Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evictions

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smcarberry
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Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evictions

Post by smcarberry » Sun Dec 22, 2013 5:18 pm

I recently ran across a newspaper account of the Kilrush evictions that occurred in 1888, at a time when fierce resistance was attempted by tenants. That article is attached, to show how the news was reaching the U.S. One Irish-American went to Ireland and witnessed the Vandeleur evictions in Kilrush, his family's place of origin. This traveler was doing well in New York City, to which he had immigrated from his country of birth, Canada. His parents were a tailor John O'Shaughnessy who died likely in Montreal and wife Ellen Finucane, whose Montreal death of 1869 is documented. Their youngest son Edward was the one taking photographs while in Kilrush, but it is my information that those became lost to his descendants.

Some of the O'Shaughnessy photos have been preserved in an 1901 magazine article:
"History of the County of Clare"
author: Sarah Blennerhassett

The article appears in segments, at p. 137. p. 187, and p. 249
The Gael, Vol. 20 (New York: 1901)

pp. 252-254 1888 photos (4) of Vandeleur evictions, by Major[sic] E. J. O'Shaughnessy of NYC

http://tinyurl.com/mch358h

posted by Sharon Carberry
not researching this subject
Madigan eviction 1888, Kilrush.jpg
Madigan eviction 1888, Kilrush.jpg (50.8 KiB) Viewed 28813 times
Birmingham, Tom, 1901 eviction photo.jpg
Birmingham, Tom, 1901 eviction photo.jpg (47.36 KiB) Viewed 28813 times
Cleary, Michael, 1901 Kilrush eviction.jpg
Cleary, Michael, 1901 Kilrush eviction.jpg (32.89 KiB) Viewed 28813 times
Connell, John, 1888 Kilrush eviction photo.jpg
Connell, John, 1888 Kilrush eviction photo.jpg (45.09 KiB) Viewed 28813 times

mgallery
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Re: Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evict

Post by mgallery » Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:00 am

My possible (we have found no connection) Canadian Gallery descendant cousins have an oral history of their ancestor Thomas Gallerys eviction in Labasheeda by the Vandaleurs This was told to them by a 90 year old who got it from his grandfather. They were told about the church bells being rung and trying to keep the Vandaleurs out. In the Gallerys case they did not see them coming and did not ring the bells and blockade the road in time

The family all emigrated to Montreal where they did very well. Daniel Gallery MP was one of them

mcreed
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Re: Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evict

Post by mcreed » Mon Dec 23, 2013 5:21 pm

For more photos of the Vandeleur evictions see
http://foto.clarelibrary.ie/fotoweb/Gri ... mit=Search...

and for data on Kilrush Union evictions see
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... s_1849.htm

For background info on the Bodyke Evictions see
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... _index.htm

and for Court Reports (including Evictions) see
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... t_rpts.htm

Happy Christmas everyone

edoshaugh
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Re: Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evict

Post by edoshaugh » Mon Dec 23, 2013 9:01 pm

My great grandfather, Major E. J. O'Shaughnessy, his wife Margaretta Dunn O'Shaughnessy, and her sister Ellen Dunn, were witnesses to the evictions on the Vandeleur Estate in July 1888. My great grandfather wrote of his observations and opinions to friends and associates in New York City, and very likely to his family in Montreal, Canada. We know of three publications, two in New York City in 1889, subsequently reprinted in a Montreal newspaper, and the photo contribution to an article on Clare featured in the American magazine The Gael in 1901. We know that my great grandfather had several photos of the evictions in his personal collection. He did not take these photos and gives credit to a professional Limerick photographer Thomas O'Connor. Though my great grandfather's collection of photos is no longer in the family's possession, I suspect these were but copies, and that the originals still exist in a private collection. I also suspect that my great grandfather is to be photo in the background in one of the photos. He was keen to be recorded at such a historical and at the same time, to him, shocking, event.

Of further interest to some, perhaps, is that my great father was not merely a tourist, but also an activist, a member of the New York City Land League organizations, a fund raiser for the Irish Parliamentary Fund, a former Canadian Fenian, he always said, and almost certainly a Clan na Gael member at the time of his visit to Clare.

smcarberry
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Re: Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evict

Post by smcarberry » Tue Dec 24, 2013 11:40 am

Thanks very much for clarifying the phrase in the article, about "furnishing" the photos.

