John Skehan
Throughout much of Co Clare and beyond, up until the 1960’s, young men would gather casually and informally at specific meeting places.
Generation after generation of young men were drawn to the same spots as their fathers were. The attraction was always some feature of the landscape; a cross roads, high ground, a bridge or a wide gateway, that made these sites the natural place to gather.
To many people who visit these long abandoned places today there is a sense that a memory, a feeling or an energy still lingers there. And the visitor may still see and feel the reason why these were the chosen spots although in many cases the surrounding features may be greatly changed.
What did they do?
The men met mainly for the chat; it was an important social outlet. They exchanged news, they told stories, many tall tales and lies.
Was that all?
Sometimes there would be a particular activity such as pitch and toss associated with a gathering spot or music and dance with a dancing platform. These places might also be rendezvous points for other activities.
High Jinks
Occasionally mischief or bad behaviour in the form of practical jokes might occur. The behaviour of the group depended on the influence of the older men present. Some locations were notorious for their mischievous antics; a few are remembered in verse.
Kindley John came riding on His face so fat and funny But Michael Hart came quick and smart And hoped to win the money
The verse recalls a trick played by the Maghera group on John Kindley who was a love rival of Michael Hart (the girls name was Cash)
Who went there?
Men from mid-teens until they married or became seriously attached. The confirmed bachelor might continue until he grew out of touch with the younger men. It was these older men who generally set the behaviour of the group.
When and why did the practice fade out?
Due to the popularity of radio – match broadcasts – and better transport; bicycle and car, the practice began to fade out in the 1950’s. Some notable sites were still active in the late 60’s.
Why don’t we know more about these places?
Perhaps the practice was too widespread and common to be remarkable and so little or nothing has been recorded: In the www.duchas.ie National School Manuscripts Collection from the nine schools in the relevant catchment areas I could find only one indirect reference to a meeting place namely The Glen Cross, Gortcallyroe. Mary Hayes attending the Glen school told a story of a “strong man” demonstrating his feats of strength to the men gathered at the Glen Cross.
Some of the meeting sites I know
Location of traditional gathering places around Clooney/Mid Clare area. Data from the basemap gallery accessed on the Heritage Maps Viewer at www.heritagemaps.ie 20-6-2023
Dinan’s Cross ( Maghera Cross) R444 821
Location: Cross roads under the shade of large beech trees, now gone except one.
Frequency: Most summer evenings and Sundays.
Activities: Conversation, tall tales, pitch and toss, hurling in nearby field. Travelling cinema occasionally (McFadden family)
The travelling cinema made a number of visits to Maghera cross. The film show and other amusements run by The McFadden Family from Limerick would last a week. They used also set up in a field near Henchy’s Pub in Clooney.
Behaviour: Reputation was good but one serious prank well remember in verse (Verse above about Kindley John)
Family names attending: Dinan, O’Halloran, Vaughan, Hehir, Naughton, Clune, Whelan, Quigney, Corbett, Markham ( up to 20) .
Drumbannif Bridge R 403 848
Location: Drumbannif Bridge with low parapet walls, beside wide junction.
Frequency: Many summer evenings and Sundays.
Special event for St.John’s Eve, 23 June; bonfire, music and dancing, still goes on to present day.
Activities: Conversation, storytelling. Gathering point for hunting during winter months. Occasionally music and set dancing.
Family names attending: McNamara, O’Brien, O’Gorman, Littleton, Meehan, O’Connor, McMahon, Clancy.
Spancilhill Cross R394 802
Location: Busy cross roads beside old Model Farm with tall archway of elm trees , hosting big rookery of crows.
Frequency: Summer evenings and Sundays.
Activities: Casual meeting point and gathering place for foot beagling.
Well up for trickery; would entice crows to drop on passing cyclist.
Families attending: Kelly, O’Doherty, McMahon x3, O’Grady, Forde.
Sunnach Cross/Black’s Bridge R407 858
Location: Riverside junction under shade of large beech tree.
Origin: Sunnach ,as its name implies was a milking place.
Activities: Conversation ,storytelling (lots of lies and tall tales), pitch and toss.
Families Attending: Loughrey, Guerin, Tierney, O’Brien, Rouine , Daffy, O’Grady, Littleton, Corbett.
Aill Cross R521 843 Ayle
Location: High ground at 5 road junction.
Frequency: Summer evenings and Sundays
Activities: Conversation, storytelling. Music and dancing; had an “infamous” dancing platform. The dancing platform at Ayle Cross was a source of great concern for the local parish priest. Somehow or other it was destroyed.
