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Return to first page(now theBridewell Lane)
Neighbors of Patrick Wilkie 1910-1920
(Had three rows of houses)
Jimmy Wrixson - home
Horgan home Christy HORGAN family had a candy store in frontwindow sold hard candy, bulls eyes,peppermints and licorice
MCKENNA- worked in a sawmill
FLYNNS, Sonny & Lily
DELANESE
STANTON was a jarvey driver
DONOHUE-Tim was 6 ft tall, member of the English Guard alsobecame a chauffer for the Lord Kenmare after he returned from the War. Thewives of Donohue and Stanton (next door to each other) were sisters.
COOPER-Sonny and Pauline. Sonny's father Jack was a jarveydriver The Cooper family was the first to get lights and power.
MC CARTHY, Sonny, his father was a shoemaker. This familywas the first to get a phonograph.
Jer OCONNELL was a recruiting sargent during WW I &veteran of the Boer War.
SULLIVAN-John was a postman had a son Timmy and 2 daughters
MATHIS-Mary she was a seamtress
CRONIN-Denis. Denis worked for the Dole Office. He and hisbrother Pat lived there with their mother. Pat worked in the sawmill
STACK, Morris he was a postman, nicknamed Mossey, workedfor over 45 years at Post Office and had a brother Johnny STACK
SHEA, Mort brother of Jer Shea
Edmund FORHANE Sr AND Ellen FOLEY (note Ellens parents wereThomas FOLEY and Mary DOYLE and Edmunds parents were Cornelius FORHANE andHannah FALVEY). Edmund was a jarvey driver and the grandparents of AliceForan (Forhane). Alice Foran became wife of PatrickWilkie. (During this timethere were variations in spelling of the Forhane name)
SUGRUE, Margaret a neighbor of the Wilkies, a very nicelady quiet, lived alone
WILKIE, Peter was a Irish Munster Fusilier in the Boer Warand World War I. Mary Ferris Wilkie worked for a cooperative store in Killarneyduring WWI. Had 7 children- Margaret, Chris, Hannah, Bridie, Patrick, Peterand Mariah.
HORGAN-Ellie , Katie and Paddy sisters and a brother wholived next door to one another. Ellie lived alone (used crutches) Katie andPaddy Horgan brother and sister lived together. Paddy was a great accordianplayer. During the day he would come outside and play jigs and at night heplayed waltzes. Pop went to sleep many nights to the music of Paddy HORGAN.
Patrick Wilkie, remembers that his home was small. His brothersshared beds which consisted of mattresses on a floor. His sisters workedat the Great Southern Hotels and had room and board there. The kitchen hada large fireplace with large kettle pots hanging up. Here the meals wereprepared, breads baked and tea kettles stayed warm for the day. There wasa small garden in back of the dwelling with turnips, potatoes, and beans.Chickens and pigs were raised and the eggs sold. Washing was done by handand hung out on the bushes. Water was drawn from a well nearby. Dad rememberseach child had a pair of shoes that were worn only for going to school andto Church. Christmas was a big event. Very large candles were placed in thewindow. The boys gathered holly out near Colemans Castle and decorated theirhouse and gave remainder of the holly to neighbors and to Killarney storekeepers.Their own stockings were hung on the fireplace and fresh fruit was foundin them the next morning. A tin whistle or a mouth organ were the toys ofthe time. Christmas Mass at the Cathedral was always attended by all. AfterChristmas the children would march around town playing their tin whistlesand mouth organs. Dad remembers a particular route they took on the marchwhere they would have to pass a cemetary and it was agreed upon by the childrenbefore hand, to walk very naturally by it. They approached it very cautiously,still playing and when they would get near the entrance, everyone would runlike hell. Pop still laughs about that story today.
In these early days gas light was being put in at the GreenLane, Jack Cooper was the first to have light (front lane, last house) Theywere also the family that owned their own horse and cart. The kids nameswere Pauline and Sonny COOPER
In the middle Lane there lived a Denis CRONIN. One of nana'aaunts (Hartnett) married young Denis. A sister Margaret CRONIN came to overto US but returned again to Killarney.
