The Duggans of Ballinhassig

So I went down the road.

I didn't opt for a full frontal assault, an unannounced knock on the door.  As I was leaving my Ballinhassig B&B on Friday to head off to the O'Mahony Clan Gathering in Macroom, about 50 km away, I asked Bernadette, the lovely proprietress of Ardfield Farms B&B, if she thought that going up to Corley Duggan's door and knocking unannounced was a good idea.  She said that Corley had a nephew who lived right down the road, and perhaps talking to the nephew first might ease the way through Corley's door.  She got the telephone number for the nephew -- Con Duggan -- from her husband and gave it to me.

Most of the rest of the weekend was taken up with the activities of the Clan Gathering (perhaps I will do a separate blog post on that), other than a quick side trip to one of my favorite spots -- the ruins of the O'Mahony castle at Three Castle Head on Mizen Peninsula.  I think this is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but, of course, I'm probably prejudiced.

I finally screwed up my courage on Sunday morning, and called Con Duggan, hoping to maybe set up a meeting with him on Monday or Tuesday, after the Clan Gathering was completed.  Con was very cordial on the phone, but said it would only be convenient for him to meet on Sunday, so I would have to choose between the O'Mahony clan and meeting with the Duggans.  I headed off to Ballinhassig.

Con met me at his house with his father, Liam, and we drove on over to see Liam's sister, Finora, who lives across the road from the old Duggan homestead.

Liam and Finola are the children of Cornelius and Margaret, along with Corley (Cornelius) and Denis, who is buried with his parents.

They could remember back to the generation of their Grandfather, also a Cornelius, who was born in about 1857.  There were seven children in that generation:  Cornelius, Hannah, Lena, Mary, Denis, Catharine (Katie), and William.  Lena and Mary became nuns.  

One of the sons of either Denis or William was Thomas F. Duggan, who became a priest.  Father Duggan served as a military chaplain in the British Army in both WWI and WWII.  He was captured by the Germans on 22 March 1918, and was held as a POW until war's end.  In WWII, he again volunteered at age 50, and served with the Durham Light Infantry Regiment (DLI).  At the battle of Dunkirk, during actions around Carvin-Lens, Father Duggan set up an un-official Regimental Aid post in the main street which he manned all day with no regard for his personal safety despite accurate German shelling in the immediate area. On May 31st elements of 8DLI set up a joint regimental aid post. German shelling was heavy and accurate and casualties mounted steadily throughout the shelling. Father Duggan made repeated journeys carrying the wounded into the cellars of the nearby chateau. Father Duggan’s humor, coolness and courage did wonders for the morale of the Durhams as he carried on despite the ferocity of the German bombardment.  For his efforts on this day, he was awarded the Military Cross.  Father Duggan was honored in Cork in 1977 when the Cork County Council named a new bridge at Kinsale the Archdeacon Duggan Bridge.

The inability of Liam and Finola to remember any information past their grandfather was disappointing, but at the same time, encouraging, since the Christian names, which tended to repeat themselves from Irish generation to generation, were similar.  The grandfather's generation had a Catharine and a Denis, and my great great grandmother's generation had a Catharine and Denis also.  

Con then asked me if I wanted to go meet Corley, and see the house where the Duggans had lived for eight generations.  How could I say no?

Other than the roof, which was probably made of thatch in the early 1800s, the exterior of the house is as it was for eight generations.  The interior was no so changed either.

And in the middle of it all sat Corley.

He was a pleasant old man, perhaps a bit absent-minded, a bit unfocused at times, but not nearly the crotchety ogre I had been led to expect. There was a shotgun, however, within easy reach, so I still think the uninvited knock might have been a mistake.  Corley never married and had lived in that house his whole life.  In his youth, he was an excellent horseman, and for many years had run the hounds in the local foxhunt.  The hounds were still about, as their baying made clear when we first approached the house.

Corley confirmed that the adjacent property had been occupied by a Mahony family for many years, but that family had died off.  He remembered that the last of the Mahonys to live there was a Denis Mahony.

So, are these Duggans the descendants of the family of my Great Great Grandmother Catharine?  Was Catharine born in the very house that Corley Duggan occupies today?  Did the family of Cornelius Mahony live in the house next door, and did the two of them meet, fall in love, and head off to America together for a new life?  The evidence seems to point in that direction, but all the evidence is still not in.

So my search continues, but I am honored to have met the Duggans of Ballinhassig, and would be proud to call them my family.

During the actions around Carvin-Lens a French Major was directing a platoon of 8DLI into positions near Carvin when he and the platoon saw a vehicle in no mans land , just ahead of the German positions, where the vehicle ran into a ditch . Shortly afterwards two Khaki clad figures emerged - they were Padre Duggan and his batman Pte Deveney.The French major was not impressed that the vehicle had been out in no mans land however Padre Duggan, much to the DLI`s amusement lectured the French Major in rudimentary French, and delivered in his best Irish manner regarding his duty as a British officer and the use of Army vehicles under his command ! which left the French Major storming off and muttering to himself that all English soldiers were mad! Duggan set about setting up an un-official Regimental Aid post in the main street which he manned all day with no regard for his personal safety despite accurate German shelling in the immediate area On May 31st elements of 8DLI, (DLI and some stragglers from 11DLI set up a joint regimental aid post. German shelling was heavy and accurate and casualties mounted steadily throughout the shelling Padre Duggan and Cpl H .Fletcher made repeated journeys carrying the wounded into the cellars of the nearby chateau the Padres humour,coolness and courage did wonders for the morale of the Durhams as he carried on regardless despite the ferocity of the German bombardment.. (Cited from: http://www.militarian.com/threads/father-tom-duggan-chaplain.8507/)

he became a P.O.W on the 22nd of March 1918 during the German spring offensive and was interned as a prisoner in Mainz until the Armistice. (Cited from: http://www.militarian.com/threads/father-tom-duggan-chaplain.8507/)

he became a P.O.W on the 22nd of March 1918 during the German spring offensive and was interned as a prisoner in Mainz until the Armistice. (Cited from: http://www.militarian.com/threads/father-tom-duggan-chaplain.8507/)

he became a P.O.W on the 22nd of March 1918 during the German spring offensive and was interned as a prisoner in Mainz until the Armistice. (Cited from: http://www.militarian.com/threads/father-tom-duggan-chaplain.8507/)

he became a P.O.W on the 22nd of March 1918 during the German spring offensive and was interned as a prisoner in Mainz until the Armistice. (Cited from: http://www.militarian.com/threads/father-tom-duggan-chaplain.8507/)