Clare Past Forum

The piece by Frank Clune in The Strangers Gaze is taken from his book Land of Hope and Glory, published 1949. It is an account of his trip in April-May-June of 1947 to England, Scotland and Ireland. I failed to get it through my local library, so I got it from Kenny’s i.e. bookshop in Galway for 5 euro (post free). It’s second-hand, stamped with the name W. P. Linehan, 244 Elizabeth St., Melbourne.

Clune’s style is upbeat; always optimistic; mostly lighthearted; I can see why he was a popular writer in his day. One hundred pages (pp 76-174) - one third of the book - are devoted to Ireland, but quite a bit of that goes on his trips to Dublin and Galway. When it comes to Co. Clare, he does not trouble himself very much with genealogy ( he is more interested in history and antiquity), but he does say that Archbishop Patrick Clune was his father’s cousin. He says that two of his father’s cousins, both priests had emigrated to Australia:
"They both rose to ecclesiastical eminence, one being the late Archbishop Joseph Patrick Clune of Perth, Western Australia. His brother, the Reverend Francis Clune, M.C., is a much-loved member of the Passionist Order at Marrickville, New South Wales. My Dad, George Clune, was not of ecclesiastical bent - and no more am I. He came to Australia [in 1891] to seek fortune on the gold diggings, but he never struck it lucky, except when he married my mother, an Australian-born lass of Irish parentage. My three brothers and I, as infants, saw very little of our gold-digger Dad … he died when we were young, without bequeathing to us anything except his adventurous spirit. From him I learned very little about our Irish relatives, or his family background. But from my Dad’s cousin, the Reverend Francis Clune, of Marrickville, I had letters of introduction to the folks in Ould Ireland, and I had written to let them know the date when I expected to arrive in Rineanna [Shannon Airport].

He arrived at Shannon airport on 13 May, hence many references during his visit to the hawthorn blooming in every hedgerow.

When I pick up any book, I go straight to the pictures, and there is a lovely photo of the four Hogan girls, Kitty, Maureen, Lena and Angela, with their mother, Bridget (nee Clune), on page 48. They sitting in a pony-and-trap [jaunting car] outside their house in Tullyodea. But, unfortunately, there are no other photos of relatives, or any of Ruan. Clune mentions meeting the postmistress, Miss Margaret O’Donnell “full of life and charm”. She remembered his father. She goes on, “I learned all about Australia when I was at school nearly seventy years ago … ‘The flora and fauna of Australia present a striking contrast to those of other countries… The swans are black, the eagles white, the owl hoots by day, and the cuckoo cries by night… The trees shed their bark, instead of their leaves, and the leaves are vertical not horizontal!’”
Then Clune meets Casey “the Kid”, in his eighties at the time, who greets him heartily and tells him that his father was a bit of a wild fella. Miss O’Donnell brings them a stiff nip of whiskey, as they sit on stools by the fire. "Would you like to go to visit Bidelia Clune? says Casey the Kid, suddenly.” On the way, Casey described a sermon given by Archbishop Clune in Ruan in 1920. He said the Archbishop spoke about the troubles in Ireland [war] until everyone was weeping, and then the Archbishop wept. Clune and Casey have tea with Bidelia Clune, a white-haired old lady, aged 79. She had married into one of the numerous Clune clan, Frank Clune says, but he makes no attempt at deciding which family of Clunes.
Later that day he meets the schoolmaster, John Leydon and they discuss the revival of the Irish language. And he visits the church and sees the plaque mentioned in my posting above. Later he visits Dysart O’Dea and recounts some of the history of the place.

One of his trips was to Quin village where all the inhabitants are Clunes, but he just says “hail and farewell” and passes on.

After three days in Tullyodea, he flies to Dublin [Collinstown Airport], and uses the view of Ardnacrusha power station below to digress for a couple of pages on progress in Ireland. In Dublin he has an interview with the Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera, organised by Mr. W. Dignam, Australia’s High Commissioner in Eire, but before that, he has one day to see the city. It is the anniversary of the death of Daniel O’Connell (15 May, 1847), and that gives him an opportunity to digress a little on The Great Liberator. He describes the statue in O’Connell Street, comparing it unfavourably with the statue of Paddy Hannon in Kalgoorlie (which is so life-like), and also the statue of William Smith O’Brien, nearby on O’Connell Bridge, which of course provides an opportunity to mention the Young Irelanders. The General Post Office (G.P.O) in O’Connell Street likewise leads into an account of the Easter Rising of 1916, and he contrasts that blood sacrifice with the belief held by O’Connell that “No political reform is worth shedding one drop of blood.” He attends the O’Connell Centenary Celebrations at the Mansion House in Dawson Street, where Archbishop McQuaid presided, and describes how bored the audience were, and how they hugged their overcoats.

Next day, he strolls around the main streets noting historical buildings, visiting Trinity College and Dublin Castle and the Guildhall, whereupon mentions his “kinsman, Conor Clune”: “[Along with] McKee and Clancy, he was murdered in cold blood, hot blood, under the pretext that they were attempting to escape.”

The interview with De Valera in the afternoon goes well. They speak about O’Connell, about the partition of Ireland and about the Irish Language. Then Clune cautiously introduces the neutrality of Ireland during the recent war, saying, “You know that many people think that you, and the members of your government are ‘anti-British’”, whereupon “De Valera grinned” - a rare event, I imagine - and explained that bygones would be bygones if independence was recognised for all of Ireland, and then goes on to enlarge on the subject of neutrality. Asked why the Irish were so anxious to have full independence, instead of being satisfied with “Dominion Status” within the British Empire, De Valera says, “The freedom which the British Dominions enjoy is not so much the result of legal enactments, as of the immense distances which separate them from Britain”.

That evening the seemingly tireless Clune goes to a play, The Dark Road , by Elizabeth Connor, in the Abbey Theatre, “an ugly-looking building, and no wonder, for it used to be a morgue” (before the curtain is raised, a trio plays Schubert’s Rosamunde Overture). The play doesn’t impress, but he writes a whole chapter on the history of the theatre and the playwrights.

Next day Frank Clune, who has already packed in a lot in his six days in Eire, flies back to Shannon. His cousin, Sr. Coleman Clune, takes him to Coláiste Mhuire, a convent secondary school in Ennis, where, without any warning, he is put before an audience of 200 girls; finds himself at a loss as to how to speak to them; then sees a piano and plays a couple of Australian songs ending with Waltzing Matilda, and inviting them all to join in the chorus.

Along with the Hogan girls, he goes to visit Auchrim, ‘the old home and birthplace of Archbishop Doctor Clune, five miles from Tullyodea. It is only a little, old, sod-walled, whitewashed, thatched cottage, tucked away among the trees, and now unoccupied and falling into ruin.”

A drive to Galway in a hired car with the Hogans, and a detour to Lisdoonvarna and the Cliffs of Moher on the way back (“Yes, here is the bulwark of Europe, the frontier, the Ultima Thule, and it’s from here that the Old World looks out to the New World’), a last night in the Old Ground Hotel and then Clune flies back to London and resumes his tour of England and Scotland. On the plane, he realises that he’d neglected to go to Blarney castle to kiss the stone.

Again and again, Clune describes himself as knowing very little about Ireland prior to his visit, so I think he must have done quite a bit of reading afterwards.

Sheila

JACK CLUNE, NEPHEW OF BISHOP OF PERTH.

Jack Clune, the Sydney lightweight, who is to meet Frank Carrol at the Melbourne Stadium on Saturday night, is a nephew of Dr. P.J. Clune, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth. Father Francis Clune of Sydney, also is an uncle of the boxer.

The Sydney lad has not seen Bishop Clune since he began boxing, and personally does not know whether or not his distinguished uncle approves of his nephew boxing in public.

“I do not think he objects,” said Clune, referring to the subject, “because he has been told I will become the Australian champion of my division. I hope he has not been misled.”

The Border Morning Mail and Riverina Times, Albury, NSW, Saturday, 3 July 1915

Hi Sheila, thank you for sharing your research on Frank Clune, son of George Clune of Tully Odea. Jack Clune, the boxer, was a younger brother of Frank Clune and also reported to be the “nephew” of Bishop Patrick Joseph Clune of Perth. The reported family relationships of Bishop Clune as “cousin” or “nephew” were numerous and often confusing.

Your purchase of Land of Hope and Glory by Frank Clune for only 5 euro was a very good deal. My local library had about 25 books by Frank Clune, including Try Anything Once, his first and most autobiographical work published in 1933. The library’s copy was published in 1963 and was signed by Frank Clune.

The first seven chapters of Try Anything Once, about 1/3 the book, describe Frank Clune’s running away from home in July 1910, his time abroad, and return to his mother in Sydney in August 1913. The following year, Frank and his friend Ernie contracted to be “trimmers” on the German-American liner Cannstatt bound for Hamburg. There are few dates in Try Anything Once, but it is possible to trace his movements from newspaper accounts of shipping departures/arrivals:

CANNSTATT left Syd, Mar. 6; leaves Melb. 11, Adel. 14, for Antwerp and Hamburg
Daily Commercial News and Shipping, 10 March 1914

In Melbourne, the Cannstatt was loaded up with fruit bound for Europe. They snuck two crates of apples into their bunks, “but soon found that green apples and hard work don’t go hand in hand”. Frank and Ernie wanted to desert the ship in Adelaide but after the captain refused to advance any salary, they decided to continue on to Western Australia. The Cannstatt arrived in Fremantle on 21 March 1914. They successfully deserted the ship in Fremantle by jumping ship and swimming to shore. They had deserted without receiving any money from the captain, and headed to Perth looking for work.

In the morning we had a swim in the Swan River and later were strolling through the city, broke but cheerful, when we found ourselves looking at a magnificent house standing well back in its own grounds. Ernie asked a passerby whose home it was and he informed us.

“That’s Bishop Clune’s. He’s the Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth.”

Ernie said: “Struth! That’s your uncle, Joey! Go in and nip him for a few bob.”

“He’s not really my uncle,” I explained. “He’s my father’s cousin, although we always talk of him as uncle. Anyhow, I can’t go in, Ernie. I’ve only met him once.”

“What the hell does that matter?” said Ernie. “What’s the use of having a bishop as an uncle if you can’t get a feed from him.”

There was unquestionably a lot in what Ernie said, so after a couple of half-hearted protests I set off up the steps to the palace.

I rang the bell and a young priest opened the door. I told him who I was and said I wanted to see my uncle. What he thought I don’t know; but, with the graciousness of his kind, he ushered me into a small waiting-room, in which there was a piano, and left me, promising to find the bishop.

I seated myself at the piano and played “The Wearin’ of the Green” and other Irish airs, with the idea of creating a little of the right atmosphere.

I heard a gentle voice behind me say: “Well, well, Francis! And how are you my boy?”

Although I had not seen Bishop Clune since I was twelve, when he was a Redemptorist missionary at St. Peter’s Church, Sydney, I remembered well his kindly face and manly bearing. And it was said of him that he never forgot a face.

We got on famously. After listening with apparent interest to the story of my wonderings he made me stay for lunch. With the bishop there were twelve priests seated at the table. I never felt so respectable in all my young life.

I was too busy eating the good things to spare a thought for poor hungry Ernie waiting on the pavement outside.

After lunch the bishop took me to his private room for a private chat.

“Tell me, Francis, my boy, are you happy in the life you are leading?”

In answering the question Frank tells an odd story called the “Shah of Persia’s Tale” which the bishop apparently found funny. Upon leaving, the bishop gives Frank “ten sovereigns” and his blessing, upon which Frank makes the promise to never miss Mass on Sunday. He and Ernie travel about WA for a bit before returning to Perth. Frank had been corresponding with his mother regularly in Sydney and was told that she was very sick. So Frank wrote to the bishop to ask him to pay for his fare to return to his mother in Sydney:

The bishop—wonderful fellow!—sent me ten pounds. [In the meantime, he had heard that his mother was doing much better.] As I thought the family could get along much better without my worrying presence, I bought a brown suit and a green hat.

Shortly thereafter Frank and his mates get in a fight outside a saloon with some Italians and a Russian, and a brick is thrown at Frank’s head and blood pours over his new brown suit. The story from Frank’s perspective is told in three short paragraphs in Try Anything Once. The court proceedings in the Collie Mail of 1 August 1914 under the headline “Collie Stabbing Case” provided far greater detail. Antonio Armanasco was sentenced to three years over the incident.

Trove newspaper archive: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... ing%20Case

Frank Clune should have been a witness but was not at the trial. One of the witnesses was questioned if his brother had paid for “Clune’s exes to the Eastern States”. An “F Clune” arrived in Sydney on the Katoomba on 20 July 1914. It was never revealed at the trial that it was Frank’s “uncle” who paid the fare, as revealed in Try Anything Once:

Shamefacedly I made my way to the bishop’s palace, made a clean breast of everything and told him I would like to see my mother [and also avoid testifying at the trial?]. He handed me a fiver, wished me luck, and I caught the Katoomba from Fremantle to Sydney.

Sheila, I agree with your comments about Frank Clune’s writing style and I can see why Try Anything Once had numerous publishing runs. The Bulletin review of Try Anything Once was a bit harsh on the young man: "It supplies a pitilessly realistic picture of a human pest; one who is restless, inquisitive, in love with life, interested in everything, the bane of all in authority; a dry humorist, as senselessly malignant as a child, as quick-thinking as a good criminal defender, as combative and courageous as a bull-ant.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Try_Anything_Once_(book)

I felt very sorry for Frank Clune’s mother, the Victorian born Theresa Cullen. The missing advertisement which Mrs. Clune placed in 1910 with the comment “probably be found in some shearing shed” was quintessentially Australian:

Missing Friends.
Francis Clune, may assume the name of Albert Smith, 16 ½ years of age, 5 feet 3 or 4 inches high, stout build, fair hair and complexion, blue eyes, wears glasses; a native of Sydney; dressed in a grey tweed coat, serge vest, blue cloth military trousers, blue sweater and cap. Was in the employ of W.L. Warby, farmer, Brohenah, Yanko, Narrandera, but left there on the night of the 9th instant; will probably be found in some shearing shed in that district. Inquiry at the instance of his mother, Mrs. Clune, No. 30 Belvoir street, Surry Hills.

New South Wales Police Gazette, Sydney, NSW, Wednesday, 17 August 1910

Frank Clune had run away ten days prior, and a policeman had tracked him down to the Warby farm and become aware that he had been using the alias “Albert Smith”. However, his mother had provided no money to pay for his return to Sydney, and thus Frank was meant to continue working at the Warby farm to pay the fare. Instead the 16-year old left the Warby farm that same evening and continued on the run eventually ending up in Victoria. Thus, he was still missing in November 1910:

Re. Francis Clune or Albert Smith, missing friend, Mrs. Clune’s address is now care of Jack Clune, Public Works Department.

New South Wales Police Gazette, Sydney, NSW, Wednesday, 23 November 1910

According to Try Anything Once, Frank finally wrote to his mother from Melbourne over the Christmas holidays and informed her of his whereabouts.

Francis Clune or Albert Smith, missing friend, has been found in Victoria.

New South Wales Police Gazette, Sydney, NSW, Wednesday, 22 February 1911

But instead of returning to his mother in Sydney, Frank finagled a job as “trimmer” on the German-Australian (GA) liner Sonnenberg which left Geelong in May 1911 carrying wheat to Antwerp. His nickname on board was “Joey”, a baby kangaroo. Unqualified, he gets into loads of trouble, and attempts unsuccessfully to escape when the ship arrives in Albany in WA. Upon the ship’s arrival in Durham he was locked in a room to keep him from deserting. The Sonnenberg had a broken propeller shaft off the coast of West Africa and was towed into Dakar for repairs. According to Clune, they spent nearly two months in Dakar where he was allowed onshore as the captain knew there was little opportunity for him to escape in the French speaking colony. The Sonnenberg finally arrived in Antwerp sometime in August 1911.

In Try Anything Once, Clune stated that he “was lucky enough to sign on as an ordinary seaman on the cattle steamer, Tampico, which was carrying blood stock to New York, and so I began another strange adventure”. There was indeed a cattle steamer named Tampico that had left Antwerp on 27 August 1911 and landed, not in New York, but in Philadelphia on September 12th and then New Orleans a few days later. I suspect that Clune had forgotten the name of the ship he arrived in New York and when writing Try Anything Once in the early 1930’s had to research steamers on the cattle/horse trade between Belgium and the USA; his U.S. naturalization document (see further below) provided the correct ship.

