Local Interviews - 09 - The Delaney Family - Joe Murphy House & Deanwood Place , Togher

 Harry Delaney

In early December 2019 , the Togher Historical Association met with members of the Kelleher family in Ballincollig. The aim was to trace the Togher connection and story primarily of the Delaney family from the 1920s up to the mid 1990s and their bloodline with the Murphy family of Joe Murphy fame. This entailed going back through Shirley Kelleher (nee Delaney) to her father Harry Delaney to his mother Mary Delaney (nee Murphy) sister of hunger striker Joe Murphy who died in 1920.

 Extended members of the Delaney Family at 50th Anniversary 1970

of Joe Murphy at his grave in republican plot in St. Finbarr's Cemetery

 Mary Delaney ( nee Murphy ) centre behind grave

Patrick Delaney ( left of photo ) 

& Harry Delaney ( left of Mother )

The Delaney Family connection with Togher began with the marriage of  Patrick Delaney , a mason from Macroom to Mary Murphy of Pouladuff Road in the 1920s whose brother was famous hunger striker Joe Murphy who had died in Cork Gaol in 1920. Mary's twin brother Richard had been forced to leave Ireland for America that same year. Mary was actually born in Boston , Massachusetts , U.S.A. in 1896 but returned with her family to Ireland in 1901 and grew up in present day Joe Murphy house. On marrying , her husband Patrick built a new house onto her old family home. This would go on to become known as the Blue House to locals in the vicinity. The Delaneys would eventually move into Joe Murphy house when Nora Murphy died in 1945. The Blue House would remain largely idle for many decades being used as a storeroom for the market garden. Mary Delaney passed away in 1973 while her husband Patrick Delaney died in 1982. The House passed out of family hands in 1998.

Blue House next to Joe Murphy house 2019

Original residence of Delaney Family

Blue House left of Joe Murphy in 1960

Note original pillars outside residence

The Delaney children were as follows ; Mary , Denis , Noreen , Joe , Harry , Richard and Anna. Harry was born in 1930 and attended Togher National school along with the rest of his siblings up to the early 1940s. All of the children helped out in the market garden where they grew cabbage , turnips , potatoes and kept some chickens. Harry was a keen road bowler and lover of Irish History. He also developed a love of opera and classical music. He was a drummer with the Cork I.V. Band where he would eventually become Drum Major. He is also the longest living serving member of Sinn Fein.

Harry Delaney on drums centre foreground

I.V. Pipe Band Golden Jubilee 1964

Harry Delaney ( 2nd from left centre row )

Mary Delaney ( nee Murphy ) 

Harry's Mother 1972

Harry worked for Lee Garage in the City where he would qualify as a Mechanic in 1953. He married Sheila Hammond of Templeacre Ave., Gurranabraher in 1954 and moved into Churchfield Ave. on the Northside. Their children were as follows :  Miriam , Padraig , Phonsie , Goretti , Henry and Shirley.

Mechanic Trade certificate 1953

Harry Delaney & Sheila Hammond

Engagement

 Harry Delaney & Sheila Hammond

Wedding 1954

Miriam , Padraig , Phonsie and Goretti

In the 1960s he was gifted some land adjoining Joe Murphy house and set about constructing his own Car Dealer shop and garage complete with pumps and forecourt. This was achieved by clearing away the old high ditch-line which ran along Pouladuff Road at the time. The official name of the premises was H.J. Delaney & Sons but was more commonly known as Pouladuff Motors. His Daughter Miriam was in charge of accounts and his son Padraig sold cars from the premises while Harry repaired vehicles. Later on his other two sons Henry and Phonsie both qualified as mechanics and also worked in the garage. They had contracts with Aer Lingus and eventually Southern Fruit when that business first opened near Togher Cross in 1973.

