Thursday, June 7, 2007

South Galway Pony Club

The pony club has two groups. The first group is the Junior group and the Senior group is more advanced .The Robbie Bailey is when pony's compete against each other. To see who can jump the highest. The instructor is Gillian. She is an excellent teacher. There are around 20 pupils the pony club.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

OUR PROJECT ON PETERSWELL

CAPPARD HOUSE

Cappard House was the ancestral home for generations of the Galbraith family who came to Ireland from Stirlingshire in Scotland in the seventeenth century with William III (otherwise known as William of Orange). They were granted lands in Cappard and the surrounding areas which was originally O’Fahy property and the estate comprised a total of 4,636 acres by 1878.
Cappard Demesne is the actual name of the townland and this is derived from the fact that the farm or parkland around the ‘Big House’ was called the demesne and farmed or used directly by the family in the house. The reasoning is that the views from all of the windows of the house would have a ‘vista’ or view unimpeded by tenants miserable holdings and dwellings or so that no unpleasantness like evictions would occur in the locality of the house.
The house is no longer exists but the Gate Lodge is still the home of John & Margaret Kelleher and their ancestors were gatekeepers to his estate. You will note that the gate lodge is on the opposite side of the road to the entrance and this was the case in the most impressive estates to show that they owned lands on both sides of the road.

Priests of Peterswell

Parish Priests of Peterswell
(By Stephen Mannion and Shane Cooney 6th Class)

Father John Duffy
1819
Father Michael Gleeson
1819-1829
Father Patrick Bodkin Quinn
1829-1833
Father Patrick O’Connor
1833-1856
Father Thomas Grealy
1856-1874
Father Francis Forde
1874-1876
Father Jerome A Fahy
1876-1883
Father Patrick Geraghty
1883-1910
Father John Burke
1910-1941
Father Denis Hehir
1941-1951
Father James Larkin
1951-1973
Father Edward Kelly
1973-19??
Father Vincent Jennings
19??-1999
Father Paddy Callinan
Peterswell and Kilbeacanty
1999-2003
Father Derek Feeney
Peterswell and Kilchreest
2003-to date

Other priests who served in the parish :-
Father Andrew Hanrahan CC
1854-1855
Father Christopher O’Carroll CC
1855-1856
Father Redmond McHugh ADM
1895-1898 & 1899-1900
Father Malachy Eaton CC
1939-1941
Father James Larkin ADM
1944-1951

Both Father John Duffy and Father Michael Gleeson were both natives of the parish of Peterswell, both are buried in Kilthomas cemetery. Father John Duffy received his early education at his father’s hedge school in Gortnagown
.

The Local Church

BY FIONA KEELY AND CLARE CAULFIELD
The original church was dedicated to St Thomas the apostle, hence its name Kiltomas (Kil coming from the old Irish word Cill meaning Church). The present church was built in the 1830s. Robert Foster Blake of Knockmoy Abbey, who had donated the site, laid the foundation stone. The parish priest of the time was Father Patrick Bodkin Quinn. Richard Gregory of Coole Park contributed to the cost. Father P O’Connor was the parish priest when the church was completed. In 1880, Monsignor Jerome Fahey added a belfry and bell at the behest of his predecessor Father Grealy. In 1904 the roof was replaced and gables were raised. The builder was Martin Linane, who lived at Dromore Hill and had a sawmill at Ballylee. Father Patrick Geraghty erected a marble altar at the bequest of a Miss Sheehan of Blackrock, about 1904. In 1947-48 the church was renovated and a tower was added at a cost of £5550 and McInerneys were the contractors. Father Denis Hehir was parish priest at the time and was assisted by Father James Larkin who was the administrator at the time. The Father John Keeley memorial stained glass window, “Our Lady of the Rosary”, which was added in 1950 is by Evie Hone. Father Keeley was a native of Doonally East and is buried in Kinvara. Father N Kelly reordered the interior of the church in 1973. The altar rails were removed and the wooden altar was replaced by moving the marble altar forward. Dr. Joyce of Gort presented a new sanctuary lamp. A beautiful grotto to “Our Lady of Lourdes” was erected in the grounds when Father Jennings was parish priest. There has been no resident priest since Father Jenning died in1999. Father Paddy Callinan served Peterswell and Kilbacanty parishes until last year. Now Father Derek Feeney parish priest serves Peterswell and Kilcreest.

Bogland in Peterswell

By Joseph Fitzgerald and Teresa Slattery
About 500 acres of the parish is in the Slieve Aughty Mountains and consists mostly of bogland. It is obvious from the cut away bogs it was all forestry in bygone years. Turf, the main source of fuel was cut and saved there for centuries. The saving of turf was at its peak in the 1940s during the Second World War as only a limited amount of coal was available. Besides supplying the local needs and the adjoining areas there was a big demand for turf in Dublin. Horses and creels were used to deliver the turf locally while lorries used to transport the turf to Dublin where it was stacked in the Phoenix Park for the poor of Dublin. In the 1950s turf cutting went into decline and at this time the Department of Forestry began planting trees on the mountain. Now 50 years later very little turf is saved there.

Hedge Schools in Peterswell

BY PATRICK QUINN AND BRYAN KEELY
The earliest record of a hedge school in Peterswell was in the latter half of the 1700s. It was situated in Gortnagowan in the Slieve Aughty Mountains. The teacher was Laurence Duffy of Gardenblake. Mr Duffy intended to become a priest and at that time those who intended to join the priesthood had to go abroad to study, but he missed the boat. Later, 3 of his sons, John, Michael and James became priests. A school run in Ballylaha by Bryan Hynes is also recorded at this time support being aid. Both of these schools taught reading, writing, arithmetic and catechism. In 1845 the Parish Priest Father O’Connor applied to commissioners for a building grant. At that time there was about 550 families in the parish and almost 200 children of school going age. The National School in Peterswell village was opened in 1848. Father O’Connor had applied for a grant in 1845. The first teachers were Michael Daly and his wife Bridget. They had been teaching in Scalp (Casteldaly) school for a short period prior to coming to Peterswell. When they resigned, James Leonard who became principal replaced them. The school was a low storey building with a small porch in front. It had 2 classrooms, 1 small room at the east end known as the “Missuses room” where infants and first class were taught. The other room was twice the size and a teacher taught at both ends, needless to say this caused a great distraction. There was a small room at the back where fuel was stored and it also gave access to the girls and boys dry toilet. There was a smalled walled yard out the front where the pupils played and in fine weather they went to Hayes’ field to play hurling. Father O’Connor also requested a school for the Kane’s Pound Area at the south end of the parish because there was no national school within a five-mile radius. Father O’Connor had passed away before the Reyrawer one room school was opened in 1883. A Mrs Kiely of Seehan of Kilmaduagh was appointed teacher and she walked to and from her home every day a distance of about 6 miles each way! At the time this school opened there were 2 local hedge schools nearby, one in Gardenblake Commons with 33 pupils and one in Gorteenboy in the parish of Kilbeacanty. When the school closed in the late 1960s the pupils were transferred to Peterswell’s school. The last teacher in Reyrawr was Mrs Mernie Glesson Nee Cunningham of Ballylaha .

Power Point Presentations

The pupils of 5th and 6th Class enjoyed preparing the following presentations on the work covered in class this year,2006-2007