Father Hickey, P.P. of Doon (1) who spent all his life fighting and bullying landlords and Tories and to arrest whose cow 'the whole British army' infantry and cavalry was sent to Doon, had another side to his character.
"Father Hickey want to have martyrs. He wanted the people to die for the faith. He had a big field of turnips growing beside his house the year of the famine and he had 2 men minding it with sticks lest any poor person might take a turnip to save himself or herself from death. The people in Gurtavalla suffered most that
(1)Father Hickey, born 1788 at------------near Thurles. Officiated in Doon Parish 1824 -1874. Died aged 86 yrs