Travelling across the Atlantic, Frank meets one of the horse traders by the name of “Wolfe” who promises him a job on his large farm near Streator, Illinois. Unfortunately, Sydney born Frank was afraid of horses which made feeding and grooming them a challenge. Wolfe abused him for being a “coward and an idiot”. Thomas Woulf, the son of Irish immigrants, instructed him: “Walk into the box like a man. Smack them on the rump and say, ‘Hello, young fellow’”. The next morning when Frank followed this advice he was kicked in the stomach and thrown across the barn. “I lay groaning in agony, Wolfe arrived, and finding nothing serious had happened, made me swallow some pain-killer. ‘Are all Australians as stupid as you?’ he asked, not unkindly, and left me in my misery”.

IMPORTED HORSES OFFERED FOR SALE
THOMAS AND JAMES WOULF TO HOLD FOURTH ANNUAL SALE.

On Thursday of next week Thomas and James Woulf who reside eight miles east of Streator on the Main street road, will hold their fourth annual sale of imported horses, and present indications point to a large attendance.

For years Messrs. Woulf have made a specialty of importing Percheron and Belgian horses, both stallions and mares, which they bring to Streator and sell to lovers of thorough bred horses.

For the sale next week Thomas Woulf succeeded in securing some of the finest stock ever brought to America, and is congratulating himself on having a surprise in store for patrons attending the sale.

The list of animals consists for young stock of the finest breeding and of good size. . . .

The Times, Streator, Illinois, 27 October 1911

The Woulf brothers of Streator would have been very busy preparing for the upcoming auction of their forty horses.

I had been thinking of making a move from the ranch, and now I was decided. Wolfe told me I was an ungrateful little swine to leave him a week before the sale, but I could see those horses getting fresher every day, and had a most uncomfortable vision of myself catching both hoofs in a vulnerable spot next time and being buried at dead of night, like Sir John Moore, with the “lantern dimly burning”.

His reference is to the poem “The Burial of Sir John Moore After Corunna” by the Irish poet, Charles Wolfe (1791-1823).

https://englishverse.com/poems/the_buri ... er_corunna

Frank Clune then took the train from Streator to Chicago. He sees a U.S. military advertisement to “learn aviation”; the U.S. military had obtained its first airplane in 1909 from the Wright brothers. He also spots a military recruiting poster, with photos of soldiers in Honolulu and Manila, promising “join the army and see the world”. Hook, line and sinker, Frank Clune, now just a few months short of eighteen, goes to speak to an army recruiting officer. Apparently back then an 18 year old could join the U.S. military but only with a parent’s signature, so he goes to a different recruiter in Chicago and stated that he was 21 years old (the minimum age without parental consent). Francis Clune is accepted into the U.S. military and as a foreigner must complete his “Letter of Intent” to become a U.S. citizen. There are few dates in Try Anything Once, but Clune does state “I set off for the Naturalization Bureau, and on 20 October 1911 I took the oath of naturalization”.

Letter of Intent for USA Naturalization:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... YZ?lang=en

Francis Clune was born in Sydney on 27 November 1893. His letter of intent states that he was born on 27 November 1889 so that he would be 21 years old upon enlistment in October 1911. He was now 5 feet 6 inches; he had grown 2 or 3 inches from when he went missing in 1910 or maybe his mother had misjudged his height.

The letter of intent also stated that he had arrived in New York on or about 4 October 1911 on the ship SS Michigan from Antwerp. Indeed, there is a passenger listing for the SS Michigan arriving in New York on 4 October 1911. One of three “horsemen” returning to Illinois, Thomas Woulf was reported as single, age 48, from Streator, Illinois. On a second page were “three returning cattlemen” and nine Germans/Flemish with the occupations of “horse attendant” and “horse foreman”; these men were likely responsible for looking after the horses and cattle. Frank Clune was a sailor and thus not included on the passenger listing. Thomas Woulf helped him “break ship” when unloading the horses by hiding in bales of fodder.

Passenger listing of SS Michigan arriving in NY on 4 October 1911:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... WL?lang=en

From Chicago, Clune was sent by train to St. Louis and then to Jefferson Barracks in Missouri where he went underwent a more thorough medical examination. His actual military enlistment was on 28 October 1911 at Jefferson Barracks:

Register of Enlistment in U.S. Army, Jefferson Barracks, Missouri; Francis Clune on row 2872:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... NL?lang=en

After about six weeks at Jefferson Barracks, Private Clune was told that he was to join the 15th Cavalry at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He went to the sergeant to complain that he hated horses and they hated him, and did he really have to go to Fort Leavenworth? “You do what you’re told, and go where you are sent in the army”, was the reply. The local newspaper noted his arrival in Leavenworth:

TWENTY RECRUITS ARE ASSIGNED TO THEIR COMPANIES

The twenty recruits who arrived Monday night [18 December 1911] were assigned as follows: To Troop E Fifteenth Cavalry—. . . Francis Clune . . .

The Leavenworth Times, Leavenworth, Kansas, Wednesday, 20 December 1911

Private Clune gets into loads of trouble and plenty of adventures at Fort Leavenworth, although he does eventually learn to ride a horse. He enlisted for a period of three years, but decided he had enough of the U.S. army in 1912. He provided no date in Try Anything Once, but the remarks on the enlistment register stated that he deserted on 29 August 1912, so he lasted ten months in the U.S. army.

He first goes to Minneapolis, and then eventually crosses over to Canada. He is not accustomed to snow and the cold weather. Plenty more adventures as he works several different jobs making his way west. He tried to join the Canadian Mounted Police in Calgary but was too short. Eventually ends up in Vancouver, and gets signed on as a sailor on a ship carrying lumber from British Columbia to Australia. An “F Clune”, age 19, departed Chemainus, Victoria Island, on the Dunsyre, arriving in Sydney on 9 August 1913. “Just three years and one month since I had run away to take the job on Billy Warby’s farm”.

I found it interesting that Frank Clune could travel around the world as a sailor with only being recorded on one passenger listing when he returned to Australia. In his later travel books, Clune will often provide the history of the places he was visiting, as Sheila mentioned in Land of Hope and Glory, but in his first and most popular book, Try Anything Once, he makes no attempt at history. I also found interesting the economics of the foreign trade of his various voyages. The first ship was taking wheat from Australia to Belgium, then horses from Belgium to the United States, and lumber from Canada to Australia, and his later journey which he deserted, fruit from Australia to Europe.

Having deserted from the U.S. Army, none of Frank Clune’s later travel and history books are about the United States, and I don’t believe he would ever return there.

Sheila, my local library did not have a copy of Clune’s book Land of Hope and Glory, thank you for providing information on his visit to Ruan church:

Frank goes to the village of Ruan and to the church there, where he sees a plaque inserted in the altar inscribed, “Erected by the most Reverend Patrick Clune, D.D.,Archbishop of Perth, Western Australia, and the Reverend Francis Clune, C. P., of Marrickville, New South Wales, in memory of their father and mother of Auchrim, Ruan, and their deceased brothers and sisters. R.I.P. Pray for the donors, A.D., 1914.”

Various Irish newspapers from 1914 reported on the donation of the altar with various versions of what was inscribed. Thankfully, there is a photo of the altar plaque in the history “St. Mary’s Church, Ruan, 1911–2011” by Linda Hogan and Frances O'Halloran at the Clare Library:
https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... h_ruan.htm

Frank Clune had left out that “James and Margaret Clune”, the parents of the two priests, were specifically named in what was transcribed on the altar. Bishop Clune of Perth and Rev. Francis Clune of Marrickville were the sons of James Clune and Margaret Lynch of Aughrim Tuohy. James Clune was the brother of Michael Clune of Tully O’Dea, the grandfather of Frank Clune of Sydney.

Sheila, I’m not sure if you noticed but in your transcriptions of the Ruan parish baptism register of 1845-1881, there is a Pat Clune baptized on 9 Janaury 1864 and another Patt Clune baptized on 22 January 1869. Typically, this would indicate that James and Margaret Clune’s son born in 1864 died young. But this was not the case, Bishop Patrick Joseph Clune was their son born in 1864. The priest made a mistake in the Ruan baptism register as “Patt” should have been “Batt” as in Bartholomew. Your transcription is accurate; this was a mistake by the priest. The civil birth record correctly states that it was “Bartholomew Clune” who was born on 1869.

Ruan baptism register, “Patt Clune” baptism on 22 January 1869 (page 62, left):
https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls ... 8/mode/1up

Civil birth record for “Bartholomew Clune” born on “17 March 1869”, registered at Corofin on “14 June 1869”. His birth date was reported months after his baptism to avoid a late filing penalty (and to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day).
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/view/?rec ... 7a-6432759

Despite numerous newspaper articles and several on-line biographies on the Rev. Francis Clune, it was challenging to definitively prove that Bartholomew Clune became the Rev. Francis Clune of the Anglo-Hibernian province of the Passionist order based in Australia. Similar to the Franciscans, the priests of Passionist order adopt a name in religion and appear to have different degrees of ordination. I based my initial theory upon his birth in 1869 and a process of elimination. A later search revealed that when the Rev. Francis Clune applied to the Australian military during WWI as a chaplain, he reported his birth date as 17 March 1869. The same date as the civil birth record of Bartholomew.

Ceremony at Mary’s Mount

An interesting ceremony took place at the Passionist Monastery, Mary’s Mount [Goulburn, NSW], on Sunday morning. The Coadjutor-Bishop, Dr. Gallagher, conferred Minor Orders on seven young men aspiring to the order of priesthood. Six of them are students with the Passionists, and one is a professor at St. Patrick’s College. Their names in religion are Brother Charles (Murdock), Brother Francis (Clune), Brother Michael (Durkin), Brother Benedict (Abel), Brother Ignatius (La Mesurier), Brother Bernard (Robertson), Mr. Sharkey, of the College. A number of friends were present at the ceremony. . . .

Goulburn Evening Penny Post, Goulburn, NSW, Saturday, 9 October 1897 (trove database)

And then one year later, also in Goulburn (this news article a later discovery)

ORDAINING A PRIEST.
IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY AT MARY’S MOUNT.
TAKING HOLY ORDERS.

One of the most important impressive ceremonies that has yet taken place at the Presentation Retreat at Mary’s Mount, Goulburn, was performed yesterday by the Right Rev. Dr. Gallagher, Coadjutor Bishop of Goulburn, when no fewer than ten novitiates were raised to holy orders. The ordination ceremonies were performed in the beautiful chapel attached to the monastery, and were witnessed by a distinguished gathering, consisting principally of the friends and relatives of the gentlemen who made their vows and joined the church. . . .

The following gentlemen were also ordained as Deacons of the Passionist Order:—Mr. Bartholomew F. Clune, brother of the Rev. Father [Patrick Joseph] Clune, for many years one of the priests of the Goulburn Cathedral parish. Mr. Clune will be known in religion as the Rev. Father Francis, and will be finally ordained to the priesthood on the 21st inst., Mr. Victor Abel, . . .

Wagga Wagga Express, NSW, 15 December 1898

Very impressive that the Rev. Francis Clune was awarded the Military Cross on 1 January 1918 for his role as a chaplain on the Western Front in WWI. He was also awarded The Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 13 June 1959, “In Recognition of Service in the Roman Catholic Church in New South Wales”. His namesake and “nephew”, Francis Patrick Clune, was also awarded an OBE on 1 January 1967, “In Recognition of Service in Literature” (both per Australia Government Honour Records, 1900-2023 on ancestry website).

Sheila, when Frank Clune visited County Clare in 1947, you mentioned that he was taken by “The Kid” Casey to “have tea with Bidelia Clune, a white-haired old lady, aged 79. She had married into one of the numerous Clune clan, Frank Clune says, but he makes no attempt at deciding which family of Clunes”. Surely, this was Bedilia Clune (1867-1948), the daughter of James Clune (≈1814 – 1884) and Bridget Hehir (≈1837 – after 1901) of Aughrim Kelly, who never married (see 1.1.5 on family tree in my last posting). Bedilia Clune (1867-1948) was the sister of the Rev. James Clune (1861-1945) of Whitegate and then later Borrisokane parish. But still not clear how Bedilia and the Rev. James Clune could have been related to the Clunes of Aughrim Tuohy and Tully O’Dea.

Bishop Patrick Joseph Clune of Perth (1864-1935) was the son of James Clune and Margaret Lynch of Aughrim Tuohy (as reflected in baptism records and the altar at Ruan church). When Bishop Clune visited Ireland during the summer of 1913, the Clare Champion of 9 August stated that Bishop Clune was the “cousin of Rev. J. Clune, P.P., Clonrush” (where Whitegate was located). Given that we know both their parents, and their fathers were both named “James”, they were clearly not first cousins. And both their paternal grandfathers were also named “James”, one of Aughrim Kelly and the other of Aughrim Tuohy, so they were not paternal second cousins. However, since we don’t know the wife of James Clune (≈1780-1857) of Aughrim Kelly, they still might have been second cousins. James Clune (≈1780-1857) of Aughrim Kelly might have married the sister of James Clune of Aughrim Tuohy, or perhaps the two James Clunes married two sisters. When the civil death records from 1864 to 1870 become available, they might provide a few more clues.

Sheila, did Frank Clune in Land of Hope and Glory provide any further clues as to the identity of Casey “The Kid” who apparently was “in his eighties” in 1947? Frank Clune’s paternal grandparents were Michael Clune and Anne Casey, so “The Kid” was likely a relative of some sort. I thought he might be the Michael Casey of Ruan Commons who was age 38 in 1901 and age 52 in 1911. However, this Michael Casey died on 11 January 1935, twelve years prior to Frank Clune’s visit to County Clare. Not sure the comment by Frank Clune that “The Kid” was “in his eighties” would be terribly reliable.

Also, in brackets you have that George Clune, Frank’s father, had arrived in Australia in 1891. What was the source for this information? George Clune would have turned 30 years old in November 1891.

In 1947 when Frank Clune of Sydney visited County Clare, he met his Hogan cousins including Bridget (she was not included in the photo of four of the seven Hogan daughters sitting on a jaunting trap mentioned by Sheila as being in Land of Hope and Glory).

CLUNE’S COLUMN

My motto is still “Try Anything Once,” but, until recently, I’d never tried “giving away” a blushing, blooming bride. It was a new experience.

Two years ago, when I was touring the U.K. and Eire, I met my cousin, Bridget Hogan, the daughter of my Dad’s niece, a real colleen, brogue and all, from County Clare. She was a nursing sister at the Royal Salford Hospital, in Manchester, and was there during the war when Manchester was bombed by the Jerries. I advised her to emigrate to Australia, adding, as a bit of blarney, “You’ll be sure to find a husband there.”

In due course she arrived in Sydney, and joined the staff of the Concord Hospital. My prediction proved correct, and now she’s wedded to Kevin Plummer, of Five Dock. As a paterfamilias in loco parentis, I had to give her away—a mere formality. The prayer-book says the custom is “not essential,” but it’s a custom of ancient times that has lingered, so I did it.

Quite a Clune Clan turnout it was.

The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Eamon Clune, another cousin, at the parish church, St. Paul’s of the Cross, Dulwich Hill.

. . . [several paragraphs describing preparations and actual wedding] . . .

So an Irish colleen wed an Aussie, in style, and my blarneying prophecy proved a dinkum one, in quick time. The hardest part of my job . . .

Smith’s Weekly, Sydney, Saturday, 17 December 1949

(source: trove database)
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... 22%20Clune

Fourteen nurses were killed at Salford Royal Hospital in a German bombing raid on the night of June 2nd 1941; Bridget Hogan was lucky to have survived. Four of the nurses killed were from Ireland, including two from County Clare (Vera Creighton and Margaret Lynch). See further detail at Clare Library link to “Clare Emergency Individual Profiles” by Ger Browne:

https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... ofiles.pdf

https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/63775

Sheila, with regards to your recent research, John Clune and Ellen Rohan of Capparoe were the parents of three Catholic priests. The two you had previously identified, Rev. George Clune of Newmarket-on-Fergus and Rev. James Clune of Clonlara, as well as the Rev. Eamon Clune of Sydney. The Rev. Eamon Clune was ordained a sub-deacon in June 1928 in Ireland and was already committed for the Sydney diocese (Irish Independent, 23 June 1928). And the following year he was ordained a priest at All Hallows College in Dublin on 16 June 1929 (The Advocate, Melbourne, 1 August 1929). Eamonn Clune, age 24, arrived in Sydney from England on the Naldera on 20 September 1929. He appears to have been ordained into a Catholic order in which the priests adopt a name in religion, but I’m not sure which one. The Rev. Eamon Clune was Francis Joseph Clune born on 16 November 1904; he was the 6-year old living with his family in Capparoe in the 1911 census. Aside from several obituaries linking the three priests as brothers, the only clue that the Rev. E. Clune was Francis Joseph was his birth date as reflected in Australian records.

Edits on 18 Sept 2025: (1) George Clune’s mother was a Casey, not Clancy (2) Frank Clune was only 10 days (or so) at the W.L. Warby farm, and not 10 weeks (3) typos.

