The following is a series of
notes written by William Muldowney and sent to me over the past
couple of years of his recollections of people and places in
and around Arles, Ballickmoyler and Ballynagall.
Ballynagall / Arles
I was born in Ballynagall, one of nine children, on January
4th 1922 and commenced school in Arles May 3rd 1926, which of
course means I was in school at the same time as your mother
Lily Brennan. We were in the same class in my last year 1935. I
loved school, but had to leave.
-
- The house in Ballynagall where William (Bill)
Muldowney was born.
- This is one of many houses (built 1918) and walls built in the area by
Michael Ramsbottom.
- (Photo W. Muldowney c2006)
The photograph of your mother with her father outside the
technical school brought back many memories. I was employed on
the finishing work of that school 1937. Fr Killian P.P. of
Arles was very involved in the project. He became PP of Arles
in 1931 on the death of Fr Farrell and improved conditions at
Arles school very quickly. We all had a warmer building and a
hot drink of Coco at 12noon every day, which cost 1d per week
for each child. It was still going when I left in Christmas of
1935. Mr & Mrs Whelan, our schoolteachers at the time, was not
always pleased with the extra work.
One other change I remember in 1932, we had to shout our
names in Irish and the master had to write them down in Irish
in the roll book.
I also served as an Alter boy in Arles while I was at school. All
alter boys were given a free breakfast in the prists every time
they served mass. Alter boys from Ballylinan, Killeen and Arles
were given a big party every year at Christmas. What joy, I can
still see the laid table. The cakes, the drinks, the presents,
(this party was held at Fr Lawler's house CC of Arles in my
time, replaced later by Fr Dowling. Fr Killeen invited all
children to his apple orchard after school, and allowed them to
pick apples to take home.
I emigrated to England in March 1944. I was 22 years old at
the time.
There were three families living in the Ballynagall Rd.
The Redmond’s who had 11 children, the Murphy’s had 15 children
and the Muldowney’s had 11 children, three died young.
In 1949 what was left of the Muldowney’s moved two hundred
yards up the road to a new cottage built by Dan Wall jnr. I
myself had worked with Dan Wall & Johnny Moran in Arles in
1941, building three cottages between the monument and the
Moran's house. Dan Wall was a big man but what I do remember
was that he was also a really nice man.
The Muldowney family emigrated to Southampton
in 1956. Jimmy Myron ‘s son Tommy Myron and family moved from Barrowhouse to
Ballynagall to live in the house that Dan Wall
built. One of his sons Jimmy must have been going to Arles
School when you were there, well he died from a heart attack
last year, (c2002), and is buried with his 22 year old son
David in what used to be the actual children’s playground of
the school. David was killed 2
yrs ago in a car accident on the Ballickmoyler road on the bend
near Stanney.
My brother Vincent Muldowney tells me that the man on the
left is Nicholas Boran whom he worked with on the council and
the other man is his brother, from Crettyard. He also worked
with the Officer Brennan, who was a foreman on the council; his
comment was, ("he was alright if he liked you!"). I know the
photograph was taken outside Arles Chapel with the school in
the background, and I would say it’s a wedding photo taken
around
1972. They all look well nourished or well fed as they say in
Ireland. I dont know who the woman in the middle is.
Rev A E Crawford was the curate in the 1950's his place of
residence was the new house near where the Officer Brennan
lived, at the beginning of the lane way, which used to go to
Tom Brophy's farm, William Kelly, when I was young. I am not
sure who is living there now. Coolanowle quarry, was in the
field on the left of that lane way.
The old entrance to what you call the avenue was much nearer
to Arles, and the entrance to William Kelly's farm was off the
avenue.
Tom Brophy shot himself 1974.
