Cumann Staire Agus Seandálaíochta Oirdheisceart Na Gaillimhe

Market Scene, Ballinasloe, Co Galway. Cumann Staire agus Seandálaíochta Oirdheisceart na Gaillimhe

Newsletter No. 19 Autumn 2015 Events and Lectures, Autumn 2015 Contents SEGAHS Lectures East Galway Agrarian Agitation 2 Black ‘47, Esker by Ronan Killeen 2 Tuesday, September 15th (Lecture & Book Launch) A Family Divided by Steve Dolan 4 Lecture by our own Ann O’Riordan entitled 'I will not Postcards: Main Street, Portumna 7 be smoked out'; the burning of Ballydugan house, 1922' Éirí Amach na Cásca 7 at O’Mearas in Portumna at 8pm, and will be fol- Recommended Sources 8 lowed by the launch of her book ‘East Galway agrarian Four Post-Medieval and Early Modern Treacy agitation; and the burning of Ballydugan House, 1922’. Funerary Monuments by Christy Cunniffe 9 Ann is obviously well-known to SEGAHS members at Near Garbally 11 this point and the book follows her research area when What it says in the papers 12 completing her MA in Maynooth. Ann has contributed ______to various publications over the years and invested sev- Chairman’s Update eral years into this publication. What a wonderful year we’ve had in 2015 - and it’s not

Tuesday, October 13th (Lecture) over yet! All the lectures have all been so well-attended and Lecture by Paul Duffy on ‘Postcard Images of East Co thought-provoking, and the summer guided tour of the Por- tumna Bridge was a great success. I would like to express Galway’ at the Irish Workhouse Centre Portumna at my thanks to everyone for the support given to me as Chair- 8:30pm. Paul is a long-time contributor to the society person and wish you all a golden Autumn. both in terms of articles, and lectures (incl. ‘Some For the Autumn/Winter, we have loads of lectures, events, Watermills of South East Galway’). His book, and other plans and as always we will be sure to keep you ’Galway—History on a postcard’, inspired our own updated on same. We’re also hoping to have the AGM a ‘Postcards from the Edge’ series, and that and his publi- little earlier this year, perhaps in November. cation ‘Galway City: Snapshots Through Time’ are Ann O’Riordan, Chairperson. both bestsellers (available on-line from Currach Press). Membership

Other Events SEGAHS welcomes all new members. As a member of our Kilconnell Archaeology Seminar, Sept 12th society you will learn a great deal about your heritage in an Galway Community Archaeological Advisory Project interactive way by having access to regular lectures and gath- in partnership with Kilconnell Tidy Towns Committee erings. You do not need to have any qualifications or a high- are hosting a free one day Archaeology Seminar in Kil- level knowledge as the wonderful thing about community and connell Community Centre, Saturday 12th September local history is that anyone can get involved. The annual society membership fee is only €20. 2015. For further details contact Christy Cunniffe - Phone: 087 9697692 / Email: galwaycommunityar- Articles [email protected] If you have a heritage-related article or query that you would ______like to share with the society, we would be happy to hear from Help Sought: Anyone with any knowledge of (or memo- you. You can contact us at [email protected], or by visiting rabilia, documents or photographs) whatever on cricket our facebook page at www.facebook.com/SEGAHS, by fol- within the county is asked to make contact with the lowing us on twitter@SEGAHSIreland, or by coming to one of our lectures or field trips. PRO at [email protected]. East Galway Agrarian Agitation

Our 2015 Autumn lecture series kicks off on the 15th of September at 8pm in O'Mearas Portumna and is a special one for the society. The lecture will be given by our Chair- person Ann O’Riordan and will be followed by the launch her book East Galway agrarian agitation and the burning of Ballydugan House, 1922.

This book is based on the burning of Ballydugan House and the background to the burning of Michael Henry Burke’s house is charted alongside the rise of land agitation. With branches all over Galway, the Land League and the United Irish League voiced the disquiet of land-hungry tenants and sought relief for its landless members. At Bally- dugan, the collective expression and systematic protest for the transfer of land owner- ship included boycotting, landlord intimidation, cattle drives and damage to property.

