A Beirne Paparazzo

Brendan Beirne was, according to English tabloid newspaper reports, a paparazzo who had been taking pictures of Princess Diana for more than ten years. In 1995 he was named Nikon Royal Photographer of the Year for one of the Princess and Prince William. In April 1997 he photographed her leaving a gym in London. She objected, and when he did not respond to her allegedly tearful pleas to hand over the film she appealed to a passer-by for help. Then followed what was described as "an ugly pavement brawl" which ended with Brendan in a powerful arm lock and forced against a wall until he released the film. The passer-by turned out to be a hotel tout named Kevin Duggan of an Irish Nationalist family in Armagh. He said that at the time he thought that it was a Di lookalike.

A Beirne Family Reunion

Descendants of early Virginia immigrant Patrick Beirne celebrated the 200th anniversary of his birth by a family reunion at Lewisburg, West Virginia, on August 1-3, 1997. Patrick emigrated from Roscommon to Union, Virginia, in 1812 to join a kinsman, Andrew of Dangan, who had emigrated in 1793. Descendants of Patrick include noted authors and journalists. One of these, Professor D. Randall Beirne, is completing a history and genealogy of Patrick's family.

Who was the Rev. J. Power and Where are his Writings?

In a letter to the Herald ‘Scrutator’ (and who was he?) gave the titles of two ‘memoirs’ by Rev. J. Power: "Dangan Castle, otherwise known as Dangan Dun" and "O’Beirnes of Dangan, Lisadorn, and Coonglassneymore Castle, Co. Roscommon". These could well be the most important single sources of information on the early history of the O’Beirnes in Roscommon. Despite several years of enquires to individuals and libraries I have not been able to track them down or to find out who Rev. Power was or when he served in Roscommon.

The only possible clue so far is in Mary Gormley's admirable history of Tulsk Parish which, page 117, gave an account of this local tradition: a South of Ireland Protestant named Power tricked the monks of Rannaruaigue out of their Abbey at a time when according to law a Protestant taking possession of a Catholic's residence was entitled to it; his descendants lived in the district for centuries, eventually became Catholic, and later moved to Flaskagh. The last descendant died in 1918. Protestant Bishop Synge's census of Elphin diocese in 1749 lists John Power of Runoge and Peter Power of Ross Beg, farmers and "Papists."

Can anybody help with information, especially on where copies of the ‘memoirs' might be found? If we knew whether Rev. Power was Protestant or Catholic we would know which church records might have them - Bryan Beirne, 2203-3755 Bartlett Court, Bumaby, B.C. V3J 7G7, Canada, or e-mail tfinlays@sfu.ca

A Possible O'Beirne Shrine?

A well at Clooneybeirne is marked on Irish Ordnance Survey maps as St. Patrick's but is known locally as St. Bridget's. In either event it warrants the status of a Holy Well. Clooneybeirne, "Beirne's Meadow", is about three miles southeast of Tulsk between Cloonmurray to its north and Ballyglass to the south.

Characteristics of the Well were described by Mary Gormley in her history of Tulsk Parish, page 62, from which the following is summarized. After a woman. washed her clothes there it overflowed and drowned her. Long ago people clairned to have seen her ghost at night continuing to wash her clothes in what by then had become known as Clooneybeirne Lake. No ordinary fish were ever seen in that lake but people reported a monstrous one about 20 feet long splashing about in the dark waters and on moonlit nights a fairy horse leaving the lake and going towards the nearby fairy fort.

The knowledgeable Robert J. Gorman of Chicago suggests that this Holy Well, or Lake, might be made an O Beirne Shrine. Has anybody else views on this? Write to Prof. Bryan Beirne at the address above.

Donn Byrne was really O'Beirne, or was he?

In the "Dictionary of Ulster Biography," by Kate Newman, published by The Institute of Irish Studies at Queen's University, Belfast (1993) is this:

O'Beirne, Brian Oswald (pseudo. Byrne, Donn) 1889 – 1928

Brian O'Beirne was born in New York and came to Forkhill, Co. Armagh, as an infant. He was educated locally and at the National University. In 1911 he went to America, but returned eight years later. As well as factual works, he wrote novels, which include Brother Saul; Blind Raftery; Hangman’s House and Destiny Bay. He accidentally drowned at Courtmacsherry, County Cork. [Biography T. Macauley]''

Others dispute Donn Byrne's birth name. Can anyone elaborate on this or is Ms. Newman (and T Macauley) correct?

The Village Schoolmaster was    O'Beirne, or was he?

In "With the Constabulary in Roscommon," Liam Desmond opines that Oliver Goldsmith (1728 - 1774), who spent much of his youth in Elphin, and arguably born there, was first educated by the former hedge schoolmaster, Thomas Beirne. Desmond goes on to say that Beirne proved to be the model if not the actual person, on which Goldsmith based his description of the Village Schoolmaster in his famed poem, "the Deserted Village."

In 1851 William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) published "The English Humourists" which included his "Life of Goldsmith." He writes of Goldsmith's youth in "Lissoy, Co. Westmeath," where "An old woman in his father's village taught him his letters, and pronounced him a dunce: Paddy Byrne, the hedge-schoolmaster, took him in hand: from Paddy Byrne, he was transmitted to a clergyman at Elphin."

Some observations:

Byrne is not a Westmeath name but there certainly could be one there at that time. It is equally possibly that there was a Beirne in Lissoy, which is near Athlone, as it is closer to "O'Beirne country." Thackeray may well have used the "Dublin'' spelling. Recall that Thackeray was born in India, educated in England and visited Ireland in 1843 as a "tourist" and devotee of Goldsmith. The place names must have seemed "foreign" to him.

In Griffith's Valuation (1857) we have John Goldsmith in Lurgan, parish of Shankill near Lisboy. [Landlord Marcus M'Causland owned both townlands.] Did Thackeray mistake Lisboy for Lissoy? Should the schoolmaster be Beirne? Was "Paddy" an Englishman's choice of half forgotten Christian names? It was by then over 100 years since Goldsmith met his village schoolmaster. Can a case be made that the Village Schoolmaster was modeled on Thomas (or Paddy) Beirne/O'Beirne?

A few lines for aficionados of "Nollie" Goldsmith and his Village Schoolmaster:

Comments on both of the above to  John E.O'Beirne.

O'Beirnes we want to hear more about: