Category Archives: Places

Captain Weddall’s Bicycle: part 3

Chain smoking the night away Sean O’Longain could not rest that night. When he eventually fell asleep his dreams were haunted by sea captains and bicycles. About 7.30 the following morning he was woken from his restless slumber by a rap on the door. Thinking that somehow the captain had found out about the mangled bicycle and had come to reprimand the hapless school teacher about it.

It was not the enraged captain Weddal, it was his landlady. What she had to tell him was the last thing he expected.

“Shaun, Shaun,” said my landlady (in an unusual tone of voice), “are you awake?” said she,

“Indeed I am mam,” said I, in  a voice that was not very normal either.

“Isn’t it awful! Isn’t it awful!” said she.

“What’s wrong mam, what’s wrong?” asked I.

“Ochon ochon go deo, poor Captain Weddall was found dead in bed this morning.”

The young teacher could not believe the timing of Captain Weddall’s death.

“Neighbours passing were bewailing the captain’s sudden demise. I joined in their lamentations as best I could under the circumstances. “May God be good to him.” Says I “the poor poor captain was a kind old neigbour.”

“Isn’t he as well off” says old Mrs. O’Toole, “his troubles are over.”

“True for ye,” says I -“and the troubles of other people too.”

Just as he was breathing a sigh of relief, his landlady back back from visiting the new widow, advised that he should go to see Mrs. Weddall, as she would like to see him. He did reluctantly.

“I did so and offered my sincere sympathy to Mrs. Weddall, after which she invited me into the room to see the captain laid out. That was my hardest ordeal. Even though I knew him to be dead I still had a sort of feeling that he might make some move at my presence. I gave the corpse a side glance, made some excuse and took my leave from the room as soon as the opportunity offered. “Guilty conscience makes cowards of us.””

Emily being Emily, a generous soul told the young teacher and Gaelic Leaguer, that he could keep the bike. I would have been more use to him as he needed one to travel around the island. He thanked her accordingly. He had it repaired and kept if for a long time. No doubt he treasured the bike that in its way was hard bought. Emily as well as her husband went to their graves without knowing of the accident. If they did know they probably would have laughed.

Sources
Connaught Telegraph 1830-current, 19.05.1956, page 4

The life and death of Rev. William John Burke

On this day 1883 Emily’s father Rev. William John Burke died in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. He was 78. His death certificate stated Bronchial Pneumonia lasting ten days as the cause of death. His eldest daughter, Miriam was with him. There was no mention of his wife Emily.

He was buried a few miles down the road at Clontuskert Churchyard. His death and burial belying the way he lived. His passing is only recorded in the church and civil records, unlike his life after changing religion, forty years since.

There was no obituary in the papers or dedication in any church, in spite of his work as a missionary and Evangelist for much of the nineteenth century. Scarcely a week went by without his name appearing in either the Irish or British newspapers, reporting his triumphs or tragedies. His life was by and large controversial as a convert priest of his times could be. Even if he didn’t change religion he would certainly have gained notoriety in the Catholic Church, as he had become disenchanted with the church authorities and being outspoken as he was it was perhaps only a matter of time till he could hold his tongue no longer.

In his time he would have been remembered for controversial reasons and perhaps not so much his oration skills and talent as a preacher.

Sources
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie
Clontuskert Heritage Group., and Joe Molloy. The Parish of Clontuskert: Glimpses Into Its Past. Ballinasloe, Co. Galway: Clontuskert Heritage Group, 2009. P 115
Thanks to:
Joe Molloy, editor of our 2009 publication, “The Parish of Clontuskert – Glimpses into its Past” for kindly providing me with the information of Rev and Mrs Burke’s grave and the photographs of St. Matthew’s Church
Jill Cooke  who kindly provided me with the Burke’s burial records. 

Captain Weddall’s Bicycle: part 2

Off went Sean O’Longain down the road, with Captain Weddall looking after him, as if making sure that he was fit to cycle such fine bike. The wind was in his favour, blowing him all the way to Achill Sound, 10 Km away to catch the train, except when he got there the train had already gone.

Fazed less than he should have been, perhaps because of the captain’s shiny bicycle, at the prospect of cycling the 40 or so kilometres to Westport, where he reached before nightfall. He was greeted by his friend who told him that he was invited to give a talk at a branch of the Gaelic League at Irishtown, a further 50 km from Westport. They left the next morning arriving in time for the Gaelic League concert, which lasted into the early hours. Sean O’Longain bit farewell to his friends and set off the long and arduous journey home.