This book also offers a unique insight into the often unheard of landlord experience and perspective on agitation offered by Burke’s granddaughter, Mrs Claire Besnyoe. Her recollections and reflections on the family’s decision to remain as landowners in the new Irish state and beyond, bring a distinctive element to this study. The conse- quences of the Burkes continued occupancy were not anticipated by the agitating Ballydugan tenants and the own- ership of this estate continued to be a source of ongoing contention for several decades afterwards.

The book will be formally launched at Loughrea Library on Thursday Sept 17th at 8pm by Prof Terence Dooley (NUI Maynooth). All our members and readers are welcome to either / both events, and books will be on sale. ______

The following article is an extract from a presentation given by local historian Ronan Killeen, in association with the Committee of Irish Famine Victims, on the 17th August 2013 which has been made available to us. That Great Famine study covered the Poor Law, the outbreak of the Great Famine, Sir Robert Peel & the Relief Commission, Sir Randolph Routh, Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan, the Relief Commissioners, and the Quakers; though here we focus on the Esker-specific elements of the lecture.

Black ’47, Esker Ronan Killeen

As the year 1847 began, known as Black ’47 because it was the worst year of the Great Famine, the official death toll in Co Galway had risen from 5,556 in 1846 and would reach 12,582 the year after. For the town of Galway alone the official (incomplete) death toll was 1,919. In addition, this period had seen thousands of inmates die in Galway Workhouse (estimated at 11,000). When people conjure up images of the Irish famine, many tend to ignore the final cause of death – disease.

One such disease was typhus which spread like wildfire, also killing very many of those trying to help – including doctors, priests, nuns, and countless local people in the act of helping neighbours. Many of the burials took place with the body covered only in rags of whatever was available and were deposited in ‘famine pits’ where hundreds were buried together. Some did manage to escape death by emigrating, while more were sentenced to transportation for stealing foods and supplies.

For so many there was no escape, though there were efforts at alleviating their suffering. A subject area which sees insufficient recognition is the countless efforts of ordinary people and ad-hoc relief works. By 1847 these no- ble efforts were stretched beyond breaking point and, like the local authorities and committees around the county, all involved were dreading the coming winter. One such local relief group was located at Esker, between Athenry and Kiltulla. Esker, which had been a monastic site since the sixteenth century, was fortunate in having a pioneer- ing priest in Fr. Peter Smyth who fought tirelessly to keep their parishioners alive throughout the famine. The Very Rev Dr Peter Smyth was a Prior of Esker and Provincial of the Order from 1832. His first effort at alleviating poverty was to provide a school for poor children of the neighbourhood whose faith was in danger of being un- dermined in another local school. He had been moved to do so partly because of the proselytizing of a school opened up by the Persse family. Given the position at home, and the lack of financial support, Fr Smyth went to England to collect funds for a school catering exclusively for the poor.

The following are transcriptions of a letter written by Fr Smyth to Esker Convent dated 15th March 1847 (taken from the Relief Commission papers). Also reproduced below is a newspaper report on Smyth’s efforts.

The very Rev. Dr. Smyth, Esker Convent, Athenry. The very rev. Doctor Smyth is at present, aiming and reclaiming Dear Sir, the wasted lands around him, building an agricultural college I have to acknowledge with the best gratitude the re- for the Benefit of Ireland. ceipt of twenty five pounds from the Relief Society of London, for Sir Randolph Routh for the Relief of my Suffering Poor may There are at present 600 children receiving a liberal and reli- God Bless them. gious education,- and @ 26 of the Boys apprenticed to the tai- I have been informed when in Dublin by Sir Randolph Routh, loring and shoemaking trades. For the girls there is a matron, that the Lord Lieutenant will give money. who instructs them in the making up of the every article of The very rev. Dr. Smyth care of dress, tinting to all classes of society. Mrs. Howard, 47 Lower Brook Street, There are also fifty of the four hundred children, clothed annu- London. ally; and one hundred destitute paupers daily fed at this estab- lishment;- There are no funds of means to carry on this work of I am Dear Sir with much respect mercy, but the benevolence of the Public. Forward Peter Smyth D. D. Smyth’s most ambitious school was Saint Dominic’s College which was opened on the 4th August 1847 in order to provide advanced education for the somewhat better-off Catholics. At different times in Esker an agricultural school and a school that taught trades were in operation. Sadly, starved of funds, the Ag- ricultural school ceased and the literary school became a Na- tional school which continued in the same building until 1895.