Hi Jimbo,

I enjoyed reading all of that. By the time Frank Clune visited Ireland in May 1949, aged 56, the wild days described in Try Anything Once were long gone. Maybe he had even forgotten the awful worry he had caused his mother.

You ask a couple of questions and I will try to answer them:
How did I find that George Clune had emigrated in 1891? For the answer, I had to go through the 100 pages again and, of course, it was on the last page, where Frank says, “So my father had left Ennis Town on a day in 1891, to travel to faraway Australia. He had never returned to Ennis. I was there for him, by proxy, long after he was dead and buried …”.

About the Burial of Sir John Moore, I mentioned that poem in the topic of John McNamara, of Barberton, Ohio, returns to County Clare in 1892: viewtopic.php?p=14708&hilit=Corunna#p14708. It was learned "by heart" by people who had gone to school before independence, and was often recited at social occasions.

About Bidelia Clune, who was visited by Casey the “Kid”, and Frank Clune: I agree that she must be the daughter, born 1867, to Bridget Hehir and James Clune. In Frank Clune’s account of his visit to Ruan he mentions Bidelia’s “grandson”, George Clune, who was a child at the time. I omitted it from my reply as I thought George might well be still alive, but I see now (from Ruan headstone inscriptions) that he died in 1981, aged only 39. While Frank Clune was in Miss Margaret O’Donnell’s Post Office, a boy aged about five came in: ““Well, and here’s Georgie Clune,” exclaimed Miss O’Donnell, “He comes walking over the hills four miles every morning to school. ‘And say good-day to your Uncle Francis, Georgie. He’s come back home to Ireland from Australia’…. He lives with his grandmother, Bidelia Clune,” explained Miss O’Donnell. “He’d be a relation of yours, but there are so many Clunes in this county, it’s hard to remember who’s an uncle and who’s a cousin.””
I think that Miss O’Donnell was wrong about Bidelia; Bidelia was Georgie’s grandaunt, not his grandmother. The record of Bidelia’s death gives her address as Aughrim Kelly and the informant as her nephew, James Clune: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 203451.pdf. I think Georgie may be the son of James Francis Clune, a son of John Clune. James had married Eileen May Healy in 1941: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 193614.pdf. I think James was known as Seamus Clune - see inscription for headstone no. 95: https://clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/g ... ptions.htm

About “the Kid” Casey, you ask if he was related to Frank’s grandmother, Anne Casey: I can’t answer that, I’m afraid. There were two families of
Caseys in Ruan, the Kid Caseys and the Lamb Caseys. That is the full extent of my knowledge, but I imagine that there were other families of Caseys as well - the number of Casey headstones in Ruan Graveyard gives us some idea. The parish record of the marriage of Anne Casey to Michael Clune on 30 Jan 1856 gives us no clue as to her address: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls ... 9/mode/1up. It is interesting to note that it was in Dysert chapel that Fr. Gunning produced the register showing the baptism of their son, George, on 17 Nov 1861: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls ... 1/mode/1up (Dysert and Ruan together are one Catholic parish, but separate civil parishes). I can’t make out the address; can you?

About the photo of the Hogans on page 48, the caption is just “Clune clan at Tullyodea”, but I don’t think that Bridget (junior) was among them at the time. I think Frank's saying he met her while in Ireland was the kind of short hand he sometimes used. When he resumes his tour of England and Scotland, he (eventually) gets to Manchester: “My purpose in visiting Manchester was personal, as I wanted to make the acquaintance of my Irish cousin, Bridget Hogan, a nursing sister at the Royal Salford hospital … we had a pleasant cup of coffee together. “Would you like to go to Australia?” I asked her, “Sure” said Bridget. So that’s one person less in overcrowded Manchester, and one person more in undercrowded Sydney.”

It was interesting to hear that there was a third priest, Eamon, in the Capparoe family of Clunes. He must have led a quiet life, I think. Thankfully!

Sheila

Hi Sheila,

Thank you for answering my questions. With regards to the address reported on the baptism of George Clune on 17 November 1861, the column heading states “parish”. I believe the choices are only “Ruan” or “Dysert”. In brightening the entry for George Clune, I can make out at least the “Rua” of Ruan.

And with regards to Frank Clune’s meeting with his cousin Bridget Hogan in 1947 while “touring the U.K. and Eire”, I had mistakenly assumed he had met her in County Clare, but from your additional quotes from Land of Hope and Glory he had actually made a special trip to Manchester to visit his cousin. Thanks for clarifying that point.

Since you like photographs, here is one of the Rev. E. Clune who presided at the funeral at Rockwood cemetery of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Smith in February 1938, victims of the “Lindcombe Bombing”:

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... 20Clune%22

The National Library of Australia in Canberra holds the “Papers of Frank Clune”, including “thousands of photographs scattered through the research files”. Your theory that Clune had to research Irish history upon returning home from his 1947 trip to Ireland is supported by the numerous files (in “Series 1”) labeled “Young Ireland 1848”, “John Mitchell”, “Michael Davitt” etc.

“Series 4. Photographs, films, microfilms” noted that “Clune collected thousands of photographs. They range from original images taken by Clune on his many travels, to copies of published illustrations and texts gathered during his research”. It would be interesting to see the files labeled “Eire” in Box 220 as there are likely more photos from his 1947 trip to Clare. There could also be photographs of his Clare trip in Series 1, “Europe-photographs” (Files 164-170) in Box 12 in 'bound volume' format.

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-245236116/fi ... 3161760222

There is a short biography at the NLA website, including “Educated in Sydney, Francis Patrick Clune left home at the age of 14 and travelled widely on sea and land within Australia, France, Belgium, the USA and Canada”. In fact, Clune had left school at 14 and ran away from home at 16 ½ in July 1910. The biography noted that “Clune's writings, with their catchy, alliterative titles, often mixed fact and fiction and took liberties with the evidence”.

An auction website, “Josef Lebovic Gallery”, sold the “Frank Clune Family Albums” in December 2017 described as “c1910s-1940s. Consisting of nine hundred and sixty-three (963) vintage silver gelatin or print-out paper photographs, loose or spread over five family photograph albums, . . .” There are about 30 or so photographs on the website, several of Jack Clune, the boxer. There are some great portrait shots from WWI. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the NLA purchased these albums.

https://www.joseflebovicgallery.com/pag ... dItem=true

From the National Library Australia archive, it would be interesting to view in Series 4, in Box 218, the file labeled “Clune Clan, 1905” and count the number of children of Theresa Cullen Clune.

Frank Clune wrote only one short paragraph in Try Anything Once which mentioned his father and early home life. Sheila, your quote from Land of Hope and Glory was also brief. The two books written 16 years apart are inconsistent as to the number of his brothers:

My first clear recollection of life is when my mother, father, two brothers, and myself lived in a tiny two-roomed cottage at Woolloomooloo. I liked my elder brother well enough, but that didn’t prevent me on one occasion from shoving him into the water. I was about five at the time and with the wisdom of that age could see no harm in the incident, believing his little round sailor hat would keep him afloat. Fortunately for me (and for him) a fisherman was handy, because my brother could not swim. I got a good caning, and the fisherman got nothing for his trouble, because we were poor.

Try Anything Once, Chapter 1, “I Run Away From Home”, by Frank Clune, published 1933

My Dad, George Clune, was not of an ecclesiastical bent - and no more am I. He came to Australia [in 1891] to seek fortune on the gold diggings, but he never struck it lucky, except when he married my mother, an Australian-born lass of Irish parentage. My three brothers and I, as infants, saw very little of our gold-digger Dad … he died when we were young, without bequeathing to us anything except his adventurous spirit. From him I learned very little about our Irish relatives, or his family background.

Land of Hope and Glory, by Frank Clune, published 1949

Upon a second reading of Try Anything Once, I see that after Frank Clune had finally written to his mother in December 1910 telling her of his whereabouts, that she and his brother went to meet up with him in Victoria:

By some extraordinary means the family succeeded in ferreting me out and there was something of a reunion with my mother and brother George on Christmas Day.

My mother, with that “all will be forgiven” note in her voice, begged me to return home, but my mind was made up. I still cherished the vision of the alluring life of a coal-trimmer, as painted for me by the ex-sailor. . .

Why was it important for Mrs. Clune to contact her son in person and not simply write him a letter? She had very sad news to tell her son:

A Workman Killed.
FALLS SEVENTY FEET.
THROUGH A SKYLIGHT.

A sensational accident, resulting in the death of Thomas Clune, 20, a laborer, occurred at the rear of the premises of Messrs. Beard, Watson, Limited, house furnishers, 361-363 George Street, City, this afternoon. Clune was putting in a sky-light in the roof over the yard at the rear of the warehouse, when he suddenly crashed through the glass to the ground—70 feet below. He was picked up unconscious, and the Civil Ambulance was soon on the scene . . .

It was supposed that in the course of his work, Clune slipped on the wet roof, and not being able to regain his footing, fell through the skylight, which was smashed to atoms.

Clune was a single man, and lived at 30 Belvoir-street, Surry Hills.

Evening News, Sydney, Friday, 21 October 1910 (per trove database)

CLUNE.—The Friends of Mrs. GEORGE CLUNE are kindly invited to attend the Funeral of her dearly beloved son, Thomas; to move from her residence, 30 Belvoir street, Surry Hills, THIS SATURDAY, at 1:30 p.m., for R.C. Cemetery, Rookwood.

Mrs. P. KIRBY and SON, Limited, Undertakers

The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Saturday, 22 October 1910 (per trove database)

30 Belvoir Street was the same address for Mrs. Clune as the “missing friend” advertisement for Frank Clune back in August 1910. Thomas Clune was born in Victoria in 1891 to father, “Geo Clune”, and mother reported simply as “Clune” (Victoria Birth Index, 1837-1921).

Frank Clune changed jobs about every week while “on the run”, so difficult to say where he was living when his brother died on the 21st of October, other than somewhere in Victoria. Why didn’t Frank Clune in Try Anything Once mention the death of his brother? Sheila, you had mentioned that Frank Clune’s writing style was “upbeat; always optimistic; mostly lighthearted”. When Try Anything Once was published in 1933, he was only 40 years old and concluded in the last chapter that “looking over what I have written I find a lot to laugh about and nothing to regret”. I reckon the death of his brother Thomas in such a horrible accident while Frank had run away from home was too depressing for a light hearted book such as Try Anything Once.

I retraced Frank Clune’s movements after leaving the Warby farm on the night of 9th of August 1910; this was the date from the “missing friend” advertisement of my last posting. In Try Anything Once, Clune wrote that he had been at the Warby farm for ten days when he had left, but no dates were given. He also wrote that after he had been at the Warby farm for eight days, Mr. Warby told him that he was going to Narrandera for the annual show. From newspapers accounts (trove), the Narrandera Show was held on the 3rd and 4th of August 1910. So Frank Clune could have been at the Warby farm anywhere between 10 and 16 days depending upon the account.

The William L. Warby farm was located at “Brohenah, Yanko, Narrandera” as stated on the missing person advertisement. Frank Clune in Try Anything Once only gave the location of the farm as a “twenty-five mile journey from Yanco to Warby’s station”. A google map search reveals that Brohenah is about 20 miles north of the town of Yanco, both north of Murrumbidgee River. The W.L. Warby farm was known as “Yarranvale” according to newspaper accounts. Frank had travelled 350 miles from Sydney to Yanco by train; this distance is twice the width of Ireland.

After sleeping his first night on the run in a “low lying shelter for sheep”, Frank started walking and after about 12 miles was picked up by a driver of a horse and wagon who was headed for the shearing at Yanko Station, which was south of the Murrumbidgee:

We crossed the Murrumbidgee River, which was a wonderful experience. There were thousands upon thousands of white cockatoos flying around the trees alongside the river and I had my first glimpse of that strange bird the ibis, with its long skinny legs and graceful neck.

In his later travel books, Frank Clune would provide a detailed history of all the locations he visited; not so much in his first book, Try Anything Once. I tried to make up for the slack. The Illustrated Australian News in 1869 in an article entitled “Sheep Shearing at Yanko N.S.W.” described the station along with a great illustration of the shearing shed there. In 1869 it was over 300,000 acres and in that season had shorn 180,000 sheep and “employed about 67 shearers in the shed”. I suspect that sheep shearing was greatly automated by 1910. When Clune asked for a job at Yanko Station he was told they were “full up”.

The Yanko Station started shearing yesterday with a full board.

Jerilderie Herald and Urana Advertiser, Friday, 12 August 1910

https://theyanko.com/history/
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60450341

He met up with another rejected shearer, and they decided to “catch a train to Whitton, a short way down the line, and cut across to Kerabury [Kerarbury] Station which was starting shearing in two days’ time”. It appears that they would have taken the Hay Railway Line, presumably boarding the train at the town of Yanco (north of the Murrumbidgee), with Whitton only two stops travelling west towards Hay.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hay_railway_line

Frank Clune and his new mate would have walked south of Whitton crossing the Murrumbidgee to get to Kerarbury station. The State Library of NSW has a painting “Kerarbury home station, Murrumbidgee River N.S.W.” by L. Lang in its collection; the station was noted to have 18 miles of river frontage. Its description when sold in 1927: “Kerarbury, one of the most noted station properties in the Riverina, has just been sold at a very satisfactory figure by ... [buyer and seller details]. The area of the station exceeds 80,000 acres of freehold land, and the stock includes more than 43,000 high-class merino sheep” (The Argus, Melbourne, 18 January 1927).

https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/collection-it ... nsw-l-lang
https://www.visitmurrumbidgee.com/Darli ... -Woolstore

Frank Clune worked as a “pickerup” or “rouseabout” at Kerarbury station for four days. While there he met a fellow (“Pike”) who offered him a job at his 100 acre vineyard in Victoria, in a place called Dookie. In reading the below description, Frank must have boarded the Hay railway line at Whitton traveling east to Narrandera, where he would take the Tocumwal railway line south to Victoria.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tocumwal_ ... outh_Wales

I had to change trains at Narrandera where I was compelled to stay the night, and acting on Pike’s instructions I went to the cheapest hotel in the town where beds and meals were one shilling. I remember well how I pulled out my chest at tea that night when I, a small boy, was seated at the same table as twelve cockies. I was beginning to feel inexpressibly happy until I heard mentioned the name of Warby, at which I went cold all over.

“What happened Sid?” asked one of them.

The man addressed as Sid replied: “He was driving home from lodge the other night when his horse bolted and he was bumped out. The horse and broken sulky arrived home and Warby’s wife got hold of the police who found him along the road dead. His skull was smashed in.”

I felt myself smiling, because I hated that man, but I smiled too soon for I was due for another shock.

“I was talking to Bill [W.L.] Warby this morning about his brother [who died supposedly],” said another cocky, “And he told me that he [Bill] had had a bit of trouble with some kid who cleared out from his parents in Sydney and was taken on by Bill as an orphan. The first thing Bill knew was when Jacko the trooper came after the kid. He tells me the kid was to work eight weeks to pay his fare back to Sydney; but he disappeared a few nights ago.”

“Everybody who comes from Sydney ought to be dumped in the Murrumbidgee,” was the terse comment of another.

I sent a soft prayer to heaven that the floor might open and let me disappear. But nothing happened, and I will never know why nobody asked me who I was or what I was doing. As a matter of fact I don’t suppose they were aware of my presence.

Clearly, the young Francis Clune was not the sharpest tool in the shearing shed. Of course the men at the hotel were aware of his presence; they were making fun of him. However, I’m not sure if the author Frank Clune, writing Try Anything Once in the 1930’s, was ever made aware of the joke. Or perhaps this story was part of his noted “dry humor”? One thing is for certain, none of the six brothers of William Lakeman Warby of Brobenah was killed by their horse in August 1910 or at any other time for that matter.

The men at the hotel identified the constable who was in search of Francis Clune, alias Albert Smith, as “Jack the trooper”. He would have gone to all the shearing sheds and notified the men to be on the lookout for the runaway. The senior constable at Narrandera was John Hennessey Toohey (Australian born but I would be willing to bet of Irish ancestry). There were elements of truth in the story told by the men at the hotel, I don’t believe the author Frank Clune completely made it up.

Not sure why the young Frank Clune should have hated W.L. Warby. I suspect the employment agency in Sydney who got him the job had stated that he would become part of the family. But in arriving at Brohenah Station he discovered he would be sleeping in a barn and was fed “plain solid mutton flaps—the sort of stuff that is thrown to dogs in butcher shops”. While eating this first breakfast at Brohenah, Frank thought “Well, if I’m one of the family, God help any poor devil who’s carrying his swag.” In my opinion, Frank Clune was lazy and would have hated any farm boss who required him to wake up at 4 a.m. and put in a full day’s work.

