P. W. Leamy

Journalist / Editor / Musician

Site of Present day Connacht Telegraph
Author's Personal Photo
Site of old Town Hall.
Author's Personal Photo
Ruins of Roscommon Castle
commons.wikimedia.org
Gravestone at Castlebar Old Cemetery
Author's Personal Photo

P. W. as he was known was a popular musician also an extremely talented journalist with Mayo & Galway newspapers during his career.

Family

P. W. Leamy was born into one of the most respected & well known Castlebar families on Main Street where his family had a licensed premises.  He was a keen G.A.A. man: he was especially delighted with the Mayo teams successes during 1950 and 1951.  He married Anne Bourke Slogger, Kilmeena, Westport. She was a professional photographer. They had one son John. (Anne demise occurred on 22nd October 2001 in Roscommon) . John was the proprietor of The Village Shop at Bunnanadden (his demise occurred at age of  sixty – one years at his home in Bunnanadden, Ballymote, Co. Sligo.)   P. W. lived in Westport prior to a move to Roscommon Town to take up an appointment at ‘The Connacht Tribune.’ (April 1996  page 57)

Career

P. W. was employed as a staff member of ‘The Connaught Telegraph’ during the forties & fifties. He covered all major news stories at that time. His forte was court reporting: he was proud of the clarity also colour of his reports as he possessed a tremendous personal knowledge of the Law.  He would always have predicted the outcome of major trials.  He was also a correspondent for many national newspapers.  P. W. was appointed editor of The Connacht Tribune  in Galway.

Showband

A major hobby of P.W. was music.  His very popular band toured throughout the county. They provided the music at the opening night of The Gaiety Ballroom in Islandeady during 1938.

Drama

P.W was very involved in drama within Castlebar.  He penned plays during the 1940’s.  P. W. Leamy presented a musical play in the town entitled ‘The Sailor Boy’ apparently was loosely based on Gilbert &  Sullivan’s ‘The Pirates of Penzance’

Demise

P.W. Leamy’s demise occurred on 6th December 1972.  He is  interred at Castlebar Old Cemetery.  His wife Anne with son John were later buried with P. W.

Have many fond memories of P.W. & Ann also son John at visits to our home (as they were family friends) or on day trips to Ashford Castle, Cong, Leenane also Achill etc. We enjoyed numerous picnics at the old Pontoon Beach Beach also Old Head. (NBC)

Tributes

In The Connacht Telegraph  24th September 2019 by Jaybee’s Corner (page 34)  P. W. Leamy is referenced as ‘a journalist & musician’.

Jaybee’s Corner‘ 7th April 2020 in The Connacht Telegraph referenced P. W. Leamy as ‘a prominent journalist, opera producer also a band leader.

Tom Gillespie in his The County Town article of The Connaught Telegraph 24th January 2023 referenced P. W. Leamy as a journalist who forwarded a weather report during 1955 to Radió Éireann that resulted in an animated Castlebar Council discussion.

Source

Connaught Telegraph Commemorative Issue

 

Comments about this page

  • John Healy Journalist, has provided information on P. W. ‘s contribution to Castlebar, in his column ‘Country View’ in the Mayo News newspaper, February 26th 2019 edition.

    By Noelene Beckett Crowe (06/03/2019)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.