From 1847 food riots broke out, along with anti-landlord senti- ment. Everything had changed. The country would never be the same. The painful journey to independence over the next 75 years would be built on the foundation of the famine and the knowledge that British rule in Ireland had failed and killed.

Sources: Woodham-Smith, Cecil, The Great Hunger (Hamish Hamstead Ltd, 1987). Henry, William, Famine: Galway’s Darkest years (The Mercier Press Ltd, 2011). O’Connor, John, The Workhouses of Ireland: Fate of Ireland’s Poor (Anvil Press, 1996).

Sketch from Illustrated London News, 12 Dec 1849. Article from Kerry Examiner 23 March 1847, map 1840 6” OS overview. A Family Divided: Clanmorris of Dunsandle and Clanricarde of Portumna Steve Dolan

At the beginning of the 1640s, a rebellion broke-out in Ireland which saw a complicated political and military situa- tion develop. Civil War had broken-out in England between Monarch and Parliament, and in Ireland a complicated four-way struggle ensued between Confederates, Royalists, Parliamentarians, and Scots. There were complex con- tributory factors to the rebellion from the poor economic conditions, to land dispossessions or fear of same, to religious or political motivations. The Irish Confederates professed to side with the English Royalists, but for the most part they fought their own war in defence of Irish Catholic interests and lands.

Where Galway Stood At this time County Galway was dominated by de Burgo (Burke) family led by the Ulick Burke (Bourke), the Earl of Clanricarde, a man whose actions always appeared to be governed by self -interest. Initially, Clanricarde stayed aloof from the confederates and attempted to hold and defend Galway city (town) by encouraging restraint and co-operation with Royalists. This would prove a hard path to follow. In 1641, in what was referred to as ‘the plot that never was’, it was claimed that there was an aborted attempt to blow up the Irish Houses of Parliament with Clanricarde’s cousin, the ‘pestiferous papist’ Lord Clanmorris (Thomas Burke) from Dun- sandle, later misquoted as referring to such a plot.

Those who were making these claims apparently did so in an effort to portray Catholics as traitors with only loyalty to Rome. In reality, Clanmorris, following the lead of his cousin the Earl of Clanricarde, led a policy of appeasement to the Royalist forces and did not initially support the Irish Rebels. Clanricarde and Clanmorris’ united objective was to minimise the impact on their territories and on themselves. On the 30 November 1641, en route to visit Clanmorris at Dunsandle Castle (see sketch of same on SEGAHS Volume 13), Clanricarde visited Athenry to view two troops of horse of the King’s forces and eight foot companies which had arrived with Captain Francis Willoughby. However it appears that the view of the English Royalists to the Catholic Irish was one of distain, and as 1642 progressed Clanri- carde’s control over the town and county greatly lessoned.