The Sydney born Frank Clune appears to have had no idea about distances in the Australian bush. A runaway, who travelled 10 miles in Sydney or any other big city, would be completely anonymous. But in the Riverina region, travelling 10 or even 20 miles might bring you to your next door neighbor. And in working at Kerarbury Station he was then staying fairly close to the widow Mrs. J. E. Warby of Billenbah Station, the mother of W.L. Warby of Brohenah Station. Billenhah Station was about 20 miles east of Kerarbury Station, both south of the Murrumbidgee. James Edward Warby of Billenbah was a Riverina pioneer who died on 12 May 1910 at the age of 71 years old and was survived by his wife and seven sons and three daughters.

Over dinner at the Narrandera hotel, one of the men stated that “Everybody who comes from Sydney ought to be dumped in the Murrumbidgee” which was clearly pointed at young Frank. While Frank Clune ended up being a poor hire, the Warby family would experience a most horrific tragedy at the hands of two other Sydney boys who were in their employment.

COLD-BLOODED CRIME.
TERRIBLE MURDERS in the BUSH.
Mother and Daughter the Victims.
TWO BOYS ARRESTED.
OBJECT OF DEED—SEEKING NOTORIETY.

Two murders were committed at Bellenbah Station, about 20 miles from Narrandera, on Saturday afternoon [28 January 1911], apparently in about as cold-blooded a manner as possible.

The victims were Mrs. Warby, who is about 60 years of age, and Miss Amy Warby, about 22 years, wife and daughter, respectively, of Mr. James Warby, the well-known breeder and judge of sheep, who died only a month or so ago [in May 1910], and the suspected perpetrators of the crime are named Millar and Clare, two youths, little more than boys, in fact each about 17 years of age.

Information as to the exact details of the tragedy are as yet meager as apparently the unfortunate ladies and their assailants were alone when the crime was committed. . . .

One of the most astounding features of the tragedy, and one which makes the crimes as dastardly as any that every been committed, is the apparent lack of object in its purpose. Nothing in the house or one the persons of the victims was touched which would suggest robbery and nothing had previously transpired to suggest that the boys, who, it is believed, belong to Sydney, had any grudge against their mistress or her daughter. The only reason for the crime that can be found is a morbid desire for notoriety and sensationalism born of minds rendered depraved to the uttermost degree,, by the reading of bushranging stories and other trashy literature, in which some villainous character is mistakenly portrayed as a hero.

The boys, however, condemn themselves, each, while under arrest, blamed the other for the crime . . .

The Daily Advertiser, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Monday, 30 January 1911

Per trove database: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... y%20murder

The shocking murders took place only about five months after Frank Clune had worked for W.L. Warby of Brohenah station. At the trial it was revealed that two of the Warby daughters were visiting their brother at Brohenah station, and thus escaped the fate of their sister. Senior constable Toohey was a witness at the trial. The initial reporting of “The Billenhah Tragedy” made all the Australian newspapers as did the later inquest and trial. Both defendants accused the other and gave horrific and detailed testimony. Both teenagers were convicted in April 1911 and initially sentenced to death, which was later reduced to life in prison due to their age.

Frank Clune was living in Victoria during the trial and despite all the sensational reporting throughout Australia was not aware of the murders until his mother notified him while he was stationed at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas:

About this time [winter of 1911] I received a letter from my mother. I had written her, telling something of my doings, and she, as mothers do, had replied by the next mail giving me news of people I knew and didn’t know.

One item was a shock. It told of the murder of a Mrs. Warby and her daughter, the mother and sister of my former employer, Billy Warby, of the Riverina. It appeared that two lads of about eighteen had had their minds unhinged by bushranging literature, and for some imagined slight had murdered the mother and daughter. My mother said that they were sentenced to fifteen years’ gaol, only their youth saving them from the gallows.

The two convicted murderers were sentenced to death and commuted to life in prison due to their young age. The Museum of History New South Wales has their photos and criminal history on their website:

1) William Francis Millar; born in NSW on 16 April 1894; prison photo from 1911 when initially sent to prison for the Warby murders; later photo from 1930 when re-arrested in 1929 for breaking into a dwelling house:

1911: https://search.records.nsw.gov.au/primo ... DEX2069818
1930: https://search.records.nsw.gov.au/primo ... DEX1979906

2) William Reginald Kingston Clare; born in Sydney on 24 January 1894; prison photo from 1911.

1911: https://search.records.nsw.gov.au/primo ... NDEX429508

Frank Clune was born in November 1893, so was about the same age as the two convicts. At the trial it was determined that both accused were hired by the Warby family from an employment agency in Sydney, likely the same agency used to hire Frank back in July 1910. Both convicted murderers were named “Bill”. When Clune first arrived at the W.L. Warby farm, he arrived in the evening according to Try Anything Once and was sent to the barn. “Stumbling in the darkness I made my way towards where I was told I would find the barn. I found it at last and there made my acquaintance with Bill [a fellow laborer, not Bill Warby], introducing myself as Albert Smith”. However, “Bill” appears to be a very common name in Australia, and it was noted at the trial that William Clare had only been working for the Warby family for eight weeks at the time of the murders.

One detail revealed at the inquest which showed the callousness of the crime, was that the “two boys played euchre to see who would take the principal part in the tragedy” (The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 31 January 1911). In the United States, the card game euchre is played almost solely in the Midwestern states; I was surprised that in 1911 it was being played in Australia.

Murders in the United States over the past decades have been blamed on the violence in TV shows, movies, song lyrics, videogames, and more recently blamed on social media and too much time on the internet. But in 1911 in Australia, “sensational literature of the bushranging days” was to blame. Possibly, the two convicted teenagers had read “The History of the Australian Bushrangers” by George Boxwall which was published in 1908. The book is available to read on the internet:

https://archive.org/details/historyofau ... i/mode/2up

Interestingly, Australian bushrangers were a favorite topic for Frank Clune among his 59 travel and history books. These include “Dark Outlaw; the Story of Gunman Gardiner” (1945); “Ben Hall, the Bushranger” (1947); “A Noose for Ned” (1948); “Wild Colonial Boys” (1948); “The Kelly Hunters” (1954); “Martin Cash, the Lucky Bushranger” (1955); “Captain Melville” (1956); and “Ned Kelly’s Last Stand” (1962), adopted from “The Kelly Hunters”. A book for children: “Frank Clune’s Ned Kelly (Young Australia Series)” with illustrations by Walter Stackpool, was published in 1977 (six years after Clune’s death in 1971).

My local library had a copy of “Ned Kelly’s Last Stand”, which was also signed by the author. The first sentence of the prologue was “As a boy, I was fascinated by the legend of Ned Kelly”.

Ireland issued a commemorative stamp in 2001 for Ned Kelly as part of its “Rebel Spirit — Irish Heritage in Australia” series. I have the souvenir sheet in my stamp collection which includes an illustration of Ned Kelly in his famous armor, as well as the quote “Such is life!”; “Immortal words of Ned Kelly, 1854-1880”.

Hi Sheila,

Thank you once again for sharing your research into the Clune families of Ruan parish, and of course for all your hard work in transcribing the Ruan parish registers.

Your earlier posting on July 22nd highlighted a “James Cloone” in Tullyodea at Griffith Valuation; this was a record I missed in my search due to the spelling of “Clune”. I agree with you that this “James must be the father of Michael, who was father of George (born 1861), who emigrated to Australia some time before the birth of Frank in 1893”. However, the James Cloone of Plot 3a leased a “Herd’s house and land” of 47 acres; the total valuation was £29 and the house valuation was only 5 shillings. Given that this was a herdman’s house, I am fairly certain that “James Cloone” was subleasing to a herdsman. Same situation as Plot 1 in Tullyodea; the William Kenny lessee of 125 acres was not living in the house valued at 15 shillings. Given that Michael Clune, son of James Clune of GV Aughrim Tuohy, would end up living there, I reckon that “James Cloone” of Tullyodea and “James Clune” of Aughrim Tuohy at Griffith Valuation were the same person.

Michael Clune (≈1819 – 1884) married Anne Casey on 30 March 1856 (after the Griffith Valuation date) and the newlyweds likely moved to Tullyodea upon their marriage. Although the Ruan baptism register provides no townland information other than “Ruan parish” for their first three children, the civil birth record of their daughter Maria in 1865 states “Tullyodea”. Their eldest son James Clune and his family were living in Tullyodea in the 1901 census. The home was reported as stone or brick walls (1 point), three windows in front (3 points), and between two and four rooms (2 points); it was only given 5 points in total, thus a “3rd class” rating. It was the same exact description as the 1911 census when the widow Mary Meany Clune was living with three daughters, but correctly given 6 points and thus a “2nd class” rating.

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 314910.pdf
https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/ ... a/1068399/

When Frank Clune in 1947 visited his cousins in Tullyodea, he described the house in Tullyodea in the article Sheilia quoted from The Stranger’s Gaze as the “farmhouse at Tullyodea is spacious—stone-built with whitewashed walls and a thatched roof. It has two stories, and many rooms, and was built at least two hundred years ago”. This description would match the 1901/1911 census reports. However, I have some doubts whether this home was the same as the herdman’s house at Griffith Valuation valued at 5 shillings. Thus, Frank Clune’s statement that the house was “built at least two hundred years ago” may have been an exaggeration.

In researching the Clune family of Aughrim Tuohy, I was surprised that John Clune (born 1858), the eldest brother of the future Bishop P.J. Clune, would be missing in 1885:

MISSING FRIENDS
Information Wanted:
OF JOHN CLUNE, a native of Aughrim Tuihy [Tuohy], County Clare, Ireland, son of James Clune, mother’s maiden name was Margaret Lynch. He came to America in May 1881. When last heard from he was at No 27 West Banbourn Street, Chicago, Ill. Information of him will be thankfully received by his cousin, Michael Clune, Spencer, Mass.

The Boston Pilot, Boston, MA, 23 May 1885

The Boston Pilot advertisement does not appear to have been copied by Chicago newspapers, so not sure it was the best place for the Clune cousin to place the missing advertisement. What appears to have been successful, however, was sending a letter to John Clune to the Chicago central post office; the Chicago Daily News of 15 August 1885 in their “Unclaimed Letters” had “John Clune” listed.

Why was the Clune family in search of John Clune in 1885? He was the eldest son of James Clune and Margaret Lynch and I reckon expected to return to County Clare to take up the Aughrim Tuohy farm from his father. Or else send money home to help pay the rent on the ancestral farm?

John Clune of Chicago had married only one month after the Boston Pilot missing advertisement. The Inter Ocean newspaper of Chicago on 9 June 1885 reported in a long listing of Cook county marriage licenses that a permit had been issued to John Clune (age 26) and Catherine Gorman (age 23), both of Chicago.

Coincidentally, James Clune (born 1860), the second eldest son of James Clune and Margaret Lynch of Aughrim Tuohy, got married only the month before in South Australia on 14 May 1885 to Cecilia Shipway (Australia, marriage index, 1788-1950). And with two other brothers (Patrick and Bartholomew) who would become Catholic priests, who was left to help their father with the Aughrim Tuohy farm?

John Clune and Catherine Gorman of Chicago would not return to County Clare. However, in the 1900 census in Chicago the household of John Clune (age 41) included his Irish born wife Catherine (age 37), their five children, and his father James Clune, a 60 year old Irish born widower who had arrived in the USA in 1893. John Clune was a saloon keeper living at 649 Taylor Street in Chicago.

1900 Census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... 72?lang=en

John Clune of Chicago lost both his father and his wife within a six month period in 1906:

CLUNE—James Clune, [died on] Feb. 4. Funeral 649 W. Taylor st., Tuesday, at 8:30 a.m., to the Jesuit church [Holy Family]; carriages to Calvary.

Chicago Tribune, Tuesday, 6 February 1906

CLUNE—Catherine Clune, [died on] June 21, at residence, 649 Taylor st., wife of John Clune. Funeral Sunday, 10 a.m., to Holy Family church, carriages to Calvary.

Chicago Tribune, Saturday, 23 June 1906

1906 Death index for James Clune (parents unknown):
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... QX?lang=en

John Clune, who was likely the informant on the death record for his father, was born in 1858 to James Clune and Margaret Lynch. His grandfather was also named James Clune (of GV Aughrim Tuohy) but appears to have died prior to the 1864 start of Irish civil death records (the headstone in the Franciscan Friary graveyard in Quin of a James Clune who died in 1857 is from Aughrim Kelly). Thus, John Clune (1858 – 1928) likely never met his paternal grandparents; and his father James Clune (≈1840 – 1906) never spoke about them, hence the “parents unknown” on the 1906 death certificate.

Without the parents being named on the 1906 death certificate for James Clune who died in Chicago, there was a slight chance that he was not the James Clune who married Margaret Lynch and the father of Bishop P.J. Clune of Perth. My doubt increased after reading the wikipedia biography for Bishop Patrick Clune:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Clune

The source for much of the wikipedia biography appears to be Faith, Ireland and Empire; The Life of Patrick John Clune CSsR, Archbishop of Perth, Western Australia, by Father Christopher Dowd, OP, St Paul's Publications, Strathfield, NSW, 2014.

https://secure.stpauls.com.au/strathfie ... -cssr.html

The book is a whopping 416 pages. Reasonably priced at less than AU$20, but the postage rate from Australia to the USA would be twice that. Plus state and local sales tax. Plus now there is an import duty on all purchases from Australia of 10% (no longer a de minimis exemption effective August 29th). Fortunately, a book review at the website of the University of Notre Dame Australia by Angela McCarthy mentioned Clune’s early childhood:

The first half of the book is a fascinating journey pieced together from a large number of sources. Unlike [Bishop Martin] Griver, Clune did not write lots of personal letters and journals so his actual point of view can only be discerned through the lens of his actions and from secondary sources. Growing up in Ireland through a time of poverty and conflict he was encouraged and supported by others outside his family because of his natural intelligence and personality, even though he was only an average student. He was very young, only 22, when he was ordained to the priesthood on 24 June 1886 and shortly afterwards sailed for Australia where he was assigned to the diocese of Goulburn. It was a time of high emigration from Ireland and already three of his siblings had moved to Australia and they were later joined by another brother and their father.

https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/vi ... eo_article

The three siblings who had already moved to Australia by 1886 must have included his brother James Clune who had married in South Australia in 1885, and most likely two of his sisters who were ordained nuns in Australia. The brother who later joined them would have been Bartholomew (later Father Francis). But did their father James Clune leave Aughrim Tuohy for Australia or Chicago?

The international Eucharistic Congress, held in Chicago between June 20th and 24th in 1926, provided the key evidence that James Clune of Aughrim Tuohy was indeed living in Chicago in 1900 and died there in 1906. The Eucharistic Congress was held every two years and could be described as a “Catholic Olympics”. Chicago was chosen as the location for the United States as due to its many Irish, Polish and Italian immigrants was a very Catholic city. Over a million people attended its events including massive gatherings at Soldier’s Field in Chicago. The Australian bishops, I reckon, may have attended for a “passing of the torch” event as Sydney was the location of the next Eucharistic Congress in 1928. Dublin was the location of the Eucharistic Congress in 1932; the Irish post office issued two stamps to commemorate the event.

The Bulletin of San Francisco and other California newspapers noted the arrival of the Australian delegation, including a large photograph of the four archbishops. “San Francisco today welcomed a party of church dignitaries on their arrival here from Australia, enroute to the Eucharist congress in Chicago. Among the party were, left to right, Archbishop Michael Sheehan, Archbishop Daniel Mannix, Archbishop Patrick J. Clune and Archbishop James Duhig” (The Bulletin, San Francisco, 15 June 1926).

A local Indiana newspaper noted that Archbishop Clune visited his brother John Clune, who had moved from Chicago to nearby Gary, Indiana to live with his eldest son, Thomas Clune. The obituary of John Clune in 1928 also noted that he was a brother of both Archbishop Clune of Perth and Father Francis of Sydney:

ARCHBISHOP PATRICK CLUNE of Perth Australia who attended the Eucharistic Congress and visited with his brother John Clune, 548 Georgia street, [in the city of Gary] Saturday will be of the special train carrying notables of the Catholic church to St. Louis this evening. Archbishop Clune will tour the United States and Canada before returning to his home late next month.

The Times, Hammond, Indiana, 28 June 1926

AGED GARY MAN DEAD

John Clune, Gary Resident Since 1910 Dies at Home of Son This Morning

Death claimed another well known Gary pioneer this morning when John Clune, aged 70, father of Thomas Clune, assistant fire chief on the Gary fire department passed away at 261 Cleveland street this morning following an illness extending over a period of almost two weeks.

. . . [Two paragraphs on illness] . . .

Mr. Clune was one of Gary’s pioneer citizens moving here in 1910 from Chicago. He is widely known and beloved and up until the time of his recent illness was employed daily as a member of the police force at the Gary works of the Illinois Steel Co.

