The Old School in Kilcash

Last Friday night, 17 October 2014, I attended the Community Hall, Kilcash, Co.Tipperary. This building was the old school in the village. It consisted of a girls' school on the west side; living quarters in the middle; and a boys' school on the East side. A new school was opened in 1958 and continues to provide for the educational needs of the children in the area.

The old school has been converted into one building and refurbished in a very attractive style. Great credit is due to the committee for providing this lovely community hall in Kilcash.

The building is 200 years old this year and to mark the occasion, the committee invited former pupils of the school to join them last Friday night.

Two distinguished guests gave talks. The renowned historian, Dr. Vincent Comerford, spoke about The National School system and it's predecessor, The Kildare Place Society. Dr. Comerford was born at South Lodge in Grangemockler parish and has many cousins in the area. Con Manning spoke and showed slides, tracing his family association with teaching in the area going back to the 18th century.

It was great to meet old class mates and neighbours that I seldom meet. Overall a pleasant occasion.

A Sporting Memory

1940 Munster SHC Semi-Final: Limerick v. Waterford

Mick Mackey was marking Christy Moylan, a delightful exponent of the code and their duels were the highlight of the game. On two occasions, both players got a little rough with each other, and on the second such occasion after they were separated, play was suspended because of an injury to a player at the other end of the field.

Mick Mackey ran to the sideline and asked for an orange which a spectator supplied and on returning to his position divided the orange in two and threw half to his opponent Christy Moylan who was down on his knee six or seven yards away.

The gesture received a tremendous ovation and when the full time whistle blew, with the teams level, these two great sportsmen were seen to hug and embrace each other in the middle of the field.

From The Munster GAA Story by Jim Cronin:

This game was played in Killarney on 16 June 1940, and ended Limerick 4-2 Waterford 3-5. The replay was held in Clonmel on 14 July 1940. Both teams had played at this venue in the same stage of the Munster championship in 1937. This game was described as one of the best during the Shannonsiders' reign at the top when they pulled the game out of the fire in added time. The amount of added time played was a bone of contention with Waterford officials and supporters for many years afterwards. 

The 1940 replay was another titanic struggle with a similar pattern to previous encounters between the teams. Waterford were in the ascendancy for most of the contest only for Limerick to pull it out of the fire in the final minutes. Limerick went on to win the All-Ireland, beating Kilkenny 3-7 to 1-7 in the final. This win was the final curtain for this great Limerick team. The county did not win another senior All-Ireland until 1973.

Thanksgiving Day in Canada

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. It was first celebrated in 1879 and has been observed annually since 1931 on the second Monday of October.

Old Slievenamon

The following is taken from Romantic Slievenamon which was edited by the late James Maher of Kickham Street, Mullinahone, Co.Tipperary.

— Old Slievenamon! — Did we ever indulge in day-dream of which you were not part and parcel? Its sweetest draught was to contemplate the happy homes around thy base, freed for ever from the despoiler! 

Was the dream of love? It was to thy azure outline the beloved one turned her eyes to hide the blush and the tear, called up by the impassioned avowel. And when the trembling hand was at length yielded, and the pure heart wooed and won — you old mountain! Peeped in, through woodbines and sweet briar, upon a home scene, the like of which — alas! — is but too seldom to be found save in the visions of the dreamer. 

And when the time for such visions was gone by, and despair crept in where hope had been —when the cup of sorrow was drained to the very dregs — was it not to thee we fled — like a child to it's mothers lap — and thou has heard the groan which torture and the rack would fail to wring in the hearing of human ear? 

And when every earthly hope had withered, save one — what was it? — to sleep the last long, peaceful sleep beneath thy shadow. And saddest thought of all, is this too, but a dream, never to be fulfilled? 

We do not wonder at the reply of the United Irishman, when asked, after a lifelong exile, why he returned to a land where there was not a single friend or acquaintance left to bid him welcome — "I came back" said the exile, "to see the mountains".

— Charles J. Kickham, Tales of Tipperary.