School: Cromadh (B.)

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   “O Toomey the poet, they called him Seán O Toomey on gline (i.e. an grinn, notice that Paddy has l for r, and the blas of the Déise) had some sort of a little shop in Croom.”

   

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   Miscellaneous.

   Islandea, Adare, I must apologise for its crudity and repulsive coarseness. I include it as being practically the one and only item of tradition which I have been able to glean, relative to Sean O'Tuama, and a further excuse for its inclusion must be its indication in tabloid form of the man and the times it refers to. Anything that is known of O'Tuama hereabouts is due to the influence of the late Fr. Tadg Lee, died 1907, and not to a persistent tradition. I cannot account for the complete negation, not to say want of tradition concerning O'Tuama and MacCraig in this parish, by any other means than by stating that there is not in the parish today a solitary family descended in the male line, whose progenitors lived here 120 years ago.

   There is of course the ex captain, Lyons of Croom House, but apparently the preservation of a continuity of Gaelic culture and outlook was not at any time a very robust feature of that family and the collector of crumbs from the past of Croom, would be very ill-advised, to seek them under that table, though undoubtedly, some luscious ones would be found there. However, Mr. MacNamara (65bl.) informs me that the story was told in his fathers house by James Fitzgerald of Knockanes, Adare, more than 50 years ago. Here it is almost verbatim, indeed entirely so, except where my memory failed at the unimportant points: O'Toomey the poet, they called him Sean O'Toomey on gline (i.e. an grinn, notice

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Paddy Mac Namara

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Islandea, Co. Limerick