Kenmare: History and Survival. Fr John O'Sullivan and the Famine Poor by Colum Kenny

Abstract

Reviewed by: Kenmare: History and Survival. Fr John O'Sullivan and the Famine Poor by Colum Kenny Christine Kinealy Kenmare: History and Survival. Fr John O'Sullivan and the Famine Poor, by Colum Kenny (Dublin: Eastwood Books, 2021, 336 p., paperback, €20) As the 175th anniversary of Black '47 approaches, there appears to be no diminishing of interest in learning about the Great Hunger. Moreover, the story is being told through an impressive variety of mediums. In 2021 alone, these include a much-acclaimed two-part documentary by RTÉ, The Hunger: The Story of the Irish Famine; an online digital timeline of the Famine, incorporating maps from Cork University's best-selling Atlas of the Great Irish Famine; an Irish-language film, Arracht, which is set in the west of the country and is Ireland's foreign film Oscar entry; the National Famine Way (a trail from Roscommon to Dublin based on the route taken by 1,490 Strokestown emigrants in 1847) being named one of the best walks in the world; and a first novel from award-winning singer/songwriter Declan O'Rourke, The Pawnbroker's Reward, set in 1846. New publications by historians include Heroes of Ireland's Great Hunger, demonstrating that there are still aspects of this tragedy that remain to be explored. Some of the most significant contributions to our ever-expanding knowledge of the Famine, however, have been made by local historians, whose understanding of a particular area allows for an in-depth and informed interrogation of local sources that are often omitted from national studies. Additionally, they frequently serve to give a voice to those who are often voiceless, and who are invisible or reduced to a statistic in larger narratives. Local studies also reinforce the fact that, while the Famine was a national tragedy and no region or denomination escaped its ravages, each area experienced the calamity in a way that was unique. Overall, therefore, a more nuanced, complex, and intimate view of the Famine emerges as a result of these rich, local histories. Two powerful local studies that were released in 2021 are Brendan Hoban's Ocras: The Great Famine in Killala Diocese and Kenmare: History and [End Page 153] Survival. Fr John O'Sullivan and the Famine Poor by Colum Kenny. Both are highly recommended. Kenny's examination of the Famine in Kenmare also provides a history of this small town in County Kerry from its origins to the present day. The focus, however, is very clearly on the famine years. A major but previously little-used source for this study was the handwritten journal of local Catholic priest Father John O'Sullivan, who, since 1839, had been responsible for Kenmare and Templenoe parish. While in some ways O'Sullivan emerges as a local hero and champion of the poor, his portrayal comes with a warning from Kenny that the priest was "no plaster cast saint." Instead, his contradictions and quirks are laid bare, but in a way that makes both the priest and the tragedy feel relatable. O'Sullivan was himself part of the emerging Catholic middle class, a number of whom benefited from the Famine. As the salaried chaplain of the local workhouse, he had firsthand knowledge of the sufferings in the district and of the disease, death, and desperation caused by successive failures of the potato crop. Faced with the inadequacy of government relief provision, he proved to be a fearless champion of the rights of the local poor, challenging the bureaucracy that acted as a barrier to a quick and efficient distribution of relief, and even lobbying the administrators in Dublin and London who held the power and the purse strings. Juxtaposed against the ever-present Father O'Sullivan was the Third Marquess of Lansdowne, owner of almost a hundred thousand acres of land in the county, including Kenmare. It was estimated that during his long life (1780–1863) Lansdowne visited his Kerry estate only five times, the final occasion being in 1840, meaning he did not witness any of the famine suffering firsthand. In this sense, he falls into the category of an absentee landlord—the group so fiercely criticized by Quakers and others for their...