From: Michael Purcell <carlowmike@gmail.com>
Shay Kinsella, Historian.
Readers may be aware that I have spoken
highly of Shay Kinsella and his disciplined, meticulous
approach to history research and publication of same.
Articles published by Shay recently in
the Carloviana are a pleasure to read and the footnotes
informative and helpful.
The following was published in the news
section of the Nationalist in April 2014.
Carlow story makes the cover of prestigious history magazine.
By Charlie Keegan.
Since it was founded more than 20 years
ago, "History Ireland", the bi-monthly Irish history journal,
has rarely featured articles relating to Carlow.
But in the Jan. / Feb. 2014 issue, not
only does the prestigious publication contain an article on
Carlow history, but it features the subject matter on the
front cover -- a first.
The article is entitled "The Slashing
Parson of 1798" and was written by 33-year-old Shay Kinsella,
a native of Cloughna, Milford and one of an emerging group of
young historians and archaeologists.
Shay is son of Jim and Peggy Kinsella
(nee O'Reilly) and has three older brothers -- Michael, Tony
and Brian-- and a younger sister, Suzanne.
Shay graduated from Trinity College in
English and history in 2001 and then attended St Patrick's
teacher training centre in Drumcondra, from where he
graduated in 2006.
Married to N’ir’n Deeney from Co.
Donegal the couple have just welcomed their first child,
daughter Aoibh’n.
Shay is currently researching his PhD on
Milford and the Alexander family in the 19th century at St
Patrick's College, Drumcondra. He has contributed regularly
to Carloviana and also writes a diary column for the online
history magazine Scol’ire Staire.
His article in History
Ireland is an abridged version of the piece that was
published in the 2012 edition of Carloviana.
The Rev Rochford earned his chilling
sobriquet in the summer months of 1798 when, as a captain in
his brother's Cloydagh and Killeshin Yeomanry he terrorised
the village of Leighlinbridge and surrounding areas by his
provocative and distinctly unclerical behaviour.
Shay say's this work evolved from a huge
interest he has in Carlow's local history. He states: "having
grown up around the ruins of Milford mills and Clogrennane
House, I was always curious to find out the human stories
behind the bricks and mortar".
"This has led to my current PhD study on
the Alexander family of Milford, the success of the mills and
the new community that settled in the area from 1800 to
1870".
Source:
Michael Purcell
- The information contained in these
pages is provided solely for the purpose of sharing with
others researching their ancestors in Ireland.
- © 2001 County
Carlow Irish Genealogy Project. IGP
Back to the top