Categories
Historical Biographies

The Great War

Our Great War Heroes

Ireland was still part of the British Empire in the first decade of the 20th century, but a wave of nationalistic spirit was ensuring that any remaining loyalties to the crown were ebbing away by the year. This was the historical backdrop which accompanied those Irish men who elected to enlist in the British Army for service before or during The Great War of 1914. No doubt this was not an easy decision, but with this said it was paid service and employment and any decent prospects were scarce in many areas of our country at the time.

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Categories
Historical Biographies

Notable Figures

Lawrence O’Brien, Merchant, Politician (1792 – 1870)

Laurence was born in Clashmore, County Waterford and came to Newfoundland sometime between 1808 and 1810 and within 10 years had established at Water Street, St. Johns the business of Lawrence O’Brien and Company, a wholesale and retail trading company. O’Brien owned a wharf, warehouses and a retail store, and was also the owner of several trading ships, aswell as being involved in the seal fishery.

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Industrial Heritage

Clashmore Distillery

Clashmore Distillery (1825 – 1840)

The history of Clashmore Distillery is a brief but colourful one and indeed this establishment stood alone in this county for the best part of 170 years until the recently established Blackwater Distillery produced it’s first spirit back in 2010.  

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Categories
Industrial Heritage

A Rich Vein of History

The River Licky – A Rich Vein of History

Like most other rural areas of the country at the end of The Great Famine years, the parish of Clashmore & Kinsalebeg was also experiencing the after effects of the heavy toll felt after successive potato crop failures and the latent dereliction of the very poorest in society by many of the ruling classes of the time.

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