Master Hugh Brady of Ruan National School, b.ca.1844, d.1918

[Paddy Casey]

My paternal grandfather, John Casey, was born and raised in the village of Moyrhee in the townland of Shanballysallagh in Tubber, Co.Clare in 1864. He and his brother, Joe Casey, went to school in Ruan. They walked there and back daily, a considerable distance which took me (with my much longer legs) approximately 1.8 hours each way. They also walked barefooted, carrying their shoes in their school bags so that they would have clean shoes in school. In those days there were no lines of mothers parked in SUVs waiting to pick up their little darlings. It was either walk or stay ignorant. At the Ruan National School the pupils were taught by a remarkable individual, Master Hugh Brady. As a result of his own and Master Brady's efforts my grandfather passed the Civil Service examinations and had a very successful career in the Customs & Excise service, a career which took him away from Tubber and across the seas to Scotland where he is buried. Thus indirectly did Master Brady probably influence my own life. Had Master Brady not facilitated and encouraged my grandfather's choice of a secure and highly-respected career his son, my father, might not have had the wherewithal and backing to train as a medical doctor and subsequently contribute, together with my mother, to an environment in which my university education was considered a routine part of one's upbringing.

I was therefore curious to know more about this Master Hugh Brady and am grateful to Peter Beirne of the Local Studies Centre at the Clare County Library for unearthing the following information for me. I am putting it online and thus presenting it to a wider audience in the hope that someone who knows more about this teacher might pop up with additional information.

Hugh Brady, principal teacher at the Ruan National School was born ca. 1844 and died on October 29th 1918 at the age of 75 years at Paradise Hill, Ballynacally, Co.Clare, whither he had gone to reside shortly after his superannuation in 1909. He was buried on October 31st 1918 at the family burying ground in Kilchreest. Requiem Mass was chanted for him at the parish church of Ballycorick. The funeral was an immense one. All the local clergy were present.

Hugh Brady had for several years been one of the most widely known men in County Clare. He taught in Kildysart and Ballinruan and was still a very young man when appointed to the school in Ruan. He had already achieved fame in the early 1870s as a coach for the Civil Service examinations, becoming well known across the whole of the United Kingdom for his successes in that capacity. The name of Ruan became a scholastic talisman and pupils came from all over Munster to study at Hugh Brady's academy. At a celebration in his honour in 1909 Mr George Greene said “The name of Mr Brady is known in every seaport, in most of the principal distilleries and breweries, and indeed in nearly all Government offices of the United Kingdom”. Hugh Brady's pupils occupied senior Customs & Excise positions across the Empire. Thus Pat Flanagan of Crusheen became Collector in Birmingham, one of the largest cities in that country, Pat O'Brien of Ruan became deputy chief inspector of Customs & Excise at Custom House in London, John Casey of Moyrhee in Tubber became the head of Customs & Excise in Perth in Scotland, and the Honourable Patrick Carmody, one time of the Government Laboratory in London and subsequently posted to the West Indies was another of his distinguished pupils. His former pupils also included Archbishop Dr Patrick Clune of Perth, Australia; Benjamin Kidd, author of the book “Social Evolution” which was translated into numerous languages; and the renowned athlete John Purcell who went to America in the 1880s.

Hugh Brady was said to have excelled at mathematics and languages which included Latin, Greek, French, Gaelic and – in his own words – a smattering of German.

The Commissioners of National Education in Ireland: forty-third report, 1876, with appendices ( http://www.eppi.ac.uk/eppi/digbib/meta? ... =c1:262300 ) mentions Hugh Brady in an appendix relating to Carlisle and Blake Fund premiums in the years 1875-76 and 1876-77. These premiums were awarded to the most meritorious teachers of the group of school districts under the superintendence of each of the six head inspectors. Hugh Brady of Ruan received £4 in 1875.

Hugh Brady was a strong supporter of the Gaelic movement and a great admirer of the statesmanship and patriotism of Parnell. The Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) was founded in the Dublin academy of one of his pupils, Martin Kelly of Dysert, who became deputy Registrar of the Chancery Court and a civil servant in the Four Courts.

