We were left with the following account on the Danaher family from Colm Danaher, son of master William.
‘In the middle of the 17th century, two brothers Maurice & Philip Danaher left their home in North Tipperary. They were escaping the landlord Brodel’s persecution…a Cromwellion officer who was rounding up hundreds of young people to be dispatched to the West Indies to work as slaves. They left during the middle of the night to meet up with a connection in Co. Kerry. They stopped at Mothar Glas, Glenagower, Athea with little or nothing and remained there. It was said that the rabbits and salmon from the nearby river kept them alive the first winter. Following Maurice’s death, the tenancy passed on to his son Daniel and then onto Daniel’s son Daniel who settled in Castlemahon, Co. Limerick. Daniel set up a hedge school in Castlemahon. Daniel Danaher was followed by his son Patrick who carried on the hedge school as did Patrick’s son John. One of John’s sons Daniel got a teaching post at Duxtown, Rathkeale.’
Kevin Danaher, Son of Master William Danaher (Liam O’Danachair) gives us a slightly different account on the flee to West Limerick. In the Book. ‘MEMORIES OF MY YOUTH By Liam O’Danachair, the introduction by Kevin Danaher as follows –
‘The writer of these notes was born in July 1874 (that was William Liam Danaher) and christened Cul-Le-Cine, as his father explained in a letter to a cousin’ as follows –
‘I have named him William which I suppose you will be somewhat surprised at. But this name has been Mary’s father’s, and in gratitude for bringing her over the sickness-I have waived my own claim in this respect. Daniel Danaher who wrote this letter was born in 1828 and was principal teacher in Duxtown National School. His father, John, (Old Johnny or Johnny Pheatsai Dean) was a farmer and hedge school master in Lios Un Uisce, Mahoonagh Parish and married to Anne O’Brien of Croom, a cousin of the Farm By Lough Gur O’Brien’s’.
‘Old Johnny was born in 1788, son of Patrick (Peatsai Dean) also a hedge school master whose wife Margaret Scvanlon was a kinswoman on the one hand of the Fenian poet Michael Scanlon and on the other of the Scanlon sho was hanged for the murder of the Cailin Ban. Peatsai Dean was so called from his fathe Donal (Donal Spainneach) who had lived for a time in Spain, first as a student and then as a soldier in the Spanish army and had returned to Ireland in 1731 with a quantity of books and manuscripts and a Spanish wife (Known in family tradition as ‘The Spaniard’ her own name been forgottoen. This Donal set up a hedge school and offered instructions in Latin, Greek, French, Spanish, English and Irish, as well as mathematics, book-keeping, navigation and the use of globes.’
‘William Danaher’s mother was Mary Moylan born in 1840, the daughter of William Moylan, farmer, stone mason and house carpenter of Ballyallinan, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick and Mary Culhane of Riddlestown -the grandmother with whom William lived as a child and from whom he learned most of the family tradition. She was born in 1798‘
‘Donal Spaineach was a son of Donal Mhuiris, of Mothar Glas, Athea, whose father Muiris, was one of two brothers, the first of the name O’Danachair to come to West Limerick as refugees from the Cromwellion devestation of the McCarthy lands in County Cork. Philip, the elder, settled on a good farm at Cnoc an tSeanbhealaigh, Athea and Muiris, the younger, on a farm of mainly unreclaimed land at Mothar Glas.’ Cnoc an tSeanbhealaigh is appros 300 yds east of Flavin’s cross in Templeathea, down on the right heading towards Carrickerry. Mothar Glas is in Glenagower (Glenagore) further to the east. (George Langan)
‘It was from his grandmother Mary Culhane that William learned most of the family tradition. William Moylan was the son of John Moylan & Mary Egan (Mac Egan) whose father was Charles Mac Egan who owned a tavern which stood on the site where the bridge carries the road over the railway at Rathkeale station. Mary’s brother Darby Egan was a priest in the diocese. John Moylan’s father was Seamus na nEan because of his skill as a wild fowler. Seamus was married to Mary Deely 1720-1807 was a priest in the diocese and enabled to minister tom the people through the good offices of the Landlore, Southwell.‘
‘As a child of 5 years old in 1732, this Seamus was returning with his father from the forge in Newcastle West with a new spade when they were stopped by some drunken English soldiers who took the opportunity of insulting and jostling ‘a native’, they began to play with my father as the child put it afterwards. Maddened by the baynet jabs, Patrick Moylan defended himself with his spade with which he killed one of his tormentors. As they bore him down he shouted to the child to run home. That night in the darkness, some neighbours cut down his hacked and battered body from the Crooked Tree, where it had been hung up as a warning. That same Crooked tree at Lisroe was still there in 1939 at the bend of the Newcastle West road, not the main road. (These notes from Kevin Danaher, taken from his father’s account on the family – ‘Memories of my Youth’.)