He is survived by three sons and a daughter, Thomas, James and John and Mrs. Edward King. All are residents of Chicago excepting Thomas. He also leaves two brothers, the Archbishop Clune of Perth, Australia, and Father Francis of Sydney, Australia.

The Times, Hammond, Indiana, Thursday, 13 May 1928

James Clune of Aughrim Tuohy may have first gone to Australia prior to going to Chicago; according to the 1900 census he had arrived in the USA in 1893. Sheila, the fact that James Clune was buried at Calvary cemetery in Evanston, partly explains why Bishop Clune of Perth and Father Francis of Sydney donated the altar at Ruan church to honor their parents in 1914; they could not honor their father with a headstone in the local cemetery.

When Frank Clune met his “uncle” Bishop Clune in Perth in 1914 and told him of his adventures in America, Bishop Clune would have told him of his brother John Clune living in Chicago. Frank Clune had five second cousins living in Chicago. With so many American relatives, did he really need to work on the horse farm for Thomas Woulfe in Streator, Illinois? Or enlist in the U.S. army in Chicago in 1911?

And Frank Clune of Sydney had closer relatives in Massachusetts and New York City. The missing advertisement in 1885 for John Clune of Chicago was placed by his cousin Michael Clune of Spencer, Massachusetts. Michael Clune was born in 1858 to Michael Clune and Anne Casey of Tullyodea (the grandparents of Frank Clune). Michael Clune married in Spencer, Massachusetts in February 1886 (father reported as “Michael”; mother as “Nancy”), and sadly died in March 1887 (father reported as “Michael”; mother as “Anne”):

1886 marriage in Spencer: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... TB?lang=en
1887 death in Spencer: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... FP?lang=en

In the 1901 Irish census, James Clune (age 45), the eldest son of Michael Clune and Anne / Nancy Casey, was living in Tullyodea with his family. Anne Casey Clune is not living with her eldest son, and it would be easy to assume that she had died prior to the 1901 census. However, that was not the case. Ann Clune (age 56) was living with her only daughter Minnie Connor (Mary Clune born in 1865) in Spencer, Massachusetts in 1900 and died there in 1908:

1900 census for Spencer: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... QF?lang=en
1908 headstone in Spencer: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167 ... ancy-clune

In addition to his Connor first cousins living in Spencer, Frank Clune of Sydney had loads of Casey cousins living in the Massachusetts city. One American born cousin was Lucy McNamara (1870 – 1918), the daughter of Andrew McNamara and Susan Casey, who was a family historian extraordinaire and left an amazing journal documenting her ancestry back many generations in County Clare.

Lucy McNamara was the second cousin of George Clune, the father of Frank Clune of Sydney. She was not aware of George Clune who immigrated to Australia, but was knowledgeable that his mother Anne Casey Clune had come “to America late in life and lived with her daughter Minnie Clune Connors in Paxton. Other children in N.Y.”

The “other children in N.Y.”, the sons of Michael Clune and Anne Casey of Tullyodea, were Bartholomew Clune (born 1871) and Thomas Clune (born 1873). Bartholomew Clune was a N.Y. policeman who died young in 1902. The widow Bidelia Clune (age 35 in 1910) and her five children were living in Brooklyn with her brother-in-law, Thomas Clune (age 34 in 1910), in both the 1910 and 1920 census.

Frank Clune of Sydney ran away from home in July 1910 and arrived in New York on 4 October 1911, exactly 114 years ago. From reading Try Anything Once, Frank Clune appears to have had no clue that in 1911 he had an uncle, Thomas Clune, living in Brooklyn; several Clune first cousins, the children of his deceased uncle Bartholomew Clune, also in Brooklyn; as well as many Connor first cousins living in Spencer, Massachusetts. Nor that his grandmother died in Spencer in 1908. His elder brother, George Clune, arrived in Vancouver BC on 24 June 1916 and soon after crossed to the USA; the USA passenger listing reported his American contact as his uncle, Thomas Clune, of Gold Street in Brooklyn (same address as 1910 census). So the Clune family of Sydney was aware of their Clune relatives in the United States, but unfortunately Frank in running away from home in 1910 did not speak to his parents about contacting his many American relatives. A deserter from the U.S. Army in 1912, sadly Frank appears never to have returned to the United States and thus would never again get the opportunity to meet his American cousins.

In 1947 when Frank Clune visited County Clare, his Hogan cousins of Tullyodea took him to Aughrim Tuohy, “the old home and birthplace of Archbishop Doctor Clune”. His description was “a little, old, sod-walled, whitewashed cottage, tucked away among the trees, and now unoccupied and falling into ruin”. Frank Clune doesn’t appear to appreciate that this was the home of his great-grandfather (James Clune of GV) and the birthplace of both his own grandfather Michael Clune and grand uncle James Clune (who married Margaret Lynch and remained at Aughrim Tuohy, later moving to Chicago).

And his young Hogan cousins would unlikely have been aware of the tragic story behind how James Clune (≈1840-1906) of Aughrim Tuohy was evicted from his land which led to his living in Chicago. I reckon, however, a member of the older generation whom he met, Bidelia Clune (1867-1948) of Aughrim Kelly, would surely have known the story of the Clunes eviction from Aughrim Touhy but was unwilling to share it with her visiting Australian relative. I don’t blame Bidelia, the eviction led to a boycott and violence involving the Irish Republican Brotherhood, it was not really a story one could tell over a cup of tea.

In researching James Clune (≈1780-1857) of Aughrim Kelly back in July, I had viewed the old map that accompanies Griffith Valuation and noted that the Clune plot (1a) included Temple Hugh O’Donnell. This religious connection to a historical site was somewhat interesting as this James Clune (≈1780-1857) of Aughrim Kelly was the brother of the Rev. Michael Clune (≈1796-1874) of Sixmile Bridge, the father of Rev. John Clune (≈1814-1890) of Doonbeg, and the grandfather of the Rev. James Clune (1861-1945) of Whitegate, later Borrisokane.

What I failed to observe was the geographic connection of both Aughrim Kelly and Aughrim Tuohy townlands to the River Fergus. In viewing the map that accompanies Griffith Valuation, the townland boundary with its thick red lines covers up the fact that the boundary was a river. Also on deeper inspection, both Aughrim Kelly and Aughrim Tuohy townlands had straight lines in several locations across the Fergus with “weir” written on the map. For James Clune (≈1840=1906) of Aughrim Tuohy (and later Chicago) the weir on his plot of land would be a source of continuing litigation which may have contributed to his later eviction.

To Be Continued,

Hi Jimbo,

Thank you for those two interesting postings. The first (posted 2 Sept.) gives a link to a guide to the papers of Frank Clune - a whole forest of papers in the National Library of Australia - with many photos scattered among them; I agree it would be interesting to see the photos he took while in Ireland.
Thank you, by the way, for taking the trouble to include a newspaper photo of Fr. Eamon Clune of the Capparoe Clunes.

The second posting - immediately above - fully explains the abandoned house falling into ruin in Aughrim Tuohy, and why there is no headstone for the Aughrim Tuohy Clunes, but a plaque in the altar in Ruan church, instead. It is amazing that James Clune, father of the archbishop, went first to Australia, and then to America. Good work finding John Clune (1858-1910), a brother of the Archbishop; also Michael Clune (1858-1887), an uncle of Frank Clune, plus two other uncles, Bartholomew and Thomas. Yes, Frank Clune had plenty of relatives he could go to in America, but, as you say, he may not have been aware of their existence, and, anyway, going to relatives would not have been an adventure. They would find a job for him in the saloon, and then a wife, etc.etc.

Regarding the age of the house in Tullyodea: the photo of the Hogan girls taken in 1947 shows that a two-storey extension had been added to the original single-storey traditional thatched cottage. This explains Frank Clune mentioning several rooms, while also describing the house as being 200 years old - the cottage part of the house was certainly 100 years old, and maybe older - I found searching Tithes of no help.

The story of a eviction and a boycott, found by you in the course of your research, I know nothing about, of course, but, as you say, it was probably well known to Bidelia Clune (grand aunt of Georgie). Archbishop Clune was one of eleven children - see Dictionary of Irish Biography: https://www.dib.ie/biography/clune-patrick-joseph-a1767. Probably the eviction explains why none of the eleven remained in Aughrim Tuohy.

Frank Clune was second cousin (according to himself) of the Capparoe Clunes. The George Cluen (note spelling), who was in Capparoe in Griffith’s Valuation, must be a brother of Michael Clune (Frank’s grandfather), I suppose.

Sheila

Edit: Sorry if I caused confusion when I wrote "Good work in finding his [James Clune's] wife, Margaret Lynch, in America". That was an error and I have deleted it. It was Anne Casey, wife of Michael Clune, who was found.

Hi Jimbo

The 1901 census for Aughrimtuohy shows a Lawrence Clune*, aged 80, a visitor at the house of James Purcell. His death in 1904 was reported by James Purcell, his son-in-law: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 585026.pdf.
Susan Clune, Aughrim Tuohy, daughter of Laurence Clune [and Alice Malone], married James Purcell from Barefield [Kilraghtis] in 1886: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 959543.pdf.

If Laurence’s age at his death in 1904 is correct, he was born about 1824, and probably a brother of the James Clune/Cloone, who was tenant in Aughrim Tuohy, Tullyodea, and also Ballyharraghan (possibly), in Griffith’s Valuation.

Sheila
* mistranscribed as "Claire"

Hi Sheila,

It is spring time now in Canberra, and the cherry blossoms are in bloom. It would be great timing for an Australian to visit their nation’s capital and the National Library of Australia. If coming from Sydney, they could take a break at Goulburn and have a look at the Passionist Monastery where Father Francis Clune was ordained in 1898. Or if not of an ecclesiastical bent, check out “The Big Merino” in that city. I was researching the hours of the NLA and it is closed on Sunday, and it appears to view records on a Saturday, you have to request on Friday. Best I reckon to chuck a sickie and go midweek.

I’ve been thinking more about the photo “Clune Clan, 1905” in the Frank Clune collection at the NLA (Series 4, Box 218). In Try Anything Once, Frank Clune wrote of his time in Perth in 1914 when he met his “uncle”, Archbishop Patrick Clune:

Although I had not seen Bishop Clune since I was twelve, when he was a Redemptorist missionary at St. Peter’s Church, Sydney, I remembered well his kindly face and manly bearing. And it was said of him that he never forgot a face.

Frank Clune was born on 12 November 1893 and would have been 12 years old in 1905. The “Clune Clan” photo would have not only included his immediate family but I reckon also his “uncles”, Father Patrick Clune of the Redemptorist order (not bishop of Perth until 1911) and Father Francis Clune of the Passionist order, and possibly other Clune relatives living in Sydney.

ST PETER’S, SURRY HILLS.

On last Sunday, a fortnight’s [two weeks] mission, conducted by the Rev. Fathers Clune and McGrath, C.SS.R., was opened at the above church. The first week was for the women, and next week will be devoted exclusively to the men, their mission being opened on tomorrow (Sunday) night. The church during the week has been crowded both morning and night, and the esteemed parish priest (Rev. Father Collender) and the two devoted missionaries are highly pleased at the zeal and earnestness displayed by the women of the parish.

Freeman’s Journal, Sydney, 1 July 1905

The 1905 photo appears to be the earliest family photo in the Frank Clune collection at the NLA. The Clune family of Surry Hills was very poor; I reckon the photo was taken by either Father Patrick Clune or Father Francis Clune. It would be interesting to see who all was included in the “Clune Clan” photo..

Sheila, regarding James Clune’s wife, Margaret Lynch Clune, no, she did not travel to America. There are 24 family trees with Margaret Lynch Clune on the ancestry website, of which six are marked private. Of the 18 remainder, nine family trees have Margaret Clune dying on 29 April 1881 and give the location of death as Aughrim, County Clare. Their source must have been the findagrave website which has the headstone in Ruan cemetery for “Mrs. Margaret Clune” who died on 29 April 1881.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173 ... aret-clune

A very nice headstone which based upon the wording “Mrs. Margaret Clune” was likely paid for by her sons, perhaps years after her 1881 death. When the altar was donated at Ruan church in 1914, it was only their father who Bishop Clune and Rev. Francis Clune could not honor with a headstone at the Ruan cemetery. I struggled to find the corresponding civil death record. Most ancestry users are not aware that Irish civil records are now available for free on-line (and the ancestry website doesn’t share this information) and this appears to be the case for these Clune family trees on ancestry. A wider search led to her civil death record in Dublin. Margaret Clune, married, died at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin on 30 April 1881 at the age of 49 years. Her home of “Aughrim, Co. Clare” was also written on the civil death record:

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 850642.pdf

Regarding the fact that James Clune, Margaret’s husband, went to Chicago and was living there in 1900 with his son John Clune, this information was widely known by descendants (or perhaps they are distant cousins) and reflected in their family trees. Also, that the “missing” John Clune of Chicago in 1885 had a cousin Michael Clune in Spencer, and other cousins (Bartholomew and Thomas) in New York whose mother, Anne Clancy Clune, was also living in Spencer, Massachusetts. No “great work” on my part.

I was familiar with this Clune branch back in July, when researching the Clune family of Aughrim Kelly. I had noted that the Clune descendants of Aughrim Tuohy have appropriated the headstone of the James Clune of Aughrim Kelly (also known as Hillsborough), which was paid for by the Rev. John Clune, who was the brother of James Clune (≈1814-1884) married to Bridget Hehir, and not the brother of James Clune of Aughrim Tuohy (later to Chicago) married to Margaret Lynch. The Rev. John Clune can only have one brother named “James”, and from the Limerick will of the Rev. Michael Clune (≈1796-1874), his brother James was from Hillsborough, Ruan.

Sheila, thank you for your further comments on the house in Tullyodea of the Michael Clune (≈1819-1884), later owned by his son James “Seamus” Clune in the 1901 and 1911 census, and in 1947, when Frank Clune visited from Australia, by his granddaughter Bridget Clune Hogan. I should have picked up that a two-story house in 1947 would have had more than three windows (as reported in the 1901 and 1911 census).

Bridget Clune of Tullyodea (age 8 in 1901), Frank Clune’s cousin who he met in 1947, would have only been two years old when her grandmother left for America. Annie Clune, age 60, Irish, arrived in New York on 7 November 1895 on the SS Majestic; her destination was “Spencer”.

1895 arrival: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... 47?lang=en

Why did the widow Anne Casey Clune leave Ireland in 1895? Only her son James was remaining in Tullyodea, she had one son George living in far away Australia, and three children in the United States. Bartholomew (1871-1902) had arrived in 1889; Thomas (1873-1949) had arrived in 1891; and only daughter Mary Clune Connor (1865 – 19xx) arrived in TBD; her son Michael Clune had died in Spencer in 1887. Aside from her three children living in the United States, I thought perhaps it may have been the allure of a home with electricity and indoor plumbing, but in 1895 a google search revealed that neither would have been available in a typical American home.

It appears that poverty was also a contributing factor to emigrate. In searching the newspaper archives, one search result was in relation to the proposal to build a laborer’s cottage at Tullyodea which Mrs. Clune objected to as her Tullyodea farm was “quite small enough for herself and her long, weak family”:

COROFIN UNION.
Labourers (Ireland) Acts, 1883 to 1886.

NOTICE is hereby given that the Board of Guardians, as the Rural Sanitary Authority of this Union, having received a representative signed by not less than Twelve Persons rated for the Relief of the Poor within the Sanitary District, to the effect that the existing house accommodation for Agricultural Labourers and their families in the Electoral Division of Ruan is insufficient, having regard to the ordinary requirements of the district, and suggesting the erection of a Labourer’s Cottage at Tullyodea in said Electoral Division, such representation will be considered by the said Sanitary Authority at their meeting to be held on Wednesday, the 18th day of September, 1889, at the hour of Twelve o’Clock, of which all persons concerned are hereby requested to notice.
By order,
P.M. O’SULLIVAN
Executive Sanitary Officer.
Board Room, Corrofin Workhouse,
21 st August, 1889

Clare Journal and Ennis Advertiser, Monday, 9 September 1889

Mrs. Anne Clune of Tullyodea was a “person concerned” and showed up at the Corrofin board of guardians meeting to make her complaint known:

COROFIN UNION.

At a meeting of the guardians held on Wednesday last, Mr. Michael Hogan, chairman, presided. Other Guardians present—Messrs E B Foster, J P; T Reynolds, V C; J Cahill; P Guthrie; and T J Cahill, D V C.

The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed . . .

LABOURERS COTTAGE.

The Clerk submitted a representation from Orlando Bridgeman, Ruan, suggesting the erection of a cottage on Mrs. Clune’s farm at Tullyodea, signed by 19 ratepayers.

Mr. Bridgeman also handed in a recommendation signed by 22 ratepayers praying the guardians to build the cottage, as it was much needed, and the applicant a suitable tenant for it.

