Waterford County Museum: August 2022

Michael Collins, Cathal Brugha and Dan Fraher -- Dáil Loan Fund Cheque

This is a cheque for £99 written by Dan Fraher, Dungarvan to Cathal Brugha and dated 4 January 1920. It is singed on the reverse by Cathal Brugha and Michael Collins (in Irish) and also has the bank manager’s signature. ‘Portlaw ‘is also inscribed on the cheque.

Dan Fraher had been a noted sportsman in his younger days and his son Maurice was the first pupil at Pádraig Pearse’s school. Dan developed a playing field in Dungarvan known as The Gaelic Field and it is still in use, renamed Fraher Field in his honour. As an elderly man Dan was imprisoned at Ballykinlar Camp in Co Down, an experience from which he never fully recovered. His daughter Cáit married well-known republican Pax Whelan.

The Dáil Loans were bonds issued between 1919 and 1921 by The Dáil of the self- proclaimed Irish Republic to raise funds to run the new state in opposition to the British administration based in Dublin Castle. Michael Collins was appointed Minister for Finance in April 1919. The money raised was retained in bank accounts in Ireland and in the US. The Dáil approved the First Dáil Loan on 19 June 1919. £171,177 was raised in Munster.

Signatures on Cheque

Out Door Gallery Murals

If you are taking a stroll along the sea wall walk (in front of Boreenatra towards the Lookout Park, in either direction) you may have noticed the outdoor gallery of hand painted pictures featuring Irish nature scenes, a number are captioned in English and Irish. These are done by a local artist, Sinead Violet and which add to the beautiful panorama of the Seascape. These are sponsored by Dungarvan Tidy Towns & GSK. So next time why not stop and take a look at these amazing murals.

Stories from Old Newspapers

Waterford Standard, 5 September & 3 October 1936

Gossip of the Week by ‘Entre Nous’, Strand Hotel Clonea

5 September

At Clonea…I ran into Mr. Jack Bulfin, who is a cousin to Dan O’Mahony (1912-1950, born in Co. Cork), the world’s wrestling champion. Mr. Bulfin…is manager of the Dungarvan branch of the London and Newcastle Tea Company, and was very interesting on the subject of Dan’s Career. Mr. Bulfin introduced me to his wife, a charming person, whose amazing efficiency with the piano accordion has endeared her to all staying at the popular Strand Hotel (later called Ocean View Hotel). The hotel has now been fitted with the new Calor Gas System, produced by Messrs McMullen Bros, Dublin…The dance hall has also been fitted with the new system gas lighting, and looks very attractive.

3 October

Inhaling the sweet ozone of Clonea recently was Mr. Sean McKeown, who for many years was in the pharmaceutical chemistry business in Waterford. Mr. McKeown was looking his usual healthy self, but rather missed his old Waterford friends and the social life of the city. I hear he is at present in Youghal. While at Clonea, I must write something about the Dungarvan Golfers’ Dance, which was held in the Strand Hotel this week. A rather hectic night, and one which the gay couples contrived to make an event worthwhile remembering. They succeeded! A spirit of gaiety and bonhomie prevailed throughout the dance, accentuated by the lively strains of Chris Sylvester and his band…I must say the dance committee certainly organised a memorable dance and the arrangements were all that they should be.

Historic Town Atlas

The launch of the Historic Town Atlas took place on Wednesday 17th of August in Dungarvan Library for Heritage week.

The Historic Towns Atlas for Dungarvan prepared by John Martin for the Royal Irish Academy. This fantastic resource traces the evolution of settlement, society and economy in Dungarvan. Discover the origins of this coastal town, its archaeology, its architecture, industries and trade over the centuries as mapped and narrated in this comprehensive piece of work under the dedication of John Martin.

Copies of the Atlas will be available to purchase at the Museum priced at €35.

New Lighting System and New Panels

The museum has a new lighting system which illuminates the complete internal area of the museum and its many interesting exhibits and antiquities. This lighting system is specifically designed for museums and the requirements they need to ensure proper illumination, while being sensitive to the nature of the artifacts on display.

The new lighting system, which was funded by the museum through book sales and fund raising.

Additionally we have some new panels on such topics as: Emigration and The Famine, The Railway, Lace making, The Moresby, and Waterford Industries to name but a few.

