Corballis Castle, Rathdrum |
Article supplied by Con Cashman Early records referring to the family may not contain the "O" as this appears to have been adopted at the time of the Gaelic League. Daniel O'Riordan 1860 - 1952 and Mary (nee O'Riordan also) moved with their family of 10 (Mick, Dan, Jack, Tim, Margaret, Ellie, Nora, Joan, Nancy and Delia) to a medium sized farm at Newbawn, Rathdrum in 1916. They came from the townland of Gurraneycarney in the district of Slievereagh, Macroom. |
Nancy
related that this was the result of her mother's loss of a child and
feeling that the farm in West Cork was unlucky and saw an auction in
a newspaper. Nancy and Delia were still of primary school age and went
to Newbawn school for one year. Soon afterwards a farm in Ballyguile,
Wicklow (180 acres) was bought and the family moved there. Because of
the 1st World War and the proximity to the railway they prospered due
to the high prices of all agricultural commodities. Mick had some peipheral
involvement in the war of Independence and deemed it necessay to go
"on the run" to Meath where he married the daughter of the
"safehouse" he was relocated to. This was just outside Maynooth. Margaret married Michael Kavanagh, Scarnagh and later Cooladangan House near Arklow. Her husband was considerably older- Margaret was about 19. Jack joined the "Civic Guards" and married Eileen from Keady, Co. Armagh whom he met when stationed in Hackballscross. In 1926 Corballis Castle was purchased for £1,200. It had 112 acres and after a while the main family moved there leaving Dan in Ballyguile where he married Cis. Dan's family moved to Co Meath in 1949 after a short stay with Delia in Ballinaclash near Rathdrum Anecdote: Because Corballis Castle had always been a Protestant holding our grandfather employed a Protestant Dublin solicitor to attend the auction. He bid himself at first and then dropped out leaving his agent to conclude the business! Nora married Edmund Mackey of Churchmount, Rathdrum whose family had recently moved up from the Templemore area of Tipperary. She died young shortly after the birth of twins about 1936. Tim died in 1941of Leukaemia and our grandmother in 1943 also of cancer following an unsuccessful operation some time earlier. Joan married Michael Lucey of Ballingeary. She died on March 30th 1981 having had a stroke attending the funeral of Delia who died at Corballis of lung cancer on March 18th 1981. Ellie also died in Corballis in 1976 on her birthday as she had previously anounced that she intended to! Mick died on Feb 6th 1979. Margaret died on September 11th 1985. Nancy died on May 1st 1992 of Pneumonia following the amputation of a lower leg due to hardened arteries and consequent gangrene. Anecdote: Most registration dates of Riordan births are not true as this tiresome regulation was not a high priority and was only caried out when the child was brought to Macroom to the doctor for smallpox vaccination. For example Ellie's birthday was March 19th but her certificate states July 18th 1900 and registration date is September 29th. The names used throughout are Riordan without the "O". |
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