Pupils in 1900

As we entered a new century on the first of January 2000, our class decided it would be an interesting project to examine our school register and see how many pupils were enrolled in our school in 1900, what had happened to them subsequently and what, if any, connection the present day pupils have with those enrolled here in 1900. 

We have interviewed our own parents, grandparents ,relatives and neighbours and the following is the information we have gathered

Murphys Cully

The Murphys were a farming family from Cully.

Their descendants still farm the land.

In 1900 four Murphy children were enrolled in Coolanarney N.S.

William: He emigrated to America. He did'nt marry and never returned to Ireland.

Thomas:He went to Dublin and married Elizabeth Doody.They had 7 children.He spent his working life in Guinness's brewery.

Mary:She emigrated to America-married but had no children.

Hannah:She emigrated to America-married a man named Spiers -had one child who now lives in America. 
 
 

Prendergast Ballyfarrell

This was a farming family.

Three of their children attended Coolanarney in 1900.

Michael: married a Molloy from Roscore. They went to live in Daingean.

Patrick:lived in Cully with his step brothers Kieran and Ger Conway. He never married.

Lucy :emigrated to Americaand never returned. The land is now owned by Gerry, Jude and Dan Conway. 

Coughlan Roscore

The Coughlans were a farming family in Roscore.

They farmed the land now owned by Dermot Molly.

One o f their children was in Coolanarney NS in 1910. 

Joseph: Joseph carried on farming the land at Roscore. He was know locally as the Horseman as he used to breed horses.He was one of the founding members of the Killoughy Cumann of Fianna Fail and the Cumann is still named after him.He married a lady called Nestor and they had one son Timmy.His wife was blind for a long number of years before her death Their son Timmy died before both his parents 

Cummins Curry Gurry 

Vincent:became a priest .He was educated at Mungret and Rome and ordained in 1916.

The house and some land is now owned by Mary Kingston who is a grand nieceof Fr Vincent. The farm is owned by Paul O Donoghue but is presently up for sale.

Kelly Derrymore

The Kellys were a farming family who lived in Derrymore.Four of their children attendid 

Coolanarney in 1900. 

Michael:emigrated to America.

James:bought a farm in Killooley.He married Elizabeth Egan and they had three children.One of his children subsequently taught inCoolanarney N.S for a short time.

Martin:lived with his brother James in Killooleyand he never married.

Katie:married William Ryan and they lived in Killooley and had two sons and two daughters.

Derrymore House was the home of the Kelly family.It had a stone dated 1641 built into the pillar of the entrance gate .This stone is said to have come from Cully Friary.The last inhabitant of Derrymore House was Dick Kelly a brother of these four children mentioned above. On his death twenty years ago the land was sold and the house fell into ruin.The land is now farmed by Billy Ryan.

Bracken Ballyfarell

The Brackens were a farming family from Ballyfarell. In 1900 three of the six children of this

family were enrolled in Coolanarney.

They were James Edward and Mary.

James, Edward, Mary

All three remained working on the farm in Ballyfarell with two other brothers.They. expanded the farm to 365 acres by buying land in Kilcormac and Ballinamere

None of the family ever married. James, Edward and Mary are all buried in the new Cemetery

In Mountbolus. Their land at Ballyfarell is now farmed by Leo Feighery and his family.
 
 

Langtry Cully

The Langtrys lived very near the school They owned the land now owned by Bolands . In 1900 one member of this family was enrolled in the school.

Thomas --- went to live in Banagher. He married Catherine Egan and had 4 children. He worked as a blacksmith in Banagher all his life.
 
 

Scully Kilmore

The Scullys were a farming family from Kilmore. They lived on the farm now owned by Johnny Butterfield. Their mother had been married previously to an American who had bought the farm  Kilmore but died soon after. She remaried a Mr. Scully. There were 3 Scully children enrolled in Coolanarney in 1900. 

Rose A:- married Josie Corcaran from Bally Farrell. They lived in Rahan and had seven children. 

John:emigratd to America and never returned. 

Patrick :married Kate Doolan He lived and died in Pallas

Morris (Lowertown)

Marywas from a farming family.She had two brothers and one sister.She married Peter Carroll and they had eight children.None of her three sons married.The farm she was born on is now owned by Joe Molloy and the farm she and her husband worked is owned by Cormac Gonoude,a grandson -.Son of her daughter Anne Carroll

WhitneyBlue ball

The Whitney family arrived in the parish in 1900 from south port in England.The family settled in a house at the Blue ball .One of the children Oswald was enrolled in Coolanarney in 1900.

Oswald: -married Bridget Whitfield .He worked as postman in the area and his wife was post mistress.They operated the post office from their own house at the Blue ball. He died in 1969. 

He had two children Oswald and Jean ,one of whom Oswald still lives in the parish and the other Jean lives in Co.Wicklow.
 
 

KinnarneyBallyfarell

The Kinnarney were a farming family.They farmed the land now owned by Kilmartins.

Two of this family were enrolled in Coolanarney in 1900.They were Bridget and her sister Mary.

Bridget :lived with her sister Tess and brother Jimmy on their farm in Ballyfarell.

None of the three were married. Jimmy died in the fifties and Bridget and Tess sold the farm and moved to Cappincur. Bridget and Tess both died in the 1970'sBridget was the first person to be buried in the new cemetery in Mountbolus and the first female.

Mary:We believe Mary emigrated to the U.S along with other members of the family. 

Heffernan-Ballycore

The Heffernans were a farming family from Ballycore.Ellen was enrolled in coolanarney in 1900.

Ellen:. She lived in a small house beside the family farm.She never married and died in the 1970's. Her nephew Peter Heffernan now farms the land.

