The following adverts were published in the Newcastle West newspaper the Weekly Observer in the 1921. They show advertisements for companies based in Limerick city. The Weekly Observer was founded before 1913. In the 1920s the editor of the Weekly Observer was a newsagent John “Sean” Brouder. In 1911, John was living on Maiden Street, Newcastle West with his…
The first hot air balloon flight in Limerick was carried out by Richard Crosbie in 1786. The next major flight would not take place for over sixty years. John Hampton, and two passengers set off skyward from Upper Cecil Street on Wednesday, September 3, 1849 at 4.58 p.m. As they looked back to the earth…
On the 1911 census, the O’Connor family were living in Nolan’s Cottages. They were recorded as James Victor O’Connor, 34, a scenic artist. His wife Anna Julia, 35, was an actress. The O’Connors were married about 1897. They had five children although sadly by 1911 only two had survived. Their daughter Mary, 13, was a…
The first aircraft to land in Shannon was not an aeroplane nor was it in the twentieth century. On April 27, 1786, Richard Crosbie ascended in a balloon from Clancy Strand and travelled to the area that is now Shannon Airport. Crosbie was born in Wicklow and studied at Trinity College, Dublin. At six feet…
In September 1787, Michael Dennessy, also known as Michael Donoghoe a weaver from Limerick city was found murdered. For the next few months the main suspect remained at large. Strangely on January 19, 1788 a clerk by the name of Thomas Hogan walked into the city gaol where he penned the following letter to the…
The Chronicle was there to record the early days of the stagecoach. It told of the trials and tribulations of Andrew Buchanan of Thomondgate, who in 1784, first regularised road transport and ran his stagecoaches on the perilous Dublin-Limerick route. The distinction of pioneering the first regular stagecoach service in Ireland should go perhaps, a…
The following letter appeared in the New York Mirror, volume 16, June 30, 1838. The New York Mirror was a weekly journal dedicated to literature and the fine arts. Dublin June 13th, 1838 We left Killarney at an early hour in the mail-car for Limerick, a distance of fifty Irish miles. The mail-car was similar…
On January 3, 1837, a gunpowder rocked the city centre to its core. In total twenty people lost their lives, one of whom the Chronicle recorded as “died of the absolute effects of fright”. The city was quiet on winter’s night with most of the inhabitants either in bed or on their way to bed…
The following appeared in the Volunteers Journal (later the Irish Herald) on 10 May 1784. Limerick Independents At a meeting of the Limerick Independents Volunteers, held on their parade, the second day of May, 1784. Major Powell, in the Chair, Resolved unanimously, that the distresses of our fellow-citizens, the manufacturers in general, and those of…
The news report comes from the Leinster Express 2 July 1859 On Monday morning Daniel Farrell caught, in one draw, 93 salmon, and Savage and Mack caught, in one draw, seventy-two salmon. Later in the day, Savage and Mack, in two draws, netted two hundred and ten salmon. These fish were all prime, and averaged…
Catholic Ireland is historically known for its large families and Limerick was no different. There were three women in Limerick in 1911 who had given birth to twenty children. The youngest of these was forty-six year old Kate Blake. Of her twenty children, only ten were still alive in 1911. Five of her sons with…
Nineteenth century Limerick was a business-friendly city. Even when the Irish economy stagnated after 1815, Limerick continued to enjoy economic growth. Customs receipts in the port increased from £70,000 in 1821 to £148,000 in 1840. At the same time, the necessary infrastructure, created to support the business sector, was established. Between 1750 and 1820, a…
Childhood at the turn of 20th century involved in some interesting extracurricular activities. For a period of at least six years from 1909, under the guidance of Rev William O’Leary, the students of Mungret College used a seismograph to measure the size and distance of earthquakes. In 23 April 1909, they recorded an earthquake 1340…
Kathleen Ferguson was a prolific cookery and home care book writer in the 1900s.
Today we know the dangers of lightning, and as a result, have buildings fitted with lightning rods and flame retardant roofs. Unfortunately, this was not always the case, and thunder and lightning came with a range of dangers. In the nineteenth century, lightning was often refer to as ‘electric fluid’. This was popularised by Benjamin…