Local History

In the 1840’s, Lawrencetown had a population of 397 people and 62 houses, a Roman Catholic church, a Methodist chapel, and a school, according to Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary.  During this same period, a Church of Ireland was erected in the centre of the village.             

An earthenware industry operated for a number of years in the community.  Allan Pollock owned an corn mill in Kylemore that operated for almost 200 years, grinding oaten meal and Indian meal.  It was one of the first mills in the country to produce white flour.  Pollock’s descendents sold the mill in the early 1900’s to Tom Egan who later sold it to Tom Conway.  It continued to operate as a mill into the 1940’s.  The mill was purchased in the 1960’s by Paddy Lynch and was used for the protein meal industry.             

During the 1860’s, a saw mill operated in Ohilmore, the small area between Kylemore and Lawrencetown village.             

An R.I.C. barracks was situated in the lower Kylemore area adjacent to the Grand Canal.  The Gardai occupied the barracks for a brief time after the Treaty until the barracks were burnt by the Keogh Flying Column.  At this point, the Gardai relocated into the village of Lawrencetown until the 1930’s when the barrack was made redundant.             

The Grand Canal             

In 1756, the first work on the Grand Canal scheme began in Co. Dublin.  The main line of the Grand Canal begins on the southside of Dublin City in the area of Ringsend.  It stretches across the province of Leinster, through counties Dublin, Kildare, and Offaly to the village of Shannon Harbour, on the River Shannon in Co. Offaly.             

By 1779, the Grand Canal was opened to traffic from the basin in Ringsend where it meets the River Liffey to Sallins, Co. Kildare.  Twenty-four years later, the Grand Canal was completed to Shannon Harbour, spanning 82 miles, with 43 locks and 3 sea-locks at the basin.  But it wasn’t until a year later in 1804 that the first trade boat passed through the Grand Canal from the River Shannon.             

Work began on a branch extending from the River Shannon to Ballinasloe, Co. Galway in 1824, opening to water traffic just four years later.  Technically, it was completed in 1828, extending this waterway an additional 14.5 miles and two more locks.             

In 1961, the extension to Ballinasloe was closed.  Today, the route of the canal at the end of our road, a few miles past our farm, is virtually dry.  Bord Na Mona has a light railroad track for extracting turf that is harvested and milled in the area.  But the walls, gate recesses, and bridge of Kylemore Lock are still there today as a reminder of times past.             

Grand Canal Bridge in Kylemore

  Baseball in Kylemore             

History was made in 2009 when the game of Baseball was played in “Church Field” in Kylemore.  This is the same field that was part of the old Church and the children’s playground for the Kylemore School.  We estimate that the field hadn’t been used in over 50 years for recreational purposes.  In September of 2009, teams from Baseball Ireland’s Youth League came to play organised baseball.  The following article was written by Will Beglane, President of Baseball Ireland and a former pitcher for the Irish Olympic Baseball Team:             

MOW THE FIELD AND THEY WILL COME!

Thanks to wonderful notion to mark out a baseball diamond on the farm field in front of his house (don’t know where he got that idea) we enjoyed one of the best baseball days ever down in the Townland of Kylemore a few miles outside Ballinasloe on the Portumna road. Richard Murray our Youth Secretary had kept the grass of Church Field mowed in preparation for this inaugural tournament.     

The omens were good and we were blessed by perfect baseball weather. It may not be Iowa but this is the heart of Ireland’s Mid West. Richard’s directions led me to the bog road that runs along the side of the former school house. Church Field used to be the playground for the children who attended the school and its use dates back to the 17 th Century. There is no M50 traffic chaos down here and the only delays are welcome reminders of where you are. I had to give way to tractors hauling turf from the bog and cattle being moved to fresh pasture.             

When I arrived the field was set up and the barbeque was sizzling. It doesn’t get much better than this. The teams arrived from Dublin, Cavan and Kerry. We had cadets and Little Leaguers. The field may not have been the most level of playing surfaces and the left field porch was probably a bit too short for our bigger cadets. However, this only served to add to the experience and we were able to improvise with some ground rules involving the power cables that hung below the trees in left (very rural Ireland).             

I could recount in great detail and with great gusto the epic endeavours of the young ballplayers who hustled around the bases, threw and caught the ball with great endeavour and who despatched it skyward in the direction of the next field with the might of their bats. However, to single out any individual or team for special attention would be to do a disservice to the collective effort. Suffice to say, they were all great. If there is a recipe for great baseball days then we must have mixed all the ingredients to perfection.             

Of course, none of this would have happened without the inspired imagination of Richard Murray (maybe a nod to WP Kinsella) and a willing team of helpers. Special thanks must go to the catering staff of Jackie Pierce and Diana Murray. The brownies were superb. I would also like to thank all the coaches, umpires and parents who helped make it a special day. And, of course, we have to thank the kids who came out to play.             

