The Big Wind of 1839

in The Square in February 2025

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The Other Big Wind

While some people are still reeling from the devastation of Storm Eowyn, let’s look for a minute at the legendary big wind of 1839. With no internet and only the most primitive of weather forecasting, people had no warning that such a weather event (It was a cyclonic storm.) was imminent. Houses and other buildings were not as well constructed as they are nowadays. In 1839 no one thought of giving a storm a name so it was always known as The Big Wind or Oíche na Gaoithe Móire. It passed into legend, embellished by storytellers for generations and it became a milestone in Irish history.

January 6 1839, Ireland was under a blanket of snow as people headed to mass to celebrate Little Christmas, the feast of Epiphany. The weather was mild during the day but towards evening the wind began to rise. By midnight it was blowing a gale and structural damage was being done under the cover of darkness.

The bell of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin was blown out of the steeple. Chimneys were blown down igniting thatched roofs and houses were destroyed. Many people reported thinking it was the end of the world. 250,000 trees were blown down, taking with them the nesting habitats of many wild birds. Crow and jackdaw numbers fell to near extinction shortly after the storm. Farmyard hens were blown up to a distance of half a mile. In Dublin the rear wall of Guinness Brewery was blown down and nine brewery horses were killed.

The estimated number of human casualties was 300. Many of these unfortunate souls were drowned when 42 ships went down. In Clifden alone 17 fishermen were drowned trying to make their way home.

( Information from an Irish Independent article by Dr. Patrick McGarty)

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Credit Where Credit is Due

I published this poem last week. I found it on a Facebook page and I cut and pasted it as it was. Then Lauren Davis got in touch to say that she was familiar with the poem and the poet is not anonymous at all.

Hi Mary, We have a version of the “Speak Gently” poem in our church hymnal. It’s one of my favorites! It is attributed to the American poet, David Bates (1809-1870).

Lauren lives in Oregon.

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Humans of Longford

I love this image and story. No Listowel connection that I know of.

Here’s a photo from Longford in the 1960s ( thanks to Longford Library) .

The photo was taken at the entrance to a goods store ( now a car park) on Earl Street, at the foot of the railway bridge, leading to Park Road and Teffia. Note the ad for Oldtime Irish Marmalade on the billboard, in the background.

The horse and dray and the smartly dressed CIE  man are delivering Guinness kegs to the many pubs ( 44 ?) that traded in Longford back then .

The wagons  from the goods train used to be shunted into a siding , some into the relative protection of a goods shed ( still standing). There was a small crane ( still there too ) to lift the heavier goods off the wagons. 

On one memorable day, elephants were even unloaded at the spot – they were transported by train as part of a famous circus, which was held  in the Fair Green(  Mollihans Furniture store there now).

( Actually, I’m still trying to contact the former CIE driver  [ for Humans] who told me he was the only CIE man in the world to shovel elephant shit .)

Certainly it was a different world in the 60s but there  were storms then too – a massive one in 1961 when the Market House ( Dealz now) was burned to the ground  and, if memory serves me right, 15 were killed nationwide.

Finally and hopefully,  someone will fill us in on more details of the man in the photo  – I can just remember him as a smartly dressed  kind, gentle man and I think he lived on Park Road.

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Is Listowel the Richest Town in Ireland?

The story of Kerry Group’s share bonanza in this week’s Farmers’ Journal states that, of the many happy people who shared in the spoils, 736 people gave a Listowel address.

Here is the link to the story;
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/is-listowel-the-richest-little-town-in-ireland-855095

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A Fact and its Source

On the same day that I learned that birds don’t pee, I came upon this great fact book in a charity shop. I had to share this enlightening fact with you.

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