Home Thoughts From Abroad - 15 - A Walled Road

A series of posts from the Historical Assoc. Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy!

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A Walled Road

13th February 2016

When trying to date something inorganic , it can be tricky unless you have some reference with which to work with. Roads are notoriously difficult. Take our Districts main thoroughfare for example - Togher Road. It never shows up as such on any old maps or even the Skinner & Taylor Road Maps of Ireland 1777. But we can infer it exists based on the Lough Road from which it obviously followed on from. Aside from old houses ( most now gone ) which can be dated to the mid 17th Century thus giving us an indication that the road existed , we have no further proof of its age except from folklore and reasoned logic , which would suggest a link to Kinsale town going back many Centuries. Henchion makes mention of crushed stones being moved from Ellis Quarry ( Clashduff ) to be used in steamrolling both Togher and Pouladuff Roads in 1900. Perhaps this gives us some clue as to the state of the road in the 19th Century. Was it just a rough dirt track? Of course since then , it has been repeatably covered and widened with hardcore and tarmacadam. The early 1960s up to the start of the 1970s saw its biggest change ; with the clearing away of its trees , ditch-lines , railway bridge and walls , it has been transformed beyond all recognition. The only traces of its former look remain in the old National School wall , the wall by the Gulley near Greenwood Estate ( sadly partially depleted in recent times ) and the stone wall by Togher Cross ( next to Liberty Stream ). When Togher got its first bus service in 1946 , the locals coined the expression - Keep in by the walls and mind the buses. Alas almost all of those walls are gone forever.

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 14 - A Parish Of Many Names

A series of posts from the Historical Assoc. Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy!

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A Parish Of Many Names

17th January 2015

Just a few thoughts on Parishes. Whenever this term is bandied about , most people subconsciously think of a Roman Catholic Parish. Though there is some truth in this assumption , it is not 100% accurate and is only part of the answer. The actual origins of the Parish go back to the 12th Century shortly after colonization by the Anglo-French Normans , where the system was rapidly put in place to facilitate the payment of Tithes to the Church ( we can see here that this was a practice long before the much later enforced payment of tithes to the Protestant Church ) - the Catholic Church! These ecclesiastical units of administration closely followed the boundaries of Manors ( in Cities ) and Tuath ( in pre-existing Gaelic County areas ). During the 17th Century and the dissolution of the Catholic Church , these Parishes became Civil Parishes , with much the same mandate - the collection of Tithes - but this time to the Protestant Church. During the 18th and 19th Centuries , the Irish Clergy established a separate system of Church Parishes. This is where the " new " Parishes forked off ( pun unintended ) from the original ones , which had by then transformed into purely Civil administrative Parishes. The Civil Parish as it pertains to the South Cork City area was originally known as the Manor of Fayth - in its Catholic guise , and later became St Finbarrs - in its Protestant mould. It later was subdivided into St Finbarrs West , which took on the name of the Lough Parish , which subsequently further subdivided into many other Catholic Parishes , including in 1977 - the Togher Parish. So a lot of affiliation and crossover from an historical point of view. Remember also , that the Parish was made up of many smaller units - known as Townlands. And this is just from a R.C. perspective! There are many others from the past and sure to be many more in the future!

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 13 - Photographs From The Memory

A series of posts from the Historical Assoc. Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy!

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Photographs From The Memory

29th December 2015

If you've ever wondered about the changing face of Togher , it is a sobering thought to think that it is a constant ongoing process. Roads come and go. Bridges disappear. Buildings are demolished to be replaced by other buildings which in turn are knocked down. Rivers are diverted and then diverted again. Whole hillsides are cut away. Low inclines are filled in. Everything is interfered with. Without mans hand in the grand scheme of things , Togher would look radically different. The rivers would follow strange courses ( at least to our eyes ) ; there would be hills and hummocks where none were before ; dense forest would be all around. But the present Generation of Powers that be are not solely responsible - countless scores of past Generations have left their mark and not always for the better. The same could be said of the present. But one thing is for certain. Togher is poised for many more changes and some of them are just around the corner! So while you can , photograph your region for keepsakes and historical archives , because you never know just how long it will be around. One major stumbling block with the Togher Historical Assoc. is that a lot of the photographs from our recent past exist only in our minds. Social media didn't exist in the 1960s , 70s and 80s. If it did , what a treasure trove of memories we'd have today! Happy New Year and remember - the photograph you didn't take yesterday can never again be taken!

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 12 - The Ice Cometh ... Again!

A series of posts from the Historical Assoc. Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy!

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The Ice Cometh ... Again!