Prelude to the Clanmorris Rebellion There were tensions from the start in this loose alliance and Clanmorris was became infuriated with the oppression of Catholics, while Clanricarde’s insistence and pleadings to the Royalists that Clanmorris was ‘on side’ was wearing thin. A definitive turning point came with the killing of Clanmorris’ kinsman Redmond Burke. Clanricarde too was furious and as documented in ‘The memoirs and letters of Ulick, Marquiss of Clanricarde’ wrote to all and sundry in June 1642 to express his frustrations with Captain Willoughby:-

“who came out into the country, now all quite, on this side of Galway, with his trumpet and troop of horse, for which I am sure he had no commission; and upon some slight pretence of complaint of a small extortion, he besets a house, and takes prisoner a sergeant of a company, under the command of my Lord Clanmorris, a well-experienced soldier, binds him, takes him to the fort, and there immediately hangs him, rejects a very respective letter of my lord’s unto him, not vouchsafing an answer; this act, so rash and unfit in itself, without relation to others, so destructive to my Lord Clanmorris, as a person of quality, a friend and a neighbour, so high an affront upon me and my government, is discoursed of with so much passion throughout the county, that I much doubt the effects thereof”.

The Depositions Frustrated with Clanricarde’s efforts at non-violent recompense, Clanmorris took matters into his own hands, and what happened next is recorded in various witness statements in the 1641 Depositions. These depositions, basically witness testimonies by predominantly Protestant men and women, relate individual experiences during the rebellion. In total, there were 90 depositions (or examinations, information, or testimonies) referencing Co Galway, though less than half of these refer to events within the county . The deposition of William Hamond, ‘Clerke Prebend of Killabegs in the Diocese of Tuam & Co of Galway’ dated 14 August 1643 described the rebellion of Clanmorris as follows:

“In the moneth of July 1642, Capt. Willoughby sent out 5 troopers from the forte to tell the Inhabitants of the Con Countrey thereabouts that they might safely come with any comodities to the fort or towne, for no violence should be offered to them by any under his comaund; these troopers were trayterously circumvented by the Lord Viscount Clan- morris (who had not formerly declared himselfe rebellious) and 3. of them (William Wrowlright, James Perciuall, Richard Bennet) presently hanged by the sayd Lord, not without most barbarous & inhumane agrauations of cru- elty”.

Analysing the Evidence It is imperative that one considers the credibility of all of these witness statements and indeed there are also questions on the influence of the clerks and the commissioners in manipulating these documents. In his history of Galway, the definitive history of the county indeed, James Hardiman took a decidedly more sympathetic view of events noting that Clanmorris ‘withdrew his troops’ from the King’s service and on finding Royalist soldiers from Galway ‘pillaging’ outside the town where they had murdered six innocents, Clanmorris had three of the soldiers seized and hung in retaliation.

It is also important to try to understand Clanmorris’ motivations. This was no ‘overnight conversion’ and by way of context it should also be stated that his brother in law and perhaps closest friend was the rebellious Bishop, Dr Tho- mas Fleming. (see also SEGAHS Vol.15 re Bishop Dominic Burke) The Calendar of Patent Rolls of James I also confirm the previous rebellious nature of the Clanmorris line and so in truth it should have been no surprise that Clanmorris would eventually be pushed to join the rebels. Clanricarde on the other hand would blame the Catholic church for encouraging dissent.

A Family Divided The paths of the Clanmorris and Clanricarde Burkes had diverged and soon the former was being referred to as ‘the Arch Rebell’ and would be referenced negatively in various depositions. Lord Clanmorris, Thomas Burke, died in September 1642, a month after formally joining the rebels and relinquishing Athenry town to Clanricarde whose reputation was now much-damaged. Clanmorris’ son, Richard Burke, would follow closely in his father’s footsteps. As the position deteriorated, in 1643 the Confederates retook Galway town from Parliamentarians and ‘threw open’ their gates to the Irish. By then only the Loughrea and Portumna areas, out of the entire province, remained under Royalist-Clanricarde control.

Clanricarde expended much funds, energy, and supplies in support of the Royalists and while these efforts would count in his favour in the long-term, in the short-term he was weakened. While Ulster had ‘led the way’ in these re- volts and would be affected most negatively, conflict did spread to the rest of Ireland, albeit to a lesser extent in Con- naught than much of Ireland. As in Munster, in Connaught some Irish lords (Catholics) had lost lands or feared dis- possession and so joined the rebellion for that reason. Very often, these attacks involved the beating and robbing rather than the killing of Protestants.