Travelling from Arles to Castletown, I know the dangerous
bends, the sloping wood on the left is called, (The Cover)
owned by Tommy Hayden, there was a house (long gone) high up on
the left just past there owned by Jack Jones, a brother of the
Ned Jones from Coolanagh who was killed by a lorry at Rossena
1953. (Cross erected). The next house is Brennans on the right
up that avenue, then further along on the right the entrance to
Coolanowle quarry. On the left of the entrance is a house owned by
Jim Fahy, a carpenter, and later owned by a family by the name
of Winn. This house was abandoned fully furnished in
1982.. We called that road from
the monument, the Castletown road.
There is a sharp bend half way down the Monument, which we
called (the Green stile), it was supposed to be haunted just
above there. They built an access road, when Tom Mc Donald's
land was divided. I often heard there used to be a house there
years ago.
Ballynagall / Arles runs from Father Byrne's house on the
Arles Rd to Brennans house, and on the Ballynagall Rd. It runs
from the Muldowney / Myron house to Martin / John Bolgers house. This
was a separate area for the 1911 cense, the last under British
rule; it contained 30 houses, 1 unoccupied. The next censes was
1925. If the Irish follow their eighty-year rule, I look
forward to 2005.
I sent you a photo very like this one, (the new Arles
School), I want you to note the hayshed in the background which
was part of the Parish Priest's house.
I called to see and have a chat with Fr Kennedy in 1984 - 5.
He complained bitterly about Fr Cocklin the PP before him, He
had sold the hayshed to?? for £?? No record kept, God knows,
how much he got; He insisted that I should see the ten iron
pillar stump, all that was left.
Between the two pots is where the alter used to be erected.
Fr Killeen employed me for three months after the Tec was
finished, working with his gardener I was an alter boy from
1931 to 1936. Before 1931 it was always farmer’s sons or the
'better off' who were allowed on their precious alter. I was the
first boy to serve mass in bare feet. Mind you Fr Killeen did
say to me, "have you not got shoes?" I answered "no!", he looked up
and carried on. (There was some talk!).
Elizabeth Myron now Mrs Hyland and now living at Lucan,
Dublin had two children and they both died from a rare blood
decease. Brothers Tom & Liam married living in Carlow +
children. Paddy and Margaret not married and are living at home with
their Mother in Ballynagall. Oldest Daughter Mary Myron became a Nun,
was sent to a convent in New York, where she was burned to
death in a tragic accident 1967. Father - Tommy Myron - an only
child and he died 1976 age 61.
In 1940 I worked with his mother Dolly Myron
cutting sheaves at a threshing, at Connolly's of Ballyfoyle, it
is a sad memory for me because while grabbing sheaves I cut her
finger quite badly, blood everywhere, it is still vivid in my
mind, watching her tearing a strip off her apron, giving it to
me to tie around her finger. Doyle, a thin rake of a man, who
was feeding the mill, shouting at us, ("for jaysas sake will
yees hurry up"). Dolly's husband, Tommy's Father, was a small
man, less than five feet tall. He was always given one of the
hardest jobs; pulling the chaff, have you any idea of the dust,
the sweat, the insult, the poor pay. Old Jimmy Dolly and Tommy
were so poor so abused; I remember when they lived in a shed,
cooking on a fire in the corner, no chimney, yet they were
really nice people. I shall tell you about the Moran’s another
time. I know they are not your lot.
In our time we all pronounced George as George-e, were we
daft, or is the e confusing.
I am sure you walked to school from Cooper Hill to Arles.
Well that house was on your left just by the road to Ashfield,
was a new house built for Martin Whelan,
the Arles school teacher before Mr Harney.
The Very Reverent Albert Byrne P.P; was the Parish Priest
when you were at school in the 1950’s.
We spent many a Sunday afternoon at this cross, talking,
wondering, looking for something, gambling, arguing, ten to
twenty of us, all men, well, boys, no children. (we were) stop. If a girl did happen to pass by, the comments, the gawking,
we were a sex starved confused bunch, brainwashed, I was the
only one fighting back.