6th December 2016

I mentioned briefly a while back about the general topography of Togher before , during and after the last Ice Age. Research shows that Togher may have escaped the worst ravages of that particular epoch. However it had bore the brunt of a previous even nastier Ice Age which denuded the land down to its very bedrock. Togher would have been literally covered in heavy dense forests and towering mountains , all of which were annihilated and deposited all over the land once the ice melted. So it can be seen that during the newer Ice Age Togher would have been an arctic tundra - extremely cold and akin to an open coffin fridge being hemmed in in the near distance by magnificent Ice walls. Whats interesting is that a land bridge connected the southern portion of the island to Britain and it can be inferred that humans from both here and even maybe Spain made the journey in search of food. These people would undoubtedly have been dark skinned caused mainly by the cold weather and high radiation of the distant ice. Togher back then would have been vastly different to what it is now. Many shallow lakes would have been evident both on low lying land and much higher up. These over time would convert into peat bogs and wetlands and eventually meadows. Hundreds of streams would have peppered the land running through the dense forests which colonized the ground. Our ancestors would have migrated to the higher lands where trees were easier to cut down to provide both shelter and fuel and weapons to defend against the local predators which included wolves and perhaps even bears. They would have fished and hunted giant deer for food and used the skins as clothing. Of course once the climate heated up and the last ice age came to a close , the terrain endured savage changes which saw it washed and worn away to what we see today. All the evidence is around us and beneath us. Our forefathers had much hardship to overcome but survived. The bad news is that Ice Ages generally have a 10,000 year warm interlude before everything kicks off again. Ours is nearly up!

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 11 - Land Of Ghosts And Giants

A series of posts from the Historical Assoc. Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.

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Land Of Ghosts And Giants

29th July 2016

It's quite remarkable when you look back at the rich history of Togher. Even though much of her landmarks and prominent buildings are gone it is sometimes sobering to contemplate them. Medieval Churches , an ancient graveyard , an Iron Age causeway , Forges and Mills , Ice Skating , Ghostly Armies , Giant Elks , vast wetlands and meadows , railway bridges , whiteboys , road bowling , quarries , underground streams , 17th Century houses , High stone walls. The list is endless! A lot to ponder and a lot to be proud of! Welcome to Togher. 

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 10 - History Begins At Home

A series of posts from the Historical Assoc. Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.

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History Begins At Home

17th November 2015

I've often thought about my love of history and local history in particular. I've traveled the world and digested enormous amounts of literature about ancient cultures. At school , I could name all the Kings and Queens of England. In fact , I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew more about English History than English children! As an adult , I certainly knew more about World History than I did about the place where I grew up and called home. What was here before me and my home , who lived here , what did it look like? What changed , what happened to it , why did it vanish? Why was I not instructed in school about my local area? Why was I not taught that which was pertinent to me? What was the big secret?! Alas , local history is very much neglected in the state curriculum? Thankfully , local historical groups are springing up all over the place to tackle this omission. Togher has its very own - founded some years ago now and evolving and growing stronger. From field research to online investigation to local interviews , a picture is slowly emerging of a fascinating past , which will astound and amaze you. History is all around us and beneath our feet. You are part of it and you are its legacy. Be proud of it and of yourself.

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 09 - Once It's Gone , It's Forever

A series of posts from the Togher Historical Assoc.'s Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.

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Once It's Gone , It's Forever

16th May 2015

A sombre thought as the Blog nears its 2nd Anniversary. Almost right from the get go , we have been witness to 3 demolitions of iconic Togher landmarks. First , Ardmanning House off Togher Road was erased from all living memory in the Summer of 2013 ; next up a perhaps not so well known Big House off Matthew Hill - Woulfe House - demolished late 2014 and latest casualty the coach-house style Feirm Bawn up from Togher Cross April 2015. That's all in the space of less than 2 years! We have to act now before even more of our heritage sees the wrecking ball. Remember once it's gone , it's gone forever!

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 08 - Look Out For The Signs

A series of posts from the Togher Historical Assoc.'s Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.

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Look Out For The Signs

27th May 2015

A very interesting report from the National Tidy Towns Committee on Toghers results in the Competition in 2013. It touched on the need to signpost Togher so outsiders can distinguish the District from others. This is actually being worked on in conjunction with the Togher Historical Assoc. at present. A few areas were mentioned which are actually outside Toghers boundaries : Riverview Estate and Morning Star School ; but this can be related to the National Committees comments on their confusion as to Toghers coverage. All in all , great work by Ken McCarthy and the Togher Tidy Towns. The full report can be viewed here.

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 07 - A Notion Or A Nation

A series of posts from the Togher Historical Assoc.'s Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.

