Wednesday, June 30, 2010

More from 1958 An Fiolar

The 1958 edition of An Fiolar is an interesting book about Cistercian College Roscrea (CCR). The copy I have (temporarily) belongs to my Dad and is missing the front cover and perhaps a few pages at the beginning. Many features and articles are in Irish, which I am sorry to confess, I can barely read and understand. Also, the Irish is printed in a Gaelic style font which makes it harder to read. 

There are some mentions of my family in the book: my Dad Joe, and my three grand-uncles (my grandmother Kathleen's brothers) - Tim, Charles (Charlie), and Patrick (Pat) Hurley. I remember Charlie and Pat very well, but I'm certain that I never met Tim who lived in Cardiff, Wales. 

Uncle Charlie was a priest - everyone in the family called him "The Mons" (Monsignor). I recall a photo of him meeting with Pope Paul VI on the mantle piece of my grandmother's house in Kimmage - it was the centre piece. I know he was Parish Priest in Ballybrack, South Co. Dublin (where he married my Mum and Dad in 1958), and that he ended his days as a priest in Harrington Street, just off the South Circular Road. Indeed, after he died, my late uncle Charlie and I went to his house and cleaned it out of some of the finest furniture before the Archbishop could get his hands on it. He died on 16th January 1985, and is buried in Deansgrange Cemetery (though I remember his funeral very well, I have not been able to find his grave since). The picture to the left is a photo taken from An Fiolar (p232) - in the book, the "Very Rev. Dr. Charles Hurley" (CCR 1908-'12) is described as P.P. Ballybrack, Co. Dublin, entered Clonliffe in 1913 and went to the Irish College, Rome, in 1917. He took his D.D. and was ordained on 28 February 1920. On returning from Rome he was appointed to Carlow the same year.

Later in the book, my grand-uncle Tim Hurley is also featured (p269). The citation in the book states: Timothy J. Hurley (1910-'14) is a medical practitioner in Cardiff, Wale, since 1924. In 1931 he married Rosa Patricia Keane of Co. Galway. He likes plenty of exercise with golf club, walking stick or spade.

On page 284 the citation for my Dad (no photo) states: Joseph O'Loughlin (1944-'48) is a farmer in Carnew, Co. Wicklow. He is county secretary of Macra na Feirme and devotes most of his free time to a noble cause - the promotion of rural organizations.

Finally, the only mention of my grand uncle Pat, is in the list of Alumni (p440) - 1916-'18 - Hurley, Patrick, Newmarket, Co. Cork


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