Will Beglane – Coach and Umpire on the day             

For more information on Baseball in Ireland, please go to the official Baseball Ireland website at: www.baseballireland.com             

The Hymany Way and The Beara-Breifne Way             

After the Battle of Kinsale in 1602, Donal Cam O’Sullivan Beare lost his castles in Dursey and Dunboy.  After withdrawing an army of supporters to a valley near Glengarriff, O’Sullivan Beare was forced to head further north to flee the English army.  On New Year’s Eve in 1602, he left the valley with four hundred fighting men and six hundred followers, consisting of women, children, porters, and servants.  Thus began his epic 14-day journey north to safety in Leitrim Castle.             

The Beara-Breifne Way is the longest walk in Ireland and runs nearly the length of the country.  Trail walkers today will find themselves in some of Ireland’s most beautiful regions and least explored areas.  At present, the Beare-Breifne Way joins six defined local ways that are:  The Beara Way, Sli Mhuscrai Gaeltacht, Duhollow Way, Ballyhoura Way, Multeen Way and Hymany Way.  This last section of the walk passes through our local communities of Portumna, Meelick, Eyrecourt, Clonfert, Laurencetown, Clontuskert, Ballinasloe, and Aughrim.             

The Hymany Way is the local trail way in East Galway, winding its way near the River Shannon and the River Suck, and through farmlands and bogs.  One section of The Hymany Way will bring the walker along the Poolad Bog Road that runs through our Kylemore Acres farmland.           

To learn more about this magnificent walking trail and the history of the O’Sullivan Beare march, please visit www.beara-breifne.ie.             

Local Legend: The Underground Passage             

Many years ago when a well was to be drilled on our land, the well-drilling company divined a location, set-up the machinery, and commenced drilling.
When they reached a depth of 60 feet, the drill hit a large air pocket and the ground all around it collapsed downward.  The machinery was moved to a second location and the drilling was restarted.  At a depth of 40 feet, the drill hit another air pocket and the ground all around it collapsed downward.  Again, the machinery was moved to another location where a well was successfully drilled.             

The field manager from the drilling company queried if we knew of any old churches near to us and asked if we’d ever heard of any underground passages in our area.  This was all news to us, and I asked people around the Kylemore area and in the village of Laurencetown, and some had heard of this local legend.  Apparently the legend is there was an Underground Passage constructed by clergy and local laypeople as an escape route from one church to another, in the event of invasion.  The passage would be used to rescue and transport church relics for safe-keeping, as well as provide an escape route for people.              

Romanesque Doorway of Clonfert Cathedral

Several years later, I was giving some thought to this matter since our old church building is actually in direct line between the historical Clonfert Cathedral and the ruins of Clontuskert Abbey.     

After conducting some research on this subject, I found on-line an article from the Washington D.C. (USA) newspaper the Washington Sentinel of April 02, 1898.  This information adds some life to our local legend:         

             

Clonfert Cathedral – Many years ago, when the cutting for the Grand Canal was being made, an ancient wooden causeway was discovered in the parish of Clonfert, not far from the cathedral.                

This wooden causeway, on being exposed to the air, crumbled into dust.  There is a tradition in the district that a secret underground passage formerly existed connecting the cathedral with the ancient monastery, in a field adjoining.  Scarcely any trace of this monastery remains.  Recently the workmen engaged in the restoration of the cathedral came across a portion of the stone work of the window of the north transept.  They also found embedded in the earth some fragments of the ancient monastery consisting of two portions of a beautiful fluted stone arch.  These, with some very old tombstones, one with an English inscription dated 1698, one with a Latin inscription nearly as old, and another with an inscription in Irish very much older than either, have been placed in the vestibule of the cathedral.  When the workmen were repairing the ancient sacristy they found what is believed to the the entrance to the secret underground passage referred to.                

Fearing that injury might be done to any carved stone work which might be found, the excavations have been discontinued for the present.  The work of general restoration, however, progresses.  It is being done in sections as money is subscribed.  The channel is almost finished.  1000l would complete the work of the nave.  In addition to the subscriptions to the general fund, the rector of Clonfert, Cannon Ml Larney, invites special contributions for the excavation work referred to.  These excavations could be done by competent workmen under the direction of Mr. Fuller, the architect, under whose supervision the restoration of the cathedral is being carried out.               

So, is there an Underground Passage from Clonfert to Kylemore to Clontuskert?  Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that this same route is also part of the Hymany Way route of the O’Sullivan-Beare march mentioned above.               

Our Local Bog Walk  

One of the Bord Na Mona bogs in the Kylemore area that was used for peat production has been inactive for several years. 
It was recently obtained by the Laurencetown community and has been developed as a Bog Walk for local enjoyment, education, and tourism. 

If you’re in the Kylemore, Laurencetown area of East Galway, you’ll find our new Bog Walk on the Old Dairy Road, between Kylemore and Lismany.