A scandalous divorce
Another divorce scandal made the papers in Ireland during 1905, four years before Shenstone Bishop divorced his wife. And again, St. Ann's Hill Hydro played a central role [...]
Burnt Mills, Shournagh Line
On the road from Blarney to Donoughmore, in the Parish of Cloghroe, Co. Cork, there is a place called "Burnt Mills". It is so called because about a hundred [...]
99 year old letter from America
Not quite the standard of hotel that you associate with people from Tower village at the turn of the 1900's but thanks to a letter from ninety-nine years ago [...]
The Ambrose Family of Gurth, Vicarstown and Coolflugh, Tower
My grandmother Kit Cogan was born Kathleen Ambrose on 30th May 1936 in Killeen, Vicarstown, the youngest child of Michael Ambrose, from Gurth, and Nora (née Kelleher), from Knocknagoun, Rylane. [...]
Out, out , out – houses, buildings and sheds
One of the more interesting aspects of the 1901 and 1911 census returns is the additional information that it gives us about the physical environment that our ancestors lived in [...]
Disney & Bowen
Disney and Bowen, two iconic names in entertainment circles; staying in St Ann's Hill Hydro on the night of the 1901 census was Rev Brabazon Disney and his wife Sarah [...]
International Nurses' Day 2020
The twelfth of May is celebrated as International Nurses Day, the date was chosen in honor of Florence Nightingale, who was born on 12th May 1820. And to commemorate this [...]
Hydro Houses
I have complied a list of the houses listed in the Directories between 1875 and 1940 and the head of the household on those dates. It makes for some interesting [...]
Memories for the future
If you have ever engaged in any sort of family history research you will have trawled the usual on-line haunts for birth, death and marriage records. You will have pestered [...]
The Hydro today
From the late 1800's where this was the magnificent and grounds, to this decaying ruin today, it is such a sad, pitiful sight to see this once magnificent building [...]