There was a HOGAN family on the Green Ln. The father, oldJim HORGAN fought in the Crimean War. He had a daughter Katie, Ella and ason Paddy,. Paddy was a great accordian player. In the evening he would entertainthe neighbors.
Then there was Dan O, Dan MCCARTHYa waiter at the at theVictoria Hotel. He had a daughter named Maggie MCCARTHY who went to WorcesterMA and a son Mickey MCCARTHY sho remained in Killarney.
The DONOGHUE family had children Francis, Bridie and Eily
The FORHANES lived on the back Lane where pop lived, ggrandfather Ned (Edmound) was a jarvey driver They were grandparents of nana and passed away during the big fluepidemic about 1918.(click thumbnail to see larger image)
Bob BRIEN moved into that dwelling after the Forhanes death.Bob previously lived at Ducketts Ln but lost his wife and 2 children in the1918 flu epidemic. He remarried a Ryan widow (maiden name-Sullivan) who hadchildren and one of the daughters name was Shelia RYAN.
During the epidemic, people were sent to the "fever hospital"up near Sunny Hill. Pop remembers going up there and looking over a walland seeing all the caskets lined up. Every day there were multiple funerals.Doctor MCSWEENEY was the physician that treated many of the flu patientsat that time.
Most of the homes along the Green Lane were owned by theKenmore Estates. Each year Lady Kenmore would pay a visit to the residentsto oversee the housing. All the residents came out of their homes and bowedto the Lady Landlord.
In a letter I had from Tim MCCARTHY author of KillarneyTop Of Towns, he mentioned the passing in 1999 of Tim OSHEA, his friend whocollected rent for the Lord of Kenmare in the early days at Green Lane. TimOSHEA & Connie STAUNTON were classmates with him at the PresentationMonastery.
Note: All of the homes on Green Lane are now privately owned.
there was a family of DOYLES. Hannah DOYLEattended the Loretto Convent, immigrated to NYC and worked for the SocialSecurity office there. (1940's) Hannah had a brother Vincent DOYLE who madeseveral trips to the states but never stayed. He worked for the dole officein Killarney. Another brother immigrated and was a priest in Virginia. Twoother brothers, John & (?name) had a business of side cars and horsesin Killarney.
The DONOGHUE'S were a real respected family and had a hotel,Park Place on High St. Mr Donoghue became a doctor in later years, shareda building for his practice with old Dr McSweeney (had separate entrances)and was remembered as the doctor who would go out to visit a patient anytime of day or night. They also had a son and daughter who became doctors,one had a practice in Dublin, another son Michael was a communications officeron a steamship line and son Paddy became a priest. Mrs. Donoghue was aboutpops age. In the early days the Donoghues raised horses and cattle at HomeFarm near Aghadoe. Later they bought the Park Place Hotel. Nana and pop alwaysstayed there on their trips home.
The CORKERY'S on New St made carriages. On one side of theirstore was HILLARDS store and on the other side Boss COFFEY pub. In lateryears, a son Charlie COKERY ran a pub. Charlie's nickname was Chism.
Pop always like to tell this story about a friend namedTommy MULCAHY. Pop left Killarney before him and when they bid farewell,Tommy said to pop "Paddy Joe, the next time I see you I'll whistle the song, 'Under the Shade of the Old Apple Tree' ". Several years later in NYC,someone came into the room and said to pop "there is somone here to see youand he is out in the hall whistling a song" Pop knew right away who it be.
The town had lamplighters and town criers. The gas lamplighterwas Dan CALAHANE (High St) and Tommy MCKENNA (Tom married Bridget Sullivan-BallAlley Ln) and the town crier was named SPELLMAN (Ducketts Ln). Dan was thebrother in law of Nel Murphy mentioned earlier. Dan CALAHANE was one of popsbest friends. He became a postman and worked at PO, Yorkville Branch in NYC.Dan passed away on a ship on his return trip home from Killarney, 29 Aug1955. (R.I.P). Mr Spellman, the crier would go around the town ringing alarge bell. He started at Market Cross, then up High Street, down New St,Main St, Henn St, College Street etc. People all came out of their homesanxiously awaiting news of the war in Europe.
