Fragments of History – Parish Newspapers.

(Local history in County Roscommon)

 

Ephemera has been defined as the minor transient documents of everyday life. 1  But not all ephemera is short-lived. While newspapers are generally one-day interest items and therefore fall easily within the category of ephemera, they sometimes remain around for longer that other documents such as tickets, posters, bills, etc.

 

Ephemera brings the past to life and this fact is no better exemplified that in the case of newspapers. The oldest daily paper in Ireland is the Belfast News-Letter founded in 1737. Almost every county in Ireland had its own weekly papers in the nineteenth and twentieth century. In County Roscommon the Roscommon Gazette was founded in 1822, the Roscommon Journal in 1827, the Roscommon Messenger in 1848 and the Roscommon Constitutionalist in 1885. Of the county papers today the Roscommon Herald was founded in 1859 and the Roscommon Champion in 1935.2 Can this venerable means of communications survive the computers, e-mails and text messages of 21^st century Ireland - only time will tell? The genre has however produced some noteworthy local examples within the County.

 

The term newspaper implies that the publication should be of a distinct size, either “tabloid” (A3 approx.) or “broadsheet” (A2 approx.). It does not include the many excellent local magazines produced throughout the county. However local parish newsletters may have pre-empted the introduction of the larger style product and some of these have a long pedigree. The “Ardcarne Messenger” was first produced on 17 October 1958 and continued in existence until 1970. It was a weekly parish magazine and contained thoughts on the Sunday readings and local news. It was edited by Fr. Raymond Browne, then curate at Drumboylen, and covered local issues from Coothall, Drumboylan and Crossna. 3 Was this the earliest such newsletter in the county?

 

Another early parish publication was “The Fuerty News” first produced in March / April 1970. It continued to furnish local news until Christmas 1973. In all eight issues were produced under the editorial guidance of Rev. Dr. Lavin, Joseph Bailey and Mrs. Anna Geraghty. Fr. Lavin neatly expressed the reasons for the publication is issue 1. To recognise achievements within the parish and to form a link between those at home and the exiled sons and daughters living away -  reasons still very valid today. He wrote “…  we look on this paper as an effective instrument in counteracting the pernicious influence of the materialistic press, radio and television that are so effectively polluting the moral atmosphere of many …” I wonder what would he think of the situation today? 4 The author has found three local publications which fall into the newspaper category. These are “Moore News”, “Echoes of … Ballaghaderreen” and “Castlerea Parish News”.

 

Though now more of a magazine than a newspaper “Moore News” began life in 1970 as a genuine newspaper. It continued in tabloid format until the late 1970’s when it changed to the A5 magazine format familiar to most people today. It is produced by Moore Community Council and carries articles of local news and interest and photographs of local people for home and overseas.

 

“Echoes of … Ballaghaderreen” began life in 1986 and like it’s counterpart in Moore comes out for Christmas. Of the same size but with more pages this newspaper continues to appear every year. Echoes was originally printed in black and white only but now has a full colour cover and photographic section with many photographs, local news and historical articles. It has been produced for the past twenty years by a dedicated local committee.

 

“Castlerea Parish News” is a newcomer on the scene. Produced by a local committee in Castlerea it is a bright colourful publication on good quality paper. Like it’s sister papers from the county it carries all the local news from the area - births, deaths and marriages, church news, winners and losers during the year, historical articles, school and sports reports and lots of interesting photographs.

 

Ephemera by its very nature is transient and of the many newspapers printed every year very few survive the ravages of time. Those that do are an important reminder for scholars and others with an interest in local history of the issues and themes that were important to locals at the time the papers were produced. Local newspapers like those described here are even more important because they depict the actual life lived by our neighbours, family and friends. Time passes and things change. What were once small rural communities are changing completely before our very eyes. As primary sources of evidence these “fragments of history” deserve to be preserved, so that our children can see for themselves what the “good old days” were really like.

 

If you have any information and would like to help please contact the author. If any reader has issues of any of the publications mentioned (or any similar publications) which they do not require, please do not throw them out. The author would like to especially thank; the librarian and staff of Roscommon County Library, Mary P. Carty (Lisacul), Mary Gallagher (Ballaghaderreen), Catherine Caulfield (Ballydangan), Johnny Turley (Ballinasloe) and Anthony Tuohy, (Castlerea) for help with this essay.

 

Notes.

1.                    Rickards M. “The Encyclopaedia of Ephemera “ The British Library 2000.

2.                    Fleming N.C. & O’Day A. “The Longman Handbook of Modern Irish History Since 1800” Harlow, 2005.

3.                    “Crossna Church Centenary 1906 – 2006” Crossna, 2006.

4.                    “The Fuerty News” Roscommon County Library.

 

 

 

Local newspapers from Co. Roscommon.

Echoes of Ballaghaderreen 1991 (blue mast) and 2005 (red mast), Moore News (1978) and Castlerea Parish News (2004). Authors collection.

 

 

 

 

(This essay first appeared in “Roscommon Life  2006/2007” page 91.  Text and photograph © Roscommon Historical Research).