In his book “Reminiscences of a Country Boy” Mr George O'Donnell of Ruan described him as “....a remarkable figure and a still more remarkable character. Slightly under 6 feet in height, symmetrically proportioned, agile and resilient in movement, wearing a nicely trimmed beard, and with eyes of tremendous and devastating power......”.

[smcarberry]

Paddy,

This is yet another note saved from a prior day's findings on the Internet. Perhaps this can be of some use.

Sharon C.


G.G. Johnson's children:
...
Henry Arthur Francis; b. 1829;
m. 1855, Christina, e.d. of Edmund Brady, of Kielty, Scariff, Co. Clare, Ireland, by his wife, Ann Molony. (Christina's brother, Edward John Brady, was the father of Edwin J. Brady, the Australian poet, whose works include: ... "Two Frontiers," in which latter work he tells the story of his father's remarkable career. The Bradys are descended from Hugh Brady, Bishop of Meath and Clonmacnoise (d.1584)...
THE WALDRONS OF ILLAWARRA And Their Connections
By Rev. O. B. McCarthy
Published May 1950 in 'The Australian Genealogist', Journal of The Australian Society of Genealogists
http://www.binary.co.nz/Wald-Illawarra.txt

[smcarberry]

More on the Brady and O'Grady of upper East Clare sept, found just in passing. This O'Hart description of O'Grady unfortunately ends with 1634. Sir Denis had Clare property. The Brady description, which starts on p. 71, states that
the below Hugh Brady had three sons but I only see two of them named in the description and there are no Brady men
listed with the name Hugh after the below patriarch., which seems to me incomplete and unlikely.

Sharon Carberry

p. 207
125. Most Rev. Hugh Brady, lord bishop of Meath: son of Sir Denis. This Hugh was the first of the family who omitted the surname of "O'Grady"; his descendants have since called themselves Brady.
Irish Pedigrees by John O'Hart
http://www.archive.org/stream/irishpedi ... 9/mode/2up

[smcarberry]

Zeroing in a bit closer to the needed time period for the target Hugh Brady, schoolteacher. These descriptions have more details of the later central and east Clare generations of (apparently) the celebrated Hugh Brady of Meath.

Sharon C.


“Rev. THOMAS BROWNE BRADY, M.A., Rector of Tomgraney for 29 years, 2nd son of CAPT. HENRY BRADY, of Raheens Manor, d. 29 Oct., 1858.”
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... graney.htm

"Richard Brew of Ennis, Brewer, had a lease from William Whitby, dated 25 October 1726, of the Abbey Garden and [illegible] property in Ennis. He also had [illegible] property in the town in addition to other leasehold property he rented from Francis Gore of Clonroad by indenture dated 5 April 1740. He sold it all to Richard Studdert of Clonderlaw 18 August 1750...[followed by, further down the line] Richard Brew of Tullycrine [Tullycreen], and afterwards of Richmond House, Corofin, who died 18 May 1818, aged 59 or 69 (Monumental Inscription in Corofin Churchyard)...
Richard [of Tullycrine and Corofin] married secondly Ellen Brady, daughter of Hugh Brady of Raheens [?], in May 1792. Ellen died 11 September 1824, aged 50 (Monumental Inscription Corofin), leaving issue..."
http://brew.clients.ch/RichardClare.htm"

[pwaldron]

I paid my first ever visit to Ruan yesterday, which prompted me to review this thread on the famous local schoolteacher.

The Clare Library website at http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... ctiond.htm has the following bilingual inscriptions from the Brady family grave in Kilchreest:

D3. (A)
In loving memory of
HUGH BRADY N.T.
Ruan
Died at Paradise
29th October 1918 aged 75 years
Go ndeanaid Dia Trocaire ar anam

D3 (B)
Erected in memory of
HUGH BRADY
Ballinagard
By his wife and family

Side
I ndil cuimne
AOD O’BRADAIGH
A fuar bas
29 ad Deire Fogmair 1918
In-aois 75 bliana ar deis De
go raibh a anam.