Nana's best friends were sisters Kathie OMALLEY, Delia OMALLEYand her very best friend Agnes OMALLEY. The OMalleys in the early 1900'slived in Killarney at the Glebe Market Lane. The family had 3 houses on thatlane and operated a Cooper Shop making barrels. Agnes immigrated to USA andmarried Freddie JOHNSON and moved to Worcester Mass. Mom and dad stood upfor them as best man and woman at their marriage at St Patrick's Cathedralin NYC. Jimmy FRENCH (College St- father originally from Milltown) who cameover on the SS Celtic with dad, married Dehlia OMalley of Killarney . Theytoo resided in Worcester MA. Jimmy in Ireland was a chauffer and when hewent to Massachussetts he opened his own garage and was a mechanic. Hischildren's name were James, Patrick, Kathleen & Marion FRENCH. The twooldest children, Patrick and Kathleen were born in Ireland. Patrick was 3years old when he came to Worcester MA.
Another fellow from Killarney who came over on same boat,Tom HICKEY became a policeman . They all kept in touch with each other formany years.
Tom MULCAHY (Chapel Ln) who came to New York city earlyin the 1900's, married dad's sister Margaret Wilkie(seen right. click thumbnail to see larger image). Tom's dad in Killarney was Frank MULCAHY, a jarvey driver.After immigrating Tom was in the Calvary during World War I, then becamea caretaker of horses at different estates in NY, noteably the Flagler estatein Millbrook NY. Madge Wilkie worked as a maid for the same estate. Tom isburied at a National Cemetary in Long Island NY d circa 1936. Madge Wilkielived to be 94 d 1988.
In this same MULCAHY family there were brothers Paddy, Christyand Neilus. Neilus lived in New York City but ended up in Canada living withrelatives already there. The eldest girl was Molly MULCAHY, and sisters Deliaand also twins girls, one twin named Rita. One of the twin girls, pop notsure which one, was married to a New York City fireman named JOYCE. Tom'sbrother Christy went to North Carolina to work at a horse farm
In Killarney there was another MULCAHY's that collectedskins from dead animals, took them to tanning shops and had country whips,horse whips, bridals and swaggards made out of the hides and he in turn soldthem for a profit. Another Mulcahy had a boot shop in Killarney. Willie MULCAHY,a paper boy would go into all the pubs to sell local newspapers, the KillarneyEcho and out of town newspapers that came in by rail from Tralee. He wouldalways sound out out the headlines of the day. Willie did some prize fightingtoo. He even fought professionally in England and will always be rememberedas pop's best friend as a kid.
Pop remebers the MANNIX family of Ducketts Ln. They movedto Tralee in the early 1900's. They had a boot shop in Tralee and pop andhis mother would always stop over and visit with the family on their wayto Castlegregory. The boys names were Jim & John MANNIX.
There were 2 RIC men that left Ireland on the Celtic toAmerica, 17 Mar 1921 O'DWYER AND O'CONNELL. One of them, pop forgets whichone, became manager of a Reeves store in NYC.
Pop remembers well the nuns at the Presentation Convent.One of his favorites was SISTER JOSEPHINE (O'CONNOR). Pop said she was anun from Dingle. She would always give pop a bowl of soup, some bread outsdethe convent kitchen window. Pop and nana never forgot them and always vistedthe Convent on their return trips. On their first trip back in the 50's,she took nana and pop into the convent chapel and said "look Paddy Joe, wehave steam heat now". They even took pictures of the nuns in their firstever home movies. Came out pretty good for amateur photographers. I havesaved a few letters and Christmas cards that the nuns wrote to them.(This photo shows a Presentation School Class c 1899. Click thumbnail to see larger image) This is oneof their letters I transcribed as it has a date in it someone may need.