Few areas in the region were untouched by the guerrilla-type warfare, however the ethnic and religious divisions were far less stark than in Ulster. In this period, Clanricarde regularly pleaded for military defence for his lands at Loughrea and Portumna. Attacks on Royalist areas, but not castles, were undertaken to make it impossible for Royal- ist areas to maintain their own forces. Clanricarde also continued to write on behalf of Clanmorris and his firm sense of ‘justice and honour’, despite acknowledging that they had ‘separated’ from the same path.

Final Fight and Flight While the Confederates ruled much of Ireland as a de facto sovereign state, ‘murderous fighting’ would take place for the best part of a decade until the Irish Catholics were finally crushed with the arrival of Cromwell’s ‘New Model Army’ in 1649. When the Parliamentarian forces crossed the Shannon into Connacht in October 1650, Clanricarde attempted to stop them at Meelick in east Galway, but despite fighting heroically was outgunned and defeated.

Richard Burke of Dunsandle became a Colonel of the allied forces against Cromwell’s army and carried the fight to the invaders throughout the west. Despite his efforts, a succession of defeats and surrenders followed in 1652. April was the darkest month and after Roscommon fell, so too did Carrick-on-Shannon with Burke crushed., The garrison surrendered with all their ‘arms, ammunition, artillery and stores’, and all twenty of the articles concerned Burke in one way or another, though the detailed ‘article two’ best sets out the terms where:

“Col. Rich. Bourke, the Officers, and Soldiers shall have quarter of life and liberty to march forth, with their arms, horses, bag and baggage, colours flying, drums beating, lit matches, six shot of powder, and that such as desire the same shall be admitted into protection of the state of England…. [and] have the liberty to march in the County of Galway in order to their transportation… for their entertainment into the service of the King of Spain”.

Remarkably, the story of these Burkes does not end with exile. For more, see SEGAHS newsletter 14 pages 10-11.

Petty’s Hiberniae Delineatio 1685 with modern Kilconierin parish and Dunsandle/‘Dounsandall’ highlighted.

Bibliography - Clanricarde, Marquiss, The memoirs and letters of Ulick, Marquiss of Clanricarde and Earl of St Albans (London, 1757). - Dunlop, Robert, Ireland under the Commonwealth Volume I (Manchester, 1913). - Fennell, Barbara, ‘Dodgy dossiers? Hearsay and the 1641 Depositions’, History Ireland, vol. xix, no. 3 (May/June 2011). - Hardiman, James, A History of the town and county of Galway to 1820 (Galway, 1958). - TCD, 1641 Depositions Project, online transcript January 1970. Postcards from the Edge

All of us at SEGAHS would like to thank you all for the postcards and images received from around the county. It is such a positive that this is an area of interest for so many of our readers, many of whom are fans of Paul Duffy’s book ‘Galway –History on a Postcard’, and Paul will be joining us again for our Autumn lecture series.

In this edition a postcard of Main Street, Portumna is reproduced from Paul’s ‘History on a Postcard’. This will be among the images presented and discussed in the October lecture. Also pictured is the modern scape.

Dating postcards such as this can often be challenging and in his upcom- ing lecture Paul will be touching on the early history of these images and will provide a general background information.

If you have any early postcards or images from the region at home or on a wall, and you would like to bring them along in the night (Oct 13th), Paul and our committee would love to see them.

Our postcard series will continue with an image from Colemanstown in our next edition.

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Éirí Amach na Cásca As indicated in our previous newsletters, SEGAHS are forming a working group to acknowledge the contribution of those from south and east Galway to the 1916 Rising.

Galway is unique outside of Dublin in terms of the activity that did take place, and in terms of the contribution in providing some of the major personalities to the rebellion.

While the centenary is almost upon us, its certainly not too late for you to share your ideas on how we can best mark the Rising. Please get in touch with us directly, come along to our lectures, or contact us via facebook or via e-mail at [email protected].