D3 (Side)
PAT BRADY
Died March 17th 1876.

D3 (C)
In loving memory of
Edward and Mary King Brady
1912 – 1960
Gerry and Mary Ginnane Brady
15-11-75 19-11-1940
John Browne
Died 11 July 2000
Loving husband of Anne Brady Browne

D3. (D)
HARRY CHAMBERS
Nov 1999

[pwaldron]

There is a brief reference to Hugh Brady in Kildysart and its Environs by John Daniel Garry, pp.27-8:

Presentation to Hugh Brady, retired school principal
The presentation took place in Kilkee, August 1909. Mr. Brady, a bachelor, hailed
from Paradise and was the principal teacher at Ruan National School for about twenty
years, until his retirement.
- Saturday Record, August 14, 1909
Note: George O'Donnell in his book, Reminiscences of a Country Boy, published in 1949,
recalled his time in Ruan: "In his heyday (Hugh Brady) was regarded as the most brilliant
Civil Service Tutor in Great Britain and Ireland. Young men from far distant places came
to imbibe knowledge at the famous school; mathematics were his forte." As Samuel
Johnson said of Edmund Burke, he was "never to be mistaken for an ordinary man."
Michael Garry, (The Master), studied for two years in Ruan under Hugh Brady before
being appointed Master of the Kildysart Union Workhouse in 1906. He thought very
highly of him and often recalled the wisdom Mr. Brady imparted to his students.

[Michael Garry was the author's father.]

[pwaldron]

Master Hugh Brady had a sister Ellen who married James Hehir of Ballynagard:

Ireland, Civil Registration Marriages Index, 1845-1958 about James Hehir
Name: James Hehir
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1880
Registration District: Killadysert
Volume: 4
Page Number: 181
FHL Film Number: 101253

Ireland, Civil Registration Marriages Index, 1845-1958 about Ellen Brady
Name: Ellen Brady
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1880
Registration District: Killadysert
Volume: 4
Page Number: 181
FHL Film Number: 101253

Their son Hugh Hehir was living with his bachelor uncle Hugh Brady for the 1901 census, in which his name is mistranscribed as Hugh Shelin!
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... s/1068394/

There is much more about the Hehir/Brady connection at
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... 7_1984.htm
which reveals that Hugh Brady was a greatuncle of Micheál O'Hehir, Ireland's greatest ever sports broadcaster:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Hehir

By 1911, the Hehir family at home in Ballynagard had been completely Gaelicised:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... ra/359234/
The years since Hugh's parents' marriage has been mistranslated as 22 and should read 30, but was actually 31.

In the 1901 census, the parents and younger children are at
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... d/1075567/

Hugh Brady was living alone in 1911:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... ns/352163/

Hugh Hehir's BMH witness statement is at
http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/r ... WS0683.pdf

[pwaldron]

Here's an audio interview with the son of another of Hugh Brady's past pupils:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyIguU8fnjQ
continued at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2ChG_Md8E0

[pwaldron]

Hugh Brady's sister was married to a fellow teacher's brother: as noted above, Ellen Brady married James Hehir, grandfather of Mícheál Ó hEithir, whose greatuncle and namesake, Michael Hehir from Lack, was also a teacher. See
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... ymentb.htm
for his photograph and biography.

[mgallery]

To answer Sharon's post Henry Brady of Raheen manor had a daughter Mary who married Richard Kenny (son of the rev Archdeacon James) and one other son (at least ) John named on her marriage settlement.
I think the O'Gradys were Catholic. The Bradys were definitely protestant. I don't know if its the same family as the national school teacher

[Dublinwoods]