On August 21st, 1873 at Rathkeale church, Daniel Danaher married Mary ‘May’ Moylan 1843- from Ballyallinan, Rathkeale, daughter of William Moylan, a stone mason, and Mary Culhane 1798- from Riddlestown, the witnesses being – James Condan & Mary Culhane. Mary May’s occupation given as a dressmaker. Daniel & Mary lived on in the Moylan farm. (George Langan)
Daniel & Mary Danaher had the following family –
i. William Danaher was born on July 5th, 1874.
ii. On July 11th, 1876 a daughter Anne Danaher was born.
iii. On Feb 14th, 1879, a daughter Catherine ‘Katie’ Danaher was born.
iv. On June 29th, 1880 a daughter Mary Danaher was born.
v. On May 31st, 1882 a daughter Hanora Danaher was born.
vi. On Aug 30th, 1884 a daughter Agnes Danaher was born.
Daniel Danaher died at Rathkeale on Dec 12th, 1930 aged 90 years, his daughter Katie Kirby present at his death. Mary Moylan Danaher died at Rathkeale, the widow of a schoolteacher, on Nov 5th, 1937 aged 96 years, her daughter Katie Kirby present at her death.
Colm Danaher continues…..‘William Danaher was educated at Duxtown National School, Mungret College and took an honours graduation at the Royal University in 1894. He trained as a teacher at De La Salle training college. He taught school in Rathkeale and thereafter at Cappamore. In 1901 he came to Athea and was appointed to Clash school. Knowing Danaher’s knowledge of literature and mathematics, the parish priest asked him to take some evening classes for students who wished to further their education. He got board and lodgings at a farmer named John O’Connor in Clash. His first two students were C. Mulvihill and C. Sullivan from Lower Athea who went on to become priests. The fame of the night school spread and soon he was overcrowded to the degree that each pupil was restricted to two nights per week. Pupils came from Knockanure, Glin, Carrickerry and Abbetfeale. The last scholar to call to Master Danaher for an evening session – fifty years after his first such class – was Tim Kelly, son of Jack Kelly and grandson of Tade Kelly, Knocknaboul, Athea, Tim went on to become a Supt in An Garda Siochana.’
‘Brown Joe’ O’Connor was married to one of these Kelly’s.
‘Other pupils that attended the classes included – three from Templeglantine, Matt and Denis Dillane and Jimmy Collins who went on to be a T.D. in Dail Eireann. Doctors McGrath, Lane, Barrett and Leahy also did their matriculation from O’Connor’s.’
On July 28th, 1908 at St. Michael’s church Limerick city, William Danaher, aged 30 years, (marriage age differs from birth age ) married schoolteacher Margaret Ryan aged 26 years, her address given as Athea, daughter of John Ryan, a farmer, the witnesses being – Martin Culhane, Rathkeale & Anna M. Ryan, Carrickerry. Margaret Ryan was from Martinstown, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick.
‘William & Margaret went to live in Upper Athea in a house that was built for Fr. John Ryan who became P.P. in Athea. A family of the Galway’s lived there afterwards’. ’In 1916 William built a house in Gortnagross and in 1926 he was transferred to Athea boy’s school as principal where he taught ‘till 1937’.
William Danaher & Margaret Ryan had four sons as follows -,
John Joseph Danaher born on March 3rd, 1910 at Upper Athea. On Jan 12th, 1944 at the church of St. Therese, Dublin South, John Joseph Danaher, profession given as medical practitioner at the Coombe Hospital, married Ellen Christina McNally from Navan, Co. Meath, the witnesses being Kevin Danaher & Magdeline McNally. John Joseph Danaher emigrated to Newcastle, England where he continued his practice. He died in Jan 1980 at Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England.
Kevin Danaher, Caoimhin O Dannachair, was born on Jan 30th, 1913 at the Crescent Nursing Home, Limerick city. Kevin was a professor of folklore at Universary College Dublin (U.C.D.) and was the man who saved the Manx language for the people of the Isle of Man. Caoimhín Ó Danachair died 14 March 2002 in Dublin and is buried in St Fintan’s cemetery, Sutton, Dublin. For the life and times of Kevin see link hereunder.
https://www.dib.ie/biography/o-danachair-caoimhin-danaher-kevin-a2392
Martin Gerard Danaher, born Sept 7th, 1915 at Gortnagross, Athea. Martin died in March 1990 at Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales. Martin was a doctor in Llanelli, Wales.