SEGAHS 1916 Committee, September 2015. Recommended Sources in Local History

In a series on the sources of information available to local history researchers, and indeed genealogists, in this newsletter we are highlighting the Enhanced Parliamentary Papers of Ireland (EPPI) which is available at http://www.dippam.ac.uk/eppi/

In its most basic description, the EPPI provides access to the full range of British Parliamentary Papers relating to Ireland from 1801 to 1922. The initial project involved the electronic cataloguing and a full text digitisation of more than half a million pages from Southampton University’s ‘Ford’ Collection. The many reports range from social en- quiries and census information, to political and military developments. At the core of the records however are the nu- merous reports on economic, educational, and cultural institutions which have proved invaluable for remote research.

For those unfamiliar with the broad range of information available, pictured below is a screen-grab of just one report (Royal Commission) from 1836 picked at random. This particular report lists the cases taken by property owners against tenants for non-payment of rent. Perhaps the best known plaintiff of those listed is the Marquis of Clanricarde who had taken cases against various tenants, including Michael Gaven here in July 1830 re five acres of land with almost £14 in rent owed. There are listings for virtually every parish right across the county and country

The bibliographic records and searchable PDFs are now available for a large majority of the collection through the University of Southampton Library WebCat. No login is required. It is recommended that you limit your search by typing 'EPPI' into the keywords plus any other search term(s). If you require the assistance or advice of us at SEGAHS, you know where find us ([email protected]).

Note: The British Government established countless commissions to enquire into poverty in Ireland with over one hundred appointed in the twenty years to 1835. The reports continued up to, during and after the famine and for those studying the nineteenth century history of their estate / parish / county, the EPPI is arguably the single most important source of information. Four Post-Medieval and Early Modern Treacy related Funerary Monuments in Clonfert Diocese C Cunniffe

As part of ongoing survey of seventeenth-century and a collection of similar eighteenth-century funerary monuments in Clonfert Diocese by the author it has become very evident that there is quite a large corpus of extant monuments from this period. The survival of these particular monuments provides an important insight into aspects of Post- Medieval and Early Modern Catholicism and Church patronage in the Diocese. They range in date from the early seventeenth-century, to the latter quarter of the eighteenth century, forming a distinct type of monument that requires further study in areas outside of the diocese. Many examples bear elaborate Coats of Arms, and nearly all examples carry important genealogical material, and often provide the only means of taking personal family histories back to the seventeenth century. When matched to the surviving documentary evidence they form an extra historical layer to assist the genealogist. In addition to the monument types discussed in this paper, there are also a number of wall tombs of seventeenth-century date and a collection of seventeenth-century graveyard crosses - this latter monument type has not been well studied or published in a Galway context. A number of fragmentary crosses of this period have also come to light during fieldwork.

The O' Treacys of East Galway are one of a number of septs that combine to form the tribal group referred to as the Uí Maine (O'Donovan 1843, 39-41). They are a distinct group, not to be confused with Treacys from elsewhere in Ireland. In this short paper the focus is on two clusters of Treacy funerary monuments of seventeenth- and eighteenth- century date. There are two monument-types represented in this group, comprising of three recumbent slabs (both rectangular and tapered slabs) and one framed mural plaque. This latter monument is quite common in Co. Galway and used specifically for display within the body of its associated church. None of the four examples discussed here bears a Coat of Arms or any other form of heraldic device.

