘Teacher appears deficient in energy. He is pretty constantly employed in translating Irish manuscripts, which may interfere with his proper vocation of schoolmaster’ He remained teaching there anyway up until around 1861 by such time he asked Windele if he could help in finding him an alternative post in Cork City. Says Joseph ‘to get rid of the drudgery of teaching and the vexatious inspection of inspectors’. Which sums what he thought of the said school authorities at the time. And I can tell you it hadn’t changed by the 1950’s early 60’s during my time at Ballyguiltenane Nationa School but as little. They said that they (the authorities and in many cases the schoolmasters) were victims of the system of the time. I can tell you who were the victims (and they weren’t the authorities) and we have the mental scars to prove it.

In The Royal Irish Academy, a Bicentennial History 1785-1985 it states therein that ‘O’Longan, the Academy’s “scribe” received peremptory and contradictory instructions from the two angry scholars.’ Robert Atkinson in his praiseworthy preface says – ‘Save a few entries of errata that came under my notice in the collation of particular passages, the Table of Corrigenda (although not finally written out by him owing to his illness) is the work of Mr O’Longan to whom I also have to tender my thanks for information always ungrudgingly imparted, on the few points in which I have consulted him. I left this sheet open with a sad sense of foreboding that the transcriber would never see published the work on which he spent so much labour: he at least is beyond the reach of praise or blame. I cannot however omit the duty of recording here my testimony to the patient and faithful manner in which he discharged his office from the time I have had the opportunity of observing him: the work done by him was a labour of love that absorbed his life.’

One of Joseph’s daughters took much of her father’s writings away to the U.S. and where they are currently, I do not know, maybe in some library over there.  Family tradition has it that this daughter married a man by the name of McSweeney and by all accounts had a very large family. The following is an extract drawn up for the learned body, the R.I.A. referring to Joseph as follows – ‘He belonged to a family in which the profession (of scribe)  was hereditary ; the names of himself, his brother, father and grandfather, all of them acting in this capacity are not likely to be soon forgotton. Biodh amhlaidh.’

Joseph O’Longain used both the English and Irish versions of his Christian name from time to time. Joseph died in the year 1880 whilst still being employed by the R.I.A. doing translations etc. It seems that he worked tirelessly such was his dedication to the task in hand. In fact, the Academy compulsory retired him from his work due to his ill health as we can see from the following statement from the Academy –‘It is unnecessary to enlarge on the value of these important publications; but testimony may here be fittingly borne to the manner in which Mr O’Longan’s work on them was performed. It may be safely asserted that no one who ever saw him work doubted or could doubt his thorough earnestness in the performance of his task. The difficulty in his case was to prevent his overstepping the bounds of prudence in the work he endeavored to get through; the committee of Irish Manuscripts has had to intervene in the interests of his health and shorten compulsorily the time which he would have devoted to the interests of the Academy.’ We know that he died on February 11th 1880 as a question was asked in the British Parliament, ‘what was to become of the moneys that were laid aside for such works, following the death of O’Longain in 1880’?

On March 1^st that same year we read in the Irish Builder the following petition – ‘In our own time O’Donovan and O’Curry laboured with a zeal and with an efficiency which, in any other country than this, would have secured its due reward. As these Irish scholars worked, so has the late Joseph O’Longan, with no ambition for personal notoriety and no grabbing desire for money. Many educated folk who walked the City of Dublin month after month and year after year and prided themselves, perhaps, on their knowledge of the “Classics” knew not of the existence of the humble and devoted Irish scribe who was labouring from morning till night within the walls of the Irish Academy or by his own fireside, till the small hours of the morning. In sooth, poor O’Longan laboured for his country and for all time over the MS materials of Irish history and as, in the service of his country and his countrymen, his health was undermined and his death hastened, it is their bounden duty to see that his widow and children will never want.’

Joseph O’Longain died on February 11^th 1880 and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin. His wife Mary Hickey was born 1833 in Co. Cork, and died 1894 in Co. Cork.

From further research from my friend and classmate Sean Wallace hereunder is a closer look at some of the family of Joseph O’Longain & Mary Hickey ;

 Mary O’Longain, (daughter and eldest of Joseph’s family) –

MARY⁶ O’LONGÁN(JOSEPH⁵, MICHEÁL Ó’LONGÁN ( MICHEÁL ÓG⁴ ), MICHÉAL MAC PEADER³ O’LONGÁN, PEADER², ANCESTOR¹ O’ LONGÁN) was born 13 Mar 1851 in Whitechurch Co. Cork, and was alive up to the 1901 and 1911 Census.  She married JEREMIAH JOSEPH MC SWEENEY. 

