Killashee Parish Longford History & Heritage

24/06/2025

Important that all attend this event this evening to sign your opposition to this desecration of the local landscape and biodiversity.

10/02/2025

Following on from the last post about the Greally family home at Cloonkeel, thank you to Richella Duggan for sharing this photo of Danny Greally in the centre with his first cousins Dan (left) and John (right) Duggan of Clonbearla. Both surnames are sadly now gone from the townlands where these families lived for generations.
Lovely to see these faces from times past. John Duggan was a renowned song writer, storyteller and broadcaster.
If anyone has photos of Killashee parish and it's residents from the past that they would like to share please forward them along with a description and they can be posted on this page.

30/12/2024

Seeing the online images of the former Greally house and farm currently for sale in Cloonkeel townland in Killashee parish brings to mind fond memories of "the man with the crooked cap", the great Danny Greally, who was known to those of us of a certain vintage. Danny, a bachelor, was the last of the Greally family to reside on the farm in a lovely old two storey farmhouse at the end of a narrow boreen which wandered through meadow and bogland into Cloonkeel townland. Danny was one of the many great local characters of the parish -most are now gone to their eternal reward. He died in May 1986 and is buried in Ballinakill graveyard.

The Greally surname was not listed in Cloonkeel townland in 1854. The plot where the Greally homestead stands was in the name of a John Wilson who was the immediate landlord in the townland. (This may be the John Wilson who died in 1871 in Ballinakill aged 78) In 1901 the census return showed that the family consisted of Patrick and Elizabeth Greally (nee Stewart) who were both born in Co. Longford along with their children Elizabeth, John, MIchael, Annie and Patrick, all born in England and their youngest son James born in Longford. The 1911 census ten years later listed Patrick and his wife (then recorded as Ellen) along with children Annie, Patrick and James who on this occasion was listed as born in England. Nine children had been born to the couple with six living in 1911. A number of years later their sons Michael and James had emigrated to the US, joined the American army and were killed in action in France. A stained glass window in St. Patrick's church in Killashee is dedicated to their memory. Of the remaining children, their daughter Elizabeth (married surname Fallon) died in Manhattan in 1919 aged 32 years. Their daughter Annie married Edward Gavigan in Killashee in 1919. John, their oldest son, emigrated to New York in 1910 and died there in 1954. Patrick, the father of Danny, married Kate Duggan of Clonberla in 1920.
Today just the family headstone records the surname in the parish and the Greally surname along with other former surnames of Killashee are now a distant memory.
The images of the Greally home and farm below are from www.daft.ie

17/12/2024

03/11/2024

After a very successful quiz night last Friday, we're proud to deliver more good news today.

The main gates have been collected after substantial restoration works and are looking fantastic.

Next step will be to clean them down, prime and paint.

25/10/2024

Liking the work taking place so far in both the old and new Cemeteries?

Then come along to our quiz night in the Chestnut Tree Killashee on October 25th at 8:30 to take part in our fundraiser.

All money from the night will go directly to the maintenance and upkeep of the old & new Cemeteries.

Spread the word!

Longford County Council Killashee Parish Longford History & Heritage St. Brigid's, Killashee GAA Shannonside FM Longford Leader / Longford Live

03/10/2024

Posting a message here received on Facebook.
Any relatives still in the area?
St. Brigid's, Killashee GAA Killashee R.C. Cemetery Committee

30/08/2024

Hi all,

Our next grass cutting session will take place on Thursday 5th @ 6pm.

Anyone with plots and/or with family members laid to rest in either the old or new cemetery are encouraged to attend for the hour with a lawnmower/strimmer, as it greatly reduces the time on everyone with large numbers.

Thanks.

25/02/2024

The national newspaper notices in June 1922 relating to the marriage of Alice Cooney and Major General Sean McEoin. The address of Alice was recorded as Gurteen, Killashee. (Gurteenboy, Ballymacormack civil parish). The last of the Cooney family to live at Gurteenboy was retired Major Edward J. Cooney who died in 1973. His wife Winifred Cooney (nee McDermott) died in 1991 and will be remembered by many current residents of Killashee.

18/01/2024

Anyone born or reared in Killashee will be familiar with McGiff's crossroads in the townland of Brickeens on the road between Ballinamore and Moydow. This account by The Longford Eye of an incident at the crossroads in 1810 makes for fascinating reading.

THE INCIDENT AT MC GIFFS CROSSROADS
A Longford Highway Crime

From the early 18th century, following the 'Turnpike' legislation on tolls for usage of some roads, the transportation system throughout Ireland took off.

It was the time of the canals (Royal and Grand) an expanding rail network and improvements to the roads.
Passenger coaches became common, and many companies competed for custom, including the famous 'Bianconi' and 'Three Gloves' companies.

To provide rest and refreshment for horses and people, a string of coach stops sprung up. One such coach house was at a crossroads on the Longford to Keenagh road, known as McGiff's crossroads.

This spot in the townland of Moydow is six km from Longford town on the turn-off to Newtowncashel. It still has a house on it.
Several coaches a week used to stop there, eventually numbering 10 per week. Overnight stays were offered if the traveller required for an extra fee.

On one such occasion in 1810 a robbery/kidnapping attempt was made on a passenger resting near the house.
The intended victim was the wife of a wealthy wool merchant, Mrs Hilda Strafford.
She was accompanied by her maid, a Dublin girl named Ann Latimer.

As they took refreshments outside McGiffs in late afternoon, two robbers rode up with a spare horse in tow. The two women were alone, and one of the robbers had a firearm and tried to force Mrs Stafford to mount the spare horse. In the commotion, several other people emerged from the coach house. After the robbers settled on snatching some jewellery from the person of Mrs Stafford made off but not before firing a shot in the air to dissuade her rescuers.

The two were later arrested hiding out in a house near Ballymahon and identified as being in the employment of a rival wool merchant to Mr. Strafford from Dublin.

The McGiff family home is long gone, as are the family. They eventually immigrated to the eastern U.S. and settled there.
However, their name is still used when referring to that crossroads. So, the next time you drive past in your 21st century horseless carriage, reflect on those times and that day in 1810 when the above incident contributed to the endurance of a family name for over two hundred years. It is still known as 'McGiff's crossroads' to this day.

Photo: This type of passenger transport coaches become popular in Ireland, but were sometimes the target of bandits.