Michael Fewer crafts uniquely innovative books, with his latest contribution centring around a tea house located in the hills of Wicklow being no anomaly. In ‘Tales from a Wicklow Tea Room: 1898-1960′ (Beehive, €24.99), he conducts an interesting exploration into eight vintage visitor registers, examining the existences of the individuals who inscribed in them. The tea house was operated by the McGuirk lineage renowned for their domestic baked goods, boiled eggs, local hospitality, and their keeping of hens, geese, and beehives. The early patrons visited via various methods, such as horse-drawn trap, walking, bicycle, charabanc trips, or motorbike with sidecar.
The author’s detective-like historical investigations consist of interpreting sophisticated penmanship, unifying the regulars of McGuirk’s and positioning them within a lengthy 62-year era. The tea room, well known for its peat fire, attracted a diverse mix of individuals, including doctors, scientists, artists, authors, and military personnel. In the summer of 1916, Major Harold Heathcote, the same man who, four months prior, as a British officer, handled the execution of Patrick Pearse, James Connolly among others post-Easter Rising, visited the tea room with his wife. Other attendees included John Patrick McEnroe, great-uncle of the acclaimed tennis player and the youthful Samuel Beckett, escorted by his father, William, in 1899.
This book epitomises dynamic local history by carefully compiling, expanding and intertwining a host of fascinating narratives and characters within a sociological framework. The visitors’ remarks in the records encompass a blend of light-hearted, humorous, political and cynical comments, with one observer even inspired to compose a light verse. This serves as a testament to Mary’s benevolence towards her bear and the inescapable visibility of its rear.
Therese Hicks, in her book No Mere Irish: The Kennedys of Mount Kennedy (Wordwell, €25), delves into the less-explored history of a Co Wicklow family, the Kennedys of Mount Kennedy. The ambitious Kennedys amassed significant wealth and created their manor becoming Protestants likely in late 1590s. Their decision seems to have been chiefly strategic, aligning themselves with English explorers.
Across six chapters, Hicks paints an illustrative picture showing the Kennedys’ rise to power, their shifting loyalties amidst a turbulent century, and the social prestige they earned. The main figure, Robert Kennedy, initiated his journey in Dublin. As his social network grew, he managed to secure a strong foundation, amassing wealth and gaining considerable land in Wicklow during the 1620s and 1630s. According to the author, the late 16th and early 17th centuries were marked by aggressive land acquisition, resembling a ‘Wild West’ scenario, with Gaelic clans facing large-scale land raids.
However, the Kennedy saga isn’t all rainbows and riches. There were severe hardships and grim fortunes. Robert’s wife tragically passed away in childbirth, and Robert himself met an untimely death. His estate was left to the devices of dispassionate individuals. His sons, unskilled in navigating political and social challenges, saw the estate sold. The last baronet, unsatisfied with the family lifestyle, chose to live a more honourable life – not only as a Catholic, but also as a Benedictine priest.
Separately, many familiar with the Flaggy Shore at New Quay in the Burren will recognise it from Seamus Heaney’s Postscript poem. Few, however, may have stumbled upon a hexagonal stone tablet paying tribute to a 13th-century Irish poet, Donnchada O’Dalaigh. The tablet regards him as “a poet who was and never will be surpassed.” These intriguing details form part of the rich tapestry of local history brought to light in Kathleen Fawle’s The History of New Quay in 12 Tales (£12.99).
The distinct conditions of the affluent Skerrett family of Finavarra and the deplorable situation of the impoverished in the 19th century are compared in various chapters. Over 350 individuals congregated in the vicinity pleading for work amidst the horrific Great Famine of 1840s to fend for their famished households. Other focus areas include maritime trade, fishing, and the renowned Red Bank oyster sector resulting in much required job opportunities. The covert group, Terry Alts, established to combat injustices like rent injustice, eviction, restriction to common lands, and maintaining the Church of Ireland’s tithes, made its presence felt in the rural areas of Clare till 1831 while also combating the crown’s forces atop Lisovane Hill.
Mythology was deeply ingrained in the existence of the Burren’s inhabitants and it was cherished by one of the area’s well-recognised personalities, Lady Augusta Gregory. A regular summer visitor to the Flaggy Shore, she leased Harbour Hill House in 1897 and later acquired Mount Vernon in 1912. The landscape, people’s lives, and their spoken words capturing their ideologies intrigued her. Her close associations included Martin Minogue, a one-eyed fisherman known for his poetic expressions and elaborate narratives of spirits and ring forts.
Peadar Murray’s Photographs (£15), a collection organised by his grandson Daithí Ó Muiri, illuminates seldom-seen facets of County Meath’s existence. From 1896, Murray managed an all-purpose shop and operated as a publican, clothier, bicycle vendor and hardware merchant in Dunshaughlin. Despite his involvement in Gaelic League activism and writing, photography was his greatest passion. He was among the first locals to possess a camera, and he pursued a keen interest in diverse photographic techniques and developing pictures.
[Residents in walkable areas like Ranelagh or Salthill are proven to enjoy increased happiness.]
Murray placed great importance on local individuals and areas. The St Patrick’s Day festivities in Trim in 1904 included various views of the historic ruins of Meath, provided by Murray who had toured these towns. Additionally, he embarked on many expeditions across Ireland, one of the longest being a 170-mile journey, undertaken on a heavy steel bike over rough terrains, to document the International Exhibition in Cork in 1902.
If you’re interested in understanding where Cork’s Pillar of Salt is, the function of a clapper bridge, or the location where luminescent algae cause a bioluminescent effect, it would be wise to purchase ‘The A-Z of Curious County Cork’ (History Press, priced at £14.99). This book is authored by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Kieran McCarthy, whose passion and scholarly knowledge pervade his recent publication. It reveals sections of Cork that remain unknown to many outsiders. This miscellany of mysteries, unlawful acts, brisk eccentricities, and historical oddities is potpourri of pleasurable quotes, anecdotes, and illustrations.