letterfrack

Lovely photo ..... Letterfrack ?

OSI 25" map: maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V2,470976,757615,11,9

Streetview: goo.gl/maps/ZvTwgoGkVFM2

One of the most notorious and feared places in the country ...

Ger Cos Remote, inaccessible and with a fearsome reputation! Even going there was an expedition and for boys snatched from their families it was a living nightmare! A very fine shot but the history makes it terribly sad viewing! Wikipedia traces the origins of the place: Origins A wealthy Quaker couple, James and Mary Ellis, moved to Letterfrack in 1849 from the north of England, bought a large tract of land, developed it, built a residence and also a school for local children.[ After the Ellises left, the school was run by Protestant Irish Church Missions to Roman Catholics. The ICM's proselytising efforts continued up until 1882. The Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, Dr. John McEvilly bought the property in 1884. Opening The Archbishop wrote to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Earl Spencer suggesting that the property was 'admirably suited for a boys’ industrial school so sadly needed in that district'. However, the Lord Lieutenants' advisors were against the establishment of the school on the grounds that there was unlikely to be enough children requiring such an institution in the area and the existing schools were adequate for the educational needs of the area. Despite support from the Inspector of Industrial Schools, Sir Arthur Lentaigne the application was refused. The Archbishop continued to lobby the Lord Lieutenant and the school received support from the Lord Lieutenant in August 1885. The school was initially certified for 75 boys and the Archbishop entered into negotiations with the Christian Brothers. The Christian Brothers agreed and after building work added to the property, the schools opened on 12 October 1887.

Looks like between Maam and Leenaun somewhere...

Very sad photograph, hopefully they were living in the little cottage down the road.

That was how the poor lived. It is their home made of sod and thatched roof.

Niall McAuley John A. Coffey CASSIDY PHOTOGRAPHY I have some memory there were houses (is that the correct word?) very similar to this one built on farming land in early USA history? Perhaps by Irish settlers.

It surely looks like a sod house. A grim way of life.

Presumably this pointy mountain, so now we just need the right angle: goo.gl/maps/f3ECuW4zHAZiv79M6

This looks like a good candidate: bit.ly/3bKyv8f goo.gl/maps/7zxbakRJmQgUTG9j6

From History of the Commercial and Financial Relations between England and Ireland from the Period of the Restoration: Basket-work is carried on as a cottage industry in several places in the west and south of Ireland; at Letterfrack, in Connemara, the industry is especially flourishing. There is no doubt that one great way to improve the condition of agricultural Ireland is the development of these cottage and art industries. With the exception of the home-spun woollen industry and the lace-making industry they are still on a small scale, but taken in the bulk they give a good deal of subsidiary employment, and there is reason to believe that before long they will increase greatly.

From The Englishwoman's Review of Social and Industrial Questions: 1898: Ms Sturge has issued a notice to customers of the basket industry, which she has so successfully planted and nurtured in Connemara, that an expert in basket work is now in charge of the industry, and all orders are to be henceforth addressed to the Manager, Connemara Basket Industry, Letterfrack, Galway

As with every improvement in the country, it was the Quakers: connemarawest.ie/product/sophia-sturge-and-the-connemara-...