Blog Visit to Togher National School - 20th March 2017

Back in the summer of 2013 , the Blog met with the Principals of both National Schools in Togher with a view to planning a local history talk with the pupils. However due to work constraints and ongoing fieldwork research the project had to be cancelled. However , acting on a direct request from the new Principal of Togher Boys National School - Mr. Keiran Kelly and liaising with teacher Mr. Olan Murray and School Secretary Ms. Ethna Murphy , a date and time was set. The assembly hall would be used as the meeting place and the audience would be made up of the 5th and 6th Classes of both Boys and Girls Schools. So it was on the morning of March 20th Monday at 11 O'Clock that the Togher Historical Assoc. would give its presentation to 120 school children plus Teachers which would consist of two parts : Billy O'Brien gave the first talk on an introduction to local history whilst Special Guest Speaker - Shirley Kelleher would give a talk on Volunteer Joe Murphy who died on hunger strike back in 1920.

Preparing selection of photographs for display boards

Classes assembling prior to Talks

The first talk with its premise as a brief introduction to local history was made up of 3 distinct parts : Geology of Togher and its relation to the local landscape ; inhabitants of Togher down through the ages and finally a nod to one of Togher's finest - David Allen. The entire event was videoed as can be seen in the video player below. The talk concluded with a slide of an old poem written about Togher School , author unknown , possibly at the turn of the 20th Century. The children broke into an impromptu reading of the script which was surprising but enjoyable to see and hear.

Teacher Mr. Olan Murray , Shirley Kelleher , 

Kathleen O'Keeffe & Billy O'Brien ( note Visitors Pendants )

Billy O'Brien prior to First talk on local history

Background view of Assembly - Togher N.S.

Poem which resulted in impromptu recitation

During the interim , the Blog played a short video slideshow of Togher landmarks showing the old and modern perspective on certain locations. Children were also free to view the stands composed of rare and early photographs and aerial maps of Togher. Ultimately it was felt that the mission of awakening interest in local history in all its forms was achieved. It was necessary to cherry pick certain historical events to paint a broad canvas while at the same time being slightly entertaining.

Students viewing historical photographs

Display board Number 01

Display boards Numbers 02 & 03

Shirley Kelleher began her talk after the short interlude and immediately captivated her audience receiving a tremendous feedback from all in attendance. Many were certainly interested in her Great Uncles escapades and sad demise. It was felt overall that children had gained a new knowledge of a forgotten Togher hero. It behoves the Blog to mention that Shirley was a classmate of a Grand Daughter of Terence McSwiney!

Guest Speaker - Shirley Kelleher - Talk on Volunteer 

and Hunger Striker Joe Murphy

Enthusiastic audience which kept the speaker busy

A window of knowledge was opened in Togher!

The Togher Historical Assoc. & Blog would like to thank most sincerely the Staff and Students of Togher National Schools for their brilliant assistance and interest in the talks. Special thanks are extended to the Principal Mr. Keiran Kelly for his kind invitation and to Ms. Ethna Murphy and Mr. Olan Murray for their help and enthusiasm and for making the group very welcome. The Blog would also like to thank the school Caretaker - Mr. Pat O'Connell for his work in setting up the displays and equipment. It is very much hoped that the Togher Historical Assoc. can make a return visit at some future time.

Blog visit to Togher National Schools
Click on video window to play

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!

Togher , A Brief History - Tom O'Keeffe

The following book was first published by Tom O'Keeffe in 1995. It was the first printed historical document devoted exclusively to the region. The O'Keeffe Family have given permission to the Togher Historical Association & Blog for it to be reproduced here in full for archival purposes and for it to gain an extended audience with those who may not have a copy and for those with an interest in local history. Check back often as the Blog uploads more images. Please be aware these were captured by camera from the Local Studies Dept. of Cork City Library and while some editing has been done , they are shown as is.

To Be Cont'd ...