[Note added by Michael Purcell - The Irish Land Act better
known as Wyndham's Act was passed in 1903, the act was the result of
agreement between the landlords and the tenants, once agreement was
reached the transaction was approved by the Land Commission. In 2004 I
gave Turtle Bunbury a pile of Land Act "agreement forms" relating to
transactions to tenants for the Rathdonnell estates in Carlow.]
The following items were found in
The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920
newspaper.
May 21, 1904
Centenarian Tourist.
John O’Reilly has the honor of being the first
known centenary to cross the ocean He left Jersey City N J May 7 for
Liverpool on the Cunarder Lucania taking with him his 78 year old wife
They are going across to visit their old home in Carlow Ireland.
O’Reilly was 100 years old April 6 (Born 1804) is 7
feet 7 inches tall walks without a cane and has all his faculties He has
a keen appreciation of the importance or America for when asked if he
was coming home to die he said Indeed I am not I don’t want to be buried
in the old country I was born In Ireland but America is my Country and
it shall be God willing my last resting place, The aged tourist has
ninety living descendants.
August 13, 1904
Memorial to Brave Father Murphy.
Dublin July 24 of the largest most imposing and
enthusiastic Nationalist demonstrations which has been witnessed in the
country of recent years took place at Tullow County Carlow on Sunday It
was the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of a beautiful
memorial which it is proposed to erect in the Market square to the
memory of that gallant patriot priest and martyr Father Murphy who paid
the penalty of his life in 98 for love of Faith and Fatherland It was on
the square the noble sogarth one hundred and six years ago was hanged
and then decapitated.
The committee in charge of the memorial for the
past two years have been working most energetically to forward the
memorial project and up to the present have collected a sum of over two
hundred pounds but nearly twice this sum will be required for Ia
suitable monument to commemorate the memory of Farther Murphy and his
faithful friend Galagher whose loyalty and devotion to his chief are
welt known to students of the history of the period
The place selected
for the memorial is in the very best and most elevated part of he square
and when placed in position will be a decided improvement to the place
The town yesterday was en fete From an early hour the different
approaches to the town were unusually animated and a continuous stream
of contingents headed by bands and banner kept nourish in until
eventually the streets were in a very congested state
These contingents
came from the surrounding counties while a special from Dublin on which
the lord mayor Mr T D Sullivan Alderman Cole and others travelled
brought down an enormous gathering on the square a platform was erected
from which the gathering numbering about six thousand was addressed by
the various speakers Previous to the laying of the foundation stone Mr
P. Kavanagh handed Mr Thomas Bolger a silver trowel which bore the
following inscription Presented to Mr Thomas Bolger chairman of the
Father John Murphy Memorial Committee July 17 1904.
At the Carlow Summer Assizes on Thursday an action
for damages by Miss Johanna Murphy of Fair view Bagnalstown against
William Fitzpatrick Royal Oak for breach of promise of marriage was
settled plaintiff to receive 50 and all costs.
December 31, 1904
The many friends of all denominations in San Jose
Cal of the Rev John D Walshe S J of St Josephs church will learn with
regret that he has just received information of the death of his mother
Mrs Mary Walshe which occurred at her home in Leighlin Bridge County
Carlow Ireland at a recent date Mrs Walshe had reached the ripe age of
92 years.