Past editions of local newspapers contain a wealth of interesting
material, sometimes useful to a local historian, but more often than not of
general interest to the casual reader.
1932 was of course the year of the Eucharistic Congress and the
national and local newspapers carried many reports on the preparations for the
Congress as the month of June approached.
Amongst the non Congress reports which caught my eye in June 1932 was
the following. ‘The news that there is a possibility of the Ardreigh Flour Mills being
opened at an early date has given great satisfaction generally to the people of
Athy and district. So far there is
nothing definite, but negotiations are going on between the Chairman and
members of the Urban Council and the representatives of the Mills with the
Minister for Industry and Commerce.
Those Mills, when in full working swing a few years ago, gave employment
to over 50 hands, but trade adverses forced the firm to close to the great loss
of the general community. Mr. Hannon
parted with the Athy branch then to the Board of Works who took it over as
Headquarters for the Barrow Drainage.’
The former Hannon Flour Mills were never to reopen. Indeed, soon after the completion of the
Barrow Drainage Scheme the five storey stone building at Ardreigh was pulled
down. The Athy Mill at Duke Street was
in time vacated by the Board of Works and was still lying vacant and unused
when I finished my secondary education in the St. John’s Lane Christian
Brothers School in 1960.
Politics raised its head at meetings of Athy UDC on at least two
occasions during 1932. Early in the year
some members of the Council at a specially convened meeting passed a resolution
congratulating Eamon De Valera or President De Valera, as he was called, on
winning the general election. Dev’s
subsequent letter of thanks was read at the following Council meeting, leading
to a protest by Mr. Minch at ‘a letter of
a political nature being read’ at that meeting. He was supported by Mr. Tierney who further
complained that he had not been notified of the special meeting at which the
resolution was passed.
Churchtown School Principal and Leinster Street resident Brigid
Darby who was an ardent Fianna Fail Councillor, contested Mr. Minch’s claim that
De Valera’s letter should not be read at the Council’s meeting. Mr. Minch, although supported by Mr. Tierney,
was in a minority, with even Mr. Jackson maintaining that ‘these letters come through in the ordinary course’. Mr. Minch had the last word however,
indicating that while he was in the minority, nevertheless he was not going to
let the matter pass without protest.
It’s noteworthy that on 27th February the same newspaper
reported the election of Mr. Minch’s brother Sydney as a T.D. for Kildare.
Brigid Darby who was a personal friend of Eamon De Valera was not a
lady to be crossed if reports in the January edition of the Nationalist and
Leinster Times were to be believed.
During a discussion at a meeting of the Kildare Board of Health on the
Relief Scheme operated by the Board to give employment to those out of work,
reference was made to Ms. Darby’s claim that the authorities were in favour of
giving the unemployed four days rather than two days work each week. One of the members referred to Mr. Darby and
William Doyle another member following which George Henderson jokingly said ‘he might have let his courting to some
other day.’ The remark caused
laughter in the Chamber but prompted a response from Athy U.D.C. and Miss Darby
which was probably unexpected.
The Urban Council held a special meeting to pass a resolution ‘protesting in the strongest possible manner
against the vile insult offered to Miss Darby as reported in the Nationalist
and Leinster Times.’ The lengthy
resolution ended with the claim, ‘we
might add that when some of those members have returned to the oblivion of
which they so lately emerged Miss Darby will still adorn public bodies in
Kildare.’ The good lady herself
wrote to the Nationalist referring to the ‘inane
vulgarities which caused laughter amongst men whose intelligence should at
least reach an ordinary standard.’ Explaining
her background in public life she ended her letter as follows:- ‘It is
quite evident that certain members of Kildare public bodies are prepared to
descend to any depths to discredit their political opponents in their
absence. Their tactics are as
dishonourable as they are cowardly and only ill-bred persons would allow their
names to be associated with such meanness.
The people who elected such men have little reason to be proud of their
choice.’
Miss Darby was a formidable lady whose involvement with various
public bodies in the county, including the County Council and the Urban
Council, was marked with tremendous strides in the provision of housing and
other services in South Kildare during the 1930s.
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