Doran Coolanarney

The Doran family lived down Vincent Keavneys lane.They were a labouring family.Two children were enrolled in Coolanarney in 1900.

Ellen:She married Paddy Walshe and went to live in Screggan. She had 6 children.

James:He married a lady from Kells, Co. Meath. He continued to live in the area.

He had no children.

James was a famous thatcher in his time and the following is an excerpt from the Irish Folklore Commission writings which refer to him .

"A long time ago in the townland of Coolanarney there lived a man by the name of Jimmy Doran. He used to make baskets. He used to bring them on market and fair days to Tullamore. The farmers bought some of them. He made them out of hazel rods. He was also a thatcher." 

ConwayCully

James: Conway was a pupil of our school in 1900. He married a woman from Newtown in Rahan and he lived there for the remainder of his life. He had two daughters. He is buried in Mountbolus.

The land at Cully is still farmed by Conways; descendants of the above family.

EganRoscore

There are two farming families of Egans who came from Roscore.

Our research into this family is incomplete and so far we have not been able to determine which children belonged to which family.

Thomas:He lived in Mount Pleasant in the house now owned by Coughlans. He married Mary Craven. They had no family. He worked with Offaly County Council. He died in 1975.

Joseph:brother of Thomas. He married Maura Scully, Cooldorragh. They emigrated to America.

John:He was called Jack Egan. he emigrated to America for some timebut returned.He lived in what is now Carthage Lambe's house. he worked with local farmers.he was a brother of "Big Peter " Egan.

Peter: He was nicknamed "Big Peter". He continued to live in Roscore and to farm. He didn't marry. His land is now farmed by Francie Dunne. 

Luke:

Peter:He was called "Little Peter". he lived near John Dunne in Roscore.
John:

A sister of "Little Peter" Egan was married to a Boland in The Island in Rahan. her grandchildren attend Coolanarney at present.

FlanaganGarbally

The Flanagans were a farming family from garbally. Three daughters of this family were enrolled in coolanarney in 1900.

Margaret:She married Brian Mc.Grane. they lived in Dublin for eleven years and then emigrated to England. They had four daughters; two of whom died in infancy. Margaret is buried in England.

Mary:She emigrated to Australia and met and married Joe Dunne there.They then went to live in America. They had five daughters, two of whom became nuns. One of the other daughters married a man called Bill Flanagan who was an astronaut with N.A.S.A.Mary is buried in the United States.

Bridget:She married John Daly and went to live in Castledaly Co. Tyrone. She had four children.

The Flanagan land is now owned by Christina Costello and her husband Joe. Christina is a niece of the above children.

GleesonBallyfarrell.

The Gleesons were a farming family. In 1900 three children of this family were at school in Coolanarney.

Sarah:She married a man named Clavin and went to Lynally, Mucklagh.

William:He became a priest. He was educated at St. Finian’s College Mullingar and Maynooth and was ordained in 1919. He served in Longwood, Rathkenny, and Killucan before being appointed parish priest ofNobber, Co. Meath.He died there in July 1975.

Mary A. 

The land is now farmed by Paddy Gleeson and his family who are descendants of the above.

LenehanCoalgap.

The Lenehans were a labouring family from Dublin.They settled in the area in a house between the Blueball and the Coal Gap. The house is now demolished.

Ellen and Jamie:their daughters attended school in Coolanarney in 1900.They, along with the rest of this family, emigrated to Australia.

LeonardsCully

The Leonards were a farming family from Cully. They had six children; two of whom attended Coolanarney n.S. in 1900.

Daniel:He married Maria Lynam and continued to live and farm in Cully. He died in 1951 at the age of 54 years and is buried in the Mountbolus Church yard cemetery.

Ellen:She married a man called Mc.Cormack. She lived in Clonony near Shannon Harbour. She had six children and died in 1969 aged 84 years. She is buried in High Street, Belmont.

The land is now farmed by Jim Leonard, a son of Daniel and his wife Kate.

Kate Leonard was also in Coolanarney N.S. in 1900.She, too, came from Cully but was from a different family to the above.

Kate:She never married.She lived in Cully with two bachelor brothers. She died in 1976.

P.J. Kenna now farms the land which was owned by this family.He is no relation of these Leonards.

MolloyRoscore.

The Molloys were a farming family from Roscore. Three of their children were attending Coolanarney in 1900.

Lizzie:She married a Dunne and lived in Ballincanty, Blueball. She had five children.

Katie:She emigrated to America. She never returned. We could not find out if she ever married.

Michael: He emigrated to America.He never married. He never returned to Ireland.

The Molloy children mentioned above had a sister Margaret who also emigrated to America. She was making a journey home to Ireland in 1912 on board the Luisitania when it was torpedoed and she drowned.

The land at Roscore is still farmed by Molloys, who are descendants of the above mentioned children.

SeeryCoolanarney

The Seerys were a farming family.They lived beside the school in Coolanarney, on the Cloghan side. The wall of their house bordered the school playground. Two children of this family attended our school in 1900.

Patrick:He was a farmer and also a tradesman who made traps and carts for ponies and horses. He was accidently killedat a young age while out shooting crows.

Ellen:

Vincent Keaveny now farms the land. He is not related to the Seerys.

WynneDerrymore.

The Wynne family lived in Derrymore in Danny Buckley’s old house. Bridget was enrolled in Coolanarney in 1900.

Bridget:She married a Brophy and went to live in Carrigean and reared a family there.

It is now 2001, and there are 63 pupils enrolled in Coolanarney. We are sure that33 of the pupils here are related to the children mentioned in the school register of 1900.

If you can add to any of the information given above, we would be delighted to hear from you .

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