Frank near the summit of the Grotto at Cratloe
after the Stations of the Cross !
WANDERINGS WITH FRANK
I have referred to my uncle Frank Phillips in a previous blog (see March 21,2007) ,and he is, I’m glad to say still very sound of limb and mind at 84 years of age. One of his many talents is a prodigious memory for events and places stretching back to his childhood days growing up in his beloved Ballycannon. Returning to live in Limerick after a virtual lifetime in London, Frank had so many memory-leads to follow as he re-traced routes that had been mapped in his psyche through all those years in a foreign land. Unable to drive a car due to failing eyesight he got a bicycle to translate those remembered places into reality. Later he bought a battery-powered bike that extended his circuit and allowed him to negotiate those hills of childhood with relative ease. To this day Frank heads off most afternoons , sometimes along the Island bank, or out to Corbally,or the Long Pavement and of course to the Holy Grail of his destinations, dear old Ballycannon.
Over the years I have joined Frank on his excursions,with the car widening the scope of his travels. Shortly after his arrival home, using only his recall as our guide we set off to find Castlecrine,a demolished manor house just outside Sixmilebridge.It was over 60 years since Frank had last seen the place, and he remembered details of the demesne with awe and wonder. The big house had been burned down during the Troubles but the rolling lawns, the large pond and the surrounding woodland were all indelibly etched in Franks memory. Although it must be mentioned that Franks youthful interest in Castlecrine had little to do with the pleasant aesthetic of the landscape and a lot to do with the Orchard whose boughs bent low with succulent fruit, a lure too sweet to resist!
I will never forget rounding the bend and seeing for the first time beautiful Castlecrine exactly as Frank had described it, without the house or the teasing orchard. The site has now been developed and there are three houses built there, but the rolling lawns and the lilied pond remain, resplendently awesome. Both Frank and I stood at the gates ,he lost in thought for days that are no more and I yet again amazed at this mans grasp of his past. I later learned that Castlecrine was home to the Butler family, great land-owners of their day. I hope to do a bit more research into Castlecrine and share it in a future blog.
Just about two weeks ago Frank and I set off on another mission, to visit the Grotto at Cratloe and the nearby graveyard of Craughaun. Although not a religious man Frank has a fascination with the Grotto,built by local voluntary labour in 1932,replicating the famous shrine at Lourdes. This impressive place of pilgrimage has a depiction of the Crucifixion of Christ atop a man-made cave, approached by a steep 100 foot series of steps following the fourteen stations of the cross. The ascending pathway is sentried by huge gnarled trees that seem as if they have stood there for an age. We climbed the Calvary path at a leisurely pace stopping often to marvel at the great trees and also at the local endeavour that fashioned this place all those years ago. As we drew near the summit the darkening afternoon rolled peals of thunder in the distance,but thankfully only a thin rain drizzled gently down.
I remember as a child being brought to the Grotto for nigh time prayer vigils, when large numbers of the Faithful would parade around the Shrine droning various aspirations for divine assistance. I see from a notice pinned to the wall of the cave that the tradition continues ,although on a much smaller scale I’d imagine. My abiding memory of those nocturnal outings was the candle-lit processions cutting, like a snake of fire through the black night.
For Frank and I the next stop was the graveyard at Craughaun where an aunt of his is buried. This woman had died in 1947 and was a sister of Franks mother. The Cemetery like the C of E hymnal is divided into two sections,ancient and modern. We traipsed through both in the drizzling rain vainly seeking out the headstone. As we turned to go we decided on one last look, and just inside the gate of the old section, over on the left we discovered the faint inscription that we had come to find :
Over the years I have joined Frank on his excursions,with the car widening the scope of his travels. Shortly after his arrival home, using only his recall as our guide we set off to find Castlecrine,a demolished manor house just outside Sixmilebridge.It was over 60 years since Frank had last seen the place, and he remembered details of the demesne with awe and wonder. The big house had been burned down during the Troubles but the rolling lawns, the large pond and the surrounding woodland were all indelibly etched in Franks memory. Although it must be mentioned that Franks youthful interest in Castlecrine had little to do with the pleasant aesthetic of the landscape and a lot to do with the Orchard whose boughs bent low with succulent fruit, a lure too sweet to resist!