Hugh Brady, the subject of this forum, appears to have had a brother and a sister, Edmond and Ellen. Hugh remained a bachelor his whole life and dedicated that life to his students, some of whom were in the Brady and Hehir family. Certainly, the next generation's commitment to the Gaelic movement and Irish independence can be attributed to some of Hugh's influence. Edmond Brady married Mary King and had four boys (Hugh, Jerry, Dan and Patrick, the last two being twins). Ellen Brady, as was previously mentioned, married James Hehir, whose brother Michael was a teacher at Lack. The Hehirs re-established the O'Hehir name in true republican style, and the 1911 census used the Gaelic for that surname. Hugh O'Hehir, who studied with his uncle, was deeply involved in the quest for Irish independence, and served time in prison as a result. James O'Hehir also studied under his uncle's tutelage and served his country in establishing National sports programs. His son, Michael James O'Hehir is perhaps the most famous Irish broadcaster of his generation. From what I can gather, Hugh's father was also named Hugh, and according to the Griffith's valuation, he owned land in the Ballynacally region, to which Hugh, the Teacher of Ruan, retired (Paradise Hill, Ballynacally, County Clare). If this information can be confirmed, it would be appreciated. By the way, in a letter from Jerry Brady, he mentions that the Brady men were tall (appx 6 ft and above, does anyone know if the master teacher was also tall?

[smcarberry]

I don't know how much this adds to this thread, but I have been noting unusual height in Hehir descendants, listed in their U.S. Army records. There may well be more in online collections at Familysearch.org; below are some kept in my notes. My connection to the Hehirs is through a marriage in the 1850s, of Bridget Carberry to Matthias Hehir, who emigrated to Illinois. I have no idea as to their physical characteristics since their sons, too young for the Civil War, lived in a peaceful era of the U.S. and world relations.

Sharon Carberry


WWI draft card
James Joseph Hehir b. 7 Aug 1886 Meriden, Conn.
residing 144 Arkins St., Meriden, with Jennie
works for New Haven RR at Union Station, Hartford
6'1-1/2”, 202 lbs, gray eyes & hair, ruddy skin

WWII draft card:
John Hehir b. 19 Sep 1894 Klar County, Ire.
residing 106 West 96 St, NYC, with Mrs. Beatrice H.
works for Bethlehem Steel, Hoboken NJ;
6 “ tall, 200 lbs, brown eyes, gray hair, light skin

WWII enlistment records:
Michael Hehir b. 1902 Irish Free State, enlisted New York, RR employee, single, 73” tall, 161 lbs.
and
Robert J. Hehir b. 1917 Conn., residing New Haven, single, 74” tall, 169 lbs.

[smcarberry]

Probably should also post this California death notice for the son of the Rev. Thomas Browne Brady who was already mentioned in this thread.

SMC

Brady of Raheens Manor, 1890 San Fran CA.jpg (17.28 KiB) Viewed 52340 times

[Dublinwoods]

There is an obituary at County Clare Library that states that Hugh O'Hehir, whose father was James Hehir moved to Dublin where he was active in Irish independence and politics. In the obituary is the remark that Hugh was "a big overgrown boy for his age" and that he attended school in Ruan with his "brilliant uncle, the late Mr. Hugh Brady". Both Hugh Brady and Hugh O'Hehir are buried at Kilchreest cemetery in Ballynacally county Clare.
Rev. Thomas Browne Brady, a descendant of Bishop Hugh Brady of Meath, embraced Protestant Christianity. Hugh Brady, on the other hand, was Roman Catholic. Although things have been recorded about some Catholic descendants of Bishop Meath (particularly those who moved to Australia), it has been difficult for me to discover if Hugh Brady, the teacher of Ruan, whose family seems to have lived at Paradise, Ballynacally, is also descended from the line of the famous Bishop. If anyone can provide the connection or genealogical line, it would be appreciated.
By the way, I see that in Paddy's original post that Hugh Brady was "just under 6 ft."

Bob B.

[pwaldron]

Bob

I note that on another thread at
http://www.ourlibrary.ca/phpbb2/viewtop ... f=1&t=5742
you state that Master Hugh Brady's parents were Hugh Brady and Katherine Guinane.

I just thought it might be a good idea to create links between the two threads for the benefit of posterity.

\pw