To date three recumbent graveslabs and one mural plaque have been recorded for at least two different Treacy fami- lies in East Galway. A pair of large recumbent slabs can be clearly assigned to one particular family centred on the Killimorbulloge (Killimor) area. This pair of large rectangular slabs are situated on the floor of the chancel of Killi- mor medieval parish church and on the choir floor of Portumna Dominican Priory. The other two monuments are located in the sanctuary area of Kilconieran medieval parish church, a parish to the west of Loughrea. These are dedicated to a separate Treacy family that lived in that parish. One of these latter examples is a framed wall mounted plaque the other is a tapered slab. This paper will focus on these four Treacy memorials, starting with the example in the ruined medieval parish church at Killimor (Fig. 1). It comprises of a tapered limestone recumbent graveslab. Un- fortunately it was broken into three irregular parts by grave-diggers to accommodate later burial at sometime in the twentieth century. This particular graveslab is typical of what one expects to find in the Clonfert region. It bears a large cross with a stepped calvary base and an elaborate cross-head with Fleur de Lis terminals. The inscription, which is in English, is carved in false relief on three vertical panels, one on the left margin, the other on the right and the third forming the lower section of the cross shaft. The inscription is read from the bottom up, starting with the left margin and moving across the slab.

(1) THIS STONE WAS MADE FOR / THO- MAS OGE TRESSY / FOR HIS SON WIL- LIAM O TRESSY / 1649

Drawing by Rory O’Shaughnessy (2012)

This well fashioned grave-slab has suffered considerable damage at the hands of grave-diggers. O'Donovan notes it in the Ordnance Survey letters but gives the incorrect date of 16-4. Other writers have followed O'Donovan's lead and interpreted this date as 1604. In fact close scrutiny of the stone by the author shows that it actually dates to 1649. It has a large central cross with Fleur de Lis terminals and a four-stepped calvary base. The inscription is carved in false relief on the wide borders along the sides of the slab and also on the cross shaft. The date is shown in the upper section of the cross, with the 16 on the left, 4 on the right and the 9 on the upper section of the cross shaft. A sacred IHS monogram with its small cross fills the lozenge forming the centre piece of the cross head. The use of the IHS monogram similar to the use of the calvary base, is a recurrent characteristic on gravestones of this period.

(2) THIS STONE WAS MADE / BY WILILAMNA (sic) & THO / MAS OGE TRESSIE OF MA / GHERINLIS NAD GANYD TRE / SSYE HIS WIFE

A not too dissimilar graveslab dedicated to Ganyd Tressy occurs in the choir of Portumna Priory erected by Thomas Oge and William Tressy (Fig. 2). Gany appears to be the wife of Thos and mother of William. The Portumna priory example consists of a large rectangular slab bearing a cross with a triple-stepped calvary base and an elaborate cross- head with Fleur de Lis terminals. Both the cross and inscription are inscribed into the stone. While there is no date present, it can be assumed that it predates 1649, the date at which Thomas Oge Tressy erected a stone for his son William buried in Killimor parish church. The ornament used is an elaborate form of Fleur De Lis with baluster shaped stems. The shaft exhibits an expansion form which the cross head springs that imitates a collar or knop. In- scribed collars generally bearing a dedication to the patrons or those commemorated are common on free standing crosses of this period, while ornamental knops are a characteristic of seventeenth-century chalices.

(3) THIS IS ERECTED / BY MARTIN TRESSY / TO PRAY FOR HIS / WIFE HONORA / ALIAS O BRYAN / & DA—TER MARY / DECEASED & THE / REST OF HIS FAMILY / 1755 This framed mural plaque is mounted on the east gable to the right of where the high altar was positioned in Kil- conieran medieval parish church (Fig. 3). It is dedicated to a member of the Treacy family. The inscription is in Eng- lish and comprises of raised lettering. The name Treacy is presented in the form "Tressy" which is common enough, in fact the name is frequently recited in spoken English as "Trassy". While this slab dates to no earlier than 1755, it is a fine example of the type of plaque generally found in the region. The majority of mural plaques generally consist of five separate pieces, the inscribed plaque and four moulded frames set around the plaque. Sometimes the lower frame is chamfered rather than moulded. Some mural plaques are unframed. Of course such examples could easily have been framed originally.