I will never forget rounding the bend and seeing for the first time beautiful Castlecrine exactly as Frank had described it, without the house or the teasing orchard. The site has now been developed and there are three houses built there, but the rolling lawns and the lilied pond remain, resplendently awesome. Both Frank and I stood at the gates ,he lost in thought for days that are no more and I yet again amazed at this mans grasp of his past. I later learned that Castlecrine was home to the Butler family, great land-owners of their day. I hope to do a bit more research into Castlecrine and share it in a future blog.
Just about two weeks ago Frank and I set off on another mission, to visit the Grotto at Cratloe and the nearby graveyard of Craughaun. Although not a religious man Frank has a fascination with the Grotto,built by local voluntary labour in 1932,replicating the famous shrine at Lourdes. This impressive place of pilgrimage has a depiction of the Crucifixion of Christ atop a man-made cave, approached by a steep 100 foot series of steps following the fourteen stations of the cross. The ascending pathway is sentried by huge gnarled trees that seem as if they have stood there for an age. We climbed the Calvary path at a leisurely pace stopping often to marvel at the great trees and also at the local endeavour that fashioned this place all those years ago. As we drew near the summit the darkening afternoon rolled peals of thunder in the distance,but thankfully only a thin rain drizzled gently down.
I remember as a child being brought to the Grotto for nigh time prayer vigils, when large numbers of the Faithful would parade around the Shrine droning various aspirations for divine assistance. I see from a notice pinned to the wall of the cave that the tradition continues ,although on a much smaller scale I’d imagine. My abiding memory of those nocturnal outings was the candle-lit processions cutting, like a snake of fire through the black night.
For Frank and I the next stop was the graveyard at Craughaun where an aunt of his is buried. This woman had died in 1947 and was a sister of Franks mother. The Cemetery like the C of E hymnal is divided into two sections,ancient and modern. We traipsed through both in the drizzling rain vainly seeking out the headstone. As we turned to go we decided on one last look, and just inside the gate of the old section, over on the left we discovered the faint inscription that we had come to find :
IN MEMORY OF
MARY ELLEN QUINN
WHO DIED 1947
A.D.
This lady had died two years after Franks own mother and he recalled how none of the family had a way of getting from Ballycannon to Cratloe for the funeral. No bicycle, no horse and car,no transport whatsoever was available to them. They even tried hitch-hiking a lift on the sparsely trafficked Ennis Road of the 1940’s.
Many memories had been stirred for Frank on our afternoon wanderings and he had once more fleshed out for me aspects of the family history. Sadly I am not blessed with his recollection skills and so I need to hear these snippets of the family story over and over again. It’s such a gift to have Franks knowledge of things past from which to draw. Long may he reign !
Gerard O'Shea
2 comments:
Castlecrine has captured my attention with its beauty and history. I'm an American lady who has lived in the Sixmilebridge area, and specifically in one of the Castlecrine refurbished coach houses. I'm back home now, in the USA, but would be interested in the Butler family history.
As I understand it, Henry Pelham, the surveyor of Co. Clare married Catherine Butler. Somewhere along the line I read of twin sons born to them, but have been unable to learn more.
Thanks for your lovely blog.
Hi Dot,
Thanks for your kind comments. Since you got in touch i was in contact with Ennis library and they kindly sent me information on castlecrine and the Butler family. I hope at some future time to write another piece on the house but meanwhile I would be glad to share this information with you. If you leave your e mail or postal address ( the latter would be more convenient)in this comment section, I will be sure to moderate it so it doesnt appear publicly, and I can send you the relevant material.
Gerry
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