Dinny Hyland (1929-2015) – Pole Vaulter & Gaelic Footballer

Dinny Hyland (1929-2015) – Pole Vaulter & Gaelic Footballer

The Carlow-born pole vaulter came from a family rooted in pub and farming life. He won ten All-Ireland pole vault titles in the 1950s, broke multiple Irish records, and balanced athletic success with industrial work and family life, a legacy continued by descendants...
Rachel Parker vs Joseph Byrne – Sexual Assault at Lisnavagh, 1900

Rachel Parker vs Joseph Byrne – Sexual Assault at Lisnavagh, 1900

Regarding a court action taken in 1901 one by Henry Parker, forester at Lisnavagh, and his wife Rachel against a neighbour Joseph Byrne who appears to have attempted to molest Mrs Parker. Become a member of Turtle’s History Library to access all areas, €12/year...
Father Phelan, Parish Priest of Rathvilly (1885-1903)

Father Phelan, Parish Priest of Rathvilly (1885-1903)

Father Phelan appears in the 1901 census here. At that time, he was living with Patrick Laughlin, a 42-year-old priest from Laois and two nuns with the St John of Gods, namely Sister Mary Kevin Donor (aged 42) and sister Mary John Noonan (aged 22) from Galway, plus...
Notes on County Carlow

Notes on County Carlow

  See here for further stories from County Carlow.   *****   The stories below include those of Arthur Kavanagh, a man born without limbs who became an explorer, as well as a Czech engineer who invented the water-bike, the murder of a Hollywood...
Discovering My Roots

Discovering My Roots

I’ve always been obsessed by the past. That’s the legacy of having a good history teacher. If your teacher just drenched you with dates and dates, the chances are you grew up thinking history was the dullest subject ever invented. I struck lucky and had several good...