The Island Graveyard

[poppyo]

Hello. In a letter of 1926 my great uncle in Rathfeston, Geashill, townland Gorteenkeel, is telling my great aunt in America about their mother's death, 27th January, 1926, and he has attached a cutting about the funeral and the family burial mound in the Island.
In a previous letter of 1908 re his father's death he writes
"he buried him where he told us in the Welsh / Walsh Island about two miles from here", July 14th, 1908
Could somebody identify this graveyard?
Thank you

[Pat Reid]

Hi Poppyo:
Here is link to the Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society. There might be something in here or you could contact them.  I would imagine they would be interested.
http://www.offalyhistory.com/index.html

Good luck,
Pat

[poppyo]

Thank you Pat, I tried that site but I couldn't find a contact for the Society and I know that the Midland Ancestry charge for research, but perhaps I'll get their estimate as I want to know.
Best wishes

[moscan]

Hello Poppy,

I do realise that you posted this request an awful long time ago but hopefully I will be able to answer your question.

I happened to be in Offaly last night and today at a function with my OH and decided to have a hunt for you..

I asked in our hotel and was sent to two graveyards called the Island... Finding the right one eventually after a short tour of the county 

Walsh Island is a tiny village off the Tullamore to Portarlington road.  It is quite small and I drove through it twice before realising I was past it !!!!!!!

I did find the old graveyard ( the new one only opened in 1953) but there sadly is no grave stones for your family I did go all around and checked them all.  I went into the church attached to the graveyard and lit a candle for your  reles on your behalf.

I called to the local parish priest and spoke to his housekeeper whose husband luckily looks after the graveyards and he was able to help me a lot.

Burial mounds was the norm but about 40 years ago the parish priest of the day decided to level the graveyard and grass it over with only those with headstones or markers having those replaced in the correct spot.

I took some photos for you and hope that you find them interesting.  I also got the PP's telephone number (he wasn't there) and I will ring him later (I have just arrived home and still have to unpack etc) to see if he can hunt through his records and see if he can come up with any info..


Best wishes

Mo

[moscan]

first photo is of the church at Walsh Island with surrounding grave yard.

second and third are of the interior and fourth and fifth are of the actual graveyard hope you like them

Best wishes

Mo

[moscan]

as above..

[moscan]

the graveyard at walsh island

[poppyo]

Hello Mo. That is absolutely brilliant of you! The kindness of strangers amazes me. The photos are beautiful and will be added to my history.
I managed to find the PP of the Walsh Island, a Father Gaynor, spoke to him on the phone and he wrote as well, but he could find nothing, not even anything in the death register. He said that he would speak to Jim Duffy who seems to be a kind of sexton, with no luck. Father Gaynor actually copied pages from his records, handwritten! but none applied to me. I thought he was lovely, unlike the PP Father O'Byrne of Daingean who didn't even acknowledge my letters
I've attached a bit of my great uncle's letter talking about a palm tree that he had planted when his father died in 1908 but I suppose that went 40 years ago too
One day I hope to go back to Ireland, I used to spend all the summer holidays with my grandmother in Daingean
Thank you so much for all the trouble that you have taken and for lighting a candle, it brought a lump to my throat
If you find anything else I would be delighted!
Very best wishes, Barbara

[poppyo]

That's not the right cutting. Hopefully this is.