The Sarsfields of Doughcloyne - A History

Coat of Arms

Motto: " Virtue non Virtitur "

The Sarsfields have a pedigree in Togher which stretches back over 2 centuries and only ended as recently as 1947! They were unique in that at one time or another they lived in 3 big houses in the townland of Doughcloyne of which only one remains in its original state* ; Doughcloyne House , Philippine House and *Sarsfield House. The map below shows the 3 houses ( at that time all known by their townland name .i.e " Doughcloyne " rather confusingly ) in the early 19th Century when they dominated the landscape. Each house had its own private gardens and orchards with the remainder given over to farming and tenants. This article will focus on the last generation to hold sway over that part of Togher including their home , Sarsfield House now part of White Oaks housing estate.

 

Sarsfield House in modern times

Interior of Sarsfield House

Billy O'Brien T.H.A.

Stained glass replica of Sarsfields coat of arms

Close up view of stained glass window

 

 

Lodge near Togher Cross 1940s
 

The Sarsfields history in Ireland and indeed Cork is a long and convoluted one with the following a very distilled version to aid in understanding their lineage in Togher. The first of the Sarsfields traveled over from England with King Henry II in the late 12th Century in search of fortune. However the Togher connection didn't surface until 1712 when a dispossessed Dominick Sarsfield luckily married a Catherine Ronayne , niece of Anthony Ronayne owner of Doughcloyne. Of course this brought with it land and property which passed to the Sarsfields when Anthony died. The couples youngest son Edmond , became a Colonel in the Irish Brigade in France where he died unmarried ; their second son Thomas went on to become a Doctor - he died in 1790 but not before marrying a blood relative , Mary Ronayne thus ensuring the Sarsfield/Ronayne bloodline. The eldest son of Thomas and Mary was Dominick Ronayne Sarsfield who became a barrister and married Mary Bonwell , daughter of a banker , thus enlarging the coffers of the Sarsfield estate yet again. They would have 4  children , James . Dominick , Philip and their eldest , the infamous Thomas Sarsfield ( 1793 - 1865 ) , forever linked to the Great Famine of 1845 - 1852. He was the stuff of legend when as a member of the Board of Guardians often made trips to the workhouse in Cork City during the famine years. Tiring of the long commute by horse up the full length of Togher Road to reach his destination , he suggested that peasants be put to work building a connecting road between Togher Road and Pouladuff Road , thus enabling him a shorter journey to and fro. It was the practice at the time that workers were paid in Indian corn for their labors. However , when passing one day to inspect the progress of the new road , he saw men feeding dogs. This so angered him that he threatened to fire everybody unless they stopped feeding the animals when they were supposedly so destitute and hungry. The men not wanting the animals to go though hunger and pain instead hung them from nearby trees , thereby giving the new road a chilling name - Hangdog! This name would not be removed until 1960 when the Corporation by general consensus renamed it Tramore Road. In addition to this local tale , it was also well recorded in newspapers of the time , that Thomas Sarsfield as one of the members of the Togher relief committee , held the honor of being one of the worst in the Country , with a reputation for being mean and empty handed when it came to providing food for the hungry. Thankfully his descendants were much better in character!

Dominic R.P. Sarsfield
1828 - 1892

Mary De La Cour

 

 