(4) PRAY FOR THE / WIFE OF / PATRICK TRESSY / MARGO ALIAS / MAUGHAN & HER / POSTERTITY WHO / DYED THE 14th / JULY 1760

This rectangular graveslab lying in the chancel area of the ruined medieval parish church is dedicated to members of the Treacy family (Fig. 4). It too dates to the eighteenth century, but is executed in a seventeenth-century style. The Ro- man lettering is executed in false relief and is similar in ways to the lettering on the associated mural plaque. However, the band between the lines of the inscription is much broader, and the Sacred IHS monogram and cross carved on the top panel of the slab is clearly of the form that we find on later ledgers and headstones.

Burial in this part of the church along with the use of an elaborate recumbent graveslab and associated mural plaque, suggests that the Treacy's were a family of some importance. In a previous body of work I have highlighted their involvement in local church affairs in various parishes in East Galway (Cunniffe 2013, 10-14).

References Cunniffe. C. 2013 'An Assessment of the Archaeological and Historical Background to Killimor Medieval Parish Church'. In A. Geoghegan and N. Mc Gann (eds), Killimor: Our Parish and Our People. Cunniffe, C. (forthcoming) Early-Modern Mural Plaques, Graveslabs and Related Monuments in Clonfert Diocese. O'Donovan, J. 1843 The Tribes and Customs of Hy-Many, commonly called O Kelly’s Country. Irish Archaeological Society, Dublin. O'Donovan, J. 1839 Letters containing information relative to the Antiquities of the County of Galway collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey 1839. Vol. 2. ______Near Garbally - Update Our thanks to all our readers who have been in touch in relation to the proposed restoration of William Howis’ 1841 oil painting Near Garbally (pictured). Members and regular readers will be aware that SEGAHS had been in touch with the National Gallery with a view to restoring this beautiful part of our cultural heritage.

The cost of restoration is being investigated and the gallery are consider- ing an on-line option for donations to specific pieces that people might feel drawn to, or works from their county.

Our sincere thanks to Orla O’Brien in the National Gallery who has taken the time to engage with us. Currently, the galleries are partly closed and scheduled to re-open next year with an exhibition ‘Creating History: Stories of Ireland in Art’ looking at how Artists interpreted the myths and history of Ireland. We hope to progress with our efforts in the latter part of next 2016 and will keep you updated. In the meantime, if you would like to find out more about the paintings in the National Gallery, visit http://www.nationalgallery.ie. What it says in the Papers

In response to your requests, and in acknowledgement that not everyone has easy access to our facebook page, over coming editions we will include some of the more entertaining or interesting newspaper articles, this time from the nineteenth century. In an example of how vividly one article can capture an event or period, pictured is one final eighteenth-century article - from Pue’s Occurances, 28 June 1757. In an era weighted with rituals, the article reports on a great Freemason celebration in Loughrea town and demon- strates the strength of the masons at this time.

For those unfamiliar with same, Freemasonry was an organisation which traced its origins to the local frater- nities of stonemasons from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. While they initially regulated the qualifications of masons, they had evolved into a quasi secret society. For a variety of reasons, the lodges would not survive the nineteenth century.

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Summer Activities: Portumna Bridge Guided Tour Pictured above is John Joe Conwell and some of our members and visitors at the field trip / tour of Portumna Bridge on Saturday May 9th last. The event was followed by soup and sandwiches at O’Mearas and a great day was had by all. ______

Is eagras deonach é Cumann Staire agus Seandálaíochta Oirdheisceart na Gaillimhe (SEGAHS) a bunaíodh chun bua na staire, na seandálaíochta agus an bhéaloidis in Oirdheisceat na Gaillimhe a chun chun cinn. Is fédir teagmháil a dhéanamh leis an chumann ag an seoladh ríomhphoist [email protected], ar an suíomh Idirlín www.facebook.com/SEGAHS, nó trí chabaireacht linn ar twitter ag @SEGAHSIreland.

South East Galway Archaeological & Historical Society (SEGAHS) is a voluntary organisation highlighting the richness of the history, archaeology, and folklore of South East Galway. If you would like to make contact, you can do so by e-mailing us at [email protected], by visiting our webpage at www.facebook.com/SEGAHS, or by following us on twitter @SEGAHSIreland.