Tragedies of Clare

He spent his youth among the stones. The ocean thundered in his bones; the beautiful words woven by Robbie O’Connell paint in verse (in ‘The Man from Connemara’) what would best describe Joe Queally’s own journey from his place in Fanore.

Joe was born in Fanore in North Clare in the very heart and soul of the Burren landscape on the shores of Galway Bay. The true spirit of the winds that blow through the raithneach, the fauna, flowers, the rocks and the sea inspires his interest in people, especially the old people who have stories to tell. He says it is these people that touch the soil, touch the stone walls and listen to the sea and the sky, making ancient conversation between the rocks, the people and their own place. This is where the stories are when they get someone to listen. The súgán chair by the fire and the dog and cat in deep slumber by the open hearth; the settle bed and the bucket of pure spring water by the kitchen table, this is where the best stories are told.

Joe has written four books to date: The Fanore School Case 1914-1922 (Ennis, 2004, second edition 2016) (Sold Out). Echoes From A Civil War: The Killing of Guard Thomas Dowling 1925; The Tullycrine Box Bomb 1929 (Ennis, 2021) (Sold Out). His present book publication Tragedies of Clare centres on three stories: ‘The Ballygastel Outrage, Ballygastel, Lisdoonvarna, 11 September,1887’, ‘Outrage in Ballinruan, Crusheen, 8 November, 1910 and 2 July,1916’ and ‘John Doolaghty, Murdered 1882; Francis (Francie) Hynes, Executed 1882’. The RTE Scannal team has commissioned two documentaries on his first two publications: ‘Schools Out’ (2004) and ‘The Banner Bomb’ (2021). Joe has been domiciled in the parish of Doora, Barefield for more than fifty years.