If there was a football match of interest been broadcast, we
all went to the Monkey Kelly’s at Gurteen, as he was the only
person who possessed a wireless. This was the Ireland of the
thirties.
I think I have sent you this photograph of the tree in front
of Arles School. Anyway
there was something special about this tree. Can you remember
it? See can you find out anything about it
Some of the fields we walked through in our bare feet going
to school. Nearly all the children went to school barefoot in
my time.
Arles, April 2nd 1933. Dr M. Cullen Bishop of Kildare &
Leighlin gave Confirmation to John James & William Muldowney,
Mary Neill Michael John & Joe Horohan, George Ramsbottom,
Christy & Thomas Kennedy, Kathleen Brophy, James & Nancy Doyle,
Sean Quinn, Sheila Kane, Ellen Redmond, Elizabeth Brennan,
Margaret Lawler, Alice Huges.
I practised hurling with the girls quite a lot during those
years, Agnes & Emily Murphy were the two best players.. Miss
Killeen a teacher from the Technical School was very good. Big
Jim Mc Donald a son of Mrs Bernard, who lived in a house
opposite Arles Chapel, could hit a hurling ball high from one
goal post to the other, to the amazement of all onlookers.
The Photograph of Joe Bambrick I found very interesting. I
called to see him in July 1984 to have a chat about my parents
and anything else he might know. (I shall put you a bit in the
picture why). I myself had a lovely lucky home life, Poor but lots of love. I came to England March 1944, straight
to Southampton, (I did not know a soul)
I had often heard my Parents talk about Joe Bambrick. My
father was born Oct 23rd 1888, and would have been about the
same age. Joe Bambrick was able to tell me many things, that
it was he who should have married my mother and my Father had
no sense of fair play and he told lies. I smiled at his ability
to think of the past as the present. I remember thinking the
house was spotless and rather quaint. I also noticed he was a
very nice tolerant man. We had tea and I left not realizing how
lucky and privileged I had been.
As you were ten years old at that point, (1956) you would
have noticed the drooping elm tree in front of Arles School. It
was by the way a very special specimen of its type. We often
had open-air classes under it, in the lovely shade.
I am convinced the weather was fine and dry from 1930 to
1940, may be that's imagination.
My Father often talked about his youth, how he and Andy
Nolan were always together, went courting my mother who worked
at Fennals of Stanney and Letica Proctor who lived further on,
on the Carlow Rd who became the first Mrs Nolan, had one son
Frank. Letica died of T B two years later.
Do you know the house where John Lawler, Dinny's son is now
living in Coolanowle? Well that is the house where the Nolan’s
were born and lived for years.
I went to school with Chrissie Brennan, a very beautiful
girl. I met a man in Carlow, some time ago who worked for the
Irish Gas Co. He told me he was married to Chrissy Brennan’s
daughter, we had a long chat and I arranged to call and see him
them one evening, but never seemed to get round to it , Ah the
things we never do are always interesting. Re Marcie's photo,
the man on the left is Andy Nolan from Ballickmoyler, who was
married to Josie Moran, who by the way was a close friend of
your Mother. The next gentleman is most certainly Tom Cooney,
who married Charlotte Wall, (the third man) must have taken the
photograph with his left hand.
The girl resembles a Gaskin. I did ask a friend of mine in
Ballylinan for help with identifying your photographs. I smiled
at his reply that he would ask Dennis Lawler of Cooper Hill. I
am sure you have asked him already
I was home on holiday this year early July, while looking
around Carlow between showers, I was talking to a woman I had
never met before, We talked for twenty minutes mostly about
your mother, the Cowleys Alice Hughes and Tommy Coolhenry and
so on, Her name was Miss Bailey. I gather your Mother did some
work there.
A bit of information from a link
D & J Carbery Limited. Building Contractors. Athy & Carlow
were the builders of Arles Technical School. Duthie Large, Ltd.
