Purple Heart

Dave Henry presenting a Purple Heart and other memorabilia which were awarded to family of his relative, Thomas Powers, Ballinacourty, Cappagh, killed in the second World War.

 

Stories from Old Newspapers

Waterford Mail 16 May 1835

Fires and Weddings

In the parish of Modeligo, a place called Grague, in the county of Waterford, the house of a farmer named Donovan, was maliciously set on fire and entirely consumed on Monday night. Donovan’s brother’s house, near Clashmore, was also burned a few nights before, the reason assigned is that the latter has lately taken ground over the former tenants. A curious circumstance took place at Knockmeal, near Ballinamult: A farmer’s daughter named Corbet, was married o a person named Dealy on Sunday night, when the Chief Constable Anderson of Ballinamult and a party of his police, entered the house and commanded the wedding folk to disperse – the people stood upon their right – remonstrated with the police, and refused to leave the wedding unless compelled by force. The Chief very fortunately did not resort to this extremity but demanded from some respectable farmers present their guarantee that the peace would be preserved and then departed. The novel interference of the police is much talked of. It is but justice to add that Chief Constable Anderson has been very active in the preservation of the peace, but a resident magistrate in this wild and extensive part of the county, is absolutely necessary. If the Stipendiary from Dungarvan, held, occasionally with such a magistrate, Petty Sessions at Rathcormac, Kilrossenty, etc., a great improvement in the people would soon be visible.

Phil O' Donnell Exhibition

 These witness statements were collected by Dungarvan man Phil O' Donnell, who was employed in the 1950's by the Bureau of Military History to collect the statements and interviews from Cork Republicans. O’ Donnell was interned on Spike Island in 1921 and there is a collection of documents [including the roll book containing the names of over 700 Republican prisoners] also on display the documents show how O’Donnell complied his notes and what the completed interview statements looked like.

Stories from Old Newspapers

 Dungarvan Observer 16 May 1959

Dungarvan Hungarians Leave

Seen off at Dungarvan’s railway station on Wednesday by a group of their local friends were the members of Dungarvan’s only Hungarian family who have left the town. The members of the family were Mr & Mrs Lazlo Hudak, natives of Budapest and their five years old son Lazlo; with little one year old Lilian Dorian, who was born in Dungarvan and christened in the Parish Church, her sponsors being Mr Tom Dolan, O’Connell Street, and Mrs M Duggan, O’Connell Street.

Mr Hudak, who fled with his wife and family from Budapest, following Russian reprisals after the anti-communist regime rebellion four years ago, was employed as a confectioner at Mr Joseph Power’s Bakery, O’Connell Street. Both he and his wife had a fair working knowledge of the English language, and Lazlo junior who was a pupil at the local Convent of Mercy school, rapidly became quite fluent simultaneously in Hungarian, English, and Irish.

They left by liner, from Cobh for the United States of America where they will join Mr Hudak’s brother in New York City.

   

Valuable Reference Source for Local Historians

The National Archives of Ireland have just launched the ‘Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland’.  This state-funded project lead by Trinity College has combined historical investigation, archival conservation and technical innovation to re-imagine and recreate, through digital technologies.  The archive of the Public Record Office of Ireland that was destroyed on 30^th June 1922 during the destruction of the Four Courts.  For instance there are near 500 documents referring to Dungarvan.  

The site can be accessed at www.virtualtreasury.ie

New Display

 Currently at the museum, we have a new display of shop memorabilia of retail shops in Dungarvan in olden days. These illustrate how retail outlets and producers advertised a variety of merchandise, both manufactured and sold in Dungarvan town in the 19^th and 20^th Centuries.

Stories from Old Newspapers

 Waterford News 20^th February 1903

The re-opening of the Temperance Hall some few weeks ago has already been productive of very good results concerning the young men of the village.  For a long time so to speak they were kept out in the cold and deprived of the solace which they now enjoy in such an admirable rendezvous as the Temperance Hall.  I understand that the dramatic class connected with the hall intended getting on the boards in the course of a few months an Irish drama. In fact they are already studying their respective parts in the piece, the name of which has not yet been disclosed, except to members.  The play will be first produced in Kilmacthomas, and subsequently at Kill and Newtown, and the proceeds of each occasion will be applied for the laudable purpose of enabling the respected P.P. Father Purcell, to have erected in the church at Kill a new marble altar.  

As the result of recent entertainment given in the Temperance Hall, the debt hanging over the local parochial house has been considerably reduced, and the equipment of the hall itself has been completed.  The weekly meeting of the committee was held on Monday nights and a very interesting matter was introduced by Mr. Patrick Morrissey moved the question of reorganising the local brass band be considered, and pointed out the acquisition and attraction which the band would prove, as it had proved in the past, to the village…he suggested that if possible they should not encroach on the funds of the Hall, but raise a special fund for the maintenance of the band.