Canon Flannery and Bailieborough’s Orange Parade in 1931

Historical columnist Jonathan Smyth this week looks at a Church of Ireland rector from Knockbride who made a jaw-dropping speech at an Orange parade in Bailieborough in 1931...

ON JULY 12, 1931 Canon William Flannery, the Church of Ireland rector of Knockbride and Shercock, was invited to speak at the East Cavan Orange demonstration at Curkish, ‘about a half mile’ from Bailieborough, on land belonging to Mr James Bell.

In his speech, Canon Flannery focussed on unifying ideals amongst all who lived in the region which was in contrast to speakers of opposing views who ruminated on issues of a less congenial nature.

Canon Flannery

Born in about 1870, Canon Flannery, was the son of Thomas Flannery of Shanbollard, Co Galway. He completed his theological training at Trinity College Dublin, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1894 and a Bachelor of Divinity in 1910, becoming a deacon for Kilmore Diocese and serving as curate in Kinawley and afterwards at Killinkere.

Flannery was firstly rector of Ballyjamesduff with Castlerahan from 1901 to 1917 and then secondly, rector of Knockbride and Shercock from 1917 to 1944 and was appointed Canon of Mulhuddart in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, in which he served from 1927 until his retirement in 1944. In 1932 Flannery was appointed the Examination Chaplain to the Bishop.

He was married to Martha Flannery and among the children was their eldest, Dr Horace Thomas Flannery, who tragically drowned in Lake Tanganika at the age of 36 while working as a medical missionary with the Rhodesian Missionary. Another son, Dr William J. Flannery of Cavan Town was a well-known and respected private practitioner and later the Medical Officer of St Felim’s Hospital, who enjoyed a game of tennis while off-duty and often played against the likes of J.R. Halpin who was one of the town’s local solicitors.

Orange parade

The bands gathered near to the grounds of the old workhouse and formed a procession, which then paraded through the town of Bailieborough and on to the place where the meeting was to be held. After about an hour, the town returned to the ‘normal appearance’ of a market town, stated the paper.

The Orange bands in attendance came from many districts including Farnham, Cavan; Drumcalpin (fife and drum band); Stonepark (pipers’ band); Ballintemple (pipe and drum band); Kilmore (brass band); Stradone (fife and drum band); Cootehill (brass band); Lisnaymore (fife and drum band); Mullaghboy (fife and drum band); Drumartin (fife and drum band); Rathkenny (fife and drum band); and other contingents who came from Shercock; Drutamon; Curlurgan; Breakey; Ardmone; Beglieve; Billyhill; Lisball; Stonewall; Gartnaneane; Canningstown (with melodeon band); Killinkere (brass band); Cornaveagh; Cliffin; Cavan (brass band); and Derryheen.

Speech

Stepping on to the platform, Flannery began by saying that the church to which he belonged had a historical link to the ‘King and constitution’ but that the world had changed, and since the end of the First World War, new systems had replaced the ‘empire’ and that they better well support the new system of rule. These new movements in the world did not tend towards the ‘empire’, he said, but more towards nationhood and the establishment of the ‘Free State’ was one such example of this modern marvel. Canon Flannery told the spellbound Orange-men that there were now ‘movements in India and Canada all recognising their national consciousness and proudly proclaiming their independence, and then freely conceding that they were proud of their association with the nations that made up the British Empire’.

The Canon then illustrated his feelings on the subject of nationhood and told the assembled marchers about a ‘cultured’ Cavan woman who attended a Celtic Congress on the Isle of Man where she informed the audience that: ‘We in Ireland, are in the Free State. We do not think in terms of Empire. We think in terms of nationhood.’

One can imagine how the proverbial pin may have been heard drop to the floor by the time Flannery finished with his statement that protestants ‘had nothing to grumble about’ since the creation of the Free State and that the government of Ireland was anxious to do what was ‘fair and square’ and the only kingship that people ought to espouse to, he added, was that of the ‘kingship of Christ’.

As regards speaking Irish, he fully supported the Irish Free State, taking the view that the government’s fostering of ‘our’ native language was correct, as had been done in Wales where they wanted to make Welsh the official language. He recognised the difficulty of teaching Irish to unwilling minds and asked if more people might take it up willingly, had it been presented as a voluntary subject, but above all he believed that any subject which stretched the grey cells had its uses.

When Flannery finished his speech, he was succeeded by a variety of speakers some of whom carried out a re-run of opinions on ‘King Billy’, the Boyne, religion, and politics in scenes, which to a modern-day audience must have been reminiscent of an episode of Après Match. One of the speakers, the Rev Binnie was noted by the newspaper to have spoken in ‘a pronounced Scottish accent’ as he launched into a ‘bitter tirade’ against the wrongs of other religions as he saw them. He was followed by J.J. Cole TD, Cloverhill, who did not see the ‘Free State’ government as an ideal but that he supported it none the less.

The meeting concluded with a speech from the Rev Armstrong of Drum, Co Monaghan, who condemned the ‘agricultural depression’ facing the country in the 1930s and he denounced the government whose ‘duty’ it was to ‘protect and aid the citizens’, adding ,‘while it had spent so lavishly on other schemes of insignificant importance, it had done absolutely nothing to promote their chief industry, agriculture.’ They then drew the ‘demonstration’ to a close by singing ‘God save the King’ and as the bands walked from the field they were advised by the chairman of the parade, to disperse as ‘quietly’ as possible.

Fógraí

Congratulations and best wishes to George Cartwright on his recent book about The Gallant John Joe: Cavan's Millennium Man. It is a meticulously well-researched book and comes highly recommended.

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