Clonmel, County Tipperary
Old St. Mary's Church, Clonmel |
According to tradition Clonmel was set
up by Vikings traveling up the River Suir. Fairs were held there as early as
1225. In 1338 and for the next 200 years Clonmel was a trading center for wool,
hides, saffron, wines and cloth. It was attacked in 1516 by the Earl of Kildare
and in 1650 by Oliver Cromwell. The weaving industry grew there in the 17th
century and the milling and brewing industries flourished in the 18th
century. Clonmel was a market town, the center of local government and the site
of an army barracks in the 19th century. [Tipperary County: People
& Places, Michael Hallinan, 1993]
The first evidence of Daniel Mullane
and Brigid English in Clonmel was 25 August 1866 when they were married in
Saint Mary’s Church. The old church was built in the 13th century.
Extensive renovations were done in 1805 and a total rebuilding was done in
1857. My daughter and I found the church but I was disappointed to find it
locked. We looked at the tombstones but found no Mullanes.
3 Upper Gladstone Street, Clonmel |
We found it easiest to park and walk
around the section of Clonmel near Old St. Mary’s Church. From my research I
knew Daniel Mullane and family had lived on Mary, Queen and Upper Gladstone
Streets. By walking around the old town I discovered just how close those
streets were. Those three streets form three sides of a rectangle with Queen
Street as the short side connecting the two longer streets. I don’t know just
where on Mary or Queen Streets the family lived but they lived at 3 Upper
Gladstone Street so we found and photographed that little corner building. Over
the years the family had their coach building and grocers at that location.
Saints Peter & Paul Church, Clonmel |
Between 1872 and 1880 Daniel and
Brigid’s children were baptized at Saints Peter and Paul Church, built in 1810.
The church is located between Gladstone and Mary Streets. Unfortunately, it was
also locked up. A candle and a prayer for my ancestors wasn’t possible.
I had traveled a long distance to find
the Mullanes in Clonmel but they remained just out of sight.
My daughter and I spent the night in
Clonmel, at the pretty yellow Minella Hotel on the shore of the River Suir. We
had dinner at the hotel’s bar and saw a colorful sunset before getting our
night’s sleep.
No Mullanes, but my goodness -- their street! Their corner! Their locked churches. And a sunset like they saw. As good as it gets!
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