Christmas 1959Dear Pat & Alice,
Rev. Mother (Kevin) asked me to send you this note withher greetings for Christmas and New Year.
She is upset & busy, still she could not forget ourfriends.
Her aunt Sr. Philomena was buried on Nov 21st which accountsfor the upset. Of course you knew Sr. Philomena R.I.P, a lovely nun. I hopeyou both and family are well also all the Wilkie families.
Renewed greetings & all good wishes from Rev Mother& Community.
Sr Stanislaus
Dad can't remember the name but one of the nuns had a brotherthat was a priest at St Stephen's of Hungary Church on East 83rd St In NYC.He went to Aunt Madge funeral in 1988.
He believes it was a CLIFFORD, not certain of this.
MISS CURRAN was the piano player at the silent picture showin the early 1900's in Killarney. The movies were shown Thurs (the main featureday) &. Sat. in the upstairs room at the town hall at the Market Cross.The Curran family lived right across the street from the Market Cross. Theyran a flour and meal store. The kids all ate fruit at the movies and Popsaid he will never forget the sounds of the kids chomping on the apples andthe pears. The town hall also had boxing events and Pop did a few roundsthere when he was a little older. It was common in those days to have prizefights. A Brit named Zapper GRANT set up the fights. He was a heavywightboxer with the British Army. He paid the fighters a couple of schillingsand pocketed most of the money. The fighters were given nicknames like Tombstone,Strongman and Dirty Pat. A big fight was held one time in a field near Beaufortand at a hall in Killorgan.
It was common thing in those days to have a nickname asmany of the residents of the town had the same names. I'll give you a fewexamples pop remembers. There was:
PEEP OUT- the guy that was always looking out the window
TRENCH COAT- the people who worked in England always camehome wearing a trench coat
Ladder LEARY-a very tall person
RACEY- The guy who always went to the races
These are just a few examples but there were many more likeDitto, Lily Of Killarney, Harmonica, Stone Weight, John Boy, Major, MosseyAnd Under The Clock.
There was "Toast DOYLE". He was one of those gents who blewa bugle up in the mountains so the tourists could hear the echos.
Pop remembers "Paddy of the Sticks" (pop said everyone pronoucedhis name Pat-scheen), he had a little business selling blackthorn walkingsticks on the top of Ross Road.
Grandfather Jeff(Edmound FORHANE-in this photo, click thumbnail to see larger image) As a child he lived at Pawn Office Ln andwhen he married lived at Tuohills Ln and Sunny Hill Ln. He was a jarvey driver. Many of the town men earned a living this way. Pop said many jarvey driversworked for certain hotels. They wore those stove pipe hats and hotels wererecognized by the different colored hats the drivers wore. Edmond had a brotherPatrick FORHANE a stone mason by trade. He immigrated to New York and had2 sons Jeff and Michael FORHANE
In my small pictures album are photos of Joan HARTNETT cousinof mom with her husband KEEGAN in 1937. They ran at one time the InnisfallenHotel.
A slaughter house was near High St. There was a store onMarket Lane that sold the best black pudding. Another favorite were the chestercakes, similar to bread pudding, the BLAND family and a place called ANNIESon Henn St sold the chester cakes.
He remembers the blacksmith, the toy stores and all thepubs by name, there was Spillanes, Donohues, Bobby Eagers, Sheas andMcCullicuddys
Bobby EAGER from High St, his dad at one time was a policemanin London. The Eagers immigrated to US and worked for the Telephone Co inNYC. Bobby returned home after his retirement. In his retirement years inKillarney he and his sister had a business next to one another. Bobby hada pub next door to his sisters grocery store.
Bobby gave pop a set of old postcards with old views ofKillarney. I will get them scanned in the near future. I also have some realold postcards of Killarney that sister Pat gave me.
