The " Beyond The Cutting " series continues with Mary Walsh's memoirs of Togher Road up to and including Summerstown Lane. A bygone age of hilarious characters and unforgettable experiences. When acknowledging past occupancy of any given area , it is all too often forgotten that many have called a place home going back not just decades but centuries!
** The photo above shows a different Togher in 1951 which would change vastly over the coming 2 decades. Togher Road is the main road which moves off at an angle from the bottom of the photo ; the sharp turn back to the left at the top takes you down Summerstown Lane , so named because it lead to the Glasheen River bridge and onto the Summerstown House. Also shown is the old Deanrock House ( often mistakenly labelled as Summerstown House on old OSi maps ) with its tree lined avenue leading in from Togher Road. This article will deal with the houses on both sides of this section of Togher Road up to the turn off down Summerstown Lane , the study area covering parts of 2 townlands ; Deanrock and Killeenreendowney. **
as per Down Survey
The extract as shown the photo above is from the Books of Survey & Distribution ( which detailed the original owners and the people to whom they had to surrender their land in lieu of the Cromwell Confiscations ) in the 17th Century. Killeenreendowney occupies the lower right side of Togher Road up as far as modern day Willow Place ; thereafter both sides are Deanrock. As shown , Killeenreendowney was owned by George Gould and was forfeited to Alex. Piggott with Deanrock ( Carrigdigganig ) originally in the hands of the " Deanes of St. Finbarries " but would come into the ownership of Hanc Hamilton. Through sub leasing both before and after the confiscations of Cromwell , many other notable names would become attached to Deanrock , including the Goulds in the 1640s , Wm. Field in 1654 , the Barters and the Bretons in the 18th Century which seems to have survived to some degree into modern times. * However through the various land acts of the late 19th Century and early 20th Century , much of the land would fall into the hands of the tenants. The Religious Census of 1766 for the civil parish of St. Finbarrs lists the following : " St Finbar's, 176 Protestant and 745 Catholic households, and 919 Protestant and 3,452 Catholic people. No priest or friar. "
The article will first deal with the houses on the left side of Togher Road from the corner of Barrs Lane and terminate at the turn off to Summerstown Lane.
Deanrock Tce
The 7 workmens houses which were attached to the large farm of Deanrock House were built circa 1840s by the Barter family. Thereafter their land was walled off up to and back down Summerstown Lane ( save for the lodge and entrance some yards previous to that to allow access to the big house. ) The occupants as of 1850 were as follows :
Margaret Carroll
Edward Joyce
Honoria Murphy
Mary Cottor
Michael Crowley
Margaret Downey
Thomas Healy
( * Note : mistakenly named as Summerstown Hse. )
Also shown near Glasheen Bridge , several smaller holdings
showing lodge and smaller holdings ( in bold )
Judging by the topography of the maps above , it would seem that by the 1940s , 2 additional builds ( see map below ) had been grafted onto this side of Togher Road , with Kearneys on the corner of Barrs Lane but fronting onto Togher Road and Sullivans and their later caravan park ( the park being set up in the 1960s )
Also showing Kearney , Sullivan and additional
holding down Summerstown Lane
* Note : Caravan Park sign on opposite side of Togher Road
& entrance to Kelly's Lane near bus stop
Showing 2 lots of 3 No. Townhouses
reducing the terrace to 4 houses
* Note : Harleywood in place of Kearneys
with Sullivan house ( now medical centre ) still in situ
on Deanrock Tce
However the intervening century or so since then would have seen many families leaving and many arriving to set up home , some for short periods of time and others for much longer stays. The following list though by no means exhaustive is documented by Mary Walsh ( of The Cutting ) , Siobhan McCarthy ( of McCarthy market garden ) & Tom Ellis ( of No.2 Ardmanning Cottages ) and recalls family names from the 1950s and 1960s who dwelt in Deanrock Tce.