Mrs. Clune (who was present), handed in a counter protest, signed by 19 ratepayers, objecting to its erection, as they considered Mrs. Clune’s farm quite small enough for herself and her long weak family.

On examination it was found that the names of several persons were signed for and against, which caused considerable merriment.

The matter having undergone a desultory kind of discussion, the clerk was directed to issue the usual public and private notice required by law.

Clare Journal and Ennis Advertiser, Monday, 21 October 1889

The location of where to build a “labourer’s cottage”, later known as “Rural District Council house”, and their subsequent maintenance was a contentious issue that often made the Irish press in the late 1880’s and following decades. It appears that the applicant who proposed Tullyodea as the location was Orlando Bridgeman. The Bridgemans appear to have been from Moyrhee townland originally. In the 1881 census, Orlando Bridgeman, age 42, born in Ruan Parish, was living in Durham, England with his wife (Ellen, age 23) with the occupation of “iron puddler”. He died in Ruan a “workman” in November 1893 and is buried in Ruan cemetery. I appreciate that Orlando may have been a poor laborer in need of housing, but what made him and 22 ratepayers believe specifically that Tullyodea and the farm of the widow Mrs. Clune was a good location to build a laborer’s cottage?

At least through the 1911 census, there does not appear to be a “labourer’s cottage” located in Tullyodea; the 1926 census (available in six months) will likely tell a different story (from later newspaper accounts).

When Anne Clune died in Spencer, Massachusetts on 19 April 1908, her civil death record was completed by her daughter, Mrs. John Connor, who reported Anne’s father as “John Casey” and mother as “unknown” (MA death records, 1841-1915, per ancestry). The majority of ancestry family trees on-line have gone with the parents reported in the Lucy McNamara journal, Michael Casey and Mary Bridget Walsh, which I agree is more reliable.

According to this journal, Lucy McNamara (1870 – 1918) was the daughter of Andrew McNamara (1839 – 1909) and Susan Agnes O’Donoghue Casey, who “were married in the chapel of Holy Cross College on August 29, 1869”. Andrew McNamara was the son of Francis O’Donnell McNamara and Mary McMahon Conway (originally from “Ranahan”). “Francis died in 1849 and was buried in the family vault in Ruan cemetery and the family then emigrated to America”. Andrew was born about 1839 prior to the 1845 start of the Ruan baptism register, but his parents (Francis McNamara and Mary Conway) are reported at the baptism of his youngest sister, Mary, on 22 May 1847 (Ruan baptisms, 1845-1881). This provides confidence in the accuracy of the Lucy McNamara Journal.

According to the Lucy McNamara Journal, the grandparents of Andrew were Lawrence McNamara and Susan O’Donnell; and great grandparents were Michael McNamara and Margaret Griffin. “Michael’s son Lawrence (Larry) lived or occupied lands between the village and at Tully Odea”.

The Tithe Applotment book for “Tullydea” was dated 8 April 1843; there is a Patrick McNamara who held 24 Irish acres and a Francis McNamara with 6 Irish acres. There are six different men reported for the townland and the two McNamara holdings were reported consecutively.

National Archives, Tithe Applotment Books:
https://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalar ... r.offset=0

At Griffith’s Valuation, Patrick McNamara held Plot 3b, but only with 2 roods (1/2 an English acre). As discussed previously, “James Cloone” of Plot 3a, leased a herd’s house, with 47 acres and 11 perches (English acres). Taking the total McNamara holdings per the Tithe Applotment book (1843 per index at Clare library) of 30 Irish acres and multiplying by 1.62 to arrive at 48.6 English acres, which is pretty darn close to the “James Cloone” holding of 47 English acres at Griffith’s Valuation.

After Francis McNamara died in 1849 and Mary McMahon Conway McNamara and her children (including Andrew) left for America, it is very evident that James Clune of Aughrim Tuohy took over the McNamara’s Tullyodea lands, allowing Patrick McNamara to stay with a small house and garden. Perhaps it is not coincidental that Michael Clune, son of James Clune of Aughrim Tuohy, would marry Anne Casey in 1856 and live at Tullyodea, and that his widow would later move to Spencer. And that Andrew McNamara of Tullyodea would marry Susan Casey in Massachusetts in 1869; the bride being a first cousin of Anne Casey married to Michael Clune of Tullyodea.

Lucy McNamara in her journal further provided an interesting fact regarding Michael Clune and Anne (Nancy) Casey that I neglected to mention in my last posting. “Nancy married Michael Clune and was his second wife”.

This statement was not researched further or even mentioned in any of the ancestry family trees with Michael Clune (≈1819 – 1884) of Tullyodea. When Michael Clune married Anne Casey in 1856 he would have been about 37 years old, so perhaps not a surprise that he was a widower (an otherwise unknown fact given that civil marriage records naming marital status did not start until 1864).

I looked for a possible marriage for Michael Clune in Ruan and neighboring parishes’ marriage registers, and also as a parent in the respective baptism registers. No luck. But then I remembered that George Clune, a brother of Michael Clune, had “married out” and lived at Scariff parish. Scariff is a considerable distant from Ruan, with Crusheen, Caher Feakle, and Feakle, separating the two parishes. Bingo!

Michael Clune and Biddy Rogers of Aughrim, baptized a daughter, Mary, on 12 September 1853; sponsors “Patt and Biddy Rogers, Aughrim” (Scariff baptism register, 1852-1872).

NLI: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls ... 5/mode/1up

I could find no marriage record for Michael Clune and Bridget Rogers. For Scariff parish, the Catholic marriage register starts in November 1852. Given we don’t know when the couple married, and Michael Clune was born about 1819 (if death record is accurate), it is possible that Michael and Bridget Clune had other children prior to the 1852 start of the baptism register. Their daughter, Mary, born in 1853 likely died young as Michael Clune and Anne Casey (wife #2) would have a daughter Mary in 1865.

The Rogers surname does not appear in the Ruan baptism register of 1845 to 1881, not even as a sponsor. I’m surprised that the two Rogers baptism sponsors in 1853 were reported as being from “Aughrim” and suspect that this might be a mistake by the Scariff parish priest. Rogers is very common surname in Scariff, Caher Feakle and Feakle parishes.

Sheila, thank you for noting your discovery that James Clune/Cloone at Griffith’s Valuation had also possibly leased a plot at Ballyharraghan townland, in addition to Aughrim Tuohy and Tullyodea.

Given that Michael Clune was a married man, or possibly a widower, at the time of Griffith’s Valuation, I revised my prior theory where he was living. Previously, I thought that Michael was living with his father (James) at Aughrim Tuohy prior to his 1856 marriage to Anne Casey when he would have moved to Tullyodea. In searching Griffith’s Valuation, I now reckon that he was the “Michael Cloone” reported in Ruan Commons in House #24, lessor was noted as “Free” (as in he owned the house and garden outright, I think); land of only 10 perches valued at 1 shilling; house valued at 19 shillings (total value £1).

I had a look for another Michael Clune in Ruan parish records as well as civil records (death records, in particular) which might disprove or shed doubt upon my theory, but there are not so many Clunes in Ruan parish compared to, say, Quin parish. A search of the newspaper archives led to yet another “missing advertisement” for the Clune family, but I reckon this Michael Clune of Ruan was the Michael married to Anne Casey and living in Tullyodea and my GV theory remains intact:

SHEEP STRAYED.

STRAYED from the Fair of Clare, on Friday, 30th ult., a Hogget [not a pig, but a yearling sheep]; value about fifty shillings; the property of Michael Clune, Ruan.

Any information will be thankfully received by
MR. JAMES COSTELLO
Jail Street, Ennis.

Clare Journal and Ennis Advertiser, Thursday, 5 June 1873

At Tullyodea townland, the Clune family only leased 47 acres at the time of Griffith’s Valuation. Michael Clune’s grandson, Frank Clune, worked a few days at Kerarbury Station in New South Wales which was a whopping 80,000 acres with 43,000 sheep. I suspect that Michael Clune had more sheep per acre given the fertility of the Irish soil; 100 sheep would be a high estimate. Unlike his nephew John Clune missing in Chicago in 1885 and his grandson Frank Clune missing in 1910, sadly there is no evidence whether or not Michael Clune found his missing sheep in 1873. His desperate search for his one stray sheep in a flock of one hundred reminds me of a biblical story.

The contact person if the stray sheep was found was James Costello of Jail Street in Ennis. Further evidence that County Clare is a pretty small place, in 1920 James Costello’s grandson, the Rev. John Thomas McMahon of O’Connell Square in Ennis, would become the undersecretary for Archbishop P. J. Clune of Perth, the nephew of Michael Clune of Ruan (and Tullyodea) whose sheep was missing in 1873.

Sheila, thank you for noting in your most recent posting that you discovered Laurence Clune of Aughrim Tuohy. His relationship in the 1901 census as a “visitor” is odd. Laurence Clune would have likely lived his entire life in this same home in Aughrim Tuohy. And his son-in-law reports him as a “visitor”? There must be a story here worth further investigation.

Hi Jimbo,

Thank you for all that added information on the Aughrim Tuohy and Aughrim Kelly Clunes.
Good work finding that there is, after all, a headstone in Ruan graveyard for the Aughrimtuohy Clunes, i.e. the headstone for Margaret Clune, who died in 1881.
There are quite a few Aughrims in Ireland. “Aughrim” is an anglicised version of Eachdhruim, which means “horse ridge” or “steed’s back” - yet another Irish word for a hill or upland. “The Lass of Aughrim” is a traditional song *, but it gives no clue as to which Aughrim the lass belongs to. It was sung** by Siney Crotty in London in the 1970s: see https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... crotty.htm.
There is an Aughrim in the parish of Kilkeedy and an Aughrim in the parish of Tomgraney. There are two families of Rogers living Aughrim, Tomgraney, in 1901: https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... m126_1.htm. The Aughrim address given in the Scarriff parish register, at the baptism of the first Mary Clune in 1847, is probably the Tomgraney Aughrim ***.
The Aughrim in Kilkeedy has a Clune family living there in 1901, which may be related to the Ruan Clunes. The John Clune living there in 1901 with his mother, Susan [Gleeson] , was born in Aughrim, Kilkeedy, in 1873, according to the civil record, but I see that he was baptised in Ruan.
Birth of John Clune, Aughrim, Kilkeedy: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 166325.pdf.

* “The Lass of Aughrim” is probably best known now as the song mentioned by James Joyce in his long short story, “The Dead”.

** Siney ends the song by saying the last few words. This was a common practice among traditional singers. I was told it was a way of bringing the listeners back to earth, but I'm not sure if that was the real reason.

*** The Aughrim in Tomgraney includes a smaller area called Driminure. In October 2023, I posted “Patrick Guilfoyle, b. 1880 in Driminure, Aughrim, Tomgraney”: https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... m126_1.htm.

Sheila

Hi Sheila,

Thank you. Just read your latest posting as I’m about to post this (I cut & paste from a word document).

I see now that there is an Aughrim townland in Tomgraney civil parish which would fall in the Catholic parish of Scariff. So the Scariff priest did not make a mistake with the September 1853 baptism entry for Mary Clune, parents Michael Clune and Biddy Rogers of Aughrim, with Patt and Biddy Rogers of Aughrim as the two sponsors. Capparoe townland is adjacent to this newly found Aughrim townland.

As you discovered in Griffith’s Valuation, “George Clueu” of Capparoe held Plots 6 & 7, a herdman’s house, totaling about 150 acres with a valuation of £70. Plot 7 includes Capparoe graveyard. George Clune appears to be a very wealthy man from the size of his plots. These two plots sit just to the west of Aughrim townland (they border Plots 8, 10, and 14).

In Aughrim townland there were only 14 plots at Griffith’s Valuation. At Tithe Applotment as of 25 October 1827 Aughrim townland is much larger with the Notes including further detail, such as “Ballycorban” which will be broken out as a separate townland at Griffith’s Valuation. It appears that Aughrim at Griffith’s Valuation is only “Upper Aughrim” and possibly “Lower Aughrim” as reported in the Notes at Tithe Applotments.

At Griffith’s Valuation in Aughrim townland the largest size holding is a Jeremiah Rogers with 222 acres valued at £32. Capparoe townland at Tithe Applotments appears also to include several different townlands which will be broken out at the time of Griffith’s Valuation. Rogers is a common surname.

Capparoe townland is large geographically like an elongated boot. George Clune at Plots 6 & 7 is at the top and back of the boot bordering Aughrim. At the 1853 baptism of Mary Clune, there is a possibility that the priest and Clunes used the neighboring Aughrim townland as their address although they lived in Capparoe. Especially if Bridget Rogers and the two sponsors were originally from Aughrim this would be more likely.

My theory is that Michael Clune of Aughrim Tuohy married Bridget Rogers of Capparoe / Aughrim obtaining the sizable Capparoe estate. Bridget Rogers Clune died young. The Clune family of Aughrim Tuohy (Ruan) transferred the Capparoe property to Michael’s brother George Clune who would later marry Anne Ringrose (their first child born in Capparoe in 1857). Michael Clune would remarry Anne (Nancy) Casey and live in Tullyodea.

Perhaps difficult to prove, but the theory does make sense.

Sheila, when James Clune of Aughrim Tuohy is “evicted” (this point is debatable), evidence is shown that George Clune of Capparoe and James Clune (both children of a James Clune) of Aughrim Tuohy were indeed brothers. We don’t need to rely solely upon Frank Clune of Australia meeting his second cousin in 1947 to prove this relationship.

When the Rev. James Clune of Whitegate (originally from Aughrim Kelly) on New Year’s Eve in 1910 at the parish benefit concert sang “The West’s Asleep”, he likely placed strong emphasis on the line “At Aughrim's slopes and Shannon's wave”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aughrim

Hi Jimbo,

It’s good that you have mentioned that Mary Clune was baptised in Scarriff in1853. I made a mistake in my last posting when I gave the year as 1847.

You give a link to a Wikipedia article on the Battle of Aughrim and you may have noticed that it contains a mention of a painting of the battle by John Mulvany, completed in 1885. It was missing for a long time, but turned up in San Francisco in 2010. Although Mulvany did some research, his depiction of the battle is probably a bit fanciful. Nevertheless, it is a shame that the Irish State did not buy it (it is now in private hands): https://www.farmersjournal.ie/life/feat ... rim-633282.

Jimbo, I have seen references to a book, “ The Clunes from the Dalcassians to Modern Times”, by Conor F. Clune, including a reference in this exchange between Clune descendants on Ireland Reaching Out: https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/messag ... une-family. But I notice that the book starts at 1838 (so “Dalcassians” is a bit misleading) and you have already reached further back than that.

Sheila

Hi Sheila,

Happy New Year! Looking forward to viewing the 1926 Irish census on-line this coming April.

Thank you for highlighting the painting of the Battle of Aughrim by John Mulvany as I didn’t read that far in the wikipedia article. It is amazing that the painting turned up on the ebay auction website after so many years being missing.

The 300th anniversary of the Battle of Aughrim was in 1991. The Williamite Wars were commemorated by the Irish post office with two postage stamps, the Siege of Athlone and the Treaty of Limerick. Unfortunately, the Battle of Aughrim did not make the cut.

Sheila, thanks for providing the link to the Ireland Reaching Out (“IRO”) discussion on Patrick Clune of New Zealand who the original poster stated was baptized in Ballagh in 1845, parents James Clune and Bridget O’Halloran. Regarding your comment that the “The Clunes from the Dalcassians to Modern Times” by Conor F. Clune “starts in 1838”, I believe that this year only refers to the “Johnny Clunes” on page 98 which the 2020 contributor from Dublin is apparently descended from. I don’t own or have access to Conor Clune’s book, but I am sure that other information, perhaps very generally, goes back to the Dalcassians (10th century, I had to look it up).

From the IRO discussion, there are details in “The Clune from the Dalcassions” for James Clune and Bridget O’Halloran that both the original NZ poster (2016) and Dublin Clune descendant (2020) are aware of, but this information was not shared with us. Conor Clune’s book goes to “Modern Times” and possibly provided current information on the Clune descendants in New Zealand that don’t need to be shared on the internet.

The original poster in 2016 stated “In 12 May 1865 he [Patrick Clune] married Mary O'CONNELL who was born in Limerick 1851”. Very unlikely, as that would mean that the bride, Mary O’Connell, was only 14 years old when she married? Plus, where is the civil marriage record? Accurate dates are important in genealogy, and an expanded search revealed that Patrick Clune actually married on 12 May 1869:

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 196551.pdf

The civil marriage record states that Patrick Clune was the son of James Clune and 22 years old; and Mary O’Connell was 17 years old. Both Patrick Clune and his father had the occupation of “labourer” which is an extremely important clue that was not disclosed in any of the postings.

