Re: Information is wanted of Thomas McNamara, of Glandree,
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 11:21 am
Hi Mary,
Thanks for replying again – I was afraid you might feel a bit overwhelmed by the flood of records relating to the family of Thomas McNamara of Ayle Upper and then the huge amount of research on all McNamaras in Derryeaghra and Ayle Upper by Jimbo. I agree with Jimbo that Derryeaghra would have been considered to be part of Ayle – it was part of the Ayle Estate plus it was a very small townland (80 acres) – see this description at the time of the first sale of the estate in 1850: http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/ ... est003.htm
As you can see from the work done by Jimbo we have no way of knowing how many children were born to Thomas in Ayle Upper (abt. 1810-1885). We only know of Margaret (who married Michael Noonan), Patrick (who married Honor Powell), Michael b. 1860 and Bridget/Delia for whom more research is needed, but there must have been more children that we do not know of. Likewise with Thomas in Derryeaghra (abt 1795 – 1865?). Jimbo shows that he had a son, Michael, who married Margaret Moloney, but there were other children, I’m sure. It would be foolish to say that the Thomases who were born in Ayle are limited to the two that we have found. It’s quite possible that Thomas in Derryeaghra had a son called Thomas born about 1820, who later moved to Derryfadda.
You mention the murder of William Sheehy in 1860 and the event and court case was well covered by the newspapers of the day, but it is probably a mistake to swallow entirely everything they say. A posting by “longlocks”, in 2012, entitled “Biddy Early (Wise Woman of Clare)”: viewtopic.php?t=3730, includes a link to one report in the Limerick Chronicle, which I have transcribed here:
Sheedy goes on to give the names of the men arrested after the murder. These were men who were known to be on bad terms with William Sheehy. They were Tom Flannery, the husband of Biddy Early, his uncle Martin ‘Whiskers’ Flannery, Martin Minogue, Martin Tuohy (who had recently returned from Australia), and also John Keeffe, Daniel Keeffe, John McNamara, Thomas McNamara and John Burke. “But it was acknowledged that there was not a shred of evidence to link any of the suspects with the killing.” Sheedy concludes his article saying “The identity of his killers has never become known, and the only visible reminder of his labours to-day on the land at Carheen (or of his tenant’s holdings) is a single stone-built outhouse."
Sheila
Thanks for replying again – I was afraid you might feel a bit overwhelmed by the flood of records relating to the family of Thomas McNamara of Ayle Upper and then the huge amount of research on all McNamaras in Derryeaghra and Ayle Upper by Jimbo. I agree with Jimbo that Derryeaghra would have been considered to be part of Ayle – it was part of the Ayle Estate plus it was a very small townland (80 acres) – see this description at the time of the first sale of the estate in 1850: http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/ ... est003.htm
As you can see from the work done by Jimbo we have no way of knowing how many children were born to Thomas in Ayle Upper (abt. 1810-1885). We only know of Margaret (who married Michael Noonan), Patrick (who married Honor Powell), Michael b. 1860 and Bridget/Delia for whom more research is needed, but there must have been more children that we do not know of. Likewise with Thomas in Derryeaghra (abt 1795 – 1865?). Jimbo shows that he had a son, Michael, who married Margaret Moloney, but there were other children, I’m sure. It would be foolish to say that the Thomases who were born in Ayle are limited to the two that we have found. It’s quite possible that Thomas in Derryeaghra had a son called Thomas born about 1820, who later moved to Derryfadda.
You mention the murder of William Sheehy in 1860 and the event and court case was well covered by the newspapers of the day, but it is probably a mistake to swallow entirely everything they say. A posting by “longlocks”, in 2012, entitled “Biddy Early (Wise Woman of Clare)”: viewtopic.php?t=3730, includes a link to one report in the Limerick Chronicle, which I have transcribed here:
I first read about the murder of William Sheehy in The Other Clare Vol. 19 (1995), in an article entitled “Wilful Murder Against Some Persons Unknown,” by Kieran Sheedy (pp 53-57). Sheedy explains that the land bought by William Sheehy was just one third of the McNamara estate: “The lot totalled 650 acres and included land in the townlands of Baurgegaun, Upper and Lower Curragh, Gorteenreagh, Derrynanave, Stone Park and Carheen”. He describes the acrimony between various people, as shown in the Feakle Petty Session reports and the Killaloe Quarter Sessions prior to the murder. A lot of detail follows and I skip over it here. Sheedy goes on to sayDreadful Murder of Alderman William Sheehy !!!
