SEAN O’LONGAIN By George Langan.

Sean O Longain.

Circa 1771, thirty years after Michael Mac Peadair had left Glin, we find his brother Sean acting as agent for the Knight, Thomas Fitzgerald. It appears that sometime after Michael had departed for Cork, Sean left his home in Ballydonoghue and came to live in Glenagragra. He got married to Ellen Culhane of Meanus and they subsequently became the father and mother of the celebrated Tom Langan (Captain Steele). They had another son Peadar Ruadh O’Longain (died 1856) who was a noted seanchai. There is no record of any other son born to the family. As previously stated they had a daughter who was married to Johnny Hayes’s grandfather. Sean, along with brother Michael Mac Peadair, had a brother Patrick Langan and at least two sisters namely – Siobhan O’Longain and the aforementioned Kate Langan (who lived at McInerney’s). ‘Launey’ said that he (Launey) had an ancestress Mary O’ Longain who was an aunt to Michael Og. That would make her a sister of Sean’s but I would query that information. I am of the opinion that she was Michael Og’s grandaunt, (Sean’s aunt, not his sister) who was married to Donal Riabhach Culhane. Sean had another aunt Joan Langan, Mary’s sister, who married Dan Culhane a descendent of Donal Beag Culhane who escaped from the siege of Glin Castle by Carew. ‘Launey’, in a letter dated 16/2/1966 to Padraig de Brun outlines how Dan’s wife Joan use to urge her husband  (who was known as Donal a’Bhata) into battle –

‘Little Daniel and fair haired Daniel,

Young Daniel and big Daniel,

Deaf Daniel from Knockeranna,

And Daniel of the sick, the skirmisher of Glin’.

‘Launey’ in another letter dated 9/1/1969 to Padraig de Brun states – ‘When John Bateman Fitzgerald (1706-1803) who was a friend of Count Daniel O’Connell promised him to raise a regiment in the Glin area; it was opposed by Sean O’Longain, the Knight’s agent and others’. Sean’s son the aforementioned Peadar Ruadh gave information about the dispute between his father and the Knight. Sean, by the way, was also agent for the Russels of Limerick. ‘Launey’ also states that most of the Langan’s of west Limerick descended from Sean Langan. Meanus, the birthplace of Sean’s wife Ellen. Meanus was part of Ballyculhane/Ballingoul back then. This was the ancestral home of the Culhane’s and by coincidence; it was also the homestead of Kit Culhane who was an ancestor of Paddy Brassil of Tarmons Hill. My former classmate, Sean Wallace (born circa 1951) formerly Tullyleague, Glin now residing in Dublin informs me that. Kit, who died circa 1890, was a cousin to the aforementioned Joseph O’Longain. Sean also tells me that Tom Stack from back in Kerry married the last of the Culhane’s. They had no family and Tom gave the place to his nephew Ned Horan whose family live there now. Ned continued to give his address as Meanus in the Tithe Books thereafter.