Athy installed a very modern electrical lighting system with
round white globes hanging from the ceiling six in each room,,
a big generator and a petrol engine with wires and dials was
housed in a special building, but alas it never ever did work,
the man came several times and pushed and pulled and ??*/, It
was forgotten eventually. Oh by the way I am sure there is a
date over the Technical School door
My Father often spoke to me about a man by
the name of Daley, who was tried for murder in the
Ballickmoyler courthouse in 1919. He always said the courthouse
was the long building on the right next to Feehan's shop going
in the strand direction.
Re O' Kelly's Pub, Ballickmoyler, formally known as
Kavanaghs Pub, Yes, Joseph Kavanagh was there up to 1938, to be
replaced by The Bambrick Bros. O'Kellys arrived, I am not sure
when.
You could have a drink, and ask them. She is researching the
Bambrick's who used to live in the area (Any connection?) Do you
think?
The school gate! I know it was there during your period of
schooling enlightenment and brain washing 1951 to 59. Maybe
that playing field was not available at all at that point.
Looking back during my time there, yes, it was occasionally
closed because of a meadow, a cock of hay was more important
than children. I want you to imagine yourself in class with
your hand up wanting to go to the loo, we called it (the privy)
it was very, very primitive, smelly, no water, no tap, no
paper, plenty of flies, nothing but a stone wall to aim at, and
for number 2, we had a wooden box with a round hole nine inches
in diameter.
If you looked into this hole you would see a sloping piece
of wood which was intended to direct anything that fell on it
into a stone surround open drain at the back, which was a kind
of tank and part of the boys playing field. Anyway as you came
out of the school to go there, you would turn right at the coal
shed, well, ahead of you was the swing gate, it was housed in a
circular iron frame, and always squeaked when used.
I always loved that gate, so in 1979 when I was home on
holiday, I parked my car by the Monkey Tree and looked around
the graveyard etc and observed how lonely and neglected my gate
was, so I removed it from its hinges and placed it on the roof
rack of my car and brought it back to my home at Southampton. I
had it in my garden for years. My daughter Maureen who has a
house in France begged me to allow her to take it there. In a
weak moment I said Yes.
Carlow will be like England soon, what a pity, or were we
born too soon??
Hogan's The Pike, a great pub in my time, a home for the
weary confused single male. Joe Wall, Martin Redmond, Eddy and
Joe Ward, and many, many others, were failing badly to make any
sense of the world around them. The drinking part of the pub
always Smokey and dirty in need of a good clean, no one seemed
to bother or care. You would never see a female near the place,
unless one came there to order her husband to get to hell out
and home. (a kind of warning to the single men never to marry).
Hogans are long gone. It is now a quite famous place for good
singers etc and is called, PEDIGREE CORNER.
The man on the wheel-rake is Tommy Gorman.
The house by the hay shed is where I was born.
The house on the right is the one my parents moved to.
The Myron’s have lived there since 1956.
http://www.brennan-laois.com/arles_band.htm
Quigleys field -
http://www.brennan-laois.com/photos_laois2.htm - The
house in the background with farm, was built and owned by a Mr
Brown from 1930 to 1937, ex British army, he also had a shop in
Kilkenny, a very nice man but not a real farmer local people
said.
A rumour started about 1936 (true or false) that he was an
ex Back an Tan, so he sold house and farm to Larry Brophy, who
seemed to be buying everything. I worked there for a couple of
months in 1940. I was offered a bed in the henhouse if I would
live in. My good clothes, I would be allowed to keep in the
house. I left.
I just thought I would bring to your attention, a recent bit
of forgotten history.
When Fr Killian replaced Fr Farrell in 1931 Arles Chapel was
a very cold place especially during the winter months.