Families attending: Henchy, McNamara, O’Halloran, Griffin, McInerney, O’Malley, O’Shea, Murphy.
Foley’s Cross R521 866 Glendree Upper
Location: High Ground at cross roads with views over Uggoon valley, Slieve Bearna and on to Keeper Hill.
Frequency: Summer evenings and Sundays
Activities: Conversation , storytelling, musicians returning home might gather there.
Families attending: McGrath, Foley, Meaney, McNamara, Moloney, Rodgers, Duggan.
Butlers Gate R518 849 Glendree Lower.
Location: Wide gateway with walls at sitting height.
Activities : Conversation , storytelling , music and dancing and had its own dancing platform. The music and dancing is recorded in verse.
We’d gather there each evening, And on Sundays it was great, We’d dance away the whole day through, On the stage inside the gate.
Families attending : Butler, Quigney, Nash, McNamara, O’Hara, McGrath, O’Malley, Moloney.
Location of traditional gathering places around Bridgetown, Co. Clare. Data from the basemap gallery accessed on the Heritage Maps Viewer at www.heritagemaps.ie 20-6-2023
The Black Gates R 627 708 Ballymoloney.
Location: 2 wide gateways opposite each other.
Origin: This was a depot for preparing lengths of oak wood harvested in Ballymoloney Wood at the end of 19th and beginning of 20th centuries to be carted to Limerick docks.
Activities: Conversation and storytelling and with a particular interest in hunting and shooting.
Families attending: Costelloe,O’Connell, Vaughan, O’Neill, Whelan, Ryan , Gunning.
Mullins’s Hill R 639 686 Fahey Beg
Location: 8 foot high roadside bank, where road cut through hill giving clear views in both directions and views N/E to lackareagh mountain and S/W to Cappakea hill.
Activities: Conversation and storytelling. It had a reputation of very good behaviour.
There was an incident with the Black And Tans.
As the Black and Tan lorry approached, the men on Mullins’s hill had to quickly begin weeding the drills of turnips in the field where they were; assembly rules forbade such gatherings.
Families attending: Skehan, Lynch, Bolton, Barry, McKeogh, Woulfe, Ryan, Oconnell, Tuohy.
Barton’s Height R 649 694 Kilroughil.
Location :Hilltop between 2 side roads overlooking long sloping valley to S/E to Shannon River.
Activities: Conversation, storytelling, sharing news.
Families attending: Moloney, Skeahan, Skehan, McCormack, Reddan, Carroll, Nihill, Moroney, Kennedy, Watters, Lyons.
Glen Cross: R 650 726 Gortcallyroe.
Location: Crossroads,in the shade of an unusually large Elder tree, at the foot of the very steep “Gap Road”, the original road linking Broadford ,Kilbane , Killaloe.
Activities: Conversation, storytelling, music and dancing, hunting rabbits with “dog and wattle”
Families: Hayes,Cosgrave, Slattery, Garvey, Crowe, Tuohy, Ryan-Hannon, Ryan-Bowen, Smyth, Gleesons.
Barnaderreen Cross R666 703 Ballycorney
Location: Wide sheltered T-junction, nearsite of hedge school.
Activities: Conversation, storytelling, hunting hares and rabbits,pitch and toss.
Families attending: Vaughan, Slattery, O’Halloran, Ward, McKeogh, Kelly, Ryan-Darby, Ryan-Sheain.
Ross(Ardnacarton Cross) R 663 693 Ross
Location: Sharp road bend and junction.
Activities: Conversation,storytelling and news sharing, hunting hares and rabbits.
Families attending: Vaughan, Slattery, Moynihan, Ryan-Darby, Ward, Kelly, McKeogh.
Acknowledgements
Photo of group at Drumbanniff bridge is from McNamara family archive, by permission of Christy McNamara.
The verse from Maghera Cross was given by Gerry Dinan.
The verse about dancing at Butler’s Gate is taken from Tim Moloney’s book The Claret and Gold, permission of Tim Moloney.
Presentation piece.
My father, who died in 2014 aged 99 often told me about the many meeting sites for young men that were in his area and about what went on there.
The practice seemed to be totally forgotten. I have mapped two clusters of these sites, one in the Clooney/Mid Clare area and one around Bridgetown.
For six out of the total of thirteen sites I have spoken to men who were present there, for the other seven I have spoken to the sons of men who were present. I have photographed all of the sites as they are and attempted to show what their appeal was.
There was something about these places that attracted the young men to gather there generation after generation; something in the landscape, some pull. The practice has long died out but even today one can sense something at these abandoned places, as if the memories still linger there; as if these places remember.
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