Children of MARY O’LONGÁN and JEREMIAH JOSEPH MC SWEENEY are:

           i.  MORGAN PAT⁷ MC SWEENEY, b. 17 Apr 1873, at 2 Carolines  Row.

Notes for MORGAN PAT MC SWEENEY:

Known  in Irish as Murcadh   and in English  as Morgan  or  Patrick Morgan or Morgan  Patrick. He  was  named  after his   grandfather  Murcadh  Mc Sweeney of Moviddy  Co Cork,    landed  gentry  according to   John O’ Hart ‘s Irish  Pedigrees .   

          ii.  JEREMIAH MYLES MC SWEENEY, b. 28 Jan 1876, at 22 Russel  Place.

Notes for JEREMIAH MYLES MC SWEENEY:

Sponsors  were Michael O’Longán and Anne Murray . Mc Sweeneys  address 22 Russel  Place

         iii.  EUGENE MC SWEENEY, b. 1878, at 22 Russel  Place.

Notes for EUGENE MC SWEENEY:

Grace Mc Sweeney    was  sponsor.   This Eugene   must have  died  young  as there  was  another Eugene  born  in 1887

         iv.  MICHAEL T MC SWEENEY, b. 04 Jun 1880, at 22 Russel  Place.

Notes for MICHAEL T MC SWEENEY:

Sponsors  Margaret O’Longán  and Richard Duffy

          v.  MARY AGNES MC SWEENEY, b. 24 Jul 1882, at 22 Russel  Place.

         vi.  MARGARET MARY MC SWEENEY, b. 18 Jul 1884, at 22 Russel  Place.

        vii.  EUGENE JOS MC SWEENEY, b. 08 Jul 1887, at 22 Russel  Place.

Notes for EUGENE JOS MC SWEENEY:

John Pat  Murray  and  Caroline  Gilligan  (O’Gillogain )  were sponsors

viii.  ANNA MC SWEENEY, b. 1889.

Notes for ANNA MC SWEENEY:

Alphonsus Ryan  and Anne  Fitzsimons  were  sponsors.

 ix. Joseph Mac Sweeney b. 1893

Notes for Joseph Mac Sweeney

I have been informed by Esther Fidgeon grand-daughter of Joseph Mac Sweeney b. 1893 as per the following – ‘My Grandfather Joseph Sweeney ( as he removed the Mac) married a much younger lady, my grandmother Elizabeth O’toole from Wicklow. They had 2 boys Joseph (my father) b 1937 d,1984, and John (known as Sean) died young adult in 1962. Margaret (Greta) Mac Sweeney was my godmother, she was a pianist in the Abbey theatre in Dublin. I only met her a few times as a child. I believe she had one child Pearl, emigrated to Canada. She raised 2 of her brothers (not sure which, because he and his wife were tragically killed) children named Patricia (Patsy but also known as Dr. Leoni Mac Sweeney) and Billy Mac Sweeney (Dublin)’.

  It  was  rumoured    around  Glin    that  Mary  O’ Longan,   wife of Jeremiah  Joseph  Mc Sweeney emigrated   to   the U. S. A    and  took  with  her  all   the   O’ Longán writings .

ANNA⁶ O’LONGÁN(JOSEPH⁵, MICHEÁL Ó’LONGÁN ( MICHEÁL ÓG⁴ ), MICHÉAL MAC PEADER³ O’LONGÁN, PEADER², ANCESTOR¹O’ LONGÁN) was born 18 May 1852 in Whitechurch Co. Cork.  She married AENEAS MURRAY 27 Apr 1874 in Pro Cathedral Dublin. 

Children of ANNA O’LONGÁN and AENEAS MURRAY are:

           i.  JOSEPH O’LONGAN⁷ MURRAY, b. 07 Mar 1881, 24 Summer Street Dublin 1.

          ii.  HANNAH JOS. MURRAY.

         iii.  ANNIE MARY MURRAY.

 PAUL⁶ O’LONGAN(JOSEPH⁵ O’LONGÁN, MICHEÁL Ó’LONGÁN ( MICHEÁL ÓG⁴ ), MICHÉAL MAC PEADER³ O’LONGÁN, PEADER², ANCESTOR¹ O’ LONGÁN) was born 07 Jul 1858 in Whitechurch Co. Cork, and died 1922 in Anglesea  Wales.  He married ELIZABETH O’CONNELL 1884 in Westham England.  She was born Abt. 1863 in Co. Kerry, and died 1920 in Essex.

