Community Notes April 10th
April 06, 2021
Daffodil Day Thank You
Thank you to everyone who helped and supported Timoleague’s Daffodil Day fundraiser Week-End. The generosity and donations from everyone in the community and beyond has been amazing this year. €8,520 was raised between on-line donations and the collection the village on Friday March 26th for The Irish Cancer Society. Thank you.
100 Years Ago
On the 26th of March, William Good of Barryshall was shot at Kilshinehan as he returned from Bandon. His father John had been shot dead at the family home at Barryshall some weeks before. William was attending Trinity College where he was studying engineering. He had prior to this been conferred with a BA degree. He returned home for the funeral and had remained there to attend to his father’s affairs. On Saturday morning he journeyed to Bandon in a pony trap where he met a member of the Good family of Bandon. He warned him of the danger of travelling alone, but he was not unduly concerned. However, as he made his way home in the afternoon he was ambushed and shot. The pony it seems, continued on until it reached the yard at Barryshall. His family feared the worst and contacted the authorities. A search was initiated but without success on the Saturday evening and on Sunday. His body was discovered in a field off the road on Monday. A note was found near the body saying that he had been executed as a spy.
It seems that he survived the first attack and with his military training, though wounded, he made his escape from his attackers. He crawled down the glen and remained there for some time. His groans were heard by a local woman who had inside knowledge of the attack. She, it is said used a whittle tree to kill him.
William had volunteered and secured a commission in the Royal Garrison Artillery at the outbreak of World War 1. He proved himself a capable soldier and rose to the rank of captain. He served in the Rhine for six months after the armistice. He was awarded the Military Cross for distinguished service. After demobilisation he returned to Trinity to resume his studies. He was buried beside his father in KilgarriffeCemetary, Clonakilty.
The Closure of the Railway
The last train travelled on the West-Cork Railway on the 31st. of March 1961. At least, the powers that be didn’t wait another day to signal its demise! It was a sad end to a glorious era of steam and diesel transport. Each area served by the railway has many stories to tell of this period and Timoleague is no exception. Two rail lines have to be taken into account when discussing the Timoleague Railway. The Ballinascarthy and Timoleague Junction Light Railway was opened on the 20th of December 1890, followed by the Timoleague and Courtmacsherry Extension Light Railway which opened in April the following year. One of the driving forces behind the idea of having a rail link to Timoleague was Robert A Travers and the passing of the Tramways and Public Companies (Ireland) Act in 1883 paved the way for the possibility of a rail link. A meeting was held at Timoleague on Saturday, November 10th 1883 where plans were outlined and discussed for this major project. Three possible routes for a rail connection to Timoleague were on the table. (to be continued….)