Reactions to the destruction of Carlow Castle. From an Illustration by Derry Dillon, extracted from Past Tracks (2021).
The stories of 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 director, the prince of Antwerp who made Carlow his home, the crazy doctor who blew up Carlow Castle and the mystery of one of the world’s biggest ancient monuments. Extracted from Past Tracks, with Irish translations by Jack O’Driscoll.
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THE DOLMEN
The Brownshill Dolmen, just east of Carlow town, is a 6,000-year-old man-made burial tomb. Its massive, weather-beaten granite capstone is estimated to weigh a whopping 103 metric tonnes. That’s about the same weight as seventeen fully grown Indian elephants or a Boeing 757 jet. If the All Blacks and the Lions rugby teams were to unite with the hundred strongest National Football League players from the USA, they would struggle to nudge the Brownshill capstone by an inch. So how did they get the capstone up there?
THE BLASTING DOCTOR
The stone fortress at Carlow Castle was built by William Marshal, the greatest (and richest) knight of his generation. His wife Isabel was the sole heiress of the Norman baron Richard de Clare (Strongbow) and Aoife, the daughter of Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster.
Completed in 1213, Carlow’s central keep rose 70 feet high and was flanked by four drum-towers. In 1814, the castle was bought by Dr Philip Middleton who planned to convert it into a psychiatric asylum. When he tried to widen its windows with blasting powder, the explosives caused the two eastern towers to collapse, along with three quarters of the adjoining walls. Amazingly nobody was hurt. (See here for more).
Carlow Castle, as depicted in ‘Antiquities of Ireland’ (1792) by Captain Francis Grose. See here for a full history.
THE PRINCE OF ANTWERP
In 1361, Lionel of Antwerp, Governor of Ireland (and son of King Edward III of England), ordered the Exchequer to be relocated from Dublin Castle to Carlow Castle. When he moved the Court of Common Pleas to Carlow the following year, the castle became home to a sheriff, a constable, a man-at-arms, two lawyers and a chief serjeant, as well as numerous money-collectors, clerks and eight archers. Both the Exchequer and the Court returned to Dublin after Lionel left Ireland in 1367. He died soon afterwards, aged 29, having allegedly been poisoned by his Italian father-in-law.
MURDER IN HOLLYWOOD
Carlow native William Desmond Taylor directed 60 silent films before his sensational murder in Los Angeles in 1922. His father was the first captain of Carlow’s Volunteer Fire Brigade. Born at Newgardens on the Athy Road, Taylor spent his childhood at Elms House (now The Elms), near the Seven Oaks Hotel. Following a row with his father in 1889, the 18-year-old sailed for the US and went to work on a dude ranch in Kansas. By 1914, he was directing films with icons such as Mary Pickford, as well as the first screen adaptations of ‘Tom Sawyer’, ‘Huckleberry Finn’ and ‘Anne of Green Gables’ (now better known as ‘Anne with an E’.) He was shot dead in a case that remains unsolved a century later.
THE REMARKABLE MR KAVANAGH
Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh, P.C., M.P. (1831-1889)
Arthur Kavanagh, the Member of Parliament for Carlow from 1868 to 1880, was born in 1831 with stumps instead of forearms and lower legs. His well-to-do mother insisted he be treated just like her other children and the boy grew up to be an intrepid traveller, as well as a noted sailor, a keen angler, a passionate huntsman, an amateur photographer, a best-selling author and a father of seven. In his twenties, he travelled overland from Scandinavia to Persia (Iran) and worked as a postman on the west coast of India. Listen to Turtle’s 2022 podcast about Arthur here.
THE WATER-BIKE INVENTOR
Ireland’s first sugar-processing plant was established in Carlow in 1926 and took in 79 consecutive beet harvests before its closure in 2005. One of its first engineers was Franz Schwatschke from Moravia in the present-day Czech Republic. Although he did not speak English, Franz settled in Carlow and married Charlotte Meredith, the daughter of a prominent land agent. Blessed with a tremendous talent for solving technical problems, he invented various electric motors and transformers, as well as the world’s first water-bike, which he tested on the River Barrow but never patented.
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CEATHARLACH (Translations by Jack O’Driscoll)
AN DOLMAIN
Tuama adhlactha 6,000 bliain d’aois de dhéantús an duine is ea Dolmain Chnoc an Bhrúnaigh atá suite go díreach soir ó bhaile Cheatharlach. Meastar go bhfuil 103 tonna méadrach meáchain sa leac mhullaigh eibhir an-mhór síonbhuailte atá air. Tá sé sin beagnach chomh trom céanna le seacht n-eilifint Indiacha déag nó le scairdeitleán Boeing 757. Dá dtiocfadh foirne rugbaí na Nua-Shéalainne agus na Leon le chéile leis an gcéad imreoir is troime sa tSraith Náisiúnta Peile Meiriceánaí ó na Stáit Aontaithe, bheidís ag streachailt chun leac mhullaigh Chnoc an Bhrúnaigh a bhogadh oiread agus orlach amháin. Conas in Éirinn a cuireadh an leac mhullaigh in airde, más ea?
The effigy of William Marshal at the Temple Church, London. The damaged was caused during the London Blitz.
