A Millstreet Miscellany (3) - Aubane Historical Society

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Letters The Editor, The Corkman. Dear Sir, IN SUPPORT OF JERRY SHEEHAN The Butter Road Aubane Millstreet Co. Cork 29 August 2008 I agree totally with Jerry Sheehan's critique of official tourist bodies and their lack of support and appreciation for the tourist potential of areas outside the 'honey pots' such as Blarney and Killarney (The Corkman, 28/8/08). What makes Jerry's case even stronger is that the unique Country Park he has created lies exactly halfway between both these tourist spots and all are directly connected by the first tourist project ever created in Ireland - the Cork-Killarney Turnpike road opened on 1st May 1748. His Park could, quite literally, be the centre of a new tourist product. This road was built by John Murphy of Castleisland who first saw the tourist potential of Killarney's lakes and Blarney castle and created a road that joined them - which it still does - for those who know it. That road later thrived as the historic Butter Road for well over a century. This road connects historic and cultural centres such as Shandon, Blarney, Tower, Matehy, Rylane, Mushera and Sliabh Luachra. There is a myriad of historic and archaeological sites along its route as well as new attractions such as the new International Golf Course at Tower, the Millstreet Country Park itself and the Green Glens in Millstreet. The road and environs is also ideal for environmental friendly tourism and activities such as road, hill and mountain walking as well as appreciating the wildlife or simply enjoying the sheer scenic beauty. It is a perfect introduction, and is complementary, to Killarney and the Ring of Kerry. Its development and promotion could add a new dimension to tourism in the South West and increase the variety available. Failte Ireland and others have indicated the potential of adding the Butter Road and what it has to offer to the tourist products available to visitors but it has yet to even appear on any tourist map or brochure. Why? Surely that would not be too difficult or expensive to arrange? The Butter Museum in Shandon is rightly promoted - so why not the Butter Road? Yours sincerely, Jack Lane 47
To: Brian.OConchubhair.1@nd.edu History Department Notre Dame University, U.S.A. Dear Dr. O Conchubhair, RE-PUBLICATION OF 'REBEL CORK'S FIGHTING STORY' To Mercier Press AUBANE HISTORICAL SOCIETY Aubane, Millstreet, Co. Cork. jacklaneaubane@hotmail.com 30 April 2009 It has come to our attention that you are editing a series of books for Mercier Press, Cork, that involves separate re-publication of Cork's, Dublin's, Kerry's and Limerick's Fighting Story, originally published on various dates by Anvil Press (whose titles are now taken over by Mercier). This is an excellent initiative that will re-acquaint a modern audience with these classic texts on the War of Independence. The decision to provide a contemporary introduction that puts these works in context is also a good one. The selection of an appropriate historian to write the introduction is important. In that context the choice of Professor Peter Hart of Memorial University, Newfoundland to introduce 'Cork's Fighting Story' is surprising. Professor Hart is a controversial choice. That is not a problem in itself. The historical society on whose behalf I write also has a reputation for controversy. Controversy stirs debate, focuses attention and clarifies thinking. The concern with Professor Hart concerns not controversy, but credibility. The credibility of Peter Hart's research is the controversy that surrounds him. In that regard, our society published in 2008, Troubled History, a 10th anniversary critique of Peter Hart's The IRA and its Enemies' by Brian Murphy and Niall Meehan. We also published in 2006 Dr Murphy's 'The Origin and Organisation of British Propaganda in Ireland 1920'. Both publications raised issues of interpretation, distortion and censorship, arising out of Professor Hart's use of historical sources (do you have them? If not I will forward them to you). The criticisms are not exclusive to our Society, far from it. They have been brought into the academic mainstream, albeit too slowly in our view. I detail summarised examples, that relate to credibility, (matters of interpretation are secondary in this context) below: • Hart claimed to have interviewed a veteran of the November 28 Kilmichael Ambush six days after the last veteran died; • Hart claimed to have interviewed two veterans of the ambush when only one was alive (aged 97), though medically incapacitated and incapable of sustained speech; • Hart claimed in his 1992 thesis (on which his 1998 book is based) to have been given a tour of the Kilmichael ambush site by the person who was interviewed six days after the last veteran died. This revelation was omitted from the 1998 book, which mentioned but did not specifically identify Hart's tour-guide; • Hart cited a British assessment of loyalist informing in his 1998 commentary on April 1922 killings near Dunmanway in a way that directly contradicted the source's conclusion. A relevant section immediately following and directly qualifying the sentence he cited was censored; • In his later editorship (CUP, 2002) of the British Record of the Rebellion in the 6th Divisional Area, from which the assessment above was taken, Hart failed to explain his censorship of the source. Hart then proceeded to omit an entire section, The People', from 48
Page 2 and 3: A MILLSTREET MISCELLANY Various aut
Page 4 and 5: Contents 5
Page 6 and 7: Some more visitors to Millstreet 1.
Page 8 and 9: Mr Reid published this in his book
Page 10 and 11: 5. John Barrow John Barrow made a t
Page 12: This castle was built by Dermot Mac
Page 15 and 16: From Millstreet to the source of th
Page 17 and 18: Cahirnarna, with the double cone ca
Page 19 and 20: on the platform as were also a numb
Page 21 and 22: There are shopkeepers in the town w
Page 23 and 24: 14. Patrick Pearse Pearse became th
Page 25 and 26: ullet holes; the floor was carpeted
Page 27 and 28: In any case I couldn't dance and st
Page 29 and 30: Notes on Millstreet The late Mauric
Page 31 and 32: Other local entries in the Lewis Di
Page 33: Aubane - among the 'Noted Places.'
Page 36 and 37: MacGillycuddy resounding a thousand
Page 38 and 39: Some poems The Cup comes to Millstr
Page 40 and 41: Ned Buckley Sadness spreads o'er Du
Page 42 and 43: He stated the man asked him for his
Page 46 and 47: this important assessment, but with
Page 49 and 50: Some old Millstreet families and th
Page 51 and 52: After the Powell family had moved t
Page 53: of William Philpott and Catherine F
Page 56 and 57: Envoi - taking leave of Roy Foster

A Millstreet Miscellany (3) - Aubane Historical Society

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