Colm Danaher born Feb 4th, 1922 in some hospital, can’t make out the name. He was registered as Patrick Column but that was corrected to read Colm. Colum gave up his teaching at a relatively young age and went out working for farmers etc, he worked with the rural electrification scheme diggig holes for the poles with shovel and pick-axe. No diggers back then. Colm was laid to rest in Edenderry about 10 years ago.
William Danaher taught in Athea from 1904 untill his retirement in 1937, first at Clash N.S and afterwards in Athea N.S. He was holding classes at O’Connor’s farmhouse in Clash, Athea after finishing his days teaching at Clash national school. William died a widower on May 18th, 1957 at Bons Secours Home, Tralee from a strangulated hernia as a result of falling off a bicycle, he was aged 85 years. His wife Margaret Ryan Danaher died on Dec 14th, 1944 at Sunvale, Athea, her son Caoimhin O Dannachair, (Kevin) present at her death. (Sunvale being the name of the house in Gortnagross)
Excerpts from Memories of My Youth By Liam O’Danachair as follows –
Liam O’Danahair’s earliest memories from where he lived from 1873 to 1884 are of his grandmother and Aintin Norrey, they were two old women who always spoke Irish.
The house was about a mile from Knockaderry in the townland of Ballyallinan. Neighbours would call to the house at night, sit around the fire and converse in Irish. People he remembered calling were – Dick Nash who told stories in Irish, James Malone, an old man named Lynch, Con O’Donnell, Old Doherty, Johnny Mulcahy and two Egan’s. Occasional visitors included were ‘Paid na hAbhainn’ or ‘Paddy from Feale’ who always had a roll of Irish manuscripts. A traveling man by the name of Cotter who was also a poet would call. He believes that this was the same Cotter man that he heard of twenty years later in Athea, he known as ‘Mac Cotter na Gruaige. He would also hear poems by my kinsman Micheal Og O’Longain read out at these gatherings.
The old people that listened to John Moylan remembered a time when country people would not understand an address in English and when most of the sermons in Church were in Irish. When Major Going was shot at the ”Five Cross Roads” east of Rathkeale, in 1822, the Parish Priest addresses a meeting, in Irish to condemn the outrage.
Liam continues……..”My grandmother also heard a similar address near Coolcappagh from Fr. Derby Egan, who made a speech in Irish condemning the shooting of Major Hare at Mount Heny House, this was in 1822 also. (She was born in 1798 and died in 1893). I left the house in 1884 to reside with my parents in Rathkeale.”
”At the nightly meetings many traditions of the past were recalled. They spoke of Sean O’Chogaidh, the Moylan who fought under Sarsfield at Limerick and who later built the house where we sat. They spoke of Cathal Mac Eagain, my grandfather’s grandfather who kept a tavern at the cross-roads where Rathkeale railway station now stands. This tavern was a rendezvous for the local poets and a frequent visitor there was the Steward of the Knight of Glin on his way to fairs in Rathkeale, Adare or Croom. He was Micheal O’Longain, the father of Micheal Og O’Longain.”
”My grandmother would repeat what she had heard from her father, Thomas Culhane, of the taking of Glin Castle by Carew – ”Criu” as she called him and of the death of her ancestor, Donal Culhane, in the fight. This Donal was known as ”Fear an Iarla” as he had been a gallowglass of the Earl of Desmond some 25 years before his defense of Glin Castle and his death there. They also spoke of the death of the Cailin Ban.”
”But best of all I remember the tales of wonder told by my grandmother, Dick Nash and others. I am under the impression that two men whom I met some sixty years ago took down many tales from Dick Nash and others. These men were Jerry Howard, one time N.T, at Ballyloughane N.S., Ardagh and Michael Cussen of Monagea, Newcastle West, a civil servant. I do not know if they were ever published.”
”I used to drive my grandmother around to visit some of her cronies, one of whom was a Mrs Higgins, a Mrs. Roche and ”Long Anne” Tesky whose eldest son was then ninety years of age and she herself about 115 years. Tesky was the last speaker of Irish among the Palatines and also the last speaker of that German dialect which they brought with them to Ireland in 1712.”
There was a station at Tadhg Leahy’s of Binn an Easpuig while Eoghhan Rua was working there.
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Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin (1748 – 29 June 1784), anglicized as Owen Roe O’Sullivan (“Red Owen”), was an Irish poet. He is known as one of the last great Gaelic poets. A recent anthology of Irish-language poetry speaks of his “extremely musical” poems full of “astonishing technical virtuosity”, and also notes that “Eoghan Rua is still spoken of and quoted in Irish-speaking districts in Munster as one of the great wits and playboys of the past.”[1] This is taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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