Introduction
We have traced over 100 gravestones carved by three generations of the Bolster family in North Cork and throughout Co. Limerick. Local Historian Evelyn O'Keeffe traced the family history of these Bolsters and some of her results are presented here.
Bolster Family History (by Evelyn O'Keeffe)
For a long time Irish history had been insular, inward looking
Terence Dunne visited us during survey work in Old Moybologue and while chatting he touched on his Clarke relatives who made their own headstone, his father's generation who were orphaned young with 11 siblings and how they overcame adversity by dint of being united. Premonition of death was experienced regardless of distance and long term illness with TB was countered by cooperation between family farms.
As part of the Graveyard's of Ballyhoura 2020 Project we had a video meeting this morning which we recorded in audio format. The discussion was wideranging and the methodology focussed on how we might trace evidence for, and remnants of the 1830s Cholera epidemics in both Ballyhoura and in Ontario. This approach is based on our goal to bridge the gap between communities in Limerick/N Cork and those in Ontario whose ancestors left Ireland as part of the Peter Robinson Assisted Emigration almost 200 years ago.
Bohermore cemetery in Galway city, or the ‘new cemetery’ as it is called was opened in 1880. The cemetery contains two mortuary chapels – the western chapel was reserved for Catholic usage and the eastern one for Protestant use - and a caretaker’s lodge close to the entrance gates.
Magdalen Laundry related burials are found in three groups comprising seventeen different headstones and containing eighty names and associated burial dates. Similar to Forster St. the Magdalen related grave monuments, headstones and kerbs, were erected in the last decade."
This is one of the most moving headstones we have recorded in the last seven years. Day 2 of Gallon graveyard survey and we were in the middle of the photography. As we stood in front of this Latin cross we saw it was decorated with cockle shells and that it was dedicated to Mary Gormley who died aged 7 in 1935. Gallon is situated nearly 50 km from the coast so the family either already had cockle shells, maybe even collected by Mary herself, or went and got the shells deliberately to decorate her home -made headstone.
