STEP BACK IN TIME
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STEP BACK IN TIME
Click Here to Contact me Jennifer Walsh
& Click
Here to view my photo's
Feel free to view or sign my guest book or guest map
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SOME SHORT PIECES OF ASKEATON'S HISTORY FROM THE LAST IOO YRS TAKEN FROM THE LOCAL ABC NEWS
A SEA-FARING FAMILY BY SEAN CAROLAN the late William and jack meskell (RIP) were renowned throughout county limerick for their trading on the river Shannon. their two boats the Edgar and the Eva did many a journey to and from limerick, supplying the people of askeaton and the surrounding districts. the Edgar the larger of the ships was 100 tonnes. she was built in Devon in 1905. William and jack traded for ranks and delivered to tarbert, ballylongford and kilrush. the boats were also used to deliver flour from limerick to the creamery in askeaton when it was owned by Russell's. when William died in 1945 the two boats went to jack and he continued to run the business. jack made trips on the Edgar to labasheeda and carrigaholt. on the homeward journey he brought back turf and sold it in the green on the quayside near where the Eva was moored. on rare occasions jack would find room on the boat for extra supplies he would bring home plaice, sole and skate. all that is left of the Edgar and the Eva is an old rusty anchor buried deep in the mud of the Deel.
AMBUSH AT BARRYGONE
information was received by brigadier Sean Finn that it was the intention of a detail of black and tans to travel by morning train from foynes to limerick. a council of officers was immediately called and plans were made to attack the train. it was arranged that a young man, named liston would travel from foynes on the same train in order to ascertain the strength of the enemy and signal this information from his carriage window as the train approached the ambush position. if the enemy was definitely traveling it was planned the con boyle of rathkeale would walk along the railway track towards the train and attempt to halt it with a red flag. the signal pre-arranged with liston was one wave of his cap through the open window to indicate each black and tan aboard. the column was immediately mobilized near ballyhahill and the men marched through the night to occupy advantageous positions on high rocky ground overlooking the railway track at barrygone. the column having waited for some hours saw the train come into view, from one window a hand was seen frantically waving a cap. con boyle successfully stopped the train at the ambush position. heads looking out the windows to see what had stopped the train saw a line of rifles and shotguns in the rocky embankment and fire was opened on the train from both sides. passengers had to lay on the floor to escape the hail of bullets. ultimately the black and tans managed to get the engine restarted and they were lucky to escape with a number of wounded.
THE TALE OF BRIDGE MUL
Bridget mulvihill, better known as bridge mul, came from shanagolden in the early thirties to work as a servant girl for farmers in Creeves/Askeaton area. by the end of the forties bridge was getting old and nobody wanted to hire her so she had no place to live. at the time the guerin family house in conigar was well noted for card playing. one night it was mentioned that bridge had no place to stay. Gerry Daly who was playing cards said that something would have to be done about it. a site for a little house was donated from Tom bridgeman, Tom Hanley shopkeeper supplied the roof and cement, Jim Hurley supplied the sand and gravel with other helpers from creeves, conigar. in no time they had a little house built it measured 13ft x10ft. bridge lived there happily for many years after, she died in the fifties and is buried in kilbradern cemetery.
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