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A Notion Or A Nation

9th June 2015

It's interesting to note our modern concept of Nationhood but what is more intriguing to say the least is how our Ancestors viewed it , or not as the case may be. As has been said before in other posts both here and on the blog , our predecessors in Togher going back through the Centuries had a very small world view. They were certainly aware of the " Island Of Ireland " but only in the sense of a shared culture and heritage and language - much like the U.S.A. perhaps or the English Commonwealth. But the land was made up of 150 Kingdoms called Tuath ruled over by a minor King ; these petty Kingdoms being part of a greater Tuatha ruled over by a Provincial King. Even up to the 16th Century , what is now Cork ( and by association Togher ) was part of the Kingdom Of Desmond , which the English viewed as a Country in itself! This was before the English shired the Country into Counties for administrative and tax purposes. So food for thought there.

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 06 - The Wood For The Trees

A series of posts from the Togher Historical Assoc.'s Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.

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The Wood For The Trees

2nd February 2015

Sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees. I've often heard this comment but when you apply it to local history , folklore and even legend , it is a very apt descriptor of any community or region. People sometimes ask me what do I see in Togher. Being removed from the area for 30 years brings its own rewards and insights. When I visit Togher , which isn't as often as I would like , I see the place bursting with History. It's as if the ghosts of the past want to be discovered! I see Houses harking back to the 1600s. I see ancient walkways under our very feet trodden by our Ancestors. I see waterways which have flowed for thousands of years. I see the fallout from the last Ice age. I see the remains of deserts and warm shallow oceans. I see 18th and 19th Century walls and buildings still very much intact. It is as if they have been interwoven into the very fabric of our society. The very new is mere feet from the very old! Take a look around and you too will discover the past - your past!

Home Thoughts From abroad - 05 - The Road Most Traveled

A series of posts from the Togher Historical Assoc.'s Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.

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The Road Most Traveled

28th January 2014

Another favorite topic of mine is the subject of old roads. As a child I was fascinated by short cuts - the dirt worn tracks through fields and the like. I even experimented with a self made track through the grass verge on the corner of Vicars Road and Togher Road while I was attending Scoil Stiofain Naofa from 1979 to 1983. As you know , grass shoots if compressed over a long period of time will stop growing and reveal the topsoil underneath , in the process eventually creating a surface hardened by foot traffic. So I daily trod a path through the grass until soon enough a faint outline of a track became apparent. I was very easy to please in those days LOL! However , it leads nicely into how all roads are initially made. People , like water , will inevitably follow the path of least resistance from point A to point B. They will become aware of obstacles along the route and learn to avoid them in the future , such as trees or rocky formations. If the barrier to their destination happens to be a deep ditch or gorge or even a stream or river , they will look for ways around it or across it , building simple bridges for example. So the route if feasible and worthy of attention takes on an almost organic quality and is hard wired into peoples brains. As the years pass , the route is upgraded , the surface is improved to make it easier and more comfortable , bridges morph from timber into more permanent stone , people build dwellings along the route in the hope of attracting passing trade , etc. And so it goes. And so too it was with the Togher Road , for many years until relatively recently , the main arterial road through the heart of Togher. If you happened to be traveling this way over 400 years ago , the chances are you would be shocked by the arduous trek you would have to make. The road would be bumpy and uneven and enclosed on all side by heavy tree cover , in the Summer it would be dry and dusty , in the Winter it would be wet and mucky. As you left behind the now Togher Flyover, you would have to negotiate your way down into a gorge and splash your way across the stream , repeating the process again as you neared the now Togher Cross , this time for a second soaking. Of course the route was deemed important enough to construct over time two bridges. All around you would have been dense forest , so material for doing so would not have been in short supply. Notwithstanding the tracts of bogland that peppered the region , you would have cleared much of the woodlands for grazing and sowing crops. Flash forward a few Centuries and here we are! Of course we skipped a lot of things but there are no short cuts in Nature or Time. Only the ones we foolishly try in vain to make and which always backfire on us - such as altering our watercourses , building on bogland , denuding the land , concreting former wetlands etc. and we wonder then when it all goes horribly wrong. Nature won't mind you attempting to make a little dirt track across a field ; as soon as you stop using it , it will recover it. But if you act God - like and interfere with the natural order of things, it will allow some time to pass ; before it shows you who is really Boss!

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 04 - The Normans Are Still Here

A series of posts from the Togher Historical Assoc.'s Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.