There is an empty space for this time period, the late 1800s and early 1900s, when the Irish at home were gathering momentum in their march to independence, with waves of support from the Diaspora via funds, meetings, rescues of hunted men, and delivery of arms directly to Clare. The newspapers carry small accounts of aspects like eviction resistance and "outrages," while organizations like the Claremen's Association in New York City had their events publicized, showing a sense of connection to the old country. Beyond those scattered events, there had to be a large amount of effort and activity done far from any publicity, necessarily. Without memoirs written by the involved men, that is now lost to us.

My information indicates that your Edward was too young to have gained his ranking of "Major" in the U.S. Civil War. Could you expand on that ?

SMC

edoshaugh
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Re: Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evict

Post by edoshaugh » Sun Dec 29, 2013 12:00 am

My great grandfather's title is likely a social one. I have investigated it from several angles and have concluded it was likely given to him by friends because he fit the image of Major Fergus O'Shaughnessy, a pulp fiction character who was quite popular in New York City from the 1850s through the 1870s. This Major O'Shaughnessy can be found in a series of newspaper articles taken from a book called The Irish Dragoon, and was also the central character in a popular play called Better Late Than Never that debuted around 1869, I think. A theater reviewer wrote of the Major O'Shaughnessy character "The Major is a rollicking, frank, generous Irish officer, with a good deal of native humor..."

The Major O'Shaughnessy character was so popular that I even found an entry in the contemporary press saying that someone "was not a Mickey Finn or a Major O'Shaughnessy", which I take to mean that someone was not a gregarious, likeable fellow.

However my great grandfather got the title, there is no doubt that he liked it and used it freely, even when among bona fide titled veterans of our Civil War. The earliest record that I found in the press where he is identified as Major E. J. O'Shaughnessy is a July 31, 1882 article in The Irish World where is he attending a lecture on the Boer War given by an officer who participated. At some point, according to family legend, he had calling cards printed identifying him as Major E. J. O'Shaughnessy.

smcarberry
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Re: Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evict

Post by smcarberry » Sun Dec 29, 2013 10:49 am

Thanks very much for that additional information. It is a reminder of how very important the theater world and literature was to people without the diversions of television and the Internet. Another offshoot of that time, at least for my research, was the use of Carberry as a surname for characters in those plays and serialized novels in newspapers. My surname seemed to have a certain appeal for authors when wanting to inject into a scene someone with a certain flair or dynamism, or not quite being a part of the usual social circle portrayed. I suppose that era had its own sort of fantasy aspect to liven up the mundane matters of daily life. For me now, though, it is necessary to wade through theater reviews and novelettes in newspaper articles brought up in search returns when I use a newspaper database.

SMC

edoshaugh
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Re: Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evict

Post by edoshaugh » Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:54 pm

For those interested in the evictions on the Vandeleur Estate July-August 1888 try to get a copy of The Other Clare, summer issue 2015. I understand it will be available for purchase by the end of July 2015. In that issue you will find an article titled "Photographing the evictions on the Vandeleur Estate July 1888." The article explores the authorship of the photos many of us have admired and discussed in research forums. I wrote the article from interest generated by my great grandfather's published accounts, augmented and supported by primary source press accounts and some photos I knew about or found during my research. I'm hoping that renewed interest in the topic generated by the article will cause or allow more photos to appear, along with any provenance that might exist.

edoshaugh
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Re: Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evict

Post by edoshaugh » Fri Mar 11, 2016 9:32 pm

My article on the photographing of the Vandeleur Estate Evictions, published in Vol 39 of The Other Clare, is now posted to the Clare library website at http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... deleur.htm. Ed

smcarberry
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Re: Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evict

Post by smcarberry » Sat Mar 12, 2016 10:26 am

I am expressing appreciation felt by anyone reading your thoughtful and well-considered review of the photographs' provenance in the article, newly available on the Library website and thus available to a wider audience than when published in 2015. The extent of your research is a model for any of us with a topic brewing and waiting for expression in some form. With photographs as the subject, the involved 50-plus pages are leavened with images very naturally. It is a gem and truly worth a look for even those who have no current interest in the subject of evictions. Very inspiring.

Sharon Carberry

pwaldron
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Re: Edward O'Shaughnessy's photos of Vandeleur Kilrush evict

Post by pwaldron » Sat Apr 09, 2016 12:48 am

There are some very clear reproductions of eviction photographs from the Lawrence Collection at
http://mashable.com/2016/04/03/ireland-evictions/

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