To-day it is Sneem, requested by a reader. A history of the village and church. I am quoting directly here from the 2005 publication The Diocese of Kerry formerly Ardfert: Working in the Fields of God, edited by Fr. Kieran O’Shea:
“The Catholic Parish of Sneem comprises the eastern portion of the medieval parish of Kilcrohane. It extends from Derreensillagh in the west to the Blackwater River (An Doinn) about 20km to the east, with the mountain range to the north and the Kenmare River to the south. The name of Baile an Bhogaigh (Ballybog) was applied in former centuries to that part of the parish east of the pass of Béal na Méine on the main road, about 5km from the western boundary. This name derives from the dominantly boggy nature of the terrain prior to draining commenced by Nathaniel Bland in the later 18th century, who initiated the settlement first called Blandford, and later Sneem (from the Sneem river), Sneem (A tSnaidhm, ‘the knot’) derives its name from the many loops in the river above the village.
Subsequent to this development Sneem became a separate parish in 1784. Lord Dunraven, owner of nearby Garnish Island, had the present church built in 1865.
St. Patrick’s Church, Tahilla
The eastern end of the parish has its church at Tahilla. The date of a church ruin in the nearby graveyard of Baile na hEaglaise (townland of the church) in the townland of Ankail is unknows, bu the name might indicate a post 12th century date. There may have been an early Christian foundation here, as the site was also as a ‘cill’. The names of ten other ecclesiastical sites contain the elements, ‘cill’, ‘cillin’ or ‘ceallúnach’, which allows them, together with an unnamed small burial place, to be assigned to the early Christian period.
An additional place of worship was provided at the western end of the parish in Glanlough, with the conversion of a school to a church there in 1960. It is worth noting that a plaque in Sneem church commemorates the Sisters of the Presentation Order who served here from 1878 to 1891, before moving on to Western Australia.
Sneem is one of the most attractive tourist villages in Ireland exhibiting a number of fine piece of sculpture on its green, one commemorating the most distinguished resident in recent time, Cearbhail Ó Dálaigh, former President of Ireland, who retired to Sneem and was buried there in 1978.”
Kieran O’Shea, The Diocese of Kerry Formerly Ardfert, Working in the Fields of God, (Strasbourg 2005),p. 122.
Thank you for this interesting information. My great great grandparents John and Joannah Casey were from Sneem. I was always under the impression that they were from Killarney but I think this is where John could find work. On a vacation to Ireland last year we did the Ring of Kerry tour and weeks before found out from a cousin that Sneem was actually where the Casey clan was from. As we walked around the beautiful town of Sneem I tried to imagine what life was life for them and I couldn’t even begin to imagine how difficult life was for them. They emigrated to New Brunswick, Canada and settled in finally in Guelph and Arthur, Ontario and then some came to Michigan. Johannah survived through much but I am finding out that John may have died either days or weeks after arrival in Canada. Trying to find out if there is a church directory or archives in Killarney that I can get some information from. I do know that my great grandpa Michael Casey was baptised quite possible in the large Catholic church in Killarney. Thanks for this informative information!
Thomas I will send you an Ancestor Query Form to see if we can be of help here.
Thank you very much Kay!
My uncle Fr. Bob Flavin served as Parish Priest in Sneem from 1966-1972 & gained notoriety in June 1969 during General De Gaulle’s stay in the Heron Cove Hotel, where Fr. Bob celebrated daily Mass privately in the hotel for touring party. Fr. Bob was in constant demand for interviews by the French, English & Irish media as they has no access to the French President.
Joe, are you a Listowel Flavin?
Yes, originally from Knockane, Listowel & domiciled in Cork City since 1972
Joe, Everyone from Listowel will recognise the huge contribution of the Flavin family over the years, through the Bookshop. It was this original Flavin book store that sowed the seed of many of the great Listowel and north Kerry writers and dramatists. I knew Micheál Flavin who was in the custodian when I was going to school.
Appreciate this info, my Great Grandmother Catherine Lynch was born in Sneem in April 1865. Her parents were Eugene Lynch and Catherine Reily Lynch. Eugene was a pensioner. Supposedly he was “taken into the British Army as a mere boy”. Again from my great grandmother, he had fought in the Indies and come back blind. He was honorably discharged from the British Army. He died in 1889 and his sister Mary went back to Ireland and brought my grandmothers sister and brother back to Vicksburg, Ms with her.
I am somewhat frustrated that I have not been able to find anything on Eugene’s parents or his military. Also have not found any info on how they got over here. But that is what makes genealogy so much fun! In writing this, I looked back at GGM’s writing about childhood in Sneem and discovered that her Grand parents and father’s sister came over to New Orleans. Grandparents died in NO of scarlet fever in 1853 and Aunt survived. So I have a new path! Enjoy your newsletters and your website.
Thanks.
Thank you, for all your history lessons! I’d love to hear a bit about Garfiny!
Dingle is next – it was in the queue. Kay
The Parish of Glenbeigh.
Thomas thank you for your comment. We have a queue of requests – Dingle is next and then I will do Glenbeigh.
Hi Kay,
Great to see the history of Sneem church getting a mention but that book is not very complete and a bit sketchy.
Dunraven became a Catholic in 1855, about the same era as his arrival in the area. He attended Mass locally, but the condition of the Sneem chapel (the name ‘church’ was reserved to Anglican buildings) was appalling – it could hold less than a quarter of the congregation, most having to stand outside in the rain: inside, there was an earthen floor and no seating and those inside had little shelter as the roof leaked. The Earl employed Philip Hardwick, the architect he had used to supervise the finishing of Adare Manor: the builder was a West Cork businessman, Denis William Murphy, who came up from Bantry and lived in the Dunraven’s house on Garnish while preparing for the construction of the new church. Before the Church cornerstone was laid, in 1863 Murphy died and his place was taken by his son, nineteen year old William Martin Murphy, who had only recently left school in Dublin. He went on to be the man reviled for his role in the great ‘Lock Out’ of 1913.
The landlord mentioned Nathanial Bland (1695 – bef.1760) acquired a large tract of land to the west and north of Sneem Harbour in 1732. By 1758 he had moved to Derryquin (Parknasilla) where he had built a large house. It was his grandson, Francis Christopher Bland who built a school for the children of the area (and was commended by Bishop Moriarty) and his great-grandson James Franklin Bland (1799 – 1863) who leased the church land at one penny per annum in rent. I suspect that James was a ‘closet Catholic’ – he had six children by a local Catholic girl, Josephine Deborah Doyle, all of them legitimised by their subsequent marriage (she became his second wife, his first was Emma Taylor).
In August 1861 there were 183 confirmed by Bishop Moriarty in Sneem and a further 66 in Tahilla.
Sneem church has a good website http://stmichaelschurchsneem.org/ that gives more history.
Keep up the good work
Bob, thank you so much for all this valuable extra information. I was particularly interested myself in the reference to Lord Dunraven as it was so vague. I actually wondered which church was in question – Catholic or Church of Ireland.
My great-grandparents Patrick Fitzgerald & Elizabeth Fitzgerald were married in Sneem in 1854. I know that Patrick was the son of Edward/Edmund Fitzgerald & Peggy Downey but haven’t been able to find any further information. They left Ireland circa 1879 with 2 daughters Mary & Margaret, both baptized in Sneem. I have found information on Pat’s brother who married in the COI. How unusual is it for an RC to marry in the COI. I suspect the Fitzgeralds were turfed from their land & according to a family member, they ran 2 farms in the Kenmare area.