Sheila, the original posting was in 2016 when your transcriptions of Quin Parish baptism and marriage registers had not yet been completed so finding the siblings of Patrick Clune would have been challenging (this was the recommendation by R.M. of County Roscommon in 2016). A quick look at the Quin parish transcriptions at the Clare Library reveals that Patrick born in 1845 was the first born child of James Clune and Bridget Halloran who had five other children: Honor (1849), Michael (1851), Bridget (1854), Catherine (1857), and Ellen (1859). As partly mentioned by the original IRO poster, James Clune married Bridget Halloran of Kilkishen on 11 February 1844; witnesses John Halloran and Thomas Donnelon, both of Kilkishen (O’Callaghan marriage register, 1835-1881).

Discovering the civil death record for James Clune of Ballagh would be challenging for any Clune researchers as its Tulla civil registration was reported on-line as Galway in error. James Clune, of Kilkishen, married, “labourer”, died on 31 July 1882; informant was Bridget Clune of Kilkishen. The town of Kilkishen is not far (about 5 kms) from Ballagh townland and Bridget Halloran Clune appears to have been from Kilkishen based upon the 1844 marriage register.

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 834922.pdf

Bridget Clune, widow of a steward, died in Kilkishen on 6 November 1898:

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 644801.pdf

The informant on the 1898 civil death record was her daughter Ellie Clune of Kilkishen. In both the 1901 and 1911 census, Ellie Clune was living with her sister Honor Clune in Kilkishen Town, both dressmakers. The 1901 census included their niece Mary Clune, the daughter of Michael Clune and Catherine Moylan. The 1911 census for the two Clune dressmakers included niece Mary Clune as well as a Kelleher niece and nephew. The Kelleher children born in Limerick were the children of Bridget Clune and John Kelleher, a constable of the Royal Irish Constabulary who married in 1891. The witness at their marriage was a James Cochrane, also of the R.I.C., who was married to Kate Clune. This accounts for the five siblings of Patrick Clune of NZ.

Upon finding the R.I.C. connection, I realized that I had previously researched these children of James Clune and Bridget O’Halloran back in July 2025 when researching James Clune (≈1814 – 1884) and Bridget Hehir (≈1837 – after 1901) of Aughrim Kelly. The Aughrim Kelly Clune daughter Kate Clune born in 1869 professed in 1892 in the convent of Sisters of Mercy as Sister Mary Teresa. But my initial research had led (in error) to her marrying the Tulla based R.I.C. constable James Cochrane in 1887. After discovering my mistake I had set this Clune research aside, having reconstructed the family tree, except for their eldest son Patrick Clune whose whereabouts were a complete mystery. Sheila, it is an amazing coincidence that you would highlight a descendant in New Zealand of this Patrick Clune who was in search of his ancestors.

There was some discussion on Ireland Reaching Out about where James Clune and Bridget O’Halloran were living at the time of Griffith Valuation. From the Quin baptism register, they were living in Ballagh townland. The IRO volunteer from Roscommon (2016) gave the response that “the only James [Clune] was in Carrowgar townland. We don’t know if James had left Quin, moved to Carrowgar from Ballagh, was not leasing land or had died”. I see from his ancestry family tree that the NZ Clune descendant on IRO has gone with this Carrowgar explanation for where James Clune of Ballagh was living in 1855. This is incorrect. From viewing the Quin baptism register, James Clune and Johanna Nash of Carrowgar had many children between 1843 and 1863. He is surely the James Clune of Carrowgar at Griffith Valuation (and not the James Clune married to Bridget O’Halloran).

Ballagh townland at Griffith Valuation is only one plot of land. And when viewing the actual GV report and not just the index, the house in Plot 1a was reported as a “herdsman house” valued at only 10 shillings; the 73 acres was valued at £40. The lessee was “Patrick Corbett”, and lessor was “Nicholas Murphy”. Patrick Corbett was leasing from Nicholas Murphy, but not living at Ballagh where he most certainly employed a caretaker / herdsman. Based upon the Quin baptism register with the birth locations of the children of James Clune and Bridget O’Halloran reported as “Ballagh” (or some spelling of) between 1845 and 1859, most certainly James Clune was the caretaker/herdsman for Patrick Corbett and lived at Ballagh townland at the time of Griffith Valuation. When Bridget Clune died in 1898 she was reported as “widow of steward”. When their son Michael Clune was married in 1881 his occupation was reported as a caretaker and son of shopkeeper (the later occupation of James Clune after he moved to Kilkishen).

The Quin Heritage Group has on their website the “Big Houses” located in Quin and Clooney, including Ballagh House. The source of this information was the “Houses of Clare” by Dr. Hugh W.L. Weir (Ballinakella Press, 1986).

https://quinheritage.ie/the-big-houses- ... d-clooney/

Generally, it is not very clear when the topic is “Ballagh townland” or “Ballagh House”. The first sentence under “History” is incorrect, “Ballagh was in the hands of the Corbett family for many years [correct], although in 1855 it was leased to Mr Murphy [incorrect]”. Nicholas Murphy was the “lessor”, at the time of Griffith Valuation he was leasing to Patrick Corbett 73 acres of land and a herdsman’s house valued at 10 shillings. Ballagh House was clearly not in existence at the time of Griffith Valuation.

The Patrick Corbett who was leasing the land and herdsman house at Ballagh townland, actually lived at Derreen townland at Griffith Valuation in a nice house valued at £2. It appears that at GV he was holding the lands at Ballagh townland for when his son Thomas Corbett married and started his own family. Sheila, this situation would be exactly the same as James Clune of Aughrim Tuohy at Griffith Valuation, who was also leasing land and a herdsman’s house at Tullyodea where one of his sons would later live.

Thomas Corbett married in February 1861 and I suspect Ballagh House, “the one-and-a-half storey, four bay, gabled house, with dormer windows” described by Hugh Weir, was built in the 1860’s.

On Tuesday, the 12th instant; at Doora, by the Rev. Daniel Corbett, P.P., assisted by the Rev. Jeremiah Vaughan, P.P., Thomas, second son of Mr. Patrick Corbett, of Derreen, to Ellen, eldest daughter of Mr. Ambrose Power, of Castlefergus.

Clare Journal and Ennis Advertiser, Thursday, 21 February 1861

The earliest newspaper account I could find that Thomas Corbett was living in Ballagh was from a List of Cess Payers reported in the Clare Journal of 10 April 1865. When Patrick Corbett of Derreen died in 1892 at the age of 98 years he was at Ballagh, the home of the informant, his son Thomas Corbett.

CORBETT—Dec. 22, at Ballagh, Quin, co. Clare, Patrick Corbett, of Derreen, Clare Clastle, aged 98 years.

Irish American, New York, 23 January 1892

1892 civil death record (Tulla):
https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 721353.pdf

At both the 1901 and 1911 census, Thomas and Ellen Corbett and their nephew Vincent Corbett were living in Ballagh townland.

Not sure when James Clune moved from Ballagh townland to Kilkishen village; he was still there in 1862:

ASSAULT.
James Hogan was next indicted for that he did, on the 6th of June last, assault James Clune, at Ballaghbuoy, he being armed with a gun at the time.

Clare Journal and Ennis Advertiser, Thursday, 20 February 1862

When Michael Clune, son of James Clune, married in 1881 his residence was Kilkishen and occupation was “caretaker”. I highly suspect Michael Clune was the caretaker for Thomas Corbett of Ballagh House, as his father James Clune was the caretaker / steward for Patrick Corbett. Kilkishen was quite near to Ballagh and Michael Clune and Thomas Corbett appear to have had close personal ties. In 1883 when Michael Clune applied for a liquor license in Quin village (where he was a grocer at the time of the 1901 census), Thomas Corbett of Ballagh was one of the sureties.

NOTION OF APPLICANT OF EXCISE LICENSE.

SIRS—Take notice that I, Michael Clune, of Quin, do intend to apply to the Justices at the next General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, to be held at Ennis, in the County of Clare, on the 31st day of October next, for an order to entitle me to an excise license for the sale of Spirits, Beer, and Cider, by retail, and that the house in which I desire to be licensed is situate at Quin, aforesaid in the parish of Quin, Barony of Upper Bunratty, in said County, and I propose as my sureties Thomas Corbett, of Ballagh, Quin, and James Clune, of Ballymaclune, Quin, both in the County of Clare, farmers.

Dated this 2nd day of October, 1883
Signed, MICHAEL CLUNE, Applicant.
THOMAS LYNCH, Solicitor for the applicant, Bindon-street, Ennis.

Clare Journal and Ennis Advertiser, Thursday, 4 October 1883

Interestingly, when the Rev. Daniel Corbett of Quin (mentioned in the famous Spancil Hill song) died in 1893, his cousin Thomas Corbett of Ballagh was one of the executors of the will.

https://willcalendars.nationalarchives. ... _00082.pdf

The Quin Heritage Group has lots of interviews of local people. The interview of Patrick Corbett originally of Main Street in Quin and later Australia was very interesting. Starting about the 8 minute mark the conversation made its way to Quin becoming the first village in County Clare to have public electricity (year not given). Prior to this in 1940 a generator provided electricity to three houses in Quin including Ballagh House. The fact that it had electricity was the reason that the Cleaves of County Limerick moved into Ballagh House. The interviewer then mentions that Ballagh House had recently been sold, a very important clue to track down the herdsman house where James Clune of Ballagh townland had previously lived.

https://quinheritage.ie/pat-corbett-main-street-quin/

“The opening bid was €750,000. Within 10 minutes and a tennis match between two solicitors (acting on behalf of respective client), and 71 bids later the gavel fell at €1.475 million”.

https://farmsforsaleireland.com/ballagh ... 5-million/

Holy Toledo, that is over US$ 1.7 million! The real estate agent was Costelloe of Ennis and their website provided a good description of the mid-19th century house and property with many photos:

https://costelloe.com/property/ballagh- ... -co-clare/

“To the rear of the house is an old stone farmyard with stables, a former coach house and a more modern 3 bay haybarn with two leanto wings.” Sheila, could you please take a look at the third photo in the above link. Is this third photo the “former coach house” and possibly the herdsman’s house at Griffith Valuation which I reckon was the home of James Clune and Bridget O’Halloran of Ballagh and birthplace of Patrick Clune of New Zealand whose descendant posted on Ireland Reaching Out back in 2016 and again in 2020?

****************

James Clune (≈1812 – 1882) and Bridget Halloran (≈1823 – 1898) of Ballagh, and later Kilkishen, were the parents of six children:

1.0 Patrick Clune (1845 – 1943 in Wellington, NZ), of Ballagh, was baptized on 15 March 1845; sponsors Patt Clune and Bridget Hogan (Quin-Clooney baptisms, 1816-1855).

Patrick Clune, age 22, a laborer residing at Nicholas street, son of laborer James Clune, married Mary O’Connell, age 17, a school mistress residing at Nicholas street, daughter of laborer Edmond O’Connell, on 12 May 1869 at the Catholic church of St. Mary’s in the city of Limerick by the parish priest Richard Scott; witnesses Edmond Halloran and Margaret M. O’Keefe (Limerick registration).

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 196551.pdf

Their first born child was born in Michigan on 3 May 1870, so the newlyweds likely departed for the United States or Canada soon after marrying. Despite the short window for their arrival, I could not find them in either USA or Canada passenger listings. I suspect they arrived in Montreal as Canada passenger lists are less complete than USA records, and travelled by ship through the Great Lakes to Michigan.

CLUNE—On June 11, 1943, at Wellington, Patrick James, beloved husband of the last Mary Clune; in his 99th year. R.I.P.

Dominion, 14 June 1943

CLUNE—The death has occurred in Wellington of Mr. Patrick Clune at the age of 99. Born in Co. Clare, Ireland, Mr. Clune spent some years in America before coming to N.Z. in the ship Leicester in 1876. With the exception of a trip to Australia he had lived in Wellington ever since, being engaged in farming until the death of his wife in 1904. Mr. Clune was a cousin of the late Archbishop Clune of Perth. He is survived by four daughters and one son. There are also 16 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.

Evening Post, 26 June 1943

Sources: NZ newspaper archive “Papers Past”: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers

Patrick Clune (1845 – 1943) and Mary O’Connell (1850 - 1904) were the parents of seven children; two born in the United States and five in New Zealand.

………… 1.1 Margaret Clune (1870; age 6 in 1876 ship Leicester passenger listing) was born on 3 May 1870 in Ishpeming, Marquette County, Michigan; parents Patrick and Mary Clune (Michigan birth records, 1867-1914)
………… 1.2 Michael Joseph Clune (1873; age 3 in 1876 passenger listing), was born in America according to NZ records, but unlike his sister I could not find a birth record in Michigan.

The ship Leicester left London on 21 October 1876 and arrived in New Zealand on 20 January 1877 with the Clune family departing at Marlborough: Michael Clune (age 30, born in Clare, shepherd), Mary Clune (age 25) and children Margaret (age 6) and Michael (age 3):

Leicester passenger listing: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... ZV?lang=en

………… 1.3 Honor Clune (1879)
………… 1.4 Bridget “Delia’ Clune (1882)
………… 1.5 Cecilia Frances Clune (1884)
………… 1.6 Edward James Clune (1887)
………… 1.7 Florence May Clune (1890)


2.0 Honor Clune (1849 – 1929 in Kilkishen), of “Bally”, was baptized on 30 October 1849; sponsor Mary Halloran (Quin-Clooney baptisms, 1816-1855). <Teeronea, Kilkishen, House 2; Kilkishen Town, Kilkishen, House 2>

In the 1901 Irish census, Norah Clune (“age 36”) was living in Teeronea, Kilkishen with her sister Ellie Clune (“age 28”), both dressmakers. Also living in the household was Mary Clune (age 12), their niece and daughter of Michael Clune and Catherine Moylan (key evidence of sibling relationship).

In the 1911 Irish census, Norah Clune (“age 48”) was living in Kikishen Town with her sister Lelie Clune (“age 45”), her niece Mollie Clune (age 21), all three dressmakers, as well as niece Josephine Keleher (age 15) and nephew Alphonsus Keleher (age 14), both born in County Limerick and scholars.

Norah Clune, of Kilkishen, a dressmaker, age 73 years (in fact, age 79), died on 7 January 1929; informant her niece, Josephine Kelleher of Kilkishen (Scariff civil registration).


3.0 Michael Clune (1851 – after 1911), of Ballagh, was baptized on 17 December 1851; sponsors Michael Clune and Mary Clune (Quin-Clooney baptisms, 1816-1855).

Michael Clune, of Kilkishen, “age 25”, a caretaker, son of shopkeeper James Clune (living), married Catherine Moylan, of Ballyhannon, age 25, daughter of farmer Michael Moylan (deceased) [and Bridget Scanlon per 1853 Quin baptism record], on 30 June 1881 at the Catholic chapel at Ennis by the Rev. Daniel Fogarty; witnesses James Doolaughty and Maggy Ryan (Ennis civil registration).

Michael Clune (1851 – after 1911) and Catherine Moylan (1853 – after 1911) were the parents of nine children, six surviving per 1911 census: <Quin Village, Quin, House 13; Quin Town, Quin, House 3>

………… 3.1 Bridget “Delia” Clune (age 19 in 1901) <Quin Village, Quin, House 13; Quin Town, Quin, House 3>
………… 3.2 James Clune (age 15 in 1901) <Quin Village, Quin, House 13; Quin Town, Quin, House 3>
………… 3.3 Mary “Molly” Clune (age 12 in 1901) of Quin was born 8 February 1889; father Michael Clune was reported as a “grocer”. She was living in Kilkishen with Clune aunties in 1901 and 1911. <Teeronea, Kilkishen, House 2; Kilkishen Town, Kilkishen, House 2>
………… 3.4 Alice Clune (age 10 in 1901) <Quin Village, Quin, House 13; Quin Town, Quin, House 3>
………… 3.5 Ellie Clune (age 8 in 1901) <Quin Village, Quin, House 13; Quin Town, Quin, House 3> an Ellen Clune of Quin died on 18 November 1911 at age 20.
………… 3.6 Hanorah “Norah” Clune (1898) <Quin Village, Quin, House 13; Quin Town, Quin, House 3>
………… 3.7 Unknown Clune (parents of nine children, six surviving in 1911)
………… 3.8 Unknown Clune
………… 3.9 Unknown Clune


4.0 Bridget Clune (1854 – unknown after 1911), of Ballagh, was baptized on 20 May 1854; sponsors John Clune and Johanna Lenihan (Quin-Clooneys baptisms, 1816-1855).

Delia Clune, of Kilkishen, “age 23”, daughter of James Clune, a deceased shopkeeper, married John Keleher, a constable living in Askeaton, son of farmer Michael Keleher, on 15 July 1891 at the Catholic chapel of St. Alphonsus in the City of Limerick; witnesses James Cochrane (her brother-in-law) and Lizzie (not clear, possibly McNamara) per Limerick civil registration.