Mary Walsh ( The Cutting ) recalls some of the personalities of Deanrock Tce :
Goulds
Kellys - young daughter Marie
" Tommy Murphy lived in one of the houses on Deanrock Terrace. One day he ran out to save a child from an oncoming car and lost his leg in the accident. He would often ask Mary and her friends to go to the shop for a loaf of bread. His wife was known as Mrs. Bullog. "
" There was another character from Deanrock Terrace known as the " Runaway Duck! "
McCarthys
O'Sullivan's coal shop
Soccer Pitch ( see below )
in soccer pitch located below Deanrock House
with wall lined boundary onto Togher Road
Present day Shournagh Lawn
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The following 3 families resided in small cottages at the entrance to Deanrock House
Plaice ( read more here! )
Walsh
Feeney
Deanrock House
O'Donnell - ran a dairy farm with a wide tree lined lane leading into it from Togher Road. Mary would often bring a tinny jug up there to collect buttermilk. A lodge would have originally been at the entrance when it was the " big house " of the Barters or Bretons. The road leading up to the house became known as O'Donnell's lane. In the late 1960s the house would be demolished to make way for the N.B.A. housing scheme , in this instance Owenacurra Court which was demolished in 2005 , with Shournagh Grove now in its place.. The present day Credit Union building is situated where the lodge would have been.
* Note : tree lined avenue
Site of old lodge
Prendergast - shared house with O'Donnell's.
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Togher Road
This section details some of the families remembered by Mary Walsh and Tom Ellis from the corner of Togher Road/Hangdog Road as far up as Carmelville.
Post Office - Opened in 1966 and operated by lilly Sullivan , who lived with her brothers family on Hangdog Road.
Postmistress Lily O'Sullivan
Mulcahy - milkman.
McCarthy
Thought to be in private ownership
Jim McEvoy
Kavanaugh - coffin maker - He was always fighting with Pete Sullivan saying one day he'd make him his coffin!
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Kellys Lane ( now Willow Place )
* Note 3 original cottages and market gardens
Prendervilles - 1st on right , their garden bounced onto Tramore Road.The family consisted of Garry , Vincent , Patricia , Rose and Anna.
Kellys 1st on left ; the daughter was Norah , a good friend of Mary.
Hourigans
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Morans - Bernie Moran , English family who ran a school of motoring.
Ronaynes - famous home in Togher known as Leaca ban.
Seanie O'Brien - market gardener , he used an old cottage for storing hay in which the Fitzgerald family once lived. Tom Ellis ( Ardmanning Cottages ) recalls : " Fitzgeralds later moved to Roger Casement Park , Glasheen. Nobody lived in the house afterwards. "
McCarthys - market garden ( still in use! ). Originally in 1852 the landlord was John Kelleher and the tenant was James Lavallen.
Sullivan - Jim & Julia and their 3 children ; Jim , Donie and Jer ( ambulance driver ). They later moved to Pouladuff Road. Deanwood Ave. was built on their land in 1962.
O'Riordan - Carmelville - Mrs O'Riordan was a dressmaker , she made a coat for Mary when she was 11.
One of Togher's few listed buildings
Pata Cronin and sister Bunny - moved to Pouladuff Road to make way for Vicars Road.
Vicar's Road now occupies their land
part of Pata & Bunny's land
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These are Siobhan Spillane's ( nee McCarthy ) original hand drawn maps showing residents of Togher Road which can be reconciled with Mary Cooney's ( nee Walsh ) recollections.
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* Note : construction of Clashduv Road to right
as seen from Togher Road in 1968
Tom Ellis : " As
you went down Summerstown Lane there were two gates to your left (
about 600ft back from the Glasheen bridge ) which lead up to Coleman's and Donovan's. A tee junction also
went up to two huge Houses. There were 3 families there : Murphy’s
, Reilly's and one unknown. The front of the house faced onto 2 soccer
pitches and that lane took you out to Coakley's shop. Half way down that lane
there was a rugby pitch. I think transport was the name of the team. "
Halfway down Summerstown Lane on the right
