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You are > Home > Surfing the history of Rosslare
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Thursday, July 01, 2010
Surfing the history of Rosslare
IT IS an appropriate time to reflect on Rosslare, because for a dry land sailor such as myself I associate Rosslare with the hub of the sunny South-East and a place associated with holidays and happiness and a warm welcoming local population.
Some years ago an enthusiastic group founded Rosslare Historical Society and they made a solemn vow to produce a publication every two years and with the recent launch of ‘Rosslare in History No. 3’ they have to be fully credited with keeping a promise.
It is evident from the latest edition that the Society has taken a while to get established, but this publication is the best to date, as you expect, and it covers a wider range of subjects than its predecessors.
Gerry Breen is the journal’s editor and his professionalism is reflected from the front cover to the back. It is a fascinating story too. Gerry tells the story from the humble beginnings of Kelly’s Tea Rooms in 1895, to the success of the Kelly’s Resort Hotel, still a family run concern to this present day.
The editor also chronicles the amazing adventures of Captain Philip Duggan, a member of a distinguished seafaring family whose roots were deeply embedded in Rosslare, and he had the terrifying experience of being shipwrecked in two world wars, however, he survived to tell his story until he was 95 years old.
Another story associated with the sea is that of the Liberian tanker ‘World Concord’, which broke in two during a fierce storm off the Pembrokeshire coast in November, 1954. The Rosslare Lifeboat ‘Douglas Hyde’ was involved in the heroic rescue attempts and Leo Carthy sings a great song written about the incident.
The Strand Supply Stores, owned by Noel Lambert, caught fire in the early hours on a May morning in 1949. It was big news at the time and the event is recalled with a full description of the incident and a number of photographs of the family members.
There was another notable fire in September, 1934, that destroyed Killinick Village Hall. Tony Jacob from Tagoat hit the headlines during the 1950’s, twice crossing the mighty Atlantic in a small boat. It was big news at the time, but the passing of time dimmed the memories, ‘Rosslare in History No.3' revives the memory of an older generation and enlightens those who were born afterwards.
Liam Griffin, who shot to national sporting fame following Wexford’s glorious All Ireland senior hurling success in 1996, is a Rosslareman and he uses the link to sing the praises of growing up and living in Rosslare.
His father was a Clare-born Garda and his mother came from farming stock from near Courtown. Liam has many happy memories and he shares them in his own inimitable style.
"Winter time was herring fishing time. The sight of cots coming ashore at the Iona Gap with a full moon and star-filled sky in the background and only the sound of oars breaking the water was something very special."
Back in 1903, a contemporary newspaper report described an outing to Rosslare by the children from Wexford Workhouse, and it is summarised. The "happy little paupers" had their day favoured with fine weather.
On a sporting note, also from 1903, horse racing on Rosslare Strand was described locally as "the big day" in the lives of the local people.
A reoccurring theme beginning to emerge in the Rosslare Historical Society journals is memories of Rosslare Fort. This is understandable because it is a fascinating episode, a whole community wiped out during a storm and today there is no trace of previous habitation on this site.
Articles on Rosslare Fort can be expected to keep coming to the editor’s desk. The Fort existed until the 1920’s, and therefore, records should be relatively fresh in historical terms.
There is also a photographic collection available to enhance the interest in an amazing event transformed for-ever by a merciless storm.
Those who believe that coastal erosion is a modern phenomenon get their answer on page 91 where it is revealed that coastal erosion has been a major problem in Rosslare for more than a hundred years. Wexford County Council held a meeting to discuss the problem at the Golf Hotel in 1930.
"It was considered by a number of people in Rosslare and by Wexford County Council that the removal of beach material from the foreshore at Rosslare was a contributory factor to the erosion, and the sworn enquiry was set up by the Minister for Industry and Commerce to hear an application for an order prohibiting the removal of sand and gravel from the foreshore."
Mention of the Golf Hotel reminds us that this once famous landmark in the Rosslare area is also documented in this edition. It was opened in 1922 and remained in the ownership of the Sinnott family until 1986.
In many ways the Golf Hotel was the ‘ballroom of romance’ in Rosslare and a home to organisations and social activity. It was originally constructed of timber and galvanised iron, which is ‘romantic’ in every sense of the word, but it was rebuilt in the late 1960’s and the atmosphere of the early days were never reciprocated.
The Golf Hotel hosted the National Mumming Championships in May, 1955.
In March, 1960, a small whale, about twenty feet long, was washed up on the beach at Rosslare Strand by a south-easterly gale. County Council workers buried the carcase.
Less than a century earlier, in June, 1868, an eel of extraordinary size, the largest ever seen on the Wexford coast, was captured at the Fort of Rosslare.
As can be gleaned by this snapshot of what can be found in ‘Rosslare in History No. 3’, this is an interesting place. The sea draws its share of interesting stories, but life on the mainland is equally diverse and never dull.
I must make note of the production here – the credit goes to Impression Print, Wexford – it is superb and the reproduction of the photographs, many of them very old and I would imagine the originals are fragile, have been finished to the highest standard.
I always applaud local publications. They record the stories at the coal face and assist in a major way in building up the overall history of the county. They are a treasure trove and this publication ensures Rosslare’s place in the overall compilation of Wexford’s rich history.
‘Rosslare in History No. 3’, edited by Gerry Breen, published by Rosslare Historical Society, 124 pages, illustrated, on sale in local bookshops at 10. Overseas readers can obtain copies through the ISBN number-13 978-0-9549955-6-0.
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