COLGAN HERITAGE WEEKEND

The Colgan Hall 1914-2014 Celtic Revival- the First Celtic Tiger

Colgan Hall and old chapel

Colgan Hall from Derry Road 1900s

• The Colgan Hall acts as a counter balance to the chapel on the main entrance to the town in a statement of Celtic and Christian heritage. Site found in garden of Johnny and Roseanne Marley.

Colgan Hall – late1940s

The original invitation to tender from ‘The Irish Builder & Engineer’

Jan. 17th 1914

Celtic Revival : a return to Celtic stories and themes“EXTERIOR IN IRISH ROMANESQUE STYLEDETAILS ARE TAKEN FROM ANCIENT EXAMPLES”

WJ DOHERTY 1914

Colgan Hall doorway

a variation on Clonmacnoise medieval monasteric entranceDuncan McLaren

Dedalus

Architecture Doorway - Clonmacnoise

Celtic Revival

• Ceramic mosaic – Italian craftsmen

• Round arched windows

• Tiled side porch

• Pitch pine wainscote/roof

• Fire resistant cinema box (flue)

• Lighting by petrol-air gas with incandescent burners.

• Coved ceiling with arched ribs

• Carn Cross interlace in circular windows.• W.J Doherty, Irish Builder and Engineer , 1914

And

other features

features

of

Colgan Hall

New Century Bar

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Challenges

Sanitation at Pound Lane

Tuberculosis - extension to hospital

Diphtheria

Female Emigration

Landless labourers

POLITICS• Home Rule due 1914

• Independent Irish Party

• John Redmond holds balance of power in London

• Irish Volunteers in formation

• Ulster Volunteer Force

• Land Acts 1903 and 1909 * a social revolution

DONEGAL IN TRANSITION

A NEW STUDY CHANGES IN

• Agriculture• Craft Schools• Lace Schools• Curing stations• Communications• Fisheries• Land Ownership• Parish Committees• Dept of Ag and Tech Inst

Consultant on Colgan HallWilliam Micks 1851-1928

Local Government Board Inspector and later member of Congested Districts Board

Congested Districts Board

• “When Fr. O Doherty was giving instructions for the plans of the John Colgan Hall he provided, in addition to a great Hall, a number of smaller rooms in order that the Congested Districts Board and the Department of Technical Instruction might have suitable rooms for holding their classes for woodwork and for technical instruction respectively.”

• William Micks

CDB classes in Carndonagh pre1914

Domestic Science 1907 CDB Certificate 1907

Brown Girls Quigley’s Point showing home made lace dresses

Carndonagh Hall and Technical School 1914

Colgan Hall Night Classes

• Agricultural • Lace School• Dressmaking • Wood work• Drawing• English• Mathematics• House Wifery• Domestic Economy

STATEMENT BY P.H. DOHERTY

“I was born at Glebe near Carndonagh in the year

1892. I received my primary education at Glassalts

National School. I later attended night classes and

agricultural classes.”

BMH Record

A Disturbing Political Background

BISHOP McHugh 1907-1926 Anti-partition

• “I would rather spend the next 50 years under British rule than agree to the partition of Ireland”

• Bishop Charles McHugh

The First Celtic Tiger

Railway Station 1902 Buildings

• 1891 Bocan Hall• 1902 Railway Stations/Creamery• 1903 Buncrana Hall• 1904 Masonic Hall, Moville• 1906 Labourers’ Cottages• 1906Letterkenny Cathedral• 1908 Guildhall• 1911 Kilcar AOH Hall• 1913 Clonmany Church• AOH Hall B’lifffin• 1914 Colgan Hall (near

completion in October 1914)

McDonoughs

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Founded 1850

A Major Sponsor of

town events in the

Colgan Hall

Mrs. McDonough was President of St.Colmcille’s stall at opening 4 day bazaar in October 1914

Prosperity in early 1900s

High Levels of Employment

• Building Boom

• Post Office savings

• Railway network

• Co-op Creamery

• Shirt factories/outstations

Carndonagh Post Office Deposits

grow six fold over 31 years

• 1881 £3,237

•1912 £17,849

• See Donegal Annual 2011

The First Celtic Tiger

Other Savings

• Malin Agricultural Bank

• Aghaclay Agricultural Bank

• Culdaff Loan Fund

• Northern Bank, Carn

• Shopkeeper savings a/c

Carn Ag Co-op 1902 - later had Fr Philip O Doherty as Chairman

The town economy

Markets

• Butter market (11d per pound)

