The story of Kerry's flight for freedom between 1913 and 1923 is the subject of a new book by Ryle Dwyer entitled Tans Terror and Troubles

The book starts off with a 20 page chronology off all the important happenings from 1913 to 1923. The book concludes with a bibliography and a 16 page index that is very thorough. The book also includes photographs, some of which have never  before been published. Many of the sources used have not previously been exploited.

The first and the last event of the War of Independence took place in Castleisland and on 10th July on the eve of the Truce nine were killed in a shoot-out

Tans, Terror and Troubles is published in paperback at 12.99 published by Mercier Press

Artic char, unlike the Golden Eagle, are still with us since the last Ice Age, over 12,000 years ago. At that time they would have run many of our rivers as salmon do today, but because of Ireland's warmer climate they are confined to deep cold lakes.
For this reason not too many people are familiar with this beautiful fish known in some parts of Kerry as the 'Hobbin'. Anglers occasionally catch char while fly-fishing for trout and Salmon on some of our lakes. Kerry is still a stronghold for char with populations identified in Lough Anscaul, Lough Currane, Iskanamacteary, Clonee Lough, Lough Inchiquin and Lough Uragh. Interesting the char living in Lough Coomasaharn, Lough Acoose and the Killarney Lakes were identified as separate "species' at one time.

The ICCG is requesting to report any catches of char, They would be grateful if anglers would either photograph and measure the fish they catch or alternatively freeze them and contact the group. |We would also be grateful of any other information that people may have on char in Kerry, anecdotal or otherwise.

16^th February 2001 by Breda Joy

Passing of music loving Friar Johnny O'Sullivan

Scartaglen’s Johnny O’Sullivan, a former postman who became a popular Friar, 
was laid to rest inside the sheltering walls of the Franciscan Friary in Killarney.

Brother Johnny grew up in the townland of  Ballintourigh, where he developed a 
lifelong love of the music and traditions of the Sliabh luachra area. He loved set dancing and music, and played the accordion.
In his mid-40s when he discovered he had a late vocation to become a 
Franciscan friar.

Br Johnny was initiated into the Franciscan way of life during his postulancy in 
Waterford 
and his novitiate in Killarney. His first profession was on August the 21, 1982.

Br. Johnny spent the most of his Franciscan life in Drogheda but he also served in 
Cork and Killarney. When ill health began to affect him a few years ago, his family 
and his fellow 
Franciscans. The homily at the Requiem Mass was preached by Fr Sean Cassin, 
who was
a novice with Brother Johnny and who went on to found the drugs rehabilitation 
centre at Merchant’s Quay in Dublin.
He recalled how the novices went on a day out with Brother Johnny during their 
time in Killarney and ended up set-dancing at a Ceili in Castleisland.
Franciscan Provincial Fr Ulick Troy, OFM, was the chief celebrant at the Mass. 
The Franciscan Folk Group took part in the Mass.

Johnny was very welcoming, he loved people, 
And he was mad about music.  

The Kerryman Thursday,  Donal O'Reilly April 19, 2001

Mystery in the sky deepens with eerie night-time sightings in Scartaglen

The mystery in the skies above Kerry deepened this week with news of yet another strange occurrence, this time originating in the Scartaglen area.
On this occasion, a man who witnessed something very peculiar admitted to The Kerryman that he was utterly terrified by his eerie experience and was glad to be surrounded by the familiar lights of his home village throughout.
It all started in the early hours on a Friday morning, about two weeks after the incident 
from The Spa reported in last weeks edition of The Kerryman, as the man, 
who stressed that he has been a Pioneer for over 25 years, was walking towards a friend's house. "I had been at home with my wife and children, but after everyone went to bed I decided that I would call over and visit a friend of mine who lives in the village," the witness, who did not wish to give his name, explained. "Anyway, I was heading towards his house when I suddenly saw something which I can only describe as a huge ball of light perhaps about a mile away in the direction of Ballydesmond. "I would have guessed that it was no more than about 40 or 50 feet off the ground. "The way I would describe it is that the edges looked as if they were sizzling, they weren't smooth or constant."At first, the man admits that he thought it was a helicopter until he realised that it was far too large and entirely the wrong shape. Also on what was an extremely still, clear night, there was not a sound to be heard from the object whatever it was.
For about a minute the witness looked at the light with a mixture of awe and fear until events became more unlikely. "All of a sudden it dimmed down although I still could not make out the shape of any object. Then it began to move off quite slowly, but what was even weirder was that as it moved off there were blue, green and yellow lights at it's rear rotating and flashing on and off in sequence. I watched it until it disappeared from view and then went to my sisters house and told her what I had just seen.
To be honest I don't know what it was, I am a pretty logical guy and I don't really 
believe in UFO's, but the fact is that it was not a plane or anything like that, it was 
something strange and like nothing I had ever seen before. I certainly can't begin to 
describe what it was. 
To be honest I am glad that I was surrounded by the lights of the village because it 
made me feel a bit safer. I certainly would not have wanted to see it when I was 
standing in the middle of a dark road.. After talking about an experience which he 
describes as unusual and eerie the man heard that three other people from Scartaglen , 
a taxi driver and his two passengers ,also reported seeing something unusual in the sky that same night . "I have talked about it , and people have sort of said " oh yeah", but have not disbelieved me because anyone who knows me will  realise that I am not that kind of person , he said ."It was all very bizarre". Meanwhile, Colin Stapleton , the independent film maker commissioned by RTE to make a documentary about the UFO phenomenon, confirmed that he has received a number of calls from Kerry area in the light of last week's story in The Kerryman, and, in fact, spent the weekend interviewing and filming eye-witnesses in the county.

