Roots society visits Coney Island

PEOPLE all over the world will soon be able to explore the history and heritage of Coney and Deer islands with the help of Clare Roots Society. Transcriptions from graves in the old churchyards of the islands are to be presented to Clare Library, where they will go online.

At the weekend, members of the society headed to both islands in the Shannon Estuary to transcribe the names on the graves there. Eight people departed from Crovraghan pier at 9am, with local man Fintan Ginnane in his boat Saoirse. These included Mary Hester, Fiona de Buitleir, Liam Barry, Frank Barry, Clara Hoyne, Larry Brennan and Eric Shaw.

On arrival at the island, the group made their way though the old street of houses, abandoned since the last islanders left in the 1970s and past the one-teacher school that was built in 1937.

They walked to the ruined church and began to map, photograph and transcribe the gravestones. They recorded and mapped all the gravestone inscriptions, about 12 in total, apart from one ancient Bullaun Stone, the earliest date found on the stones was 1858.

The group then climbed to the highest point of the island to see the monument erected to the memory of Captain John Foster Fitzgerald, who was killed in a cavalry charge in the Punjab in 1848. The views included the spires of Ennis Cathedral and St Flannan’s College to the east, Shannon Airport and the Kerry hills.

Fintan Ginnane had informed the group that there were two flagstones on Deer Island. The group moved across to this island where they were met by Brian Flynn, who led the way to the stones and the group captured an inscription of 1832. This proved the link with the grave being that of a cholera victim. The other stone was weathered and no inscription could be found.

The group returned to the mainland and Mary Hester later visited the little burial ground at Paradise and recorded the Henn family gravestone inscriptions.

“The gravestone recordings for Coney and Deer islands, together with those of Paradise, are being transcribed and will be presented to Clare Library to go online in accordance with CRS policy. Watch out for these transcriptions, which will also be published on www.clarelibrary.ie,” said a spokesperson for Clare Roots Society.