4
Jameson Whisky had its roots in Windfield. The famous Jameson family aquired the Jameson Estate at Windfield in 1823 when James
Jameson purchased the entire estate and while James, himself, never visited the place his son lived there and his grand-son lived there
and is buried in the childrens plot on the estate. Eventually the estate was sold it to the Land Commission and the family bought and
moved to Montrose House in Dublin (now the home of RTE) from where we presume they controlled the family whisky business.
13 Shop In Ballinamona. . There was once a shop in Ballinamona. It was situated in the house where Sean & Mary Conneely now live.
14 The Grandfather of renowned musician, Frankie Gavin, ran a shop and lived in Kilbeg. This is the old ruin beside Martin Cleary's house
It was later to become Molly Hession's Shop.
15 A shop also was operated from Cloonans House in Kilbeg. It was run by Bernie Holian & family. They sold and moved to England
in the 1960's
16 The mother of the present Labour Party Leader, Eamonn Gilmore, was born in Lr Windfield, in the house occupied by the Keary family
It was then the Concannon family who occupied the house. She was baptized and married in Skehana Church.
17 When Skehana Church was built in 1861 the main doorway was at the rear of the church where a window was installed some years
ago ........ and just where the gallery stairs now exists. The floor was just soil/clay. Only 2 seats were in the church at the front. Is is
believed these are the seats that now are placed at the rear of the gallery. They were reserved for the Fitzgerald-Kenny family who built
the church and who were the local landlords. If you stand facing the Altar you will notice an alcove to the left, more or less
corrosponding to the Sacristy door on the right. It is believed that this was a door for the use of the Fitzgerald-Kenny family to enter and
leave the church. In doing this they would not have to mingle with the ordinary people who were standing behind their seats at the fornt
and who used the door at the rear of the church. A special toumb was constructed for the family just outside that door also and this was
accessable via a set of stairs that were under the floorboards just about the location where the Lectern now stands. The cast-iron railed
toumb was demolished in the mid 60's and is now just a concrete slab.
18 Another interesting fact - In my grandfathers time as sacristan, the original Skehana Church bell was taken to Menlough Church and
replaced with the bell that was already in Menlough Church. The Skehana bell had a richer tone and the parish priest, Fr Pat Nicholson,
decreed that the Parish church should have the "better bell" so the church bells were swapped.
19 Both Skehana and Menlough Churches had their first Sound/PA Systems installed in 1967 by John Byrne from Claremorris..
