Local history sources: Check out Cavan’s newspapers

In his latest Times Past column, Jonathan Smyth takes a look at some of the Cavan newspapers of yesteryear.

Newspapers are a riveting source of knowledge for local historians. In Times Past this week, I explore the theme of newspapers. They can vary in tone and content, while offering a reflection of the times in which they were produced. Some of the earliest newspapers display radically different political opinions, since Ireland was then under English rule, and just as we are part of the European Union, the country was once absorbed in the jigsaw that made up part of the former British Empire.

However, many newspapers sprung up in the 19th century and soon challenged that ethos and began promoting a more nationalistic outlook. Ireland, many felt, could better manage her own affairs, be self-sufficient and best take care of its own people. In Cavan, the regional newspaper became an organ to spread news and views and promote new and progressive ideas. Cavan Library Service provides public access to a variety of historic local newspapers. This week's column focuses on some of them.

Cavan Herald

The earliest known of the Cavan based newspapers is the Cavan Herald, which first was published in 1818 and only ran for a short period and stopped. It later reappeared under a new title, the Cavan Herald and Inland General Advertiser. Former Local Studies Librarian with Cavan Library Service, Sara Cullen, recalls in her book, ‘Books and authors of county Cavan’, that ‘scraps of the latter (newspaper) dated December 19th, 1820, are in the National Library'.

The Cavan Herald was printed at the Herald Offices on Farnham Street, Cavan Town, for its proprietor George W. Busteed. He issued it twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays. Again, Sara Cullen's book points to another surviving edition dated September 2, 1824, which she described, as ‘a New journal in smaller form… evidently a new issue under the original title,’ she surmised.

The paper acquired a new publisher following Busteed’s departure. The new publisher was named G. Wright, and he issued the paper on a weekly basis only. The paper may have gone on for a few years more. Nowadays, very few editions survive. A hard copy may be found at Trinity college Dublin for the year 1818. The local studies section in Cavan library keeps on microfilm some fragmentary copies of this paper for the years 1818, 1824, and 1825, while today at the National Library of Ireland, they have copies on microfilm for the following dates, August 31 to November 1824; and March 1 to August 2, 1825.

The Anglo-Celt

This paper was founded by Sir John Young in February 1846 to aid Sir Robert Peel whose desire had been to ‘influence the votes of Irish MPs in the British Parliament … in favour of his repeal of the corn laws'. The original title of the paper was The Anglo-Celt and Weekly Intelligencer for the North and West of Ireland, published by William Johnston, Main Street, Cavan. These early editions could be bought at sixpence each. However, it only lasted a few months, then stopped, and later in December 1847, a new series was began under a new publisher Zachariah Wallace, on Wesley Street, Cavan. He sold it at a lower cost of fivepence. In 1857, the paper again changed its name and became known as ‘The Anglo-Celt and Midland Advertiser'. The Anglo-Celt ‘took a sleep’ between 1858 and 1864 after Mr Wallace died.

In 1865, following the intervention of the Most Reverend Dr Nicholas Conaty, a deputation was sent to John F. O'Hanlon, principal reporter at the Dublin Evening Post, requesting that he take over the editorship and ownership of The Anglo-Celt. O'Hanlon agreed and under his direction the reinstated newspaper adopted a stronger nationalist outlook. In subsequent years, the paper remained under the O’Hanlons’ ownership and editorship.

At Johnston Central Library editions dating from the late 1970s are held in hard copy; while a fuller collection dating back to 1846 is available on microfilm. In the 1970s the library began to build up its collection of microfilmed papers and at the time, Ms Cullen noted that, ‘this recent amenity is greatly appreciated by all readers but particularly by local historians and students doing thesis who hitherto had to travel to the National Library to do their research.’

In recent years, the Library service has offered free access to online historic newspapers on Irish News Archives within branches with public access computers.

Cavan Observer

The Cavan Observer was published from 1857 to 1864. Zachariah Wallace, the proprietor of The Anglo-Celt, died on February 1, 1857, and a dispute broke out when his aunt Charlotte Bournes attempted to carry on the business ‘without the necessary securities'. Zachariah’s father, Joseph Wallace, executor to his son’s will, applied for an injunction to 'restrain’ Charlotte from ‘collecting or interfering with the debts due to the late Zachariah Wallace’, and ‘from using, entering upon, or possessing herself of, or in any manner interfering with, the assets or property of testator, particularly the dwelling-house, printing office, types, printing presses, machinery, or apparatus belonging to the late Mr Wallace’, that were ‘used in printing the newspaper called The Anglo-Celt.’ As a result of the injunction, Bournes set up the Cavan Observer.

Cavan Weekly News

The Cavan Weekly News was printed from December 1864 to 1907. With the exception of certain years, Cavan Library has a near complete collection of this paper. The Cavan Weekly News archive came from the home of Lord Farnham and were bought at auction from the Farnham Estate in 1967. Sara Cullen wrote, ‘what was once a tattered and torn bundle of newspapers has been mended, bound and partially indexed,’ further adding that ‘eight of the 44 years issued are missing'. This is an important collection and provides an alternative insight to goings-on in Cavan and further afield during that period. Around the late 1960s, these papers were partially indexed by library staff before being bound into yearly volumes.

Over the centuries, regional newspapers have remained an important source of information as they reflect the lives and times of the communities they serve. I guess, that nothing fascinates us so much as a local news story.

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