He had the company of one of his friends to Westport, which he welcomed as the night was dark and misty. All went well until a turn in the road where the two bicycles collided and the young teacher hit the stone wall. Luckily he was not injured but the captain’s bike was buckled and a peddle missing.

What a sudden change of scene and mind came upon me would be better imagined than described, I thought of the beautiful silvery, neat and glittering bike which I got from the Russian [he was English] captain two days previous and the strict obligations and conditions which he imposed upon me regarding its care and use. What a contrast! It was a different article, bent, broken and covered by the slush of the road.

He didn’t know what he was going to tell the captain. He and his companion managed to transport the wreck of a bike between somehow dragging and pulling the it along the road until they reached the train station at Claremorris. At Westport he bid farewell to his friend and made the rest of the journey to Achill alone with his thoughts. When he reached Achill Sound the last stop on the line:

On arriving at Achill Sound I took the disabled bike off the train and waited in the little village until nightfall, as I didn’t wish that anybody would notice the state of my machine. I had over ten miles to wald to my destination. I trudged along in downcast depression that weary journey, deeply absorbed in gloomy thoughts of foreboding trouble.

When he eventually arrived at his lodgings well after midnight, he slowly slunk into bed. He fell into a dreamless sleep meditating on how he would face the formidable captain having to explain the bike wreckage the next day…

Sources
Connaught Telegraph 1830-current, 19.05.1956, page 4

Captain Weddall’s Bicycle

In 1908 Sean O’Longain was a traveling teacher, who lived on Achill in the early twentieth century. He lodged at Pollagh, not too far from Emily Weddall and her husband the captain. He was introduced to them by his landlady Mrs. Fadden. Sean O’Longain, like many others though that Captain Weddall was Russian, he was in fact an Englishman, Yorkshire born and bred. It was also common knowledge that the couple had a ample income from Russia too. So when the young teacher wanted to borrow the sea captain’s bicycle to travel to a Gaelic League event in Westport some forty miles away he met the prospect of asking him with much trepidation.

Captain Weddall struck an imposing figure. He was large tall and “not very communicative” as Sean O’Longain put it. The though of approaching him to borrow the bike was too much for him so he approached his wife, Emily.

“I went directly to the captain’s wife, Mrs. Weddall, told her my story of how obligatory it was for me to meet the Gaelic League organiser and that I would be exceedingly grateful to her if she’d kindly ask the captain to loan me his bike as far as Achill Sound, that I could catch the train there to Westport.”

Emily did not make any promises that her husband would lend him the bike but she would certainly try to persuade him to do so as it was for the cause of the Gaelic League, the organisation closet to her heart. He kept everything he owned in ‘shipshape’ a habit he never lost, from the years he spent at sea. She disappeared into her house and returned a while later with a pleased smile on her face. The captain would lend him his bike. She motioned for him to follow her husband.

“Come with me.” said the captain. He then took me to the tool house, where the bike was locked and neatly kept, took the large moleskin cover off and it shined like a piece of silver fresh from the mint.”

Now said the Russian captain I’m giving you the loan of this bike on conditions that you take special car of it; do not let it out of you r possession until you return it to me in the same condition as you are getting it.”

“Very well captain” said I, “thank you.”

On the shiny new bike the school teacher began his journey…

Sources
Connaught Telegraph 1830-current, 19.05.1956, page 4

 

Widow

In June 1908 Captain Weddall had a stoke and died. He was only 62. At the age of just forty Emily who had just become used of being a wife became a widow. She and the sea captain had celebrated their third wedding anniversary a month or so before.

Like her grandmother, Mary McArthur and sister Miriam Betts, she had lost her husband after a few years of marriage. There was little comfort in the same fact. Emily, unlike her widowed relatives had no children to comfort, or them to comfort her. Her closest relative, her sister, Miriam lived in Australia at the other side of the world. She could only offer support by letter, as she had two young children to care for. Once again Emily found herself alone in the world, but was a fact of her life that she had perhaps grown used of. Premature death was the way of the times, as many diseases that nobody dies from these days could not be cured or contained in the early years of the last century.

Captain Weddall, who was a quiet man by nature and quite the opposite of his gregarious wife. Little is known about the sea captain’s latter years on Achill. From the scant records which consist of two newspaper articles, complementing him on his generosity for his support of the St. Patrick’s Day concerts of 1907 and 1908, and a special thanks for supplying the refreshments  for the participants, and those who had traveled a distance to the concert and a story that appeared in the Connaught Telegraph almost fifty years after his death, by writer Sean O’Longain.

Sources

Connaught Telegraph 1830-current, 19.05.1956, page 4