Remembering distinguished Mayo journalist and historian

By Tom Gillespie

THERE is a plaque in Market Square, Castlebar, erected on the house in which renowned journalist and historian Joseph F. Quinn lived.

During the 1920s he spent many years on the editorial staff of The Connaught Telegraph.

He commenced his journalistic career with the Western People before joining The Connaught Telegraph. He subsequently rejoined the Western People in 1933 and remained a member of staff up to his death in December 1933.

A native of Aclare, Co. Sligo, he was born in 1875 and was a man of powerful physique and in the days before motor transport was available, he travelled on his reporting duties all over Mayo on his bicycle. This gave him a vast knowledge of Mayo, afforded to few men, and served him well later in life when he wrote his History of Mayo, from his home in Castlebar, which ran to several volumes and which was serialised in the Western People in the 1990s.

A keen student of folklore and history, he was also an antiquarian of note and a well-known lecturer on historical subjects.

An expert shorthand writer, he was until the time of his death official stenographer in the Circuit and High Courts and at public inquiries. During his 50 years in the profession, he saw the history of the county change and was one of the few journalists who reported the proceedings of the first meeting of Mayo County Council in 1898. Just prior to his death he was engaged in writing a history of landlords in Mayo.

J.F’s History of Mayo was edited and printed in book form by his son Brendan in the 1990s.

Volume 1 featured Ballintubber, Burriscarra, Castlebar, Ballyhaunis, Straide, Urlaur, Addergoole, Newport, Moorehall, Balla, etcetera.

Volume 2 featured parishes of Mayo, Balla, Turlough, Keelogues, Newport, Kilmeena, Clare Island, also Grainne Uaile, Achill, Aughagower, Westport, Boffin, Kilgeever, Ballyovey, Ross, Kilbride, Kilmaine, Kilcommon, Robeen, Ballinrobe, etcetera.

Volume 3: Shrule, composition of Connaught, Lough Mask, Lough Corrib, Headford, Ross, Boycott, Land League, Cong, Neale, Moytura, Claremorris, Bekan, Knock, Kilvine, Aghamore, Ballyhaunis, etcetera.

Volume 4: Ballina, Erris barony, Hy-Fiachrach, O’Dowds, Tireagh, Tirawley, Famine, Landlords and their fate, etcetera.

Volume 5: Diocese of Killala, Diocese of Achonry, all of which are available on Google Books.

J.F. and his colleagues would have cycled around the county covering the courts of the day.

Had he been alive 30 years later (March 1963) he would have enjoyed covering a court case that took place before District Justice Hugh McGahon in Castlebar Courthouse, which concerned ‘The pub with no beer’.

The learned judge stated: “In view of the circumstances, it would be hard luck if I convicted” when he dismissed summonses against publican Thomas Conway of Linenhall Street, Castlebar, for a breach of the licensing laws at 1.02 a.m. on Sunday, February 3, 1963.

During the hearing of the evidence, an unusual feature was that two men found on the premises were drinking beer which had been purchased in another public house before closing time.

In reply to Supt. M. Enright (prosecuting), Garda Michael Devaney said that at 1 a.m., while he was on duty with Guard Brogan, he saw a car outside the defendant’s licensed premises.

After knocking on the door four times, someone asked who was there. When he said ‘Guards on duty’, he went away again. After a lapse of two or three minutes he was admitted to the premises where he found two men in the kitchen. Continuing, witness said the men were drinking beer and one of them said he had purchased the beer in another licensed premises and brought it into Conway’s to drink.

Thomas Corr, bar assistant, Hoban’s, Main Street, gave evidence of selling a dozen of beer.

The summons against Thomas Conway was dismissed.

Another story from the files of The Connaught which would have brought a smile to J.F. on January 30, 1975, had the heading ‘Two man trapped in huge fridge'.

It read: A bacon company chief and another man, who had been trapped in a giant fridge at 30 degrees below freezing, spoke about their ‘Arctic experience’.

The door of the huge bacon fridge suddenly slammed shut on Mr. Blair Holt, manager at Castlebar Bacon Company, and an employee, Mr. Martin Halligan, on Friday evening at 8 p.m. There was no way of unlocking the door from the inside and staff on duty were working in another part of the factory.

“We banged on the door for three-quarters of an hour trying to attract somebody’s attention but nobody came to free us,” said a relieved Mr. Holt.

“There is a bell alarm system to cater for precisely this emergency, but the outside office where the alarm bell rings belongs to Martin Halligan and he was in the fridge with me, so there was no point in using this alarm.”

The two trapped men finally managed to unhinge the insulated ceiling of the fridge. They piled up boxes to reach the 12-foot high roof.

The staff of the factory, in fact, had begun to notice Mr. Holt’s disappearance and probably would have rescued him and Mr. Halligan.