Pictured at the launch of 'Cloughjordan Heritage Vol. X' were Jim Casey, Carmel Toohey, Patricia Nolan and Shay Spain. Photograph: Odhran Ducie

Launch of 'Cloughjordan Heritage' Vol X

Cloughjordan Heritage Volume X was recently launched in the Thomas MacDonagh Museum in Cloughjordan.


Over 60 people attended the event, crowding the room and overflowing into adjoining spaces. As people arrived, they were greeted by beautifully played Christmas carols, performed by young local flautist Abigail Quinlivan and her teacher, Martha Larkin.  


The evening was hosted by the Chairman of Cloughjordan Heritage Group, Paddy Williams. He introduced the main speaker, Father Sean Dwan, who is the uncle of three brothers from Kilruane, all of whom became Christian Brothers. He entertained the audience with a description of many of the articles in the book, adding his own observations and comments, which demonstrated his enormous interest in the stories as well as his great sense of humour.


As this year marks the end of World War I, it is important to remember the young men from this parish who fought in that war, many never to return home. To remember them, some letters sent by local men to their families from The Front were read out. To add to the poignancy of the news they contained, the letters were read by a young man, Jack Peters, who may well have been one of them, had be been born 120 years earlier.  


Silent newsreel of scenes from the trenches flickered on the screen behind him as he read, which moved some in the audience to near-tears.  Then Eanna Hogan read telegrams from the imprisoned Joe MacDonagh, Thomas’s younger brother, concerning his election as a TD for Tipperary North.


The book contains articles on Joseph MacDonagh; on local people from the sporting, business and education worlds; on the Talbot Expedition to Canada; on sporting events in the past; on who lived where, in the Killurane area; some prize-winning poems; and articles concerning the Famine. It has dozens of old and contemporary photographs kindly lent by local families, including a delightful picture of the boys from Kilruane National School, 1922, all smartly dressed with hair slicked down for the occasion.


Paddy Williams then presented the authors of the articles with their own copy of the book, which the editiorial committee -  May Casey, Rachel Vaughan and Paddy Williams – hope they will enjoy reading from cover to cover.  


The editorial committee would like to thank all the contributors and those who lent photographs for the book. It would also like to thank those who attended the launch and made such an enjoyable evening, and who enthusiastically tackled the excellent baking produced by the catering team. As always, great tea and cake. The committee would also like to say a huge thank you to David Ryan, General Manager of the Nenagh Guardian, and Antoinette Ryan, who worked with the committee (though most was done by her) on layout and design. Their skills and endless patience turned the rather nasty-looking annotated texts they were given into the highly professional and beautifully presented book you see today.  


Cloughjordan Heritage Volume X is available to buy from the Thomas MacDonagh Museum, Cloughjordan, and the other shops in the village; it is also on sale in Ardcroney, Nenagh bookshops and Heenan's of Borrisokane.