County Monaghan In Prose, Poetry, and History
Collection Search
- SpeakerRandom comment
- SpeakerBrief description of the speaker’s soon to be published book “Exiles and Islanders”.
- SpeakerThe speaker’s wife’s family came from County Monaghan, but he has also taken a personal interest in County Monaghan due to interactions with his students and colleagues.
- SpeakerThe speaker explains how in the early 1970’s he became inspired to write his book on the history of the Irish on PEI.
- SpeakerEven though about one third of the Irish on PEI came from County Monaghan every county in Ireland is represented on PEI. The speaker considers the people of County Monaghan to be tough, but also gentle, kind, sweet, and fun-loving. After the 1830’s, the Monaghan Irish came to PEI to establish their freedom, liberty, homes, and opportunities. About 3000 people emigrated to PEI from Trough and northern Monaghan.
- SpeakerThe speaker speaks briefly about the McKennas, Trainors, Duffys and O’Briens. The speaker considers the book “The Monaghan Story” by Peadar Livingstone as the most authentic history of County Monaghan.
- SpeakerIn their first visit to County Monaghan the speaker and his wife, Leah, explored the area where the poet Patrick Kavanagh lived.
- SpeakerIn one of his poems Patrick Kavanagh said that the only memorial he would like to have is a bench by the Grand Canal in Dublin. Today there is such a bench. The speaker shows slides of the landscape and the castle and churches of Innniskeen where Kavanagh was born.
- SpeakerThe speaker illustrates how there is a mix of Irish and Scottish in County Monaghan resulting in Irish people with Scottish names just as one can find many Irish names, including County Monaghan names, in Scotland.
- SpeakerSIDE A ENDS
- SpeakerThe speaker notes that as in PEI churches are landmarks in Ireland.
- SpeakerThe speaker reads the poem “Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal, Dublin, ‘Erected to the Memory of Mrs. Dermot O’Brien’” by Patrick Kavanagh.
- SpeakerThe speaker reads and discusses the poems “Shancoduff” and “Epic '' by Patrick Kavanagh noting that the Irish are passionate about owning land. Then the speaker reads the inscription on Kavanagh’s grave.
- SpeakerThe speaker introduces Charles Gavan Duffy, a leader of the Young Ireland Movement and editor of The Nation, a newspaper. The speaker reads from Duffy’s autobiography, “My Life in Two Hemispheres”. The speaker talks about Bishop Donnelly and his involvement in building St. Macartan’s Cathedral in County Monaghan including a handsome contribution by Owen Connelly. The speaker uses slides to talk about buildings and the landscape of County Monaghan. The recording stops abruptly.
- SpeakerSIDE A ENDS