Katie FLYNN of the Market Lane married a Lionel CROSLEYand in NYC her husband worked for the 5th Ave Busline. Dad remembers shehad 2 children and one son name was Corneilus
Michael QUILL from outside of Killarney but a Kerryman wasthe head of the local union in NYC and helped Killarney immigrants in securingjobs. Frankie CONNOR was his assistant and this same Frankie CONNOR of CollegeSt married Nancy CRONIN of High St. In New York Frankie worked for the 5thAve Coach Co. Nancy had a brother Tommy CRONIN. Frankie and Nancy son becamea doctor in New York City.
Jack BUCKLEY of Huggards Ln was a 5th Ave bus driver too.
The FLEMING family (New St) next to the Post Office hada son who became a priest and he passed away in California. He was nicknamedJD. He had a brother Frank FLEMING. There was another priest from Killarney,buried in same cementary in California but pop can't recall his name or thecity where they are buried. Believes it was near LA. Charlie DOYLE brotherto Hannah DOYLE (New St) told him that info on one of his trips back toKillarney.
Christy HEALY'S father worked full time at St Brendans Seminary.
Jer. MAHONEY nicknamed Jerde lived in a cottage right bythe Bishops palace and rang the bell at St Mary's Church.
Connie MAHONEY (St Marys Terrace) passed away in New Yorkat St Lukes Hospital in the 1960's. He had a brother living in New Jerseyat the time.
Mrs MORIARTY lived in a lodge at the entrance to MuckrossEstate. Her son Morris MORIARTY took care of the Muckross graveyard.
(At right, Madge Wilkie (2nd from right) with her friends and Mrs. Moriarity (arm around young boy). The young boy's older brother was Morris Moriarity.)
Jimmy CULNANE was maitrede at the Great Southern Hotel.He had a daughter that married a Mahoney. Mrs Culnane run a gift shop atthe Great Southern Hotel. They lived at cottages at Sunny Hill. These cottageswere built near 1920. Before that the property was know as Mud Hill.
The British troops made their presence about this periodof time. The horse artillery came in by train and the British marching bandmade its way to the Victoria Hotel.The troops marched into town with allthe kids following. The town folks formed their own bands. There was a pipersband, a brass band and the Killarney Ball Alley Band. Soon Irish volunteersbegan to form. It was the time of the Irish uprising and the British troopswere there to keep a check on the volunteers. The army set up camps outsideof town. The horses were kept in a big field outside Killarney, going outtowards Beaufort. The army pitched tents in open fields. Occassionally asmall army of Irish would ambush the English army. Nana remembered an IRAman, Florie DONOGHUE of New St being shot and killed on the railroad tracksby the Army and remembered the British troops almost knocking the door ofher house down and ordering her brother out of the house after the IRA ambushedthe British out near Beaufort. They did a house to house search looking forthe gunmen. She said their guns looked as big as cannons. The Black and Tansarrived in town and were the most feared. They would ride around town inarmoured vehicles. This was the first time pop evere saw vehicles of thiskind. In those days the freight trains brought in food for the troops whowere stationed in Killarney. Many troops stayed at the Queen Victoria Hotel.Pop would go to the station to help unload the palettes of canned goods alwaysremembering to stash a can of two of the bully beef in the bushes, for himselfand his neighbors. Pop said the Green Lane residents ate lots of bully beefin those times. Pop saw his first airplane ever, flying over the town afterthe English troops arrived.
Pop worked for the local farmers named Mr O'SHEA and MrMUCKROSS. He was paid a schilling and a bag of potatoes for a days work.Pop remembers his maternal grandmother from Castlegregory (seen in photo right). Her name was Johanna FERRIS. She would travel by train tovisit and she always came with goodies. She arrived with a bag of Good Championpotatoes and cakes and candy. She was a short woman who smoked a clay pipe.She died at a old age and it is remembered that when they found her dead,her her clay pipe was still warm. Johanna had 3 sons Patrick, Joseph AndCornelius FERRIS. These 3 boys immigrated early 1900's to New York andConneticut. Hannah WILKIE was sent to Castlegregory to live with grandmotherand attended school there.
Cornelius FERRIS worked for the City of Hartford CT. Notknown if he ever married.
Patrick FERRIS lived in New York. His daughters were namedBessie & Loretta FERRIS. Loretta married a SUPPLE, a NYC detective.
