Heritage Group
Coal mining is the unique heritage of the rural landscape of North East Kilkenny and South Laois. Its history spans almost 400 years. At its peak some 700 people worked in the mines, both boys and men. The mines closed in 1969 ending a long tradition. However, some continue to work and extract coal from smaller coal-pits.
The preservation and promotion of the industrial mining heritage is important to the people of the Colliery area. Individuals and groups like the Colliery Heritage Association and Castlecomer Demesne Company work together to highlight the rich potential that this heritage has to offer to the tourist looking for something different.
The plans to develop a mining museum and the site for this are in the final stages of planning.Initially, "the Baths" at the site of the Deerpark mine was the proposed location. However, due to the need for a more integrated approach to tourism and heritage development and the criteria of various funders, a change of location to the Demesne is now likely.
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Sheamus Walsh's Book : In the Shadow of the Mines.
Donal Brennan (Roe) 1969
THE JARROW FAN
(By Daniel P. Langton 1906)
O miners dear, lets give a cheer
For the air that’s going around
Into 6 and 7 pit away down underground
Brought here by Mr. Barbour
A famous Scottish man
For God’s pure air is blowing there
With the lovely Jarrow Fan.
Our fathers they were done to death
For want of pure air
But now we have got it galore
And plenty now to spare
Ourselves were failing very fast
Till Barbour struck the plan
And let us see he’s set us free
With the lovely Jarrow Fan
Long life to gallant Barbour
May he conquer all around
For he was badly wanted
For the men worked underground
We are all in better cheer to work
Since first time he began
To send God’s air around everywhere
With the lovely Jarrow Fan
DANIEL P. LANGTON was born in the Jarrow Yard, Cloneen on 23rd August 1863 and died 10th December 1923. He married Elizabeth Brennan( Roe) in Clogh on 17th July 1892.They lived in a 2 bedroom mining cottage in Cloneen where they had 14 children - 8 boys and 6 girls. The last two of the children to live there were Mary Ann who died in 1964 and Julia who died in 1992.A great grandson of Daniel,Pat Langton now lives in the much modified house with his wife Mary, daughters Edel and Emma and son David. Another grandson Daniel who lives in San Francisco is involved in poetry and was a was the winner of the Clogh Writers poetry competition a few years ago. Martha Kelly (nee Langton) a daughter of John and Margaret Langton of Chatsworth is a founder member of Clogh Writers Group. She recall often listening to her father singing the Jarrow Fan to herself, her sister Betty and brother Danny. She read the poem at the recent 2006 Clogh Writers poetry awards, 100 years after it was written.
WILLIAM BARBOUR was born in Glasgow in 1854. He grew up in Dreghorn, Ayrshire and later worked in mining in Lanarkshire, Cambuslang and West Calder before eventually arriving to work at the Jarrow Coalmine between 1894 and 1900.He returned to Sterling,in Perthshire before moving to Australia where he established a shale and oil mine at Newnes (100 miles west of Sydney) for the Commonwealth Oil Corporation. After a brief return to Scotland he moved back to Australia in 1909 with his wife Annie and children Robert, John and Agnes. He died there in 1934.
The Jarrow Pit
Bells Slate Hape.
Colliery Heritage Group Members:
Seamus Walsh (author of "In the Shadow of the Mines"), Jim Dormer, Nancy & Jim Geoghegan, Ambrose Dunne, Maurice Shortall, Seamus O'Connor, M.J. Mealy and Mai Dormer. New members welcome.