Bawnboy and Templeport
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| Bawnboy village
( Paragraph numbers on the left refer to house locations on the navigation index map) |
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Home
65) In 1850 Terence McAdam had a house and a forge next door to where the Fee family live. By the end of the century his son John, occupied the place with his wife Margaret and three English born relatives. These were two nephews and a niece, Patrick, James and Maggie Christie. Patrick aged 18 was an apprentice blacksmith. Mrs. McAdam had a small shop in her dwellinghouse. A nonagenarian, then attending Bawnboy School remembers going to the shop for sweets at playtime. By 1920 Margaret McAdam was a widow. Soon afterwards the house and garden belonged to a Mr. Travers, who sold it to Thomas Martin. Big Pat Magauran was the owner in 1930. Pat was the famous goalkeeper for the first Templeport Saint Aidan's team that played on Duffy's Hill. A native of Muinaghan, he married Bina Byrnes, Kilsob who was a teacher for many years in Bawnboy N.S. They had one daughter, Josephine.
Francie Cassidy and his wife Agnes were the next tenants. They had been living in Brackley for most of their lives and had lost their only child, Teresa, an eight year old in 1943. Mrs. Cassidy gave accommodation to several young teachers and Gardaí especially during the 1950s, such as Marian Collins N.T. Munlough, Betty Reynolds N.T. Porturlan, Seán Lennon N.T. Tomena, Garda Noel O'Sullivan and Garda Jim Scott (RIP), who married Betty Dolan, Mullaghmore. Later on Mrs. Cassidy's brother Josie McSorley came to live here. All three occupants of the house were now advanced in years and passed quietly away.
Gabriel McGovern, his wife Eileen and their children came to the Cassidy house in 1975 and stayed for three years. They then exchanged houses with their parents in Tonlegee and Tommy and his wife Maggie Kate (née McSorley) came to live in Kilsob. Tommy died in the mid-eighties and Maggie Kate joined her daughter Chrissie (Mrs. Ben McHugh) in Swanlinbar. She died in the early nineties, taking with her a wonderful store of folklore and local history, now unfortunately lost. The house in Kilsob was bought and occupied in 1992 by Seán McGovern, Doogary, and his wife Bridget (née McTeggart, Lissanover) who had returned from England. They often visit their six grown up children, five in England and one in Ashbourne, and their large number of grandchildren.
On the opposite side of the road at this point is St. Aidan's National School, Bawnboy. It opened as a two-teacher school on 31st August 1971 with Chris Maguire and his daughter Eithne teaching. In the Autumn of 1973 Eithne returned to Dublin and Marian McGovern took her place. May Lynch joined the staff a few weeks later. The school had two extra rooms added in 1977, and shortly afterwards when Munlough School closed, Ciaran Maguire joined the staff at St. Aidan's.
66) The next house on our right was once Bawnboy National School, built in 1878. It was a challenge to the buyers to make a home of it. But it was done. Today the McCanns, Tony and Maisie, with Mark, Fiona and Paul have a fine stately home in pleasant surroundings.
The Old St Mogue's Bawnboy National School
67) Up the hill we go, and we are not afraid to pass the boogie bush that frightened Susan Carty in the 1860s. We pass Patrick McGovern's new house which was the site of the first Bawnboy N.S. in 1841.
92) Patrick McGovern started building this house some years ago but it is not yet complete.
68) A laneway to the left led in times gone by to the house of John and Mary Brady. Their children were Kate, Maggie, Agnes, James and Pat. Pat Brady, the whole six and a half feet of him had no bother with high fielding on the G.A.A. pitch with Templeport. Early in 1969, a Coyle family, Tommy and Sarah came to the Brady house. Their children Sarah, David and Thomas attended Bawnboy School. Tommy died suddenly five years later and the family moved to Co. Longford. David is now a Garda in Ballyconnell.
Last update: 16 January, 2011 13:17