Laois man's new book tells of epic 300 year family history saga
Three centuries of Laois life have been revealed in a new book that combines the adventures of a Laois family and local history including the famine.
Summer holidays in 1950s Laois with his maternal grandmother, Mary O’Dea, inspired author Tom Carroll to invest years of research, unearthing compelling stories of triumph and tragedy in the O'Dea family history.
The result is 'A Life in Laois, 1700 to 2000; a Microcosm'.
His book is a rich tapestry of the momentous political, economic, social and technological change witnessed in Laois over those 300 years.
Generations of the O'Dea family farmed in the district encompassed by Abbeyleix-Ballinakill-Cullenagh Mountain-Ballyroan since the 1700s.
The author charts the lives of O’Dea generations, weaving the tales of Laois emigrants through Australia, America, Manchester and France.
His book will be launched on Saturday July 9 at 7.30pm in Scully's pub, Ballyroan, with entertainment provided by the Ballyroan Brass Band and local musicians.
The book mines the history-laden events of the district, deftly tracing how farming has changed through the centuries, as families reacted to political change, modernisation and economic forces.
Tom explained what inspired his work.
“At home in County Tipperary, through my parents and, in particular, my mother Margaret O'Dea Carroll, I was imbued with a sense of my Laois heritage. She often reminisced about her childhood and youth in Laois, and the county's history.
“This book’s origins go back nearly seventy years to the early 1950s when I spent several summer holidays with my widowed maternal grandmother, Mary O'Dea, my uncles and aunt on their farm at Lisnagomman townland near Abbeyleix.
“At that time Lisnagomman was also a focal point for summer visits by relations from England; visits that had been interrupted for many years by World War II and its aftermath.
“So, Lisnagomman brought me into contact with my extended maternal family; an experience through my childhood and adolescent years that made a lifelong impression. Back then, in the early 1950s, cows were hand-milked. My grandmother hand-churned butter for home use.
“Weeding and thinning of root crops - such as beet, mangolds and turnips - were done manually. Culm, a gritty material derived from anthracite coal, came from a local colliery. My uncles mixed it with clay and, availing of the moisture on a wet day, trampled it to make culm balls for use as a domestic fuel.
“A Fordson tractor, purchased in 1948, had begun to side-line horses in farming tasks like tillage, bringing milk to Spink creamery, manure-spreading and haymaking.
“So, I decided to look at how farming and land-ownership had changed for my maternal family, the O’Dea’s, not just from the 1950s, but to try and trace them back to their origins.
“Through telling the stories of the generations who lived in Laois and the generations who left, I was sure the broader landscape of life in Laois would emerge through those 300 years,” the author said.
“The book tells three centuries of Laois life through the lens of the O’Dea family. The book has brought me closer to my ancestors and given me a renewed respect for their lives and spirit. I hope readers will feel the same,” the author said.
The 19th Century couple featured on the book’s cover - Michael ‘Darkie’ Dea and his wife Bridget (nee Boylan) - have links to Eileen Scully, the current proprietor of Scully’s where the book is being launched.
Eileen’s late husband, Michael, was a grandson of ‘Darkie’ Dea. Michael’s mother Kathleen married Dick Scully and in 1947 they established the public house ‘Scullys-The Skies O’er’ - a reference to the song ‘Skies o’er Ballyroan’ authored by
Pat Lodge, a local emigrant to the USA.
Born in 1942 in Clonoulty, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, Tom Carroll worked in local government in Tipperary, Dublin, Cork and Offaly before joining Shannon Development, later directing development of an Innovation Centre and publishing articles on innovation and entrepreneurship. Tom worked on consultancy for United Nations agencies in Sudan, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia and Pakistan.
In retirement, he began extensive research on the O'Dea family history in the context of Laois local history. His book, combining local history and family history, provides an insight into bygone times in Laois through the lens of the O'Dea family.
The book will be launched on July 9 at 7.30pm in Scully’s pub, Ballyroan, Laois.
The book retails for €20 and is available at Allbooks, Lyster Square, Portlaoise; Heritage House, Ballyroan Road, Abbeyleix and at Scully's Pub, Ballyroan. A digital version of the book is available to purchase on Amazon.