On Friday night, 7th July, Skibbereen & District Historical Society formally launched the Skibbereen Historical Journal, Vol. 19 2023. The launch was performed by the Society’s President and founder member, Gerald O’Brien. This was particularly fitting as this year marks the Society’s 21st anniversary and when it first met, back in 2002, the first talk was delivered by Gerald. On the night Gerald went through each of the sixteen articles in this year’s Journal in some detail, illuminating his speech with his great knowledge of history and all things Skibbereen.
The chairperson of the editorial committee, William Casey, also spoke. He thanked all those involved, particularly the contributors – without whom there would be no journal. He and the Society’s chairperson, Philip O’Regan, paid tribute to Jim Byrne the longtime chairperson of the editorial committee. It was also announced that the society has published a database, complied by James K. Collins, that accompanies his article on the Judicial Fixed Rents of 1881 to 1903. This can be accessed at https://skibbereenhistorical.ie/databases/judicial-rents-fixed/
As with other years, the articles in this year’s Journal cover a variety of topics including:
The private creamery industry in West Carbery,
Ilen Rovers GAA Club 1973-2023,
St Matthew’s Church Aughadown – 150 Years of Service,
The History and Heritage of Mass Rocks – particularly those in West Cork,
Sweet Ilen: Part 2 – The Tidal Waterway,
Skibbereen Soldiers in Eritrea,
1923 – The Irish Free State in financial peril,
A tale of two Baltimores from 1958,
Judicial Fixed Rents from 1881 to 1903,
Ballydehob’s Three-Arched Bridge,
A story of crossroads dancing in Lisheen,
An analysis of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa’s poem ‘Jillen Andy’,
The story of an IRA volunteer who fought at Kilmichael,
An examination of public commemorations in Skibbereen for the period 1916-1923,
The plight of Irish emigrants who worked in the Glue industry in Massachusetts,
and, for the first time in a while, a poem entitled ‘Father of the Railways’.
For a full listing of the articles and their authors, visit our Journal Page.
This year’s Journal is selling for €12 and is available in local shops in Skibbereen and throughout West Cork. The Journal, and a selection of back issues, can also be purchased online at https://biblio.ie/bookstore/coolim-books-skibbereen/shj/39607814
Back row: Kieran Doyle, Conor Kelleher and Ted Cadogan.
Middle row: John O’Neill, Maura Cahalane, Deirdre Pemberton and Eugene McSweeney
Front row: Donal Corcoran, Mary McCarthy, Sandra Downey and William Casey