Ferbane author launches “magnificent” book about the townland of Belmont

FERBANE author Brendan Ryan has launched a beautifully produced and excellently written book about the townland of Belmont.
The launch took place in High Street Hall on Friday evening, and Brendan, who is nearing 90 years of age, received a lot of warm praise for the good service he has done for the region.
Belmont was described during the evening as being a “small but significant townland.”
In medieval times and earlier it was known by its Gaelic name of An Lios Dearg (The Red Fort). With the arrival of the Hollow Sword Blades Company and of Baldwin Crow the name was changed to Bellmount and then to Belmont or Lisderg.
The conquest of the barony by the MacCoghlans of the Fair Castles was superseded by the plantations of Cromwell, King James and the Williamite settlements.
Some settlers, the Holmes and the L'Estranges, founded the Belmont Mill which helped local employment and was continued with great success by the Perry family. Brendan said the book is “an effort to broadbrush the history of the townland from medieval times to the present.”
MC for the evening Liz Murphy said this is “a lovely book, which gives us a great insight into the village and surrounding area. My Dad Seán Murphy would have loved this book. Dad loved local history and he loved taking photographs. He would be very happy to see there's a big number of photos in this book.” She said Seán had a huge collection of photographs, dating back to the early 20th Century.
Fr Michael Morris said he wanted to speak briefly about a spiritual link. “During the 2012 Eucharistic Congress in Dublin a young lady addressed the gathering. She spoke about the problem of falling attendances at Mass. She said part of the reason for this is we Christians haven't told our Christian story with sufficient power and enthusiasm. We have a wonderful, very attractive story to tell; and we can be better in the ways we communicate that story with others.
“You couldn't possibly criticise Brendan for lacking enthusiasm and storytelling excellence when it comes to writing about Belmont. His excellent scholarship and love for his area shines through the book. This is the latest in a series of books dating back to the mid '80s, written by Brendan about West Offaly. The books represent a wonderful reservoir of knowledge about the area which will be delved into and quoted by future generations.”
Fr Morris said places like Ferbane or Belmont or Shannonbridge are their own self-contained universes, which people are very proud of and deeply love.
He said one of the good things about Covid was it got people out and about in their immediate areas, walking and exploring their immediate localities, discovering new things.
He said “Belmont” is “a wonderful book” and he urged everyone to read it.
Ciaran Guinan of Brosna Press congratulated Brendan on another magnificent book. “Once again Brendan has produced a very special publication, narrating the story of a community. This book will stand the test of time and will be eagerly mined for information by future generations. It joins a treasure trove of books written by Brendan about the West Offaly area. What he is doing for West Offaly is hugely beneficial for us all. We in Brosna Press are always delighted to be associated with these publications and we do our best to produce them in a fitting fashion. We think the book looks very well. The content, needless to say, is first class.”
Jokingly reminiscing, Ciaran recalled being in a show as a young lad in High Street Hall in 1979 where grass skirts were worn. “I'm glad to see that grass skirts are not in evidence here this evening!”
Becoming serious once again, Ciaran said he loves Belmont, because he has many memories associated with it and it's also a visually attractive place.
He then made a presentation of a framed picture of the front covers of Brendan's books to the author.
Local historian Gerry Murphy said the book is magnificent. He pointed out that it would be a mistake to think it's limited to the local only. “The book shows how national events can impact on events in localities, and vice versa. Momentous events, happening on a macrocosmic scale, trickle down to the small, the local, the microcosmic. We see that again and again in “Belmont the story of a West Offaly townland”, with events such as the Cromwellian settlements, the Famine, changes in the law, in fashion, in industries. The book also shows that we are all products of events that happened many years ago. History is a very relevant, living thing; still impacting on us. However, this book doesn't only focus on what happened in the past; it also focusses on the present, on the living. I am glad to say that there are plenty of people mentioned in this book who are still alive!”
Gerry recalled that many years ago when he was a student in NUIG, and was engaged in a project, Brendan gave him some great advice “which set me firmly on my way.”
“I think the next book which Brendan should write should be his own story. I think that will be an excellent story as well.”
Brendan thanked everyone “for their presence” and he was feeling “very encouraged” to see so many people attending the launch.
He spoke about why he chose the townland of Belmont for a book. “Part of the reason is that most townlands are dependent on farming. Belmont wasn't, because of the presence of a thriving mill. In the 1760s Gilbert Holmes and Thomas L'Estrange, both 'of Bellmount', got together and the mill on the Brosna was conceived. John Clifford, a wheelwright, completed a flour and oat mill for the grinding of corn in 1769 on behalf of L'Estrange and Holmes. A plaque on the mill wall today testifies to this foundation. By contrast, the main landlords in the Ferbane area never invested in the creation of such a significant industry. Belmont was fortunate to have progressive and hardworking landlords. The mill was purchased by the Perry family, a Quaker family from Mountmellick, in 1858/9.
“In September 1982 fire once more consumed the mill. Although the premises were insured it was decided to demolish all the buildings except the granary which had survived unscathed.”
In 1997, Tom Dolan, an accountant from Creagh, Ballinasloe, and his wife Sandi (a native of Pakistan) bought the premises and restored the mill site. They transformed it into a cultural centre for the advancement of a range of artistic activities.
Brendan said a lot of information about the area was destroyed during the Four Courts fire in 1922, a disastrous event which destroyed a vast amount of precious historical information about Ireland.
He spoke about the Brosna Drainage project in the 1840s which was welcomed by everyone, except for one landowning woman, Emma Baker, who contended that the flooding of the Brosna Callows led to more fertile soil.
Tom Dolan officially launched the book. MC Liz Murphy praised Tom and Sandi for “doing a lot for the area”, including allowing a Men's Shed to run in their property.
Tom said he was “delighted and honoured” to be launching the book. “It's a fantastic publication,” he remarked. “An awful lot of research and work went into it. It charts a fascinating story from the ancient world up to the present day, including the MacCoghlans and the Ascendancy. I learned many interesting facts, including the fact that Belmont was named after a village in Cumbria.
“We owe such a debt of gratitude to Brendan for his hard work and his books over the years. Without his work there's an awful lot about West Offaly that I just wouldn't know.”