Launch of Upperchurch-Drombane Historical Journal

The new Tipperary Senior Hurling manager, Michael Ryan, will officially launch the 2015 Upperchurch-Drombane Historical Journal this Saturday night Nov. 7th in Upperchurch Hall, starting at 8.00 p.m. This sixth publication in the very successful series has stories, poems and    photographs dealing with many aspects of the history and heritage of the parish and the frequent and continuous demand for back numbers proves the lasting value of the publication.

There will also be a short talk about the history of local emigration by a regular contributor to the Journal, Eugene Shortt. This will be followed by a discussion and question and answer session. Stories and accounts from the floor are welcome.

While G.A.A. sports have historically been the most prominent locally, the book this year puts the spotlight on other sports where there were local connections. American Gerry Britt, a frequent visitor whose ancestors came from the area and who has published an account of his travels in Ireland, writes about the famous baseball player and manager John McGraw, who dominated the game in the USA in the early years of the last century. McGraw’s father had parents who emigrated from the parish.

The victory of locally owned Rugged Lucy in the 1981 Galway Plate is recalled by John Ryan (C). Tom Quinlan writes about the three Irish senior soccer internationals, Shane Long, Seamus McDonagh and Mike Milligan who had local ancestors. One of the greatest ever scandals in greyhound racing occurred sixty five years ago and involved a greyhound from Upperchurch which now has a street in England named after it. Billy Clancy writes about this episode.

Sports including handball and racquetball also feature in Paddy Dwyer’s reminiscences entitled Gortahoola Memories, along with the story of Gortahoola school which operated for only nineteen years. Courting might be considered a type of sport by some and in verse Ned Harrington describes the goings on at the Metal Bridge platform in more innocent times.

A hundred years ago Ned’s grandfather John wrote a stirring patriotic ode to the green flag of Ireland, which demonstrated an encyclopaedic knowledge of Irish history, and the poem is given in full. Also on a patriotic theme, Thomas Fogarty tells of a few local connections with the 1916 rising and also included is the first half of Paddy Kinnane’s statement to the Bureau of Military History concerning his involvement in the War of Independence. The final part of the Eamon an Chnoic play is also in the book as well as a continuation of the local burial records.

Andy Byrne completes his list of local musicians and reproduces the happenings of a hundred years ago from the newspaper archives. Among the hundreds of religious and missionaries the parish produced were seven priests from the O’Rourke family and Joan Ryan gives a short account of each of them.

Nowadays we take for granted and frequently complain about our road network, failing to appreciate the hardships suffered by our ancestors in putting them there in the first place with pick and shovel and horse and cart. Eugene Shortt has researched the subject and gives the details of the various roads, fences, bridges and gullets and who put them there and when. There is also an account of the legal case concerning the Mulgrave Bridge at Drombane Creamery, which was built on a disputed site, and which had a tragic aftermath.

Like the roads, it took centuries of work and nurturing to bring our agricultural land to its present state of fertility. One of the big breakthroughs was the introduction of lime from kilns and Frankie Shortt describes the process of burning lime in the various local kilns. Eamonn Ryan also deals with the subject in later years when lime from Killough quarry became available. He also recounts early drivers and their cars and the impact of Hogan’s bus service and wartime shortages.

All are welcome to the launch on Saturday night and the book will be available from the usual outlets from Sunday onwards. Overseas buyers can order online from www.upperchurch.ie