22nd Fieldwork Trip - 2nd September 2017 - Fulacht Fiadh

On 22nd September at 4 O'Clock in the afternoon , the Togher Historical Assoc. took to the road once more for its 22nd Fieldwork Trip to date. High on the agenda was the locating of a Fulacht Fiadh or Burnt Mound in the Togher townland of Gortagoulane. Several efforts were made to gain access as near as possible to the site which had only been summarily depicted in Richard Henchion's book - Land Of The Finest Drop - which prompted the investigation. However , it was decided to take a more open route through the farmlands of Chetwynd Farmhouse on Doughcloyne Hill. The route was undertaken in torrential rain as the team , made up of Eamonn Twomey , Eamonn Pearse and Billy O'Brien entered the next field which was home to the remnants of Ashgrove House. Sadly all that remains is the Orchard Wall , albeit just two long walls with one arched entrance.

Ashgrove House , Gortagoulane , Togher

The team next traversed the long field seeking out a streamlet which rises nearby and meets up with the Liberty Stream on its right. However it was decided to make a more direct detour to the spot where the two streams meet as shown on G.P.S. due to substantial rainfall and wind. Thankfully the streamlet was discovered almost by accident just short of its merging with the main stream as shown in the photo below. It is thought that it is piped for most of its course up to this point where it daylights.

Streamlet daylighting near Fulacht Fiadh

Area of Fulacht Fiadh showing grassy mound

It was remarked by all present that the ground underfoot suddenly became hard and uneven - evidence of rocks underground which pointed to a possible location of a Fulacht Fiadh. Roughly translated from the old Irish , the ancient Celtic water pit was known as the " Dragon's Breath ".They are typically u - shaped , circa 3 feet high and near sources of water. It is known that a pit is dug of approximately 2 feet , though they may be larger and deeper. A fire is lit nearby and rocks and stones are heated which are then added to the water. As the stones cool or shatter , they are simply extracted and dumped nearby , over time forming a semi - circle around the pit. The soil is usually charcoal rich and obviously over time becomes overgrown with vegetation. There are many schools of thought which differ and agree in equal measure as to their exact purpose. From bathing to cloth dyeing to cooking and even to brewing of beer! The whole area was investigated as much as possible but the team had to move on due to worsening weather. It is planned to return in the future for a more indepth analysis and to study the area more extensively.

Where the two streams meet at Fulacht Fiadh

Close up view of the Fulacht Fiadh showing rocks

The group next walked through two fields composed of marsh and scrubland to enter the land below the former Phillipine House. At this stage the weather grew more windy but miraculously became calmer in mere minutes as shown by the video below.

Marshland and scrubland near Fulacht Fiadh

A brief moment was spent near the new construction of the now Fellowship House complex. Photo opportunities presented themselves as the team made their way up Doughcloyne Hill to their transport. To the right Togher Reservoir could be seen in the near distance. Then a quick look at the former Sexton House site and the last of Togher's water pumps. Then a cursory look at the former Hegarty home whose owners left in the early 1970s to live on Hazel Road. The Fieldwork Trip ended with the group soaked to the skin but all the richer for the experience of walking in the footsteps of their ancestors.

 New drainage being completed below Fellowship

New construction on grounds of former Orchard

Entrance outside Fellowship House

Togher Reservoir as seen from Doughcloyne Hill

Former Sexton House plot with new build

Water pump near former Sexton House

Former Hegarty House on Doughclone Hill

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!

A Sign Of The Times - The Wilton Saga

In June 2016 , a subject of local controversy which had been quietly simmering for almost 40 years came bubbling to the surface and ran the whole gamut of emotions and both divided and united an entire community. The thorny question of " Wilton " was tackled head-on by the combined forces of the County Council , Togher Community Association and the Tidy Towns Committee. To this effect , a sign proclaiming "Welcome To Togher " was erected on Sarsfield Road. Grant funded and approved by the County Council , it was one of several sited around Togher in prominent locations. The Togher Historical Assoc. first became aware of them on social media. The Historical Assoc. had been approached for advice on citing of signs and offered suggestions for the outer boundaries of the district , including a finger post or elevated sign under the Sarsfield Flyover. However these suggestions were not taken on board with the bodies concerned deeming to showcase the signs in a more elaborate fashion. The following article will cover the subsequent narrative of the controversial sign on Sarsfield Road , the ensuing online satire , the Assoc's proof of boundaries and finalize with the actual location of Wilton. The blog also includes the radio debate on RED FM which is informative and highly entertaining.

