King John castle Limerick

Longford Journal

12 January 1839

THE LATE HURRICANE It is our melancholy duty to add our quota to the list of disasters occasioned by the late storm. On Sunday evening, about ten o'clock it commenced to blow a strong gale from the south and south-west, and before midnight it had reached the height of its fury. Scarcely a building in the town has been exempted from its destructive effects - houses both slated and thatched were stripped of their coverings, and chimneys blown down in all directions. The barracks, which is greatly exposed to the westerly wind, had two or three entire windows and several sashes blown in, and the quantity of glass broken exceeds count; the roof on the back of the new barrack which has been principally occupied by the officers, was as completely uprooted as if an explosion of gunpowder had taken place inside, the tun slates, laths, and roofing joist, which was 2 1/2 by 4 inches were carried off and strewed through the yard, broken in various directions, and the metal spouts which surround the building were blown away and shared the same fate; the riding-school had a large portion of its roof torn away and destroyed in a similar manner, and the stabling all suffered more or less by the loss of slates, ridge tiles, &c. It is thought that not less than œ1,000 will repair the damage done to the barrack alone. The church, which has withstood many brisk gales since its erection in 1813, never suffered so much from the effects of storm before - two of the pinnacles which top the tower, the front one on the left and the rere one on the right, have lost the balls which surmounted them, and also the square spiral stones on which they were fixed – the ball of the latter fell on the roof of the church and did it a great deal of damage – the louver window in the steeple on the south side, was completely carried away, also two upper sashes on the same side, the one behind the pulpit and the other between that and the great east window, the roof has been partially stripped in several places, but more particularly in the T in the north side. However, through the exertions of the Rev. Mr. HUDSON it has been sufficiently repaired for the performance of divine service on to-morrow. The Presbyterian meeting-house has lost a few slates and the lead which secured the corner next the gaol has been forced out of its place and thrown on another part of the roof, it has also lost some panes of glass.– However considering the violence of the gale the damage is trivial. The Methodist Chapel on the new road has lost a large quantity of slates from its exposed westerly site. The Methodist Chapel near the Church has not received any injury. The county hospital has lost a quantity of slates on the north end particularly and some glass broken. The gaol has received no damage. The very neat and ornamental cottage near the artillery barrack in which General CRAWFORD and his son, the Rev. H. CRAWFORD, one of our town curates resided, has suffered most severely, slates and glass stripped off, broken and scattered in all directions, Mrs. CRAWFORD and her child, with the rest of the inmates, most providentially escaped out of the house only a few moments, before a large chimney tumbled down through the roof which must have severely injured if not killed them had they remained, in the emergency, and in the midst of the storm, they succeeded in reaching Captain WALKER's, where they were kindly received and attended to during the night. Mr. McFADDEN had two of the windows of his new house blown in and several panes of glass broken. Almost every house in Church-street has suffered more or less from loss of slates and glass. Every house on the Bridge has suffered similarly, in fact, all those on the west side, particularly the one occupied lately by Kenny the butcher, are so shook, that passengers are scarcely safe passing in front of them, Mr. Ganly's windows and sashes are completely shattered by the slates from the opposite houses; he also lost two fine heifers which took shelter under a large hay-rick, and which was blown down on them. The roof of Mr. Keon's house has scarcely a single slate left on it, the house occupied by Mr. Barnes, S.M., has its west end completely stripped, its windows and sashes all broken, every house up the street damaged. Mr. Sutcliffe had several tons of his hay blown about, his out offices completely stripped, and the window – sashes and all in some instances, carried away, œ100 would scarcely cover the loss and damage he has sustained. An old thatched house two stories high, in which Denis Cane, brother to the late parish priest, resided, also one joining it, were tumbled into the street in the middle of the night, and although there were eight or ten persons in them at the time, providentially none of them were hurt. The most melancholy part of our tale still remains to be told, about twelve o'Clock the canal burst in Farneyhoogan bog, about a mile from the town and rushed with great violence down the steep towards the Killashee road, several poor creatures who lived in bog-houses, rushed out with their families, and they, up to their wastes in water, hoping to save themselves. A poor man named James Bracken, who resided in one of them, went out with his family; in a short time the force of the water and the violence of the storm, threw him down with one of his children in his arms and he never rose again, as he was found dead on the side of the road in the morning, as also another of his children and two orphans named Denniston, who resided in his house were also lost. The bodies were removed into the old gaol on Monday morning by Mr. Kinsley, where an inquest was held on them the following day by Dominick O'Reilly, Esq., Coroner, and a verdict returned accordingly. These are the names of the persons lost. James Bracken, aged about 25, John, his son, aged about 3, Patrick, another son, aged about 6, John Denniston, aged about 8, and Bridget, aged about 15 or 16. They were all buried the same evening. To particularize the immense damage done to the farmers in the country would be a vain task, scarcely a single person you speak to but has received extensive damage by his hay and corn stacks being scattered through the country, and their dwellings and out-offices un-roofed. Mr. Thomas Carroll of Cooleeny had a large stack of chimneys tumbled on the roof of his new house, which forced their way through, providentially Mrs. Carroll had moved a few minutes before out of the spot, owing to which circumstance her life was saved. In the town of Drumlish seven houses were burned, and thirteen thrown down, a young lad about fifteen, lost his life in the same neighbourhood from running out naked when his fathers house was falling and the inclemency of the night. The chapel there had also been blown down. At Brienstown, the seat of THOMAS ACHMUTY, Esq., the entire of a beautiful avenue which has stood for more than a century, was totally destroyed. The magnificent trees on either side having been laid prostrate, and whole groups of the most ornamental timber having shared the same fate. The stables were entirely unroofed, but fortunately the horses escaped unhurt. EDGEWORTHSTOWN.– Sixteen houses unroofed, and all more or less damaged. No fire or loss of life. Amongst the numerous places which experienced the terrible effects of the recent storm, few have suffered more severely than Castle-Forbes, the seat of the noble family of Granard - it is now literally a scene of RUIN – upwards of twenty thousand trees has been torn up by the violence of the gale, the offices have been unroofed, the green-houses blown to atoms, and the beauty of the demesne seems inured for ever - to attempt an accurate description of the ravages committed, would be altogether idle - the fallen timber has rendered many of the walks impassable, so that months may elapse, before the full extent of injury can be ascertained. The dark entrance avenue leading from Newtown-Forbes, which seldom failed to impress the visitor with feelings of solemnity and awe, and which seemed so suitable an approach to the mansion of an ancient family descended from a line of kings, is now completely spoiled and laid bare. The tempest would appear to have selected this spot as its principal victim of its fury. The noble beech trees, some of the largest in the kingdom, have been mowed down like a field of corn - a fine row of splendid elms has shared the same fate - in various parts the ash and the fir were snapped across like hazel twigs, many trees have been hurled over the demesne wall as if discharged from an engine, whilst the wall itself has been thrown down in different directions - in some places there are as it were furrows formed through the grove at least twenty yards in breadth, and of incalculable length, where the stumps are still left firmly standing, about twelve feet high; just as if an immense park of artillery had discharged a vast quantity of chain-shot into the very thickest of the woods. The house itself, which formerly could not be seen except from the demesne, is now a conspicuous object from the public road – we cannot describe the feelings of pain and sorrow with which we gazed upon its ruined walls, and the desolation which surrounded it, and thought of the changes which a few short years have made in the numerous and happy family which even in our own day possessed it - it is a sad and affecting coincidence, that, during the very night in which his hereditary dwelling was suffering such losses, the body of the late venerable and lamented Earl was at sea on its way from a foreign land, to be consigned to the vault of his ancestors - happy is he not to have lived to see the devastation of a place which he loved so well, and thrice happy, not to have witnessed the blighted prospects of his house – the over-throw of hope too fondly conceived, and the sullying of a name dearer to him than life.