Delia Clune was 37 years old when she married in 1891, and not 23. She was most certainly set-up by her younger sister, Kate, who was married to James Cochrane of the R.I.C. stationed in Askeaton.

In May 1898 the transfer of “vice Constable John Kelleher from Knockaderry to Finniterstown” was among many Royal Irish Constabulary transfers reported in the Limerick Chronicle of 14 May 1898.

In the 1901 Irish census, Delia Keleher (“age 32”, born in County Clare) was living with her two children (Mary J F, age 5; and James J A, age 4) in County Limerick <Commons, Dromard, Limerick, House 1.1>. She was married and John Keleher was reported as head of family, but no other details for him. As typical, John Keleher was reported elsewhere with other constables and only by their initials: “J K” was 38 years old, married, and born in County Leitrim <Finniterstown, Dromard, Limerick, House 10.2 in 1901>.

In the 1911 Irish census, the two Kelleher children are living in Kilkishen Town with their two Clune aunties. Initially, I had assumed that their mother, Delia Clune Kelleher, had died prior to the 1911 census, but I could not find the civil death record. Subsequent research led to John Kelleher (age 49, born in Co. Limerick, painter and decorator) and Delia Kelleher (age 40, born in Co. Clare) living in House 2.2 in Newtown Mahon in Limerick in the 1911 census. They had been married for 20 years and parents of two living children (who were not living with them), a perfect match. While this John Kelleher was reportedly born in Limerick and not Leitrim, and was a “painter” and not a “constable”, the key evidence as to their identity was that their next door neighbors in House 2.1 in Newtown Mahon were two Cochrane nieces (see 5.1 and 5.4 below).

John Kelleher was 49 years old in 1911. It is possible that he was not really a “painter” but still a constable. Or perhaps he had retired? The name “John Kelleher” is surprisingly common in Ireland. There were quite a few in Royal Irish Constabulary pension records, but I could not find one of the appropriate age and birthplace. Checking the Leitrim Catholic church records (transcribed by ancestry), he must be the John Keleher baptized on 7 June 1862 in Aghavas, County Leitrim; father Michael Keleher and mother Mary Tiernan (transcribed by ancestry as Turnan).

John Kelleher (1862 – after 1911) and Bridget Clune (1854 – after 1911) were the parents of two children:

………… 4.1 Mary “Josephine” Keleher (1895 – after 1929) was born on 6 November 1895 at the hospital in Bedford Row in the City of Limerick; father John Kelleher was reported as a “Constable R.I.C.” and living at Knockaderry, Newcastle West (Limerick civil registration). <Commons, Dromard, Limerick, House 1.1; Kilkishen Town, Kilkishen, House 2>

In 1911, Josephine and her younger brother were living with their Clune aunties in Kilkishen town. Josephine Kelleher was the informant in January 1929 at the death of her aunt, Norah Clune of Kilkishen.

………… 4.2 James “Alphonsus” Keleher (age 4 in 1901 – after 1911) <Commons, Dromard, Limerick, House 1.1; Kilkishen Town, Kilkishen, House 2> I could not locate his civil birth record. He went by “James J A” in the 1901 census, and “Alphonsus” in 1911. I suspect he was named “Alphonsus” after St. Alphonsus church in the city of Limerick where his parents married in 1891. Later whereabouts are a mystery.


5.0 Catherine Clune (1857 – 1945), of Ballagh, was baptized on 11 February 1857; sponsors Matt Clune and Mary Brassil (Quin-Clooney baptisms, 1855-1880).

Kate Clune, of Kilkishen, daughter of James Clune (farmer), married James Cochrane, constable R.I.C., of Tulla, son of James Cochrane (farmer), on 24 December 1887 at the Catholic chapel at O’Callaghan Mills; witness Michael Forrest and Rose McNamara (Tulla civil registration).

COMPLIMENT TO A CONSTABLE.

Constable James Cochrane, recently transferred from Askeaton to Cappamore, has been the recipient of the following resolution from the magistrates presiding at Askeaton petty sessions on 9th inst:—

“We the magistrates presiding at Askeaton petty sessions on 9th November, 1897, having heard with regret of the transfer to Cappamore of Constable James Cochrane, who had been stationed here for ten years [after his 1887 marriage to Kate Clune he had to leave Clare], desire to place on record our appreciation of his services. During his stay here he always discharged his duties in a highly efficient and intelligent manner, and to the satisfaction of us and the public. (Signed)
C.F.F. ROLLESTON. R.M.
THOMAS SHEEHY.
JAMES HOGAN.
PATRICK C. O’BRIEN, M.D.

Constabulary Gazette, Dublin, Saturday, 27 November 1897

Kate Cochrane (age 34, born in Clare) was living with five of her six children in Durnish, County Limerick in the 1901 census. She was reported as a “widow”, but in fact her husband was a constable in the Royal Irish Constabulary in Foynes Town and reported only by his initials “J C”, age 40, married, born in Kings County (age and birthplace consistent with 1911 census).

Constable J. Cochrane of Foynes and four other constables in the Rathkeale district force were granted the King’s Coronation Police Medal for long and meritorious service (Constabulary Gazette, Dublin, 3 August 1912). The coronation of King George V was in 1911; the medal was awarded based upon long service and not limited to being on duty in London at the coronation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Geor ... tion_Medal

James Cochrane (≈1861 – 1941) <Foynes Town, Ballynacragga North, Limerick, House 1000; Foynes Town, Shanagolden, Limerick, House 22> and Kate Clune (1857 – 1945) were the parents of six children all born in County Limerick: <Durnish, Ballynacragga North, Limerick, House 2; Foynes Town, Shanagolden, Limerick, House 22>

………… 5.1 Bridget “Josephine” Cochrane (1889 - TBD) <Durnish, Ballynacragga North, Limerick, House 2; Newtown Mahon, Limerick No. 6 Urban, House 2.1> In the 1911 census Josephine Cochrane (age 20) was a “milliner and sales” living in Newtown Mahon with her sister Nora May (age 14, a scholar); their next door neighbors in House 2.2 were uncle and aunt, John and Delia Kelleher. Josephine Cochrane was the informant in 1916 at the death of her sister Birdie.

………… 5.2 James E. Cochrane (18xx - TBD) <Durnish, Ballynacragga North, Limerick, House 2; Foynes Town, Shanagolden, Limerick, House 22> James Cochrane, of Foynes, Limerick, son of policeman James Cochrane, married Susan Madigan of Kilrush, daughter of watchman Timothy Madigan [and Elizabeth Hamill of Monmore, Kilrush] at St. Joseph’s Church in Limerick on 28 April 1920 (Limerick registration). Susan Cochrane was the informant when her mother-in-law died in 1945.

………… 5.3 Elizabeth Cochrane (1891 - TBD) <unknown in 1901; Foynes Town, Shanagolden, Limerick, House 22> Unknown location in 1901 and whereabouts after 1911 are a mystery.

………… 5.4 Hanora Mary “Birdie” Cochrane (1893 - 1916) <Durnish, Ballynacragga North, Limerick, House 2; Newtown Mahon, Limerick No. 6 Urban, House 2.1> She was living with her elder sister Josephine in the 1911 census. Died young in 1916; her sister Josephine Cochrane was the informant.

Foyne’s Workingmen’s Club
On the motion of Mr. Daniel Skeahan, seconded by Mr. Thomas Danaher, a vote of condolence was also unanimously tendered to Mr. and Mrs. Cochrane (Foynes) on the death of their daughter, Birdie.
Munster News, Saturday, 24 June 1916

………… 5.5 Michael John Cochrane (1895 – after 1921) <Durnish, Ballynacragga North, Limerick, House 2; Foynes Town, Shanagolden, Limerick, House 22> of Askeaton was born on 21 September 1895; father James Cochrane reported as “Constable Royal Irish Constabulary” (Rathkeale civil registration). M.J. Cochrane, age 24, born in Askeaton, was discharged from the Irish Guards in London on 25 October 1921. He had joined the regiment on 19 May 1921.

………… 5.6 Patrick Joseph Cochrane (1899 - 1918) <Durnish, Ballynacragga North, Limerick, House 2; Foynes Town, Shanagolden, Limerick, House 22> died young of TB on 28 March 1918; informant father James Cochrane (Rathkeale civil registration).


6.0 Ellen Clune (1859 – TBD), of Ballagh, was baptized on 15 May 1859; sponsors John Corbett and Winny Scanlan (Quin-Clooney baptisms, 1855-1880). <Teeronea, Kilkishen, House 2; Kilkishen Town, Kilkishen, House 2>

Ellie Clune of Kilkishen was the informant on the civil death record when her mother died in November 1898. She was living in Kilkishen with her eldest sister, Hanorah Clune, in both the 1901 and 1911 census. The sisters were dressmakers. See details in 2.0 above. Later whereabouts unknown; the 1926 census available on-line in April 2026 might provide an important clue.

***************

The 1943 obituary for Patrick Clune (1845 – 1943) of Wellington, New Zealand stated that he was a cousin of the late Archbishop Patrick Clune of Perth (1864 - 1935). Patrick Clune of NZ was the son of James Clune (≈1812 – 1882) and Bridget O’Halloran (≈1823 – 1898) of Ballagh and later Kilkishen. Archbishop Patrick Clune was the son of James Clune (≈1840 – 1906 in Chicago) and Margaret Lynch (≈1832 - 1881) of Aughrim Tuohy in Ruan parish. Since both their fathers were named James Clune and their mothers were not sisters, Patrick Clune could not be a first cousin of Archbishop Patrick Clune. Perhaps they were second or third cousins?

Hi Jimbo

Happy New Year. Yes, the 1926 census has been long awaited and will be interesting to see.

Thank you for writing up and sending all that research - a lot of very thorough work - while I’ve been sitting back doing nothing. And, yes, I hadn’t given enough attention to the information on Ireland Reaching Out when I said that the account of the Clunes of Co. Clare, by Conor Clune, had started as late as 1838.
I looked at the photos of Ballagh House. Yes, the third photo of the out-building is interesting. My opinion is that it was purpose-built, as we would say now, as an out-building, at the same time that the main house was built in the 1860’s. I notice that the top one of one of the doors is a half-arch and reckon that this once a full archway deliberately made to match and form a balance with the other archway. I notice that there is no sign of a chimney, or the remains of a chimney. So, although many old houses have survived as out-houses, I think that the old house, in this case, was demolished, and/or built over.
(I should say here that a chimney on an out-house, or ruin, is not conclusive proof that it was once a dwelling house. I read somewhere that, occasionally, a chimney was built to allow for animal feed to be prepared).

Good work, Jim, showing that Archbishop Clune was not a first cousin of Patrick Clune in New Zealand, but a second cousin, probably. Archbishop Clune seems to have been the pride of the Clune clan - the person every Clune wanted to be related to.

Sheila

Hi Sheila,

Thank you very much for reviewing the real estate photos of Ballagh House. I agree 100% with your opinion that the third photo would have been a purpose built “out-building”, and not the herdman’s house being leased by Patrick Corbett of Derreen at Griffith’s Valuation.

However, I had a second look at the collection of photos. In Photo #1, take a look at the old structure to the right of the main house:

https://costelloe.com/property/ballagh- ... -co-clare/

In Photo #2, a close-up of the front of the house, this structure was not included in the photo as probably not something any real estate agent would want to highlight. The square footage of each of the rooms in the house is reported on the website, but excludes this structure. From Photo #1, it appears that the roof has mostly caved-in and only some remnants survive on the far right side. Clearly this structure would have been older than Ballagh House built in the 1860’s. No chimney, but I reckon this structure may have been the herdsman’s house, or at least part of it, where the James Clune family lived prior to moving to Kilkishen. Sheila, this situation reminds me of the Tullyodea home visited by the Australian author Frank Clune, an old herdman’s house built next to a more modern two-story house.

I also had another listen to the Quin Heritage interview of Pat Corbett with regards to Ballagh House getting electricity (about the 9 minute mark). They mentioned that Bansha in Tipperary was the first rural district to obtain electricity in Ireland. I found this 2 minute BBC clip on youtube “Rural Electrification in Ireland” which was interesting, especially the old news reels, and gave the year as 1946 when Bansha obtained electricity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii1cEBE1_7Y

Quite a few of the real estate photos for Ballagh House include utility poles. According to “Rural Electrification in Ireland” these were sourced from Finland.

My last posting may have misinterpreted the Corbett interview at the Quin Heritage website as I thought the Cleaves of Limerick moved into Ballagh House due to it being one of three houses in Quin to obtain privately generated electricity from turbines on a nearby river as early as 1940. But the Cleaves moved to Ballagh much later, after the rural district electricity scheme came to Quin. According to Houses of Clare by Hugh Weir: “On the death of Vincent Corbett, it was inherited by his son, who was a Jesuit priest. In 1948 Father Corbett’s solicitor sold it to Commander and Mrs. Terence Cleeve (of the Limerick family).” And then later in the same paragraph, “One of the reasons why the Cleeves purchased the property was that Quin, due to the efforts of Father Vaughan, was the second parish in rural Ireland (after Bansha) to have mains electricity, a facility which they had previously experienced, and which they would have been reluctant to forego.”

https://quinheritage.ie/the-big-houses- ... d-clooney/

Vincent Corbett died on 24 December 1940, and Ballagh House likely went to his widow who died in June 1947. Surprisingly, the civil death record for Vincent Corbett was not recorded until 15 February 1949, over eight years after his death. I assume a civil death record would have been required to finalize the sale of Ballagh House to the Cleaves in 1948 / 1949.

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 200129.pdf

Kate Clune, the daughter of James Clune (≈1812 – 1882) and Bridget Halloran (≈1823 – 1898) of Ballagh and later Kilkishen, married the R.I.C. constable James Cochrane on Christmas Eve in 1887 at the Catholic chapel at O’Callaghan Mills. We have already come across James Cochrane while searching for the missing Civil War soldier Thomas McNamara of Glandree. One year prior to his marriage, James Cochrane and another constable were the first policemen on the scene at the shocking murder of Michael McNamara at Killanena, about a mile from Kilkishen, on the night of 31 August 1886. Michael McNamara (1840 – 1886) was the son of Thomas McNamara and Mary White of Clashduff townland. The “unfortunate man” was a widower who lost his young wife (Penelope Gleeson) and newborn son in 1883. See McNamara family tree (posted 1 March 2024) and details on murder (posted 5 March 2024) on page 55 of this thread.

https://clarelibraries.ie/localstudies/ ... &start=810

THE KILKISHEN MURDER.

In our last issue we were unable to do more than take as correct the statements which first reached us to the circumstances attending the death of the man [Michael] McNamara. The unfortunate man whose fearful death has laid a terrible stigma on the county Clare, was only employed as a labourer by a Mr. John McNamara, a farmer at Killinena, near Kilkishen. . . .

. . . [testimony of other witnesses] . . .

Constable James Cochrane deposed that he was on patrol duty on the night of the murder. He was in company with Constable Riordan, and about ten o’clock they heard the report of a shot. They walked towards the direction in which it was fired, and met two persons, Daniel and Michael McNamara, coming towards them for the police. They went to McNamara’s home and found deceased lying inside the cross-door.

. . . [testimony of coroner Dr. Stephen Scanlan] . . .

Clare Journal and Ennis Advertiser, Monday, 6 September 1886

To Be Continued,

Hi Jimbo

I looked at that photo and thought at first that the building to the left was a part of a high wall, such as was built around the farmyards of big houses (also orchards, kitchen gardens and ornamental gardens - demesnes, also, were usually enclosed by high, well-built walls - many still be be seen), but I agree that it might just as well be the remains of a herdsman’s house.

Thanks for the clip of Canon Hayes switching on the electric light in Bansha. It has sent me down a side road - yet another in this long thread!
The Electricity Supply Board commissioned a book on the electrification of Ireland: “The Quiet Revolution”, by Michael Shiel (O’Brien Press, 2003). It is available to read online: https://esbarchives.ie/wp-content/uploa ... lution.pdf. As it was a commissioned book, it wasn’t going to be a “warts and all” account, but I didn’t expect such a patronising attitude towards the people of rural Ireland. Yes, we can see now that electricity was the essential key to modernisation, but at the time, most people could only afford electric light, better than candles and oil lamps, but not revolutionary. And I have no trouble understanding the reaction of people to Ground Rent (see page 138).
The logistics of shipping the poles to Ireland begins on page 78, and includes the difficulty of getting very heavy, long loads transported over very narrow, winding roads. Many of the poles in Ireland today are those same poles from Finland that were put up in the 1940s and 50s.
The photographs are interesting, and my favourite is on page 121, showing the radio on the windowsill, which is where most people kept it.

Jimbo, I will leave it to you to get back from this diversion and continue with your story.

Sheila