Wonderful array of stories in historical collection

Impressive Arra historical journal

In broad geographical terms the half barony of Arra is not that large a place - it stretches around the Arra mountains and encompasses the parishes of Portroe, Burgess and Ballina, as well as elements of Nenagh. You would think there is only so much history the area can offer. Might it be that the ‘Annals of Arra’ have been exhausted?

Not a chance. Yet again, Arra Historical and Archaeological Society have swept this hilly landscape and unearthed another trove of precious material, which is relayed superbly in this book. Edited by Michael Gleeson, Jane Quinlan, Joe Ryan (Stock) and Matt Malone, ‘Annals of Arra: Volume VII’ is a varied, intriguing and at times thought-provoking work that explores the “history, archaeology, people and places” of the district in a highly readable and authentic fashion. It contains everything from a vivid account of a wild cross-country hurling match to a meticulously detailed biography of the life of a bishop. There is a visual aspect to it too. The articles are supported by a series of striking black and white photographs, maps, and tables which enhance the reader’s experience and complement some of the excellent writing.

One of the beauties of this journal is that you don’t have to be a scholar to read it. Information is presented in a tangible, relatable way and the editors strike the perfect balance between detailed historical articles and shorter, more personal contributions. Each is valuable in its own right. After all, the past can be examined in many different ways.

HINT OF THE EXTRAORDINARY

There is more than a hint of the extraordinary to some of the lives of the people featured in this book. That is not to say that they have been embellished - on the contrary, the deeper you dig into their stories, the more real these people become.

Take Jeremiah Seymour and Mary Culhane, two Irish immigrants to the Australian state of Victoria who, along with their children, climbed up the socio-economic ladder and reached heights that would probably have been unthinkable to many of the souls who set sail for the southern hemisphere from the Ireland of the mid-19th century.

As Bernadette Speirs (Jeremiah and Mary’s great-granddaughter) writes, “their family story is a compelling narrative of transformation.” The Seymours faced a myriad of racial, ethnic and religious barriers and yet they went on to prosper, creating a family of twelve children and “an extensive, productive farm in rural Victoria”.

Those who remained on this island were no less enterprising. Bridget Gough and Denis Hanly quite literally “wove their story into the fabric of our local history,” Mary Fitzgerald eloquently tells us. They were the founders of Ballyartella Woollen Mills, a once “modest local operation” which has gradually evolved into a “globally recognised textile company.”

There is a degree of playfulness and humour to this book. Some of the anecdotes are genuinely funny, none more so than the tale of Michael Gleeson’s crafty uncle Marty, who briefly cultivated a reputation as a mathematical mastermind when he managed to procure an ‘answers book’ with which to do his homework. All good things must come to an end and he is eventually exposed. The book is thrown into the fire, the cane falls twice on his hand and the dream is over. Still, you have to admire his ingenuity.

LAND OWNERSHIP

Certain articles merit particular praise for their rigour and exhaustiveness. Derek Ryan Bawn’s assessment of ‘Land Ownership in the Half-Barony of Arra in the 17th Century’ is fabulously researched, journeying back in time several hundred years and effectively examining the consequences of the Battle of Kinsale and the Flight of the Earls (1607) on land ownership in Ireland, with particular reference to Arra. Fast forward around 300 years to another critical juncture in Irish history and we learn that Bishop Michael Fogarty, the outspoken clergy man who served over fifty years as Bishop of Killaloe, was an influential actor in the struggle for Irish independence. Michael Gleeson’s biography of him is hugely informative and conveys a true sense of a man who had interactions with the likes of Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins and of course Éamon de Valera. It also sheds a light on the role of the Catholic Church on the formation of our state, which was significant.

Dr Siobhán Geraghty (the present chairperson of Arra Historical and Archaeological Society) rounds the book off nicely with a neat summary of the Curraghbally Association, another window into pre-famine era Ireland. She ponders what the future might have held for the club had Ireland not been thrust into famine by the policies of the Westminster government.

The book ends on that note and in some ways it is sad, but history is not always glamorous, and that is a reminder.