His son Dominick Ronayne Patrick Sarsfield was more generous towards Togher people. He married Mary De La Cour and they had 3 sons Thomas ( 1862 - 1943 ) , James ( 1864 - 1941 ) , William ( 1868 - 1914 ) and 8 daughters , only 3 of whom married with the rest living as spinsters in the house ( now Sarsfield House - White Oaks ) until they passed. All 3 sons served in the military with William dying in the Battle of Ainse in France in 1914. He was survived by a son , Patrick , resident in Dublin who became a stockbroker and is important in the story of the Sarsfields or its actual ending as explained later in this article.Thomas and James would forever exonerate the bad name of the Sarsfields by siding with the I.R.A. during the War of Independence , providing a safe house and outbuildings  for the storage of arms and explosives. They also acted as cover for Cumann na mBan on trains traveling to Dublin to deliver messages and pistols. Their English accents were enough to deter any questioning by Soldiers or Police encountered on the trains , with Volunteers in their company acting as servants. They also allowed locals to hunt and collect wood on their lands. Thomas , who was known as Capt. Sarsfield in Togher , like his brother James and most of his sisters never married. By the mid 1940s , all had died and the house was empty with the Sarsfield presence ending forever. It was Williams son , Patrick in Dublin , who acted as agent for his family , selling all property and land to the S.M.A. in 1947. 

 1911 Census

 

Major William Sarsfield
Died 1914 World War I
 

Capt. Thomas Sarsfield 1939

Major James Sarsfield 1939

The S.M.A. promptly renamed it St. Xavier's University Hall as a lodgings for it's Nigerian Priests who had come over to learn English. Thankfully whilst in Togher , they interacted with the local community and took many rare photos of the people and the area which are invaluable from a social and historical viewpoint. However when the African Missions was discontinued , the house fell into disrepair and was for a time in the 1970s used as hostel for members of the Protestant/Catholic community from Northern Ireland during the Troubles under the auspices of the Between group. * This group eventually moved to the older Phillipine House which today is known as Fellowship House ( dealing with addiction patients ) having recently undergone a complete refurbishment. Today the old Sarsfield House is hired out as offices and is nestled in White Oaks estate.It should be noted that the original lodge leading to Sarsfield House is still intact and was Togher's first school having being built in 1820. The Sarsfields have a long legacy with the history of Schools in Togher , having also donated land for the building of a National School in 1891 , the present day Community Centre , with adjoining land being given free of charge as a playground. Their name continues to be honoured with a new section of road laid down in the 1980s known as Sarsfield Road with the modern flyover near the Glasheen River also bearing the title.

19th Century map showing Doughcloyne House

1940s OSi map showing newly renamed

St.Xavier's University Hall

Modern day aerial view of Sarsfield House
( Centre Left )

*Research Acknowledgments :

Richard Henchion
Tom O'Keeffe
W.A. Hill ( old portraits / photo of Major Stopford )

24th Fieldwork Trip - 30th November 2017 - New Estates , St. James Cemetery & Woulfe Lane

On Thursday 30th November 2017 , the Togher Historical Assoc. undertook its 24th Fieldwork Trip to date. Present were Eamonn Pearse , Kathleen O'Keeffe and Billy O'Brien. First port of call was the site of the old Sexton plot on Doughcloyne Hill. Now in private ownership having been sold off some years back  , the planning form shown below gives all the details of the new structure. Of particular interest to the Blog is Togher's sole remaining Water Pump , which is located to the left of the entrance. Even though the Pump is no longer operational , it must be protected as it is the last original of its kind still in existence in Togher.

Notice for new Structure on Doughcloyne Hill

New structure on site of old Sexton plot

Last Water Pump in Togher!

Close up view of  the last Water Pump

Billy O'Brien poses with Water Pump

The group next journeyed to St. James Cemetery , official graveyard of Togher District and Parish. The site opened in 2005 and is located off Mahers Lane in Chetwynd. Besides possessing a remarkably large car park , it is also home to a wall bank of ashes with seating for visitors. Out of respect , no photographs were taken of this area. Just inside the main gates is an imposing monument depicting an old Irish rowing boat surmounted on a gaggle of wild geese with the inscription " Ark Of Thought And Memory " etched on two sides of its plinth. In keeping with the religious theme , the group next stopped off briefly further up Mahers Lane to photograph the remnants of Togher's old grotto.