 Pouladuff Motors 1960s with Harry on right

 Forecourt showing Deanwood Place in left background

Pouladuff Motors 1970s

Harry had previously decided to move his family from the Northside to Togher in 1970 to be nearer to his place of work. They moved into Deanwood Place in a quite cul de sac off Deanwood Ave. facing a field. Shirley recalls that plans were in place to construct more houses but never came to fruition. Sheila soon became involved in the Barrs Bowling club where she chaired the Ladies Committee. Harry retired in the late 1980s and sold the business to Lee Metals , a scrappage firm. The new owners constructed the present day wall for safety and security reasons soon after. Denis , Harry's brother would become the last Delaney to live in Joe Murphy house thus ending a 70 year association with the area and Togher in particular.

Lee Metals 2019 formally Pouladuff Motors

Shirley's brothers inherited the family trait of road bowling and won many trophies alongside their father. Shirley attended Togher Girls National School from 1971 to 1979 making her Communion in 1974 and Confirmation in 1979. She later married Sean Kelleher of Ballyphehane and moved to Ballincollig in 1992. They have two children James and Louise. Currently both Shirley and Louise are heavily involved in a major project based on the life and death of Joe Murphy.

Shirley ( on Mother's lap ) with siblings 1968

 Shirley Delaney with Phonsie during his Confirmation

at Deanwood Place 1970

 Henry Delaney Communion 1971

Shirley Delaney Communion 1974 with Parents

Shirley outside home in Deanwood Place early 1970s

 Shirley Delaney aged 8 at Togher Girls N.S. circa 1975

Shirley Delaney Confirmation 1979

Sean Kelleher : " The Blue House had a wall and railings to its front much like Joe Murphy House. I'm not sure why they were removed but they were gone by 1987. I also remember there used to be a lane-way alongside the left side of the Blue House which lead to a gate and the market garden. There were lots of plum trees growing there as well. This was before Vicar's Road was laid down in 1970. "

Henry Delaney 21st Birthday Party
 Ardmanning Pub 1985

Sheila Delaney presenting trophy at Barrs Club

Harry Delaney and Padraig Delaney 

Barrs Bowling Club displaying their winning trophies

Shirley & Sean Kelleher Wedding 1992

Wedding photo outside Togher Church

Sadly Sheila Delaney passed away in 2003 and Harry now resides in Ballincollig Nursing Home. The couple had moved out of Togher in 1995 considering the house to be too large and settled in Ballincollig where all their children and grandchildren now reside to be closer to them. In 2019 Harry was Guest of Honour at a special ceremony in City Hall for the posthumous awarding of a War of Independence medal to Joe Murphy.

Sheila Delaney 70th Birthday Party

Harry Delaney 80th Birthday Party

Harry Delaney at City Hall 2019

Posthumous award of Medal for Joe Murphy

Louise & Shirley 2019

30th Fieldwork Trip - Buildings and Bridges Tour - 21st November 2019

On 21st November 2019 , the Togher Historical Association undertook its 30th Fieldwork Trip to date. The Buildings & Bridges Tour was planned in advance of what turned out to be a very cold and wet day. However all expectations were surpassed as is usually the case when venturing out and about in Togher. First stop of the journey was a visit to the nearly completed site on the former N.B.A. flats. All evidence of their existence is now erased , even the concrete steps which lead up from the road near Clasduv Park. The team began their tour of the newly named Shournagh Grove in an anti-clockwise direction starting from the Ilen Court side and moving by road onto Clashduv Road , Togher Road and back in past Shournagh Lawn.

Corner of Shournagh Grove across from Ilen Court

View from Ilen Court looking down to Clashduv Park

View towards Abbeyville Vets

View from Clashduv Road

Junction of Clashduv Road & Togher Road

It must be stated that all the builders and security guards that were encountered along the way were extremely accommodating and informative. One security guard on Deanrock Avenue informed us that he was a Togher man who had emigrated to England in the 1980s in search of work and stayed for 30 years. Originally from Greenwood Estate , he related the quality of the buildings , including excellent insulation , solar panels and underground heating including spacious kitchens. He mentioned that the original plan was to have the scheme finished by December 20th 2019 but that due to bad weather and other circumstances that this was perhaps not now feasible. Most of the inner roads had yet to be hard-cored and tarmacced.

