Cashel - Book of County Tipperary, 1889
About “The Book of County Tipperary,” 1889
George Henry Bassett produced 7 Irish county directories in the 1880s: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Kilkenny, Louth, Tipperary and Wexford. Each provides useful history of the respective counties as well as lists of office holders, farmers, traders, and other residents of the individual cities, towns and villages.
The directories are naturally an invaluable resource for those tracing family history. The Book of County Tipperary is the first of these to be made available on libraryireland.com, with its own search page. However, there are a few points to bear in mind.
- This online version is designed primarily as a genealogical research tool and therefore the numerous advertisements in the original book, many full page, and quite a few illustrated, have been excluded.
- The text has been proofed with due care, but with large bodies of text typographical errors are inevitably bound to occur.
- Be aware that there were often inconsistencies in spelling surnames in the 19th century and also that many forenames are abbreviated in Bassett’s directories.
With respect to the last point, surnames which today begin with the “Mc” prefix, for example, were often formerly spelt as “M‘,”. For a list of some of the more common forename abbreviations used in the directory, see Forename Abbreviations.
To enjoy the rich variety of advertisements, confirm accuracy of the entries, or have a printed record of a family member, obtain an original or facsimile copy of The Book of County Tipperary.
Population 3,961 in 1881.—Fishing, salmon and trout.
Cashel, in the barony of Middlethird, is 12 miles, Irish, north by west from Clonmel, and 5 miles south by east from the Gooldscross station on the Great Southern and Western Railway. It is situated in a first-rate farming country, stretching in a great plane toward Cahir and Clonmel, but owing to the lack of railway communication has suffered in prosperity from the competition of other towns. This drawback, however, is not likely to continue much longer, owing to the persistent efforts of the Catholic Dean, Very Rev. T. H. Kinane, P.P. Within a period of twenty years the markets of Cashel have been gradually going down. Fifteen years ago the Wednesday market was well supplied with corn and butter. It is now at a very low ebb. The Saturday market, for lump-butter, hay, straw, and corn, is somewhat better, but both are very much in need of the revival which a railway can influence. The markets are under the control of the Town Commissioners, and are held in the Main-street, toll free. A fair for cattle, sheep, and sucking pigs is held on the second Wednesday of every month, and a pig market on the last Wednesday of every month. Like the markets, they can be improved.
The sources of employment for the working classes are scant. These include tobacco, candle, and butter factories, altogether three in number. When the milling trade was brisk, several mills were worked profitably on the river Suir, within two miles of the city. All are now idle.
Modern Cashel, notwithstanding many traces of decay, does not strike the stranger unfavorably. The Main-street, on the whole, compares advantageously with similar thoroughfares in most country towns. There are several smaller streets leading from it, which also have good-looking houses and are well maintained. All are lighted free of expense to the inhabitants since 1843. In that year, gas works were built by the Town Commissioners, the supply to private consumers only being charged for. A good water service was established by the Town Commissioners about six years ago. Pipes are laid to a reservoir a quarter of a mile from the city. Here storage is provided for a million gallons drawn from eight wells, and passed through three filtering beds. The pressure from the main entering the city is sufficient, in case of fire, to send a stream over the highest house. The plugs are conveniently placed. There are five free fountains, and the houses connected with the main are charged a uniform rate of £1 a year each. There are no taxes on foot of the principal sum spent upon the undertaking. This was made up from a surplus profit of the Loan Fund established by the Corporation, supplemented from a loan of £2,800 given by the Board of Works under the Public Health Act, and repaid by instalments. A former bishop, long before the period of sanitary laws, saw the need of a good sewerage system, and provided it at his own expense.
Bishop Maurian bequeathed estates to the city, aggregating 3,623 acres, statute, and these produce a present rental of £1,400. Some house property brings this amount up to £1,450, with the result that the inhabitants have the benefit of local government, and get their streets cleaned and repaired all free of expense.
Cashel was militia head-quarters down to about ten years ago. The barracks are now occupied by the Royal Irish Constabulary. Sessions of the County Court are held in the city twice a year. It is also the head of a union under the Poor Law Act, and has had the County Infirmary for over 120 years. This institution has accommodation for about 50 intern patients. It is estimated that about 5,000 patients, intern and extern, are treated in it annually at a total cost of £1,500. This amount is made up from the subscriptions of annual and life governors, and by grand jury presentments.