AN DOCHTÚIR PLÉASCACH
Ba é William Marshal a thóg an dúnfort cloiche ag Caisleán Cheatharlach. Bhí sé ar an ridire ab fhearr (agus ba shaibhre) lena linn. Ba í a bhean chéile, Isabel, an t-aon bhanoidhre amháin ag an mbarún Normannach Richard de Clare (Strongbow) agus ag Aoife, iníon Dhiarmaid Mhic Mhurchadha, Rí Laighean.
In 1213, cuireadh críoch leis an obair thógála ar dhaingean lárnach Cheatharlach. Bhí sé 70 troigh ar airde agus bhí ceithre thúr druma thart air. In 1814, cheannaigh An Dr Philip Middleton an caisleán agus é mar rún aige gealtlann a dhéanamh de. Nuair a rinne sé iarracht na fuinneoga a leathnú le púdar pléasctha, thit an dá thúr thoir anuas chomh maith le trí cheathrú de na ballaí taobh leo. Bhí an t-ádh dearg air nár gortaíodh aon duine.
PRIONSA ANTUAIRP
Sa bhliain 1361, thug Lionel Antuairp, Gobharnóir na hÉireann (agus mac Rí Éadbhard III Shasana), ordú don Státchiste athlonnú ó Chaisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath go Caisleán Cheatharlach. Nuair a bhog sé Cúirt na bPléadálacha Coiteanna go Ceatharlach an bhliain dár gcionn, ba iad na daoine seo a chuaigh a chónaí sa chaisleán: sirriam, constábla, fear cogaidh, beirt dlíodóirí agus ardsáirsint, chomh maith le roinnt bailitheoirí airgid agus cléireach agus ochtar boghdóirí. D’fhill an Státchiste agus an Chúirt ar Bhaile Átha Cliath tar éis do Lionel Éire a fhágáil in 1367. Fuair sé bás go luath ina dhiaidh sin agus é 29 bliain d’aois. Dúradh gur thug a athair céile Iodálach nimh dó.
DÚNMHARÚ IN HOLLYWOOD
Stiúir an fear de bhunadh Cheatharlach, William Desmond Taylor, 60 scannán tostach sular dúnmharaíodh é – scéal dochreidte atá ann – in Los Angeles in 1922. Ba é a athair an chéad chaptaen ar Bhriogáid Dóiteáin Dheonach Cheatharlach. Rugadh é sa Gharraí Nua ar Bhóthar Bhaile Átha Í. Chaith sé a óige in Elms House (ar a dtugtar The Elms anois), gar don Óstán Seven Oaks. Tar éis dó titim amach lena athair in 1889, d’imigh an fear 18 mbliana d’aois go Meiriceá agus chuaigh sé i mbun oibre ar rainse aíochta in Kansas. Faoin mbliain 1914, bhí sé ag stiúradh scannán – agus na mórphearsana scannáin, leithéidí Mary Pickford, mar aisteoirí aige iontu. Stiúir sé an chéad leagan scannáin de ‘Tom Sawyer‘, ‘Huckleberry Finn‘ agus ‘Anne of Green Gables’ (nó ‘Anne with an E‘ mar is fearr aithne uirthi anois). Scaoileadh marbh é agus tá an cás fós gan réiteach céad bliain ina dhiaidh.
AN CAOMHÁNACH UASAL IONTACH
Teachta Parlaiminte do Cheatharlach ó 1868 go 1880 ab ea Arthur Kavanagh. Nuair a rugadh in 1831 é, is amhlaidh a bhí stumpaí aige in áit rítheacha agus cosa faoin nglúin. D’éiligh a mháthair, bean shaibhir, go gcaithfí leis díreach faoi mar a chaithfí le haon duine eile dá páistí. Ní ba dhéanaí ina shaol, bhainfeadh sé cáil amach mar thaistealaí calma, mairnéalach, slatiascaire, sealgaire, grianghrafadóir amaitéarach, údar sárdhíola agus, murar leor é sin, bheadh seachtar clainne air. Nuair a bhí sé sna fichidí, thaistil sé thar tír ón gCríoch Lochlainn go dtí an Pheirs (An Iaráin) agus d’oibrigh sé mar fhear poist ar chósta thiar na hIndia.
AIREAGÓIR AN ROTHAIR UISCE
Bunaíodh an chéad mhonarcha phróiseála siúcra in Éirinn i gCeatharlach in 1926 agus bhí 79 fómhar biatais as a chéile curtha isteach aici sular dúnadh í in 2005. Bhí Franz Schwatschke as an Moráiv i bPoblacht na Seice an lae inniu ar dhuine de na chéad innealtóirí inti. Lonnaigh Franz i gCeatharlach agus phós sé Charlotte Meredith, iníon gníomhaire talún mór le rá – é sin go léir d’ainneoin nach raibh Béarla aige. Bhí an-luí aige le fadhbanna teicniúla a réiteach, cheap sé mótair leictreacha éagsúla agus claochladáin, chomh maith leis an gcéad rothar uisce ar domhan. Thástáil sé é ar an mBearú ach níor chuir sé paitinn air riamh.