House No. 2

As stated previously, in the middle of the 19^th century Connel O’Byrne lived in house No 1, Elmwood Terrace.  On the 26^th May 1856 he also acquired house No. 2 next door.  The seller was Robert Rogers of Keelogs, Inver.  This Rogers had no connection with the Rogers family of the Bay View Hotel.  At this time Connel mentioned in a letter, his two little houses at that place.  It seems that Connel demolished these two small houses and built No. 1 and No. 2 as they appear today on the sites of the old ones.  The houses demolished by Connel were two in a row of three, and it is still possible to see the original third one, which is on the town side of house No. 2.  It was formerly the Gillespie family home.

Connel then moved into No. 2 which became the permanent residence for him and his family. He obtained a lease for ever for this house from the Murray estate on 12^th April 1858, paying £3 per year rent. Presumably he leased No. 1 to persons unknown.

The White House, Killybegs

O’Byrne had begun working as a clerk in the White House office in 1847. (Readers will know that the White House stood behind the big tree at the present Playground). From this office Connel and another clerk, Neil McLoone, managed the day to day running of the entire Murray estate.  The estate farms were let to tenant farmers, some of whom lived in the town.  The office also administered several farms solely for the benefit of the estate itself, such as those known as Whistlebear (Rahan Near, St John’s Point), Bavan, and Carntullagh.  This office was the nerve centre of the Estate which ran from Kilcar to Donegal to Ardara. Along with managing the Estate, it financed the building and running of all the schools in the area mentioned. For example the Killybegs Office supervised the building of the Murray Male and Female Schools (later known as ‘the Murray Lodge’) on the Donegal Road.

The best grazing farm in the area was situated at the end of the Binroe peninsula, in the townland of Carntullagh.  The White House Office administered this farm, where Connell O’Byrne was engaged constantly, attending all the fairs for the purpose of buying and selling cattle on behalf of the Estate.

In 1866 Connel succeeded in leasing the Carntullagh farm for himself. This was significant for his earnings because it was one of the most profitable farms in the district, as he well knew.   The farm can be seen today across Killybegs harbour at Ambrose McHugh’s.

Connel’s salary in the White House office was about £70 per annum, and he asked for an increase in 1857. He maintained that he was spending half of it on travelling on Estate business. He and McLoone also visited the surrounding towns on fair days to collect rents from the tenants.  For example the takings of rent money in Ardara on the 23^rd October 1855 was £125 17 2½, and they hoped to deposit up to £400 in the bank within a few days.  This money went to the Murray Stewart estate.

 Connel married Louisa McCann, and their first child, William, was born in 1859, five more children being born, up until 1870.  Connell and Louisa were sponsors for Neil McLoone’s first born, Andrew Edward, in 1862.

Connel then took on another job – that of a roads repair contractor.  One of his contracts in 1870 was to keep in repair for a period of 5 years, the main road between the 10^th milestone from Donegal to Killybegs, to the Post Office in Killybegs.  This was worth £110 per year to him.  The other contract in the same year was to keep in repair for 5 years, the road from Killybegs to Kilcar, between the limestone quarry at Largy as far as the boundary at Meentakeeraghan and Leitir.  For this he received £27 10 shillings per annum. Connel hired farmers who owned a horse and cart to carry out this work.

He died in 1880 and is buried in St Mary’s graveyard.  On the 23^rd July 1895 his widow, Louisa, transferred the house to their son, William. This notice, which appeared in August 1911 may indicate that she left Killybegs then:

FURNISHED HOUSE to Let at Killybegs, Months September and October; nicely situated; consisting of Dining-room, Five Bedrooms, Sittingroom, and Pantry.  Rent moderate.  Apply Mrs O’Byrne, Elmwood Terrace.

