by Paul Gorry | Apr 20, 2018 | 1798, Baltinglass, Derrynamuck, Glen of Imaal, Graveyards, Kilranelagh, Local History, Michael Dwyer, Presbyterians, Religious Denominations, Sam McAllister, Stratford-on-Slaney, Weavers |
If you were to take a photograph to capture the essence of Baltinglass you might think of a general view of the town from the Carlow Road, or one of the Abbey from across the river. But you’re as likely to think of the McAllister monument as your symbol of...
by Paul Gorry | Nov 10, 2017 | Baltinglass, Great War, Local History, Woodenbridge |
Those who died in the Great War (1914-1918) are commemorated each year on 11 November. Huge numbers of Irishmen enlisted to fight in the British Army, the Royal Navy or the forces of other countries in the British Empire. They joined and fought for a variety of...
by Paul Gorry | Oct 20, 2017 | Baltinglass, Halloween, Juggies, Traditions |
Time for my annual appeal for Baltinglass to embrace its heritage and bring back the juggies to the streets at Halloween. Banish the dreadful “trick-or-treat” expression and tell Baltinglass children to do what Baltinglass children did from at least the early...
by Paul Gorry | May 13, 2017 | Ancestral Lines, Baltinglass, Descent, Disney Family, Family History, Genealogy, Hacketstown, Jones Family, Methodists, Newtownsaunders, Walt Disney, Weavers' Square |
It’s well known that the family of Walt Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse and all that sparkles, came from north Co. Kilkenny. But Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow, had a very close connection with the Disney family. One of them lived in Baltinglass for many years. Mary...
by Paul Gorry | Mar 10, 2017 | 1798, Baltinglass, Brophy Family, Family History, Graveyards, Local History, Rathmoon |
What’s the oldest gravestone in St. Joseph’s graveyard in Baltinglass? I really don’t know. But I do know that it’s not the one with the earliest date on it. Am I confusing you? Well, there is a gravestone that includes ‘Michael Brophy who gave his life in...
by Paul Gorry | Dec 6, 2016 | 1916, Books, Easter Rising, Family History, Genealogy, Merrion Press, Rootsireland.ie, Seven Signatories |
I’m feeling quite happy today because my new book Seven Signatories: Tracing the Family Histories of the Men Who Signed the Proclamation is hot off the press. It concerns the ancestry of the leaders of the Easter Rising in Ireland in 1916. Originally it was an...