Three actors from Scartaglen took to the stage at the Scartaglen Cultural Centre on February this year as part of the cast in John B. Keane's play "Moll".

Timmy Browne, Denis Paud Brosnan and John Joe Tangney last appeared in a drama group back in 1944-1946 when they were part of the local drama group that raised funds for Scartaglen Pipers band.

According to Timmy Browne, this is just what was needed in the Village. " for the last 30 years the people of Scartaglen have been without a hall or activity," he said. " I am hopeful that this play is just the beginning and that we can get more people involved in drama and plays.

The actors involved in this production are John Walsh, Joan Browne, John Joe Tangney, Tim Hickey, Nora Walsh, Denis Paud Brosnan and Timmy Browne. The producer is Nora Thompson, who is also playing the role of Moll.

A Tale of Christmas past 

The following is excerpted from a story written for the Sliabh Luachra news by Jermiah Healy, a resident of Castleisland. Jermiah brings to us a vision of Christmas past in the Sliabh Luachra and he tells it in the easy style and honor of a fine story teller.

click here to see big

Photograph contributed by: Joan Brosnan

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The Slean, the traditional implement for cutting the turf, at Tom Doran's, in 1970.

Pictured here are: Father Andy O'Connel, Mike , Bernie, Margaret, Andrew O'Connell and the dog Rose. 

Photograph contributed by: Joe Browne

The days before the Pub License.

The Landlord/Land agent for much of the lyraecrompane district was Miss Thompson. Her local agent was Paddy Dillane, popularly known as Paddy na Lyre. Miss Thompson dismissed him for finding him blind drunk. She installed her nephew a Mr. Hurley, in a new house, at which a R.I.C. Barrack was attached for his safety. To ensure the proper education for his children, she appointed a Miss Begley as school teacher, at a building near the Glen on the boundary of Nockaclare and Lyre. Later a second teacher Tom Molyneax was appointed, he married Miss Begley and the school survived for 51 years, until Lyre N>S> was built in 1911. When Miss Thompson died the estate passed to Mr. Hurley.

His sister Fanny Hurley fell in love with a local man called Scanlon. He was a Catholic and she was a Protestant. Mr. Hurley seems to have been a reasonable enlightened individual, because instead of banishing the elopers he set them up in a fine house and provided them with a public house License.

Rebecca Scanlon one of there daughters succeed to ownership of the Pub, she married a R.I.C. man called Roche from Roscommon. These were Jimmy Roche's Grandparents.

Castleisland Railway Station

The Gortatlea -Castleisland line holds a unique place in the Irish Railway History. It was the first "light" Railway in Ireland that had been in operation for some years, before the passing of the Light Railway Act of 1880.

The directors of the Gortatlea -Castleisland Company expected the terms of working could be of the Branch Company’s Independent existence, the Great Southern and Western Railway was allowed one train from Castleisland to work through Tralee daily, and there were also three services to Gortatlea.

By 1973 the service operated only twice weekly. The line was finally closed in 1976, when the last fright train pulled out of Castleisland Station. Although the trains, tracks and most of the building have gone, vestiges of the railway age still remain in Castleisland to day.

One of the most charming of the remaining structures associated with the line is the former station master's house. Its charm stems largely from its brick facade, asymmetrical window's and door canopy. It has been lovingly maintained as the home of the O'Sullivan family

Alexander McDonnell the locomotive engineer for Great Southern and Western Railway, was allowed to design a combined engine and coach vehicle which operated from Gortlatlea to Castleisland for many years. It consisted of a small 8 seater first class compartment entered by side doors and a van for the guard and parcels. 3rd class accommodations was provided in a hauled carriage and the usual train included a few wagons of goods, this locomotive was capable of hauling when required 29 loaded cattle trucks and vans from Castleisland fair.

After the Great Southern and Western Railways took over the line, they build 2 more special vehicles for it. In January 1947 both passengers and goods services were suspended owing to an acute coal shortage. The line was used only periodically during the next 10 years, for monthly fair specials and an occasional group train. Local pressure succeed in getting a daily goods service reintroduced in 1957. The line was then worked by the small 4 wheeled Deutz diesel locomotive which were build in Cologne,(Koln), West Germany, for the "Special" use on short lines. However the decline of the fairs and competition from road freight resulted in a steady decline in rail traffic.

Folklore Extract 1937/'38.

That night, as the porter was given rounds, some person cut the rope and the corps immediately sat up and the people made a rush for the door and some were trampled underfoot.

Hidden treasure, Long ago a man lived somewhere around Cleann. He dreamt three nights that there were two skillets of gold buried between the two roads leading into the bog. He dug foe them and got one and was taking up the second one when he looked around him and it disappeared when he looked away, If the exact spot is dug, and not to have the person who is digging look around him, he is supposed to get the other skillet.