Preaching from the alter and at various meetings Fr Killian
kept demanding that an extension with basement, to house a
central heating boiler was badly needed, now. (No money
available), (could not procure matching stone-work),
(Eucharistic Congress had been a huge burden on parish
recourses), (not needed). Anyway after much talk a fund was set
up, collections were made at the Chapel door, dances were held
in aid of the project. Plans for the project were drawn up and
work began. I was 12 or 13 years old. Eventually we noticed
banks of one and half inch solid iron piping all around the
seating in the Chapel. After long patient waiting, the great
day arrived, "Central heating will be on, here in Arles next
Sunday at nine o'clock mass". Some poor devil had to get up
rather early to light the fire, raise the pressure and send the
heated water rumbling bubbling through the pipes raising the
temperature over the whole Chapel. There was a great crowd at
Mass that Sunday morning and all were well pleased with the
wonderful heat. It was the centre of conversation for the rest
of the year.
The Blue door at rear of the chapel is the entrance to
boiler house; I wonder what do they call it now.
The instrument I played was called a Tenor Horn; my oldest
brother Patrick played the big Bass. As you can gather, we were
allowed to bring our instruments home sometimes, so that we
might practice. I took this photograph of my young brother
playing the bass, and my sister playing my tenor horn. We did
all our band practicing at least once a week in what is now
called the old school, we all had to pay 3d each per week
towards the cost the band.
It was Fr Killian who kept the whole thing going. Most of
the band members there would have had to work one hour to earn
that 3d, 4d which got you into the pit.
We used to play nearly every Sunday in Arles outside the
chapel after mass. We played at the Bishop's house in Carlow,
also Ballylinan carnival 1937 & 39 three or four times, Doonane
sports, two years in a row, Kiltealy, Co Wicklow, Tullamore a
couple of times and many more places.
It was dreadful! Our transport was a grotty lorry, usually
driven by a mad man, (open air) a lovely soft day. Starting
off, we were all holding our instruments carefully, shaping our
bodies to cope with the sharp turns, sitting on top of each
other on the floor of the lorry, looking back, we could all
have been killed, several times, But, coming home after they
all had a few drinks, it was singing, talking, slobbering and
stopping at pubs, I did not drink at all, so being sober, I was
more terrified. A drunk driver, always a man sick, instruments
banging, men showing off, trying to break bows off overhead
trees. Paddy Cooney a very good French horn player, refused to
get back on the lorry and waited for a lift, he was so scared.
A photographer came to Arles school early 1927. I remember
seeing a group photo of all the children, years ago. He also
photographed many family groups. I am sending you our photo L
to R James John Patrick and myself. Note steps of school in
background.
Ballickmoyler
Did you ever have a drink at the pump in Ballickmoyler? You
of course remember Ramsbottom's. The door on the left was where
Dr Lane held his surgery. We all called it the dispensary, we
were nearly right because Dr Lane had a big shelf of pills and
medicines, Doctor's and Chemist all in one. I had my small pox
vaccination there in 1926.
I am sure you will remember this part of the Ballickmoyler
Rd. Every inch of road from Ballynagall to Carlow is sacred to
me. I travelled from Ballynagall to Carlow every single night
during 1940, 365 journeys on my bike, had to work as well; no
wonder we were fit.
I know I should call this place Kennedy’s, (High Trees),
Kehoe's left there in the early fifties.
Some of the fields we walked through in our bare feet going
to school. Nearly all the children went to school barefoot in
my time.
I remember Markie Brennan very well; I was playing in the
band with him the week before he died. We were all very shocked
especially members of the band, Paddy Moran on the big drum,
still alive aged 90, Joe Brennan Ballickmoyler on the kettle
drum, Owen Redmond on trombone, Paddy Redmond on baritone,
Kennedy's the Strand on clarinet, Mick Mc Donald Ashfield, (big
stooke) on bass, Mr Boyle Carlow was band master until he had a
mighty row with Fr Killian about how (daily, daily) should be
arranged, it ended up with big Mick threatening to hit him and
kill him, in support of church and country, dreadful. Mr Boyle
was sacked and replaced by Mr Rafter.
Source: William (Bill) Muldowney