Marble placue at entrance to St. James Cemetery

Monument inside gates of St. James Cemetery

Alternate side view of monument

Togher's Old Grotto on Mahers Lane , Chetwynd

Next stop was a brief look at the crumbling remains of the old Allen House on Doughcloyne Hill. Sadly the house is beyond repair and will shortly be demolished being now in private ownership. Another link to Togher's past forgotten and dismissed out of hand.

Old Allen House on Doughcloyne Hill

The group stopped off in Applegreen for refreshments and were fortunate to meet with the Manager , Eileen , who is in negotiations with the Community Association to replace the wall placue denoting the site of Togher's first National School in 1850 which was damaged during renovations. The group were shown an artists rendition of the inscription and crest in preparation for a new placue. The group advised on a glaring mistake which was apparent on the base of the crest , which was a mixture of Irish and English , the original being solely in Irish.

Artists rendition of School Placue

At this juncture , Eamonn Pearse departed , leaving Kathleen O'Keeffe and Billy O'Brien to continue on their Fieldwork Trip. It was decided to visit the plot of scrubland running adjacent to Sarsfield Road and Eagle Valley. Here a short video was shot showing the site which will shortly see the construction of 73 new builds. The photo below gives all the details.

Planning Notice indicating the new Estate

Short video shot from two vantage points

A flying visit was made to the section of the Liberty Stream by Togher Cross to take in the view of the Hallihan house set back from the road by Lane's Cottage and a video showing the watercourse in full flow. It is planned to document a more comprehensive expose of this ancient part of Togher in the near future.

Joseph Hallihan House to rear 
of Togher Cross / Liberty Stream

Angled view of Liberty Stream / Togher Cross

Video showing Liberty Stream / Togher Cross

A simple walk across the road to another site of historical interest brought the former site of Lehenaghmore Lodge into focus. The Planning Notice shown below indicates the construction of 10 new builds. Also shown is the first entrance to a bungalow built for the Daughter of the original Lodge Keeper back in the 1950s. All that remains are the faint outline of the old foundation. Soon the walls will be gone and the site changed for ever. To the right are the legally protected original gates and pillars of the entrance to the former Lehenaghmore House.

Planning Notice for 10 new houses

Entrance to old bungalow which was to left of Lodge

Video showing the complete plot of land

Front view of entrance to Lehenaghmore House

View of left pillar and iron wrought gate

View of right pillar and iron wrought gate

Racing against the clock and fading daylight , the group next decided to travel to Woulfe Lane. This ancient byway of Togher is situated off Ardcahon Drive near Matthews Hill. The title derives its origin from the family name of the former Woulfe House now sadly demolished and replaced by new builds. The start of the old ditchline upon entering the lane has now been cut back and the section of road widened. The group videoed the remains of the former stables and Coach Houses of Lehenagh House , itself demolished 10 years ago which front onto the road. It is believed these will also be destroyed. Moving up further along the road , a brief call was made to another construction site in progress. It should be noted that most of the farm land of Gearys has been sold off with the result that many houses now dot the landscape as far as the Glenmore River and Forge Hill. A chance encounter was made with an old schoolmate of Kathleen O'Keeffe's - Joan Walsh - out walking her dog up Woulfe Lane. A full blown conversation ensued which brought the listeners back to the Togher of her childhood. Joan remarked how fit children were in the 1960s , where she would walk from Woulfe Lane then back up Matthews Hill and then down Lehenaghmore Hill to the Girls School , firstly the old National School ( now Community Centre ) and then the " New " Girls School , built in 1961 ( now Foroige ) and back again every day! She recalled how she would stop by an old Chestnut tree before starting off for school and filling her pockets for sustenance during her long walk. Another tale imparted was the daily incident on Woulfe Lane where a brown bull would eye her suspiciously and rub his horns along the brow of the ditch! She also recalled stories from her Uncle about the old I.R.A. during the War of Independence who would train nearby in subterranean tunnels. It is planned to interview Joan in the new year to archive her fascinating memories.

Looking back on Woulfe Lane

Video showing Stables and Coach Houses

New plot under construction off Woulfe Lane