Welcome To Togher sign erected by T.C.A./Tidy Towns

 Roadside view of sign on Sarsfield Road

May was a red letter day in a certain part of Togher which for the previous 40 years had gone under the rather dubious title of Wilton , much to the consternation of native locals in the area who knew it as Togher for generations. However , the subject , while discussed with amusement but never openly debated , finally came to a head in 2016. The sign denoting Togher was erected on Sarsfield Road opposite White Oaks and almost immediately attracted attention in the form of social commentary which quickly escalated into online debate which consisted of differing factions ; one group denouncing it and one group applauding it. Greatly simplified , some residents decided to launch a  door to door petition which it is believed petered out due to lack of interest. Local and National Politicians were approached for intervention. Online threats for its removal came to the fore and in June the sign became the target of several attacks. Firstly , the titular " Togher " both in English and Irish , was painted over in black , then papered over with a handwritten " Wilton " title ( no photo available ) and tragically culminated in the theft of the sign which was captured in progress by local Togher Boxing legend Paul Buttimer as he was passing by in his cab at 2 a.m.! Alas , he was with a fare and was unable to stop and apprehend the culprit.

Welcome To Togher Sign painted over

Theft in progress of sign

The Togher Community Assoc. and Tidy Towns decided not to press for legal action but instead appealed for the return of the stolen sign. However this was not to be and the sign remains at large though plans are in place to re-erect it again. It should be noted that a dangerous precedent was allowed pass in that Government Property was both vandalized and stolen , which is in and of itself a Criminal Act. What followed can only be described as bizarre and witty but on the whole highlighted the famous Togher wit. Social media became awash with humorous parodies while the printed media highlighted the series of events. Finally 2 Cork Radio Stations dedicated whole programs to the topic of social snobbery. Sadly 96FM had a technical fault and was unable to recover a copy of their show. Thankfully , RED FM released a podcast of the entire show which has been edited by Eamonn Pearse and can be listened to at the end of the page. Highly informative and extremely funny , it not only covered the topic of Togher , but branched out to the entire City which made listeners aware of just how endemic the problem actually is.

Posts without stolen sign

Turf War takes amusing turn

Local with makeshift replacement

 Online satire via social media

President Donald Trump appeals for return of sign

Missing Togher sign is literally out of this world!

It must be stated that many detractors did in fact agree to their inclusion in Togher R.C. Parish but strongly asserted their Address as part of the Wilton district. To put this into its proper perspective , it should be made clear that in the early 1970s , the S.M.A. who owned a large tract of the lands around Doughcloyne sold much of their holdings to a development Company known as Wilton Securities. Rather dubiously they marketed their new builds to prospective buyers as having the address of Wilton. The series of photos below highlight the historical and currents facts pertaining to the actual location of Wilton as opposed to Togher. In all cases , Wilton is located north of the Glasheen River. A 1950s Ratepayers list clearly shows Doughcloyne as being part of Togher. In 1983 , the Catholic Church established the Parish of Wilton. Notable by their absence are the Estates currently arguing the complete opposite. Running in tandem with this is the 2007 Bishopstown & Wilton Action Plan by City Council which notably does not stray south of the Glasheen River when portraying Wilton. A more modern day marker would be the Sarsfield Flyover which closely follows the Glasheen just north of it. Tangible proof can be discerned from the directional signage erected by the Council which clearly shows the true direction of Wilton ( north of the Sarsfield Flyover ) towards the C.U.H. and north of the Glasheen River.

1832 Holt Map showing Wilton above Glasheen 

River and Doughcloyne below

Documentary proof of Doughcloyne's Togher heritage

Diocesan website outlining boundaries of Wilton

Wilton Parish established in 1983

2007 Council Action Plan for Bishopstown & Wilton

 Wilton directional signage north of Sarsfield Flyover

 Close up view of true direction of Wilton

Motorway Signage pointing in right direction 
away from Doughcloyne

Finally , a local radio show hosted by Neil Prendeville of RED FM gave almost an hour air time to the topic of Wilton vs Togher. Many callers both for and against participated to showcase both their grievances and acceptance in equal measure. However , it soon became apparent that the whole case for Wilton was collapsing as listener after listener , many who hailed from outside districts argued in favour of Togher. Below is the whole show which is required listening and a history lesson to boot!