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The Normans Are Still Here

21st December 2015

It's interesting to look quickly back at the Normans and their legacy in Togher. The Normans originally came from Normandy and later successfully invaded England. One of their lasting legacies was their astonishing ability to integrate and assume the identity of the lands they conquered. When they arrived in Ireland they essentially became " More Irish than the Irish themselves "! This they accomplished by adopting the local dress , culture and language. We know them now as the Old English and it was they who viciously opposed the later Elizabethan plantations. When Cromwell instigated the replant and re-grant regime , famous Norman names came to the fore as depicted by the Down Survey : Cogan , Sarsfield , Gould and Ronayne are names of Norman families who settled in Ireland and who later had their lands confiscated or rented back to them. But they are still here - maybe you are one of them?

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 03 - The Road Which Gave Its Name

A series of posts from the Togher Historical Assoc.'s Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.
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The Road Which Gave Its Name

11th November 2015

Just a few thoughts on the Togher Road or Bóthar an Tóchair. Many people wonder just how did the lands that border this ancient thoroughfare become associated with the name. It is a considered fact that the Townlands which became incorporated into the name became so simply because of a common identifier for travelers - i.e. Togher Road or just simply Togher. Think of it as an ancient postal code. This Road name started at the Lough and ran to Togher Cross where it divided off into two branches ( the other one going up the Lehenaghmore Hill direction ) right up to Spur Cross or Lios Cross where it again branched off to parade further south towards the stream. Of course over time , the Glasheen River to the West and North served as a natural boundary for the Townlands which ran adjacent to the Togher Road and cemented the relationship with the name as a blanket address. Over the Centuries many other divisions of land have been imposed , some indigenous and some imported. From Tax Divisions to Religious Regions to countless others. In the 17th Century , Togher has two Townlands Knockalisheen and Knocknamallavoge in Inishkenny Parish whilst the rest ( 12 in number ) reside in St. Finbar's Parish. In 1977 the Bishop of Cork carved up this older Religious System when he created the Parish of Togher. Clashduff and Killeenreendowney were divided as were Lehenagh Beg and More. The outer Townlands of Knockalisheen and Knocknamallavoge were disregarded as was the Northern Townland of Ardmanning More near the Lough. However this does not detract from the common heritage and historical connection that all 14 Townlands share - simply a name - Togher. And it all began with a road.

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 02 - A Boggy Tale

A series of posts from the Togher Historical Assoc.'s Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.

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A Boggy Tale

23rd November 2015

 When we talk about history we sometimes neglect the most important facet of the entire subject - natural history. That is to say the flora and fauna that surrounds us. The trees , the rivers , the vegetation , the rock formations , etc. One aspect of this fascinating but often overlooked topic is the question of bogs. Togher up to relatively recently was a vast wetland where many bogs , both raised and blanket co-existed. The vast majority have now been drained and infilled while an immense portion of Lehenaghmore was completely eradicated to construct the Airport. Bogs can tell us so much about our ancient ancestors and their living habits and the environment they dwelled in. Clashduv Park up to the 1970s was a raised bog - in that it was formally a shallow lake , created roughly 10,000 years ago. Lehenaghmore was a blanket bog , where ancient overfarming lead to the depletion of minerals in the soil. It also confirms that our ancestors lived on high ground up above the wooded wetlands below. A small portion still exists near Corcorans Bridge. Also of interest is the Lehenagh Ridge to the back of the Airport off the road. Look around you and natural history comes alive , albeit a shadow of its former self.

Home Thoughts From Abroad - 01 - The Changing Face Of Togher

A series of posts from the Togher Historical Assoc.'s Facebook group page - I'm From Togher , Boy.

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The Changing Face Of Togher

29th December 2015

If you've ever wondered about the changing face of Togher , it is a sobering thought to think that it is a constant ongoing process. Roads come and go. Bridges disappear. Buildings are demolished to be replaced by other buildings which in turn are knocked down. Rivers are diverted and then diverted again. Whole hillsides are cut away. Low inclines are filled in. Everything is interfered with. Without mans hand in the grand scheme of things , Togher would look radically different. The rivers would follow strange courses ( at least to our eyes ) ; there would be hills and hummocks where none were before ; dense forest would be all around. But the present Generation of Powers that be are not solely responsible - countless scores of past Generations have left their mark and not always for the better. The same could be said of the present. But one thing is for certain. Togher is poised for many more changes and some of them are just around the corner! So while you can , photograph your region for keepsakes and historical archives , because you never know just how long it will be around. One major stumbling block with the Togher Historical Assoc. is that a lot of the photographs from our recent past exist only in our minds. Social media didn't exist in the 1960s , 70s and 80s. If it did , what a treasure trove of memories we'd have today! Happy New Year and remember - the photograph you didn't take yesterday can never again be taken.