Bawnboy Heritage

A Look Back in Time Memories from Templeport and Beyond

We are very pleased to announce that our book, 'A Look Back in Time Memories from Templeport and Beyond', which we have been working on for five years has gone to be printed.

Introduction

Bawnboy Heritage was established in 2013. One of our objectives is to identify, collect, record and preserve the history, culture and heritage of Templeport, West Cavan and the surrounding areas. We felt that gathering information in itself, important work as it is, is only half the job. During our efforts we have discovered fascinating insights into the past and thought that they should be shared and made available to everyone.
In the last 100 years the world has seen more changes to peoples’ lives than at any other time throughout history. People living here have witnessed the introduction into everyday life of electricity, the telephone, television, mobile communications and computers in addition to refrigeration, cars and aeroplanes. In this book we have tried to record local people’s lives and to outline their experiences. History generally records wars, battles, religious movements and upheavals to civilization. We, in Bawnboy Heritage, like to focus on our history at a social level, the everyday life of the people in our locality, how they lived and died.
To uncover our hidden history, we placed advertisements in the local papers and parish newsletters asking for articles, snippets of interesting stories or any historical information that people thought were important. We also arranged story telling sessions in Geraldine Ward’s house in Kilsob and in St Mogue’s College in Bawnboy. Additionally, we carried out a considerable amount of research in Cavan and Ballinamore Libraries. In this book you will see a selection of the vast quantity of information that we gathered and that has been given to us over the past few years. We have tried to present it here in a logical fashion, grouping similar topics together.
We wish to thank all those who provided information and supported us in our efforts to compile this book. Without their generosity of time, material and support, it would not have been possible. This is their book and, by association, belongs to everyone in the wider community.
The information that has been included in this book is based, in part, on folklore and stories that were collected from local people. In these cases, we present this information as such and whereas we have taken every effort to cross reference, validate and complete these stories where possible, they may be at variance to the stories as other people know them and in some cases to the actual facts. This is the nature of folklore and we present those stories in our book as such. 
 Publication of this book is not the end of the work of Bawnboy Heritage. Information and history are always coming to light. We hope that this book will jog memories and raise awareness of our shared social history. If you are, or become aware of anything new, interesting or important please let us know. We will keep your information, stories, and artefacts safe along with all the other local records we already have and they will form part of the larger picture of life throughout the past in Templeport and beyond.

The Content of the book is divided into these main sections:

Transition The History of Templeport 1600 - 1700
Life Stories from our Senior Generation
The Workhouse Era and Bawnboy Union
Social and Economic Infrastructure
Newspaper Archive Material
Additional Items of Interest

Foreword by Seán Ó Súilleabháin

More detail of the book contents

Sample Pages

Book Sales

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