Mayo memories: Judge condemned bonfire night activities in 1912
By Tom Gillespie
BONFIRE night in Castlebar in 1912 was celebrated much the same as in previous years, although that year, according to a report in The Connaught Telegraph, the ancient custom seems to have been met with the disapproval of those responsible for law and order.
In all the principal thoroughfares large fires of turf, timber, etc., blazed, and crackers, rockets, squibs, etc., were let off by the thousands, but the dampness of the night told considerably against their effect.
For years past considerable license was given the people of Castlebar on bonfire night, but on last Sunday, June 23, the police was busy taking the names of persons who built fires on the street, exploded rockets, etc., and at the Perry Sessions on Wednesday they had 11 cases up for those offences.
The presiding magistrates were Messers A.C. Larmine (presiding), John Kelly, John H. Peyton and Judge Dowel Browne.
The adjourned cases against Pat Langan and John Chambers for discharging fireworks on the street on the 9th inst. were first called.
Constable McCormack gave evidence and said that Chambers was under age and would have to be tried at the Children’s Court. He said both cases were adjourned to see how the defendants would conduct themselves.
Chairman: How did they conduct themselves since?
Witness: Well.
Chairman: We gave them to understand that if they conducted themselves the cases would be dismissed.
The case against Langan was dismissed with a caution.
Subsequently Chambers' case was dealt with at the Children’s Court and it was also dismissed with a caution.
The following defendants were next charged with lighting bonfires on the public streets on last Sunday night and for discharging fireworks on the public streets: Jamesey Burke, William Walsh, Denis Callaghan, Bernard Daly, Edward Young, Michael J. Comber, John Garvey, John J. Murphy, Michael Cunningham, Frank Walsh and Martin Heavy.
Sergeant Mahon disposed to seeing William Walsh and Denis Callaghan building a bonfire on the public street.
Callaghan: I admit I built the fire.
Constable Preston gave evidence that he found Jamesey Burke building a fire in Castle Street opposite Mr. Anthony Hynes’ door.
Defendant: And your two sons were bringing turf to me and you didn’t summon them (laughter).
Witness: He persisted in building the fire.
Defendant: When you stopped me wasn’t it in Spencer Street I was building the fire? (Laughter). I only went to Castle Street for a pint of oil and I had my coat off (laughter). Your two sons were helping me to build the fire in Spencer Street and you didn’t summon them (laughter).
Constable Brady disposed to seeing Bernard Daly and Edward Young discharging fireworks on the streets.
Sergeant Bree disposed to seeing M.J. Comber discharging fireworks.
Defendant: It was a rocket and I didn’t fire it. I kept in it my hand.
Sergeant Griffin disposed to seeing Garvey and Murphy discharging fireworks.
Constable Clancy disposed to seeing Cunningham, Walsh and Heavy building a bonfire on the public road.
This concluded the evidence and the magistrates held a consultation on the bench.
Mr. Kelly said all the cases should be dismissed.
Judge Browne: I think it intolerable that on Sunday evening in the Protestant Church divine worship was interrupted three times by the discharging of fireworks just outside the church.
This is a thing that should not be tolerated at that church or at the Church of the Holy Rosary.
I often saw when going through London all traffic regulated to a walking pace when passing by St. Paul’s Cathedral when divine service was going on there. I think this conduct is intolerable.
On Sunday last when I was at divine service here in Castlebar my horse and carriage and groom were outside and someone threw crackers under the horse's feet, and he got onto the footpath.
If he had fallen and broken his leg I would like to know from Mr. Kelly what the patrons of this long-established custom would do?
Then I walked behind my carriage as fas as Mr. Heverin’s (Irish House), and when turning down the hill I shouted to my man to stop, and then there were a regular fuselage of crackers thrown under my horse’s feet.
I knew they would not make my horse run as he is well trained and very quiet. The bonfires a horse can avoid, but crackers thrown at a horse is intolerable.
At the last court here I heard Mr. Roache refer to the practice of throwing crackers so that they would discharge under ladies’ clothes and that I consider an intolerable nuisance.
Mr. Kelly: I have never seen the town as peaceable as it was on the last bonfire night. The people were very orderly.
Judge Browne: If you arrange to have the celebration held in a field and not on the public street, I will subscribe liberally for fireworks and crackers; you could have fireworks in the Fair Green or on the Mall. I do not want to put down an old established custom, but I think it should be carried out in an artistic way.
Detective Inspector O’Brien: I will ask you to impose a substantial penalty in each case.
Mr. Kelly: We are not going to put on any penalty; we are going to dismiss all the cases. What occurred would not justify us putting on a penalty.
Chairman: The serious part of it is that we know it is a very old custom and old customs die hard. Another serious thing is that this unseemly exhibition took place outside the church while divine service was going on and if there was a specific complaint that fireworks were discharged there at that time I would be for putting on a severe penalty. There is no custom to justify the commission of an outrage outside a church while divine worship is going on.
It appears that the feelings of the majority of the bench is that we dismiss with a warning and caution, cases which we must stigmatise as an outrage.
All the cases were then dismissed.