Joseph FERRIS lived in New York and had a son that becamea priest. The priest Joe Jr was at Dunwoodie NY
The East Ave dance hall was down the street from the GreatSouthern Hotel. They had dances there several times a year and the big dancewas the International dance. It was for military officers and they came fromall over England and Ireland to attend the big event. The towns people andthe children looked forward to this big event. They would line the streetsto see the fashions of the people attending the dance. They arrived in horseand carriage. Gowns and finerys were sent from the states back home so thatlocal girls could attend the event too.The band that played was usally theClark Barry band as dad remembers or maybe a name very similar to that. Waltzmusic echoed into the streets of Killarney. Pop had a special spot to viewthe event he called "the duck inn". He and his young friends watched it allfrom their very own hiding place. Pops mother Mary Ferris Wilkie worked inthe resturant part of the dance hall serving food.
The Great Southern Hotel near by (near the railroad station)employed many local girls. Bridie, Madge and Hannah WILKIE worked there Theylived right at the hotel and worked as maids and waitresses. The head personthat managed the girls was a Miss RYAN. In back of the hotel was a laundrywhere many of the townspeople worked too. Many of the waiters and chefs werefrom other countries, mostly Germans.
The big event in Killarney in those days were the CountyFairs. The event was held in front of the Friary Chapel and farmers soldand traded cattle, pigs and sheep. Women would bring baskets of fruit tosell. Dad remembers the ladies were dressed in long dresses and wore shawls.There was great competition for sales between the locals and the countryvendors.
Another big event was the Circus. There were the DUFFY Circusand the WILSON & MCCLEAN Circus, run by families related to each other.They were home based near Dublin and in Killarney they set up their tentsat Fair Hill near the Courthouse. Pop met the MCCLEANS sons who played inthe circus band and he also met entertainers Phyllis WILSON who rode horsebackand her sister Annie WILSON who was the trapeze artist.
The kids would have a grand time in the summer months. Swimmingin the Killarney Lakes was a favorite pass time. Lambs Island and Innisfallenwere great places to swim. The boys would even make a cup of tea in cansthey always left there in the bushes and kids always had pockets full offruit in their pockets from the local orchards. It was a custom of the orchardowners to allow picking and a saying "take only what you can eat". Pop saidhis mother made alot of apple pies from those donated apples. The kids didswimming at the Sandy Bottom and at the Mills, near Colemans Castle. TheMills supplied the town power.
The sinking of the Lusatania by the Germans, WW I and thecivil strife began to take its toll. Immigration to America, Canada, Australia,New Zealand, was heightened. Every week hundreds of young people began tomake their way to other countries. The train station was the site of departure.All the towns people came up to see them off. Pop said it was to sad. Hehates to even talk about it. (Note, Ireland was still under Bristish rule.The Irish had to get British passports to travel and immigrate to othercountries. Many Irish went to Canada first and then slipped into United States.In 1924, shortley after Ireland became a free state, the US government offeredamnesity to all those Irish who came in illegally).
The trip to Queenstown was by train. Queenstown is now calledCobh. An overnight stay was spent at Doyles Lodging House before departure.Pop left Cobh aboard the SS Celtic on 17 Mar1921 and arrived at Ellis Island25 Mar 1921. On same ship from Killarney leaving that date was Christie MULCAHY,Jimmy FRENCH, Tom HICKEY and the RIC men, O CONNELL and O DWYER, all mentionedearlier in this writing.
Another generation was about to follow so many others. Itwas goodbye to parents, relatives, friends and to Ireland. Life as the Irishpeople once new was about to change in a way that only we their descendentscan still write about.
Written with love in memory of my FORHANE, WILKIE, HARTNETT,FERRIS, MAHONEY, SULLIVAN, FOLEY, FALVEY AND DOYLE families of County KerryIreland.
Good luck searching
BridgetTurn back to first pageThis page created April 2000 for County Kerry, Ireland at www.rootsweb.com/~irlker/
