Cush is in the Electoral Division of Emlygrennan, in Civil Parish of Emlygrennan, in the Barony of Coshlea, in the County of Limerick The Irish name for Cush is An Chois Cush is on Logainm.ie: Cush.
We have commissioned a series of replica urns and artifacts unearthed in the 1930's at the Bronze Age site Cush, Co Limerick. Watch the our video here:
Cush Excavation - 1934 Article
Cush Excavation - 1935 Article
Professor Sean P O'Riordain
Workers at Cush in 1934, with Professor Sean O Riordain (arrowed)
Professor O Riordain and colleagues with the locally-drawn workforce
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Eamon De Valera's 1943 visit to Cush
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This is the recounting of a now almost forgotten visit by Eamon de Valera to see the Cush Earthworks located near Kilfinane, as told by 87-year-old Jim Ryan.
This region was occupied by an Iron Age community dating back to circa 1000 BC, and was excavated in the early 1930s. When Eamon de Valera came to see for himself the Cush Earthworks near Kilfinane in the mid-forties he was in the company of General Richard Mulcahy, the leader of Fine Gael at the time. Eamon de Valera was Taoiseach and had been since 1937.
They were coming from a feis in Kanturk and came to the cross of Cush on the main road at 6pm on a lazy Sunday evening. They came upon Pat McAuliffe, a local man, who directed them to go up to the next cross, onto the Old Road and ask directions from the man of the house on the right. This man was Willie O'Donnell.
As it was a Sunday it was customary for the people of the Old Road to go to 11am Mass in Kilfinane, after which the men went up the town for the only few pints they would have in the week. Fortunately for them, the town had a very understanding garda sergeant who knew their situation and turned a blind eye to this, as the pubs were supposed to be closed. They worked hard all week and it was their only social outing apart from a funeral, a wake or a wedding.
They went to the Green Bar or Theresa Regan’s and when they returned home they ate their dinner and had a good rest before milking the cows that evening. In those days there were always people at every crossroads in the evening but as it was supper time there was only one young boy, Dermot Cleary. The driver told him to go in and tell the man inside that Mr de Valera is here and he wants to meet him. This he did, he went in and woke Willie O'Donnell from his snooze and reported that the Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera, was outside and wanted to meet him.
Now, Willie O’ Donnell was a big strong man who would drink seven or eight pints and walk home sober. When woken up in this manner he wasn't in the best of form and told the young fellow if he didn’t go quickly, he would break his backside with a kick! The young lad ran out leaving the driver of the car to make his own introductions instead.
And so, with Willie O’Donnell convinced, he escorted the group up the hillside to see the excavation site. In the meantime, Katie O’Donnell, sister of Willie, went to spread the news. She ran to Clancy's, 100 yards down the road, and then to our house, where my father Mikey Ryan was having his rest. He didn’t believe it either sending Katie O'Donnell into a rage saying “you auld so-and-so, you wouldn't believe anything!” Off she went in a huff to Dawson's where Jack Dawson was having his tea. He jumped up and headed straight for the cross. In the excitement the Hannon family, living next door, were forgotten. This was a bad mistake as they were the heart of the community. Dave Clancy came up and collected my father and they travelled up to join the others. They had a good chat with the visiting party.
Now, at that time, we were cutting turf on the mountain and on some days, you could see a faint outline of the Kerry hills in the distance. When this was the case you could be sure of a heavy rainfall in a day or two, as the clarity was due to the thinness of the air. On this evening they could see the hills and they pointed them out to Dev. His opinion was that these were the Paps. He was wrong but they held back from correcting him, sure it was well known that De Valera had poor eyesight. The hills they saw were Carrauntuohill and Mount Brandon to the North. De Valera was suitably impressed by the earthworks and the beauty of the region.
While the visit only lasted an hour the impact of it changed politics in Cush and the Old Road forever. The area was 99% Fianna Fail, Dave Clancy himself, a staunch and well-known member of the Old IRA. The only exception was my father Mikey Ryan. He was Fine Gael partly due to the influence of George Bennett, the Fine Gael TD at that time. George Bennett had a farm in Ballinvana near Elton where my father came from and which was managed by my father’s brother Jim. When an election was called there was a lot of tension on the road. Not alone was he Fine Gael, he was out daily canvassing for George Bennett. He held the office of director of elections for the party for West Limerick at the very same time that Dave Clancy, living 100 yards away, held the office for Fianna Fail. Yet they were the best of friends.
Election or no election they understood politics. Others were not so pleased and how could you blame them. Some had been imprisoned for their part in the Civil War, the memory of which was still very raw. When the election was over, whatever the result, they were all one big happy family again. They saved the hay and cut the turf and drank their pints of a Sunday together. The visit of Eamon de Valera accompanied by General Mulcahy they found a bitter pill to swallow but they did. There was never the same tension after that. They accepted and saw politics for the game it is. They are all gone to their eternal reward. May God be good to them.
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Census Project 1911