Trouble on the Farm

Louisa ran the Carntullagh farm until 1904, when she tried to sell her interest in it to a Francis Kennedy for £400.  She was over 70 years of age at this time. The trustees of the Murray estate, who were actually the head landlords and ultimate owners, objected.  They obtained an injunction preventing Kennedy from ploughing up the meadowland for tillage.  This can be understood when it is realised that the Murray Estate engaged extensively in livestock farming, and this farm supported a good number of stock.  Several court cases followed but ultimately the O’Byrne family retained the farm through the Congested Districts Board, and the Land Commission.  It was eventually sold by Mary O’Byrne in 1921. The auctioneer was Patrick (Padraig) O’Byrne, no relation of Mary’s, who lived in the Main Street house where Eamonn Gallagher’s art gallery can be seen.  Subsequently the Carntullalgh farm continued to loom large in the lives of the inhabitants of the townland, but that is outside the scope of this account. 

It appears that Louisa’s daughter, also Louisa, married, firstly, John McGinley, businessman, Donegal, (citation needed), and secondly a man by the name of Searle. They settled in Killeshandra, Co Cavan.  People by the name of Searle called on the late Moira Mallon some years ago looking for their ancestors.  Louisa O’Byrne, Connel’s wife, died in Killeshandra in 1916. 

The McIntyre family

It is necessary at this point to bring the McIntyre family of New Row, Killybegs, into the story. The brothers Charlie and Jim McIntyre took over the family grocery shop on New Row, Killybegs on the death of their father, in 1912, where they traded as McIntyre Bros.  The locals knew them as ‘Charlie Mac’ and ‘Jim Mac’.  In 1965 or ’66 this premises was purchased by Danny, a tailor, and Mary Anne Tuohy who named it Mardan House.  Mary Ann was an aunt of Rosaleen Boyle, Killybegs. This is a cue for publishing a very nice photo of Mary Ann and Danny Touhy:

Mary Ann and Danny Touhy. Photo courtesy of Rosaleen Boyle.

Mardan House was afterwards occupied by the late Michael Gallagher.  Catherine McIntyre, a sister of Charlie and Jim, who was a teacher, married a Garda, Michael McHugh in 1931.  They settled in Ballintra but her husband died three years later at the age of forty two.

Catherine moved back to Killybegs and purchased house No. 2 on Elmwood Terrace from Mary O’Byrne, daughter of Louisa, on 29^th March 1938.  The widow Catherine and her bachelor brothers, Charlie and Jim, lived there, and Charlie died in 1946. Jim died in October 1955 aged 73.  In her will, made in 1951, Catherine had stipulated that Jim was free to reside in the house for his lifetime. Catherine died in Letterkenny on 16^th July 1961, aged 70. 

Charlie booked his place in the folklore of Killybegs when he left £300 in his will for a new bell for St Mary’s church.  This bell, weighing ¾ of a ton, was formally blessed on Monday 21^st May 1950 by Canon James Brennan, P. P., and his Curate, Father James Carr. The bellringers of the church, their names now mostly forgotten, never sought any recognition or praise. They performed their duty down through the years, and it might be fitting to mention them here. Men such as the late Frankie McMenamin performed this task on time day after day, year after year. The effort they made perhaps not being fully appreciated.

Charlie McIntyre also bequeathed £25 to the Society of St Vincent de Paul towards the cost of a statue of St Catherine to be erected at the Well in time for St Catherine’s Day 1951. 

St Catherine’s Well, Killybegs

Devoted to his religion, Charlie served as one of the four canopy-bearers during the public procession of the Blessed Sacrament on the Feast of Christ the King, and within the church on other occasions.  He was also in business as an auctioneer, and could be seen walking the street ringing his auctioneer’s bell.  One of Charlie’s assignments was the sale of Coane’s Hotel to Paddy the Cope in 1944.  Paddy renamed it The Cope House.  Charlie’s brother Jim was also an auctioneer, but he specialised in the fish trade.

Catherine McHugh’s house No. 2  was purchased in 1966 by the late Micheal Quinn, and the proceeds of this sale were, in accordance with Catherine’s will, bequeathed ‘to the Parish Priest of Killybegs for Masses’ for the souls of various persons.  The Quinn family moved to their new house on Church Road in 1975, and the Elmwood premises was turned into flats.  The house was later purchased by a retired fisherman now living out of town.

Thanks to the following for their help in compiling this blog: Elaine Quinn; Marie Thornton, Rosaleen Boyle; Niamh Brennan, Donegal County Council archives, Lifford.