Audio file of Togher slot on RED FM

Murphys of Spur Hill

Pauline Murphy has informed the Togher Historical Assoc. of some remarkable structures in Togher which all have a Murphy/Spur Hill connection though the Families are not related. The first concerns her Father , Finbarr Murphy who lovingly painted and maintained a water pump on Maher's Lane which until recently was unknown to most. The pump , like its counterpart near the Sexton House , was walled on three sides and painted in flat green. As shown in the photo below , thought to date from the early 1990s , Finbarr was extremely proud of his charge. Today , it is believed to either be completely overgrown by vegetation and hidden from all but the most inquisitive of eyes or sadly possibly demolished. The second photo shows a 2009 shot of it , with the top of the water pump protruding from the overgrowth. Its location is just before the area where a gas pipeline was laid down not far from the railway bridge to the east of the Chetwynd Viaduct. The Togher Historical Assoc. paid a brief visit to the location but could not discover its whereabouts. It is planned to undertake a more exhaustive investigation in the near future. Pauline has kindly supplied a map outlining the original locations of all water pumps on Spur Hill.

Finbar Murphy posing beside water pump

2009 photo of location of water pump on Mahers Lane

Location of water pumps on Spur Hill

Pauline Murphy also informed the Blog of a stone which is hidden in plain sight at the junction of Sarsfield Road and Doughcloyne Hill. Her Father placed the stone there in the 1970s or 1980s as a marker for the Deanrock Bowling club from which to start their scores on Sunday mornings. Legend has it that her Father relocated it from excavation works being carried out on the old City Walls! The truth of this claim may never be known. The stone marker is nowadays several feet further in from its initial placement , having been pushed into the bushes by a car crash several years ago. Eamonn Pearse traveled to the location to capture some images of the stone as it is today.

Stone at junction of Sarsfield Road/Spur Hill

Zoomed out shot of stone marker in bushes

Close up of stone marker at corner of Sarsfield Road

Pauline also informed the Blog of an old Grotto halfway down Mahers Lane which was erected by the owners of the adjoining farmland. This particular Murphy Family , no relation , may have constructed the shrine in 1954 which was a Marian Year in the R.C. Religion. Kathleen O'Keeffe confirmed that she used to visit it in the early 1960s. Originally it would have had a statue and kneelers , but nowadays all have been removed and the site is slightly overgrown. Pauline has supplied a photo from the 1970s showing the shrine as it would have looked back then. Kathleen O'Keeffe photographed some close ups of the site as it is today.

 1970s photo of shrine/grotto on Mahers Lane

Modern photo taken by Pauline Murphy

 Photo by Kathleen O'Keeffe

Close up view of remnant

The Sextons of Doughcloyne

On 28th June 2017 , the Sexton House on Spur Hill was demolished to make way for a private build. The Sextons have a very important link with Togher history in that Maurice Sexton was the land steward for the Sarsfields up to 1947 when they sold their Estate to the S.M.A. and emigrated to Wales. Previous to that the Sextons lived in the rear portion of Phillipine House a.k.a. Fellowship House ( also demolished ). Fr. Slattery of the S.M.A.subleased the Cottage to Maurice Sexton in 1961 in advance of his retirement as Land Stewart , a position he retained when the African Missions became the new owners. The Larkins would have been the previous occupants of the Cottage. Joan Sexton was the last sibling of the family and passed away a few short years ago aged 90. With no surviving family members it fell into private ownership and is now gone forever. The site is also notable for the last remaining water pump in Togher which is located to the left of the entrance.

Maurice Sexton with Capt Sarsfield ( on right )

Former Sexton property outlined in red

Sexton House with roof removed

Sexton House reduced to rubble

Sexton House completely cleared

Last remaining water pump in Togher

Doughcloyne District Ratepayers Assoc. - Letter from 1955

Pauline Murphy of Spur Cross submitted the following archives to the Togher Historical Association. They afford a unique and intriguing insight into the past and are deserving of a special place in the local historical narrative. Dating to 24th August 1955 they consist of a 3 page handwritten letter penned by the secretary of the Doughcloyne District Ratepayers Assoc. to the County Council outlining the urgent need for the tarmaccing of the Doughcloyne Road ( possibly the Lehenaghmore Road by virtue of its proximity to the Liberty Stream ) due to flooding caused by extensive rainfall. Many country roads and lanes were still dirt tracks back in the 1950s.

