John Leahy of Broad St. Charleville.

I was born in 1948 and the Leahy's of Creggane lived next farm to us. I personally knew Joe who worked the farm and died in approx. 1955, I have been told that he was buried in Ballyhea but I have failed to find the grave. Joe was a very nice man but not much of a farmer and managed badly but he was very old when I knew him, he was very nice to us kids ( we were quiet challenging I can assure you and on thinking on hindsight I am surprised that he liked us). He had one great saying as he gave the cattle the hay which when shaken was full of dust (made wet and heated) my father use to say to Joe'' a bit dusty Joe'' his reply was ''up by boha they will munge it in the dark'', They had a great orchard and in the Autumn Joe would bring over two buckets of apples and my mother used make him two apple tarts and off he would go. The strange thing was that Joe would never go into the kitchen but sit on a form in the porch. Also on the farm was his sister Hannah who was bent over from poor living conditions and hard work, when Joe died the house was falling in with the roof half gone in the kitchen and they used have the table in the dry half ( I have over the years often thought about this --it was so sad) When Joe died Hannah use to work in the kitchen in Dick's Shop in Charleville for years ( every evening she used to go next door for a jug of porter for Mrs Dick) When Mrs Dick died she then worked for her daughter Mrs Maureen O Carroll who was a hair dresser down the street and I think she died in the 1970's ( I was living in Mullingar and can not be sure of the dates) she was a very quiet woman who kept her business to herself. Babs Leahy a sister used call very often and come down from Mallow in the bus as she lived with her brother Tommy who was as far as I know an Auctioneer there. I have always been told that Babs was a very good athlete and as good as any of the boys when it came to jumping. Babs was tall and austere and was not into dialogue with little pups like us. Jack Leahy another brother who got divided land from the Irish Land Commission lived in Ballyneety Co. Limerick and was married with two children and to the best of my knowledge the children emigrated to the USA but that is only from what I heard. Over the years I have come across several people who knew him but knew nothing about him my understanding that he lived in the Old Protestant School House ( still standing) which was on the Croaker Estate where he got the land I know that this estate was divided in 1937/39. The other three brothers were athletes of note being Con the eldest who died in the 1920's in the USA as far as I know he never married, then there was Pat who went to the USA in 1909 and checked in at St. Patrick's Athletic Club and when he want to the USA he had with him 35$ which it appears was a lot of money back then-----both of these brothers won Olympic Medals (1906 ?) Then there was Timothy Leahy who was said to be the best athlete of them all who died of the Spanish Flu in 1918 at the age of 19. The Spanish Flu could be compared with the Covid 19 of its day and I know of several people who died of it and they ware the very healthy people of the day so like Covid 19 it did not distinguish between rich or poor --healthy or unhealthy. As far as I can remember the father was Thomas Leary + Margaret Mc Donagh that Thomas would have been the brother of your ancestor in Broad St.. The Creggane Leahy's would never have had money and while every week they took part in sports ( GAA records not reorganised by the English Sport Association which was controlled by the Anglo Irish and would only sponsor athletes who would take part as part of the English Team) and won things (trinkets) most of these were pawned to get to the next sports. To get to the Olympics at that time you had to pay your own expenses. I am told that when they taking away the remainder of the old house in Creggane they did find a medal but I have never seen it but I am lold that the Leahy family the Railway Farm do have a clock which one of the boys won. I have an idea that the Leahy's came from around Granagh but I can not be sure of that----I met one of the Dr Leahy's several years ago he lived somewhere around Caherdavin and the other man lived somewhere around the Gold Club that was the mad that did have the farm but had sold it perhaps in the 1960's. If you want to know more just let me know georgequain@hotmail.com

To Jackie Leahy & Henry Leahy I would be delighted if you would e/mail me direct as I would love to know just where you come in in the family all the stuff I have given is from memory so there could be the odd date incorrect. About twenty years ago I transcribed all the sports that they took part in some day I will find it and I do not have a problem in giving you a copy. Getting back to generations to the best of my knowledge it was a Thomas Leahy that came to Creggane in 1876 and he took over the farm from a man called Hassett whether they were related or no I have no idea. The last Leahy in Creggane was a Thomas who was a son of Thomas Leahy who lived in Mallow and was an Accountant in Golden Vale Food Products and he sold the place in the 1960's to Brendan Danagher who still owns it. Tommy Leahy who sold the place as far as I know had a son and a daughter and I understand that they went to live in Mallow , Co. Cork.