It is with sincere sorrow we have to record the death of Alderman William Sheehy, on Monday night, or early on yesterday morning, by most foul and bloody murder, which has since more disgraced our country, and stigmatized it for barbarity by the commission of the hightest crime that man can commit in violation of Divine or human law, - The late Alderman Sheehy was, as his civic title imparts, a member of the Town Council of this city, and represented the Irishtown ward; he was also a member of the Board of Guardians, and was most zealous in the discharge of his duties towards the poor, and the ratepayers; he likewise took an active part in assisting in the administration of the local affairs connected with the medical charities, whilst as a trader in his native city, he was much respected by all who had business transactions with him; and, it is well known, by merchants of the first respectability, who were appointed arbitrators in a law suit in which he was some years ago concerned, and who, in the capacity of arbitration, had the Inspection of his books, that he accommodated numbers of his fellow traders with the loan of monies in large amounts whenever the exigencies of trade compelled them to become borrowers, and this he did without availing himself of the powers of his position of lender by charging either discount or commission. In 1857 he became possessed of the lands of Oyle [Ayle], near Tulla. This property he purchased under the Incumbered Estates Court. It contains 550 acres of land, and he paid for it the sum of £800, subject to an annuity of £200, payable to an old lady of 80 years of age, widow of the late Robert Unthank, and whose maiden name was Mary Creagh, and whose first husband was McNamara – this this land he cultivated 70 acres, and resided latterly in a small two roomed thatched cottage, which he had fitted up for his own accommodation, and in which it is said he used to sit until a late hour at night reading. On Monday last he was in this city on business, and displayed his usual buoyancy of spirits and [?] active temperament. He left somewhere about 3 o’clock, and arrived at Oyle about six, and joined his labourers in the haggard, and when the business there was finished he retired with his ploughman who was also his caretaker to his cottage, where the kettle was put down; to use the language of this poor man who is our informant, and tea was had and agricultural arrangements spoken of, and at 10 o’clock the steward left for his own home, which was at a considerable distance from the cottage, and on the other side of a hill which intervened. When the steward returned at early morning to resume the duties of the day, he was horrified on seeing the cottage a blackened heap of smoking ruins, and on his arrival at the scene he found that the cottage door had been forced, and the strong lock pushed back, and under a heap of the ruins, which came from the burning roof, was the headless, armless, and feetless trunk of his unfortunate master, and which was so far preserved from the devouring element by the heap of debris which fell upon it. The remains of the deceased were found in the passage which led from the sittingroom to the outer door, and beside it, lying where the hands of the deceased stretched out when he fell, were his pistols, which he must have taken down from the chimney-board in order to defend himself from his murderer or murderers, when he heard the crashing at the outer door. The woodwork of the pistols was burned off, but, strange to say, their charge remained unexploded. A gun shot wound was discovered on the side of the body, and marks supposed to be made by bullets were also found on the evenly plastered surface of the wall of the cottage, which coupled with the other circumstances already noticed, demonstrate that the deceased was shot and then that the murderers set the cottage on fire. It appeared that the deceased had not retired to bed, as the remains of his trowsers were found upon the portions of the legs which escaped the fire. His slippers were also discovered, but no trace of his head, nor legs, nor arms have been discovered, it being supposed that they were consumed, and that in removing the rubbish from off the body they became undistinguishable from the ashes by which they were at first concealed from view.
An inquest was held on the remains of the murdered man on yesterday, by Matthew Canney, Esq., coroner for the county of Clare, when a verdict of “Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown” was returned, and since then two persons have been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in this act of blood. It has been said, and it is publicly reported, that the cause of this atrocious and inhuman outrage which may be placed side by side with any murder committed by the Druees[?], was the eviction of tenants from these lands, and of ejectments brought by the deceased in order to turn out a large number of families, but the very contrary is the fact. – the deceased never turned a tenant off the lands since they came into his possession but one – an old cup-tosser and fortuneteller named Early, who was a disgrace to the district; and his late ejectments at Killaloe dwindle down to a process for trespass on grass lands, brought against an old herd of the name of Flannery, and against whom he obtained a decree, more for the settling of a disputed question of right, than for pecuniary gain, and, strange to say, this old herd was not to be found at his place of abode when his presence was required at the inquest. It is also stated that the deceased was harsh to his dependents and to those about him, but they state that he was the reverse; that he was most kind to the poor; that he always gave employment to those who would work, and kept many out of the workhouses and to conclude[?] upon this melancholy subject, we can only repeat the language of one of his men – “a better man for the poor never lived.”
These facts will be corroborated by his rent books, in which will be seen the amount of monies lent to his tenantry for the purpose of improving their holdings, one of whom he never oppressed, but, on the contrary, was kind, humane, and generous to all.
Since the above was put in type we have ascertained that a portion of the skull of the deceased with some of the brains adhering to it was discovered amongst the ruins; and also that but one of the pistols was in his hand when he fell. He was cautioned on Sunday by the Chief of Police of the district, not to travel late at night, and to have a second person to reside in the house with him as company, and for defence in case he would be attacked.
The harvest of 1860 had been a poor one (the first of three successive bad harvests) and William Sheedhy visited his tenants on horseback and agreed to reductions in many cases [note 13: Paddy O’Malley, Gorteenreagh, Feakle told the author that following a visit on horseback from William Sheehy, his grandfather’s rent was reduced from £14 to £8]. But the straitened circumstances of the overall population had led inevitably to a corresponding increase in agrarian unrest, and William Sheehy was aware of the danger it implied when he threatened proceedings against a minority of tenants for arrears of rent [note 14: Munster News, 28 October 1860].
Sheedy goes on to give the names of the men arrested after the murder. These were men who were known to be on bad terms with William Sheehy. They were Tom Flannery, the husband of Biddy Early, his uncle Martin ‘Whiskers’ Flannery, Martin Minogue, Martin Tuohy (who had recently returned from Australia), and also John Keeffe, Daniel Keeffe, John McNamara, Thomas McNamara and John Burke. “But it was acknowledged that there was not a shred of evidence to link any of the suspects with the killing.” Sheedy concludes his article saying “The identity of his killers has never become known, and the only visible reminder of his labours to-day on the land at Carheen (or of his tenant’s holdings) is a single stone-built outhouse."
Sheila