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Kiltimagh MuseumFamous Sons of KiltimaghKiltimagh, County Mayo, IrelandAnthony Raftery 1784 - 1835
Raftery's only means of existence were his fiddle and his poetry. While he is said to have been only a very mean fiddler, he built up a formidable reputation as a folk poet. He was partial to such beauties as Breegeen Vesey and Maire ni hEidhin, which Yeats translated into English. Raftery also wrote poems about the 'Whiteboys,' a secret society of the time. For this he was charged with sedition at the Galway Assizes. Although he didn't always see eye with the Church his Atharraigh Raifteiri is a very moving, religious poem. None of Raftery's poetry was written down, but it remained in the folk memory until collected by Douglas Hyde around the turn of the 20th century. He is now recognized as one of Ireland's most foremost 19th century folk poets. Raftery is best remembered locally for his idyllic poem about his native Killedan which he described as a land of milk and honey: 'Killedan the village where everything grows, There are blackberries there and all that is good, And if I were standing in the midst of my people, Age would leave me and I'd be young once more' Raftery died on 24th December 1834 and is buried in Killeeneen, Co. Galway. Mike Hogarty
He returned to Sperry Gryoscope who sent him to Utah, 1956 - 1965, in charge of the production and development of the sergeant missile weapons system and developing and manufacturing automated test equipment for field maintenance of the system. From 1967 - 1969 he was in charge of the development and testing of the Apollo spacecrafts after which he developed his own computer systems for aerospace and other special purpose applications. Mike is now retired and living in Utah. Fr. Denis O Hara, Parish Priest, 1888 - 1922
A 'People's Park' was acquired and a Factory field, beside the Railway, to encourage investment. A new sewage and gas lighting system, cottage hospital, artisans' dwellings were built, together with eight new primary schools. He was also responsible for heaving the railway routed through the town and persuading the Hibernian Bank to open a branch here. In addition to tending his parishioner's material welfare, he was also a deeply spiritual man and was greatly loved for all his work, pastoral and social, on our behalf. Father Denis died in April, 1922. |
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Opening HoursDaily 2pm - 6pm June to September Come and share our experience for yourselves. You will be most welcome.
| Kiltimagh Museum | Railway
History |
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Raftery
was born in Killedan, the son of a weaver. He was almost
blind from an attack of small-pox while very young and is
said to have worked as a stable boy for the landlord, Frank
Taaffe. While he had no formal education, Frank Taaffe's
uncle, known locally as Friar Taaffe, was said to have taken
an interest in teaching him. He is also said to have
attended hedge schools all over south Galway. Raftery is
said to have been banished after a dispute with the
landlord. For years he lived between Tuam, Gort and
Craughwell, where he died.
Mike
was born here in 1920 and emigrated to USA with his parents
in 1930, to join the rest of the family. In 1942, while
working for Sperry Gyroscope in New York, he was drafted
into the Air Force where he served with the B29 Radar
Bombers in the Far East. After the war he was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf
Clusters and Presidential Citation.
Father
Denis O Hara, through his association with the Congested
Districts Board, completely changed the social and economic
climate of our town. His first task was to build a new
church - completed within nine months. He then persuaded the
St. Louis nuns to come to Kiltimagh where they first
established a Technical School where classes in dressmaking,
lace-making, carpentry, bee-keeping and market gardening
helped to foster a new sense of self-suffiency and
well-being.