     Children of PAUL O’LONGAN and ELIZABETH O’CONNELL are:

           i.  MARY ⁷ O’LONGÁN, b. 1886, England; m. KANE.

          ii.  JOSEPH B O’LONGÁN, b. 1887, England; d. 1959; m. CONQUEST, London.

         iii.  ELIZABETH THERESA O’LONGÁN, b. 1889, England; d. 1920, Essex  England.

         iv.  AILEEN O’LONGÁN, b. 1890, Fairview Dublin.

          v.  PAULINE GENEVIEVE O’LONGÁN, b. 1893, Blackrock   Cork; married. RAWKINS, Berkshire.

         vi.  ANNIE JOS. O’LONGÁN, b. 1895, Blackrock   Cork; married. GREENWOOD, Essex.

        vii.  PAUL CHARLES STACPOOLE O’LONGÁN, b. 1897, Blackrock   Cork; d. 1917, WW 1 Shot Down.

Paul Charles Stacpoole O’Longan. Second Lieutenant 41st Squadron Royal Flying Corps and The Royal Irish Regiment. Killed in action on the 1st of June 1917 aged 19. He was the son of Paul O’Longain, (HM Customs examining officer), and Elizabeth O’Longan of Blackrock County Cork. He is buried in Oosttaverne Wood Cemetery, Heuvelland, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

 From further research by Sean, we read as follows –

Paul Charles Stacpoole O’Longan,(son of Paul & grandson of Joseph O’Longain.)

MAY 31, 1917.

‘WHAT a mass of latent talent there is, to be sure, in the squadrons of the Flying Services. In various forms it is always-cropping out. The other day a modest little booklet reached this office, between the covers of which are gathered together ” Last Post ” and a few other poems by P.C. Stacpoole-O’Longan, Royal Irish Regiment and a ” Wings “ man now away in France. Although not yet out of his teens—some of the verses were his work at 16, some at 17, and the last in the tiny volume, which we reprint below,

When Mr. O’Longan was but 18 yrs of age there is a distinct strain of originality about the young poet’s thoughts…’

As already stated this  is the grandson  of Joseph Long, (Seosamh  O’Longán)

He   brought the “Dúchas “ the  gift of  poetry  with   him  as follows ;

Sleep  on ! Sleep on, beneath the deepest wave.

Unmeasured e’en as thine own genius ; swayed

Not by a careless breath. Thou wert obeyed

Within thy span by us ; but naught could save

‘ E’en thee, our firmest rock : thou hadst to slide

Also into the sea of death. Have rest

Within thy ghostly sphere, for we are blest

By thine example. Thy virtues still abide

With us, stern warrior : they must always last

Until the very stars fall from the sky.

I heard our guns afar (and held my breath),

Smiting the foe upon the Danish waste. . b

The loud victorious echoes rolled by

And formed fit wreath for thy brow Wrapt in death.

P. C. Stacpool-0’Longan.

MARGARET⁶ O’LONGÁN(JOSEPH⁵ O’LONGÁN, MICHEÁL Ó’LONGÁN ( MICHEÁL ÓG⁴ ), MICHÉAL MAC PEADER³ O’LONGÁN, PEADER², ANCESTOR¹ O’ LONGÁN) was born 28 Aug 1865 in Whitechurch Co. Cork, and died 1921 in Dublin.  She married JAMES O’GIOLLAGAIN 1885 in Dublin.  He was born 1860 in Malta, and died 1944 in Dublin.

Notes for JAMES O’GIOLLAGAIN:

This   family   moved  from Emmet  St  to    3 Fairview  Avenue  according to 1911 Census  until 1912.   

Children of MARGARET O’LONGÁN and JAMES O’GIOLLAGAIN are:

           i.  MARIANNE⁷ O’GIOLLAGAIN, b. 09 Apr 1900, at 11 Emmet  Street Dublin.

          ii.  CARMEL O’GIOLLAGAIN, b. Abt. 1886, at 11 Emmet  Street Dublin.

         iii.  JOSEPH O’GIOLLAGAIN, b. Abt. 1896, at 11 Emmet  Street Dublin.

         iv.  JAS JULIAN O’GIOLLAGAIN, b. 16 Mar 1894, at 11 Emmet  Street Dublin.

          v.  ANNE O’GIOLLAGAIN, b. Abt. 1898, at 11 Emmet  Street Dublin.

         vi.  MARGARET O’GIOLLAGAIN, b. Abt. 1890, at 11 Emmet  Street Dublin.

        vii.  BRIDGET O’GIOLLAGAIN, b. Abt. 1901, at 11 Emmet  Street Dublin.

       viii.  ITA O’GIOLLAGAIN, b. Abt. 1904, at 11 Emmet  Street Dublin.

         ix.  THOMAS O’GIOLLAGAIN, b. Abt. 1887, at 11 Emmet  Street Dublin.

                x.  JOHN GABRIEL O’GIOLLAGAIN, b. Abt. 1891, at 11 Emmet  Street Dublin.