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THE LATE HURRICANE ... At Brienstown, the seat of Thomas Achmuty, Esq., the entire of a beautiful avenue which has stood for more than a century, was totally destroyed. The magnificent trees on either side having been laid prostrate, and whole groups of the most ornamental timber having shared the same fate. The stables were entirely unroofed, but fortunately the horses escaped unhurt.

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THE LATE HURRICANE ... Mr. Thomas Carroll of Cooleeny had a large stack of chimneys tumbled on the roof of his new house, which forced their way through, providentially Mrs. Carroll had moved a few minutes before out of the spot, owing to which circumstance her life was saved.

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THE LATE HURRICANE ... The most melancholy part of our tale still remains to be told, about twelve o'clock the canal burst in Farneyhoogan bog, about a mile from the town and rushed with great violence down the steep towards the Killashee road, several poor creatures who lived in bog-houses, rushed out with their families, and they, up to their wastes in water, hoping to save themselves. A poor man named James Bracken, who resided in one of them, went out with his family; in a short time the force of the water and the violence of the storm, threw him down with one of his children in his arms and he never rose again, as he was found dead on the side of the road in the morning, as also another of his children and two orphans names Denniston, who resided in his house were also lost. The bodies were removed into the old goal on Monday morning by Mr. Kinsley, where an inquest was held on them the following day by Dominick O'Reilly, Esq., Coroner, and a verdict returned accordingly. These are the names of the persons lost. James Bracken, aged about 25, John, his son, aged about 3, Patrick, another son, aged about 6, John Denniston, aged about 8, and Bridget, aged about 15 or 16. They were all buried the same evening.


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