Corner of Togher Road / Clashduv Road

Togher Road across from Deanwood Avenue

View onto Togher Road from Deanvale

Entrance off Togher Road across from McCarthy's House

The group next moved to the other side of the Estate next to Shournagh Lawn. Here it could be seen that most of the road had yet to be treated. It was at this point that a young security guard approached us and politely explained that further access was not possible. The group engaged with him and soon struck up a conversation which resulted in them being able to take some photographs. At this stage two workers joined in the conversation and it transpired that the young man was originally from Bulgaria. It would appear he had traveled all the way to Ireland for work and met a woman from Bulgaria. The pair are now soon to wed. The workers jokingly asked if the group had been invited to the wedding. The following photographs show the view from Togher Road in and around Shounagh Lawn and a nice view of the new Shournagh Grove. A short video taken from Togher Road gives a nice representation of the new houses , many of which are already occupied.

View past Shournagh Lawn onto new Estate

Right hand side of above view

Exiting from new Estate

Corner view towards Market Gardens

Corner view looking back towards Togher Road

Short video of Shournagh Grove , Togher Road

The team then moved off to another site , the newly completed complex near Palmbury ; the former site of the Lodge which originally lead up to Lehenaghmore House. The scheme was funded by Cluid and is believed to be affordable housing. Even though it is fully completed , it is unoccupied and fenced off.

View looking back towards Togher Cross

Left side view of site

Right side view of site

Next stop was in Eagle Valley to inspect the remains of an old stone wall. Acting on information drawn from a 19th Century OSi map , this was one of several locations where the surveyors placed a benchmark. However the wall was crumbling and for the most part entirely missing. No benchmark could be discerned and the missing blocks were most likely long gone.

Old stone wall in Eagle Valley

Close up view of old wall in Eagle Valley

The group next made its way to Lehenagh railway bridge , one of the few remaining from the old Cork Bandon line. The OSi maps indicated that the benchmark was located on the right side wall of the bridge. The wall was partially covered in clinging ivy and this was torn away to uncover the hidden benchmark. At the time the idea was abandoned and it was only later after zooming in on photographs taken at the scene that the benchmark was discovered! The photos below show the benchmark in all its glory , one of only two still in existence in Togher.

Left side of Lehenagh Bridge

Right side of Lehenagh Bridge

Benchmark on Lehenagh Beg railway bridge

Next port of call was the location of a bridge over the Glenmore River at the bottom of Matthews Hill and the junction of Forge Hill. Closer inspection revealed it to be a pre-cast concrete affair. Even though concrete was in use in Ireland from 1850 , this was used primarily for harbour piers and there is no other example of it in Togher from that time period ; it is felt that therefore there was an original stone arch bridge in situ perhaps up to the 1950s which fell into disrepair and was subsequently removed for safety purposes. The Glenmore River is important in that it is the natural boundary of Togher on its western side.

Concrete bridge as seen from Industrial Estate

Close up showing underside of concrete bridge

Opposite side near Forge Hill

Glenmore River , Lehenagh Beg , Togher

Final visit of the day was to the footbridge over the Glasheen River in search of another benchmark. Originally this stone arch bridge came complete with walls on either side. However following a tragedy in 1972 , the walls were removed and the entire section of river was enclosed in railings. It can be seen that an additional set of railings were erected on the bridge at a later date , as youths could easily scale the older railings by using the base of the wall to hoist themselves up and over. Sadly no benchmarks could be seen though the first layer of stone blocks are still in situ but were covered with leaves and other debris. The river was in full flow and the water pipes were partially submerged at the time. It is planned to return in the summer for a closer inspection.

Partially submerged pipes in Glasheen River

Opposite side of footbridge

Right side showing remains of old wall

Rarely seen view of left side arch of bridge