 Letter Page 01

 

 Letter Page 02

 

 Letter Page 03

Also included is a 3 page list of actual Ratepayers. What is enlightening is the connection with Togher which copper-fastens many Townlands affiliation to the suburb. Also Lehenaghmore is stated as both Togher and Pouladuff , though the latter simply alludes to the road and not any cessation. Of course the Togher confirmation as stated and signed off on by the occupiers ( which included Doughcloyne , Lehenaghmore , Lehanaghbeg , Gortagoulane , Knockalisheen , Knocknamallavoge , Kilmurriheen & Chetwynd )  provides proof from a modern perspective of the historical claim of the region to which these Townlands truly belong. Of interest is Feirm Bawn which listed itself in the titular.

 Ratepayers List Page 01

  Ratepayers List Page 02

 Ratepayers List Page 02

Long's Farm - A Famous Photograph

Not many communities can boast of an iconic photograph which is widely known and associated with a particular region. Togher has just such a photograph. Published by the Evening Echo circa 1951 , the photographer ( unknown ) captured a harvest scene in Togher Farm , owned and operated by the Long Family. The head of the household - Patrick Long , first purchased the farm back in the early 1920s and for the next 4 decades together with his wife , Hannah and their children worked the land right up until a compulsory purchase order was placed on their farm circa 1961 and they had to sell.

Long's Farm , Togher circa early 1950s

Eddie Long ( 2nd from left ) , 

Claire Long ( holding teapot ) 

& Denis O'Leary ( 2nd from right )

They say a picture paints a thousand words , but a photograph reveals a million facts. The famous harvest scene shows Togher as it was almost 70 years ago. Back then , as can be seen in the shot , the main Togher Road was a very narrow affair , walled and hedged for much of its length right down to Togher Cross. Togher then was composed primarily of small farms and market gardens ; Togher Farm a.k.a. Long's Farm was both! As can be seen , the house on the brow of the hill is one part of a semi-detached house belonging to the O'Driscolls. Their neighbor , Kerrs , ran a small dairy farm. Both houses are still there today. The Long's house was out of shot and was sited a little further south and was near Ardmanning Cottages ( now also gone ) Ironically , the Long's new abode would be sited directly across the road from the Kerrs/Russell homesteads in the early 1960s.

Ardmanning Cottages which were just below 

Long's House on Togher Road circa 1961

The photograph shows 2 members of the Long Family : Eddie Long ( 2nd from left ) whose Niece - Therese Murphy - remembers as a gentle giant of a man who was reserved and mild mannered. The girl holding the Teapot was his sister - Claire Long. The man ( 2nd from right ) has since been identified as Denis O'Leary ( see below ) . Many farmers back then would have hired casual laborers during harvest time. The photo displayed here shows the old scene in a modern setting. Many thanks to Eamonn Pearse for his research into the positioning and overlaying of the photo and to Kathleen O'Keeffe for providing the photo of Denis O'Leary.

Old photograph overlaid on modern setting

Denis O'Leary ( seen in old photo 2nd from right )

The Long's story is peppered with sadness , not least the tragedy of losing their Farm and Home , which broke the heart of Patrick Long. Eddie moved into the new house on Earlwood Estate , next to the Ardmanning House along with his siblings. Born in the 1920s , he never married and died relatively young in the 1970s. His sister , Claire , married but had no children , and now lives in the house. Sadly she suffers from dementia. She is currently 86 years old.

Kerrs/O'Driscoll Houses ( 2 story semi-detached building )
Only remaining artifact from old photograph 

The Kerrs/O'Driscolls house ( shown above in its modern setting ) as featured in the famous photograph is still standing and remains the only relic of the 1950s harvest scene still intact. The other row of adjacent bungalows are thought to have been erected in the late 1950s on privately bought plots of small land. The famous photograph is on display in several locations , most notably the Lough Credit Union , Togher Branch , but what is less well known , is it's display in West Gate nursing home in Ballincollig , which Billy O'Brien discovered completely by accident ( see below ).

West Gate nursing home , Ballincollig , Co. Cork