• Pork market (pigs 11s)

• Grain Market (7d per stone

• General – flour, eggs turkeys, calfskins

Parish Committee 1903 under Congested Districts Board

• Venue – St Patrick’s NS

• Fr O’Doherty• Rev Smyth• J McDonough• R Moore• Aims – improve dwellings

and industrial improvement

Carndonagh Public Health Committee

Public Lighting

• 1911

• Proposal to introduce public lighting by means of electricity

• Demands from local businesses for private supply also

• Chairman

• Robert Binns, JP

The Church and Politics

Cardinal O’Donnell, Raphoe Social action by clergy

• “Get involved in parish committees and help to fight against disease so that it will be safe to visit houses on station rounds”

• CARDINAL O’DONNELL

Fr Philip O Doherty• Born in Derry 1851• 1879-1890 Curate in Carndonagh (Land War)• 1892-1898 Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia• Secretary to Archbishop Thomas Carr • Bishop Carr sent a gift to the 4 day bazaar• 1911- 1921 Parish Priest Carndonagh• 1914 - Colgan Hall and Technical School• Died 1927 buried in Long Tower• Priest• Orator• Patriot – Independent Irish Party (Justin McCarthy)• Scholar (Royal Irish Academy)

Demonstration Plots• Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction

1899

• Demonstration plots in grounds of Colgan Hall and Parochial House opposite front door of Hall

• Vegetables• Fruit – apples and gooseberries• Corn• Potatoes (new spraying methods from France)• Grasses• Crop Rotation

William J. Doherty• Castle Street Derry• First Prize in Architectural Exams• Aged 27 when be designed Colgan Hall - “Celtic feeling” which

had many Celtic motifs – door, windows, mosaic on floor• His first major project.• Four Rooms• Cookery and butter making (Girls)• Lace School• Reading Room (library)• Recreation Room• Hall in two sections for Carpentry and Agriculture (Boys)• Stage used as a classroom, and closed off from hall• Five boys win Agriculture Science Scholarships

W J Doherty’s other works - 104• Workhouse Infirmary, Carn• Rialto Cinema, Derry• Nesbitt Arms, Ardara,• Morrisions, Waterside• Hospitals- Letterkenny• Churches – Meenacross, Dungloe• Courthouses – Carn, Lifford• Waterworks – Carn, Buncrana• Tullyarvin Mill• Housing schemes

Michael Sweeney• Derry builder• Atlantic Buildings, Strand Rd., Derry

Building the hall• Voluntary effort; local quarries; local labour

• Stairs made by J.W. Cunningham, Glencolmcille

• Plumbing Joseph Donaghy, Waterloo Place, Derry

• Local Committees and fund raisers in each townland

• Cloak rooms for school and hall

• Pay box at door

Guests – a community event• Sir Basil and Lady McFarland, Derry (Lough Swilly Rail)• Rev Duncan, Church of Ireland• Fr Maguire, Clonmany• Rev. Mr Smith, Gleneely• Robert Binns• Robert Moore, (Clerk of the Workhouse)• J.Beirne, Manager, Northern Bank• Bishop McHugh• Music supplied by Carndonagh Brass and Reed Band

under Mr. Lanigan.

Carndonagh Technical School 1918

• Financial assistance for new school in

• Colgan Hall was given by the

• Congested Districts Board

• “There is a teeming population within a very short radius of Carndonagh to provide students”

• 55 years later first students of CCS would enrol in Colgan Hall in 1 September 1973

Colgan Hall - Technical School 1919

• EXPANSION of technical • Education

• 3Rs + basic education• Building trades• Commerce• Domestic economy• Handicraft

Colgan Hall - a Music Hall

Music in the Colgan Hall

• Carndonagh Brass and Reed band (Mr. Lanigan)

• 1916 Leap Year Ball • Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers• Fund raising concerts• Opera• Choirs• Musicals

Colgan Hall Concert 1942

Colgan Hall - Cinema

Starring

• Norma Shearer as the screen godess

• and

• Leslie Howard

• MGM

“Smiling Through” 1932

• First talkie

Colgan Hall history online

• Full

• Text

• Of

• Lecture• Maura Harkin, John O’Connor, Aisling

Cunningham, Duncan McLaren, Tim Stampton• Thanks to all speakers.

• See

www.historyofdonegal. wordpress.com

by

Sean Beattie