So if you have any free moments during the week, why not drop in to the museum and see our updated displays.

Stories from Old Newspapers

Waterford News 30 March 1900

The New Waterworks at Lismore

The construction of the new reservoir for these works is now rapidly approaching completion, and in the near future the inhabitants of Lismore can enjoy the immense benefit of a copious and high-pressure water supply. It appears the engineering operations involved in this undertaking have proved of a most difficult character, but we are glad to learn that the almost insurmountable obstacles that beset the engineer in the execution of the work have at length been overcome by the work and perseverance with which the operations were pushed.

In fact, our representative informs us that all through the recent severe winter everything was urged ahead with ceaseless energy. Huge excavations were necessary to cope with the great subterranean springs discovered in the rocks…which at one time threatened to be fatal to the entire scheme, while throughout the long winter nights the valley was lit up with the glare of furnaces, and the stillness of the mountainside was broken by the unending rattle of powerful steam pumps and other machinery. The site of the works is at a valley on the lower slopes of the Knockmealdown Mountains, some two and a half miles from Lismore and the utilization of an ancient road embankment crossing the valley, for a reservoir dam, was pronounced by high authorities to be a daring and difficult experiment entailing as it did works of a peculiarly novel description in order that it might be made watertight and safe. The daring experiment, however, has fortunately been justified by its success. Even a brief description of the various works at the reservoir and throughout the catchment basin would require an intimate knowledge of the engineering aspect of the case. His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, with great munificence, has spent thousands of pounds on this work, thereby giving much needed employment in the locality, and we congratulate the engineer (Mr. Scully, Waterford), who, so ably designed and successfully carried out this important and difficult undertaking.

If anybody has any additional knowledge or information about the location of the reservoir, please contact the museum.

National Heritage Week – A Heritage Council Programme

The National Heritage week is running from 13^th -21^st August 2022. Waterford County Museum’s photographic exhibition of the Irish Revolutionary Period 1921-1923 depicting the role of women, the destruction of railways and property, the Farm labourers’ Strike 1923, The Black and Tans & R.I.C., the Irish Republican Army and the National Army, will be shown in the Dungarvan Library.

Venue: Dungarvan Library, Davitts Quay, Dungarvan, X35 AV29.

Tel: 058 21141

Dates: August 13^th, 16^th, 17^th, 19^th, 20^th Time 10am-5pm

August 18^th Time 1pm-8pm

The Waterford Events Programme is available at the Museum as well as online at www.heritageweek.ie.

Irish Prisoner of War Art

This box was made by an Irishman who was captured fighting on the side of the Boers during the Second South African War which took place between 1899 and 1902. There were thousands of Irishmen fighting on the British side and other Irish who fought for the Boers. The British won the war, led by Field Marshal Lord Roberts (from the Roberts Family of Waterford). However, thousands of Boer women and children were held in many concentration camps established by Lord Kitchener and over 26,000 died, marking this as a shameful episode in British colonial history. It is important to say that many thousands of Irish were enthusiastic participants within the colonial empire.

A number of Irish who fought for the Boers were captured at the end of the war and imprisoned in various camps. One of these was a Mr O’Haughie who carved this box at Bellary Camp in India which housed over 800 men and operated between May 1901 and August 1902.

He made the collection box as a gift for a Father MacNamara of Madras in September 1901. The box is carved on five sides:

1. (Top)September 1901-Bellary Camp India

2. From O’Haughie Boer POW

3. To Rev MacNamara Madras

4. Transbhaal Abu – The coat of arms of the South African republic or Transvaal and a portrait of the President Paul Kruger.

5. Eire Go Brath -Harp, shamrocks with red hand of Ulster above

Prof Donal McCracken has indicated that the O’Haughie referred to is one James O’Haughey of Derrynoose, south Armagh. He suggests that having fought for a brief period with Colonel Blake and Major John MacBride he was captured during the retreat eastwards along the railway line from Pretoria towards Komatipoort. The recipient of the box was Rev T. F. MacNamara who was a Mill Hill missionary priest in St Mary’s College Madras and was probably sent as chaplain to the pow camp. His father Michael was believed to have worked as a butler at Dromana House, the home of the Villiers-Stuart family.

Boer War Box