My Father's Work

This story will be about the work in the various places which he left behind as his legacy. He spent seven years learning his trade under his father who was clerk of works on Lord de Vesci's estate. When he was fully qualified his father arranged for him to work in Talbot's Inch with the Kilkenny Woodworkers under a Scotsman, Mr Dickie who, I learned later, was Douglas Power's maternal grandfather. However, my father and mother then eloped and fled to England and he joined the maintenance section of the Royal Flying Corps. On returning to Ireland in 1919 he worked in Taghmon but I know little of what he was doing there. He then was employed as the carpenter on the rebuiding of Bessborough House and on my recent visits to Kildalton College, as Bessborough now is,the staff let me wander upstairs and downstairs and said the window frames, doors and stairs would have been made by him. In 2007 his workshop was still standing just as it was when he walked away from it in 1935.

He then set up as an ecclesiastical woodworker and his work graces many Anglican churches in the Dioceses of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin. Many people have asked me if we have listed where his work can be seen but we never managed to do that. However, some of the churches I can recall as follows: St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny; Inistioge Church where someone varnished over the oak and spoiled it, as I remember my father insisting that oak could only be oiled; Ferrybank, Waterford;Timahoe, Co Laois; Aghavoe; Durrow where he made the communion rails and possibly the pulpit; Abbeyleix; Old Leighlin Cathedral; Ballyroan. His carvings of bunches of grapes and sheaves of wheat were very distinctive. Pulpits, communion rails, reading desks (lecterns), prayer desks and chairs, wall memorial plaques, tables and Celtic crosses all featured in his creations. I have some of the drawings he made beforehand to submit for approval to the donor and to the bishop. My mother was always a willing helper.

Helen is pictured holding prayer desks and seats that my father had made for St Canice's in Kilkenny: in memory, I think, of the Marquess of Ormond.

Henry sometimes worked with my father. This is a communion table he helped to build.

Bessborough House, Co Kilkenny, Ireland

Below is some correspondence about my father's work.

Dear Patricia

Thank you for your e mail – I thought it was only sensible to transfer our correspondence from FB to Email so we were not sharing it all with our FB friends! Its so amazing that you made contact and that your father made the furniture which we as a family enjoy! Your father was always revered in the Chillingworth family.

I have attached a photo of David Hare Chillingworth, David’s grandfather – the person that your father made the furniture for.

We always knew that the monk’s bench was made out of old pews from the Cathedral.

David remembers the celtic cross in his grandfather’s study in Cork and it was passed onto him when his grandfather died. There is a long tradition of ordained clergy on both sides of David’s family and while David has followed the tradition, it stops there. Our children grew up in a rectory in Portadown but have found careers in the health service. We all live in Scotland now and fortunately the health service works well here.

As I told you previously we spent a week in Cork at Easter 2018 and found lots of family history. We visited the places where David had visited his grandparents as a child. We found the chair (photographed) in the church in Whitegate given by David’s grandfather to the congregation.

David’s uncle has confirmed that this was made by your father. Also he tells us that the case of his grandfather clock was similarily made by him. David’s uncle moved to live in Cambridge some years ago to be close to David’s sister, his niece. Sadly none of us are left in Ireland.

We very much appreciate these items of furniture and always knew the story of where they came from. Your father was a very gifted carpenter and his work has lasted well.

I see from your website that you are living in the UK – I presumed that you were living in Cork as you were a friend of Jane and her mother. Jane lived close to me in Dublin while growing up and we were in school in Alexandra together. Its lovely to reconnect again after 50 years.

You appear to have a very busy and active life and fortunate to have the health to maintain this. Maybe your interest in everything and keeping contact with so many is the key to your success!

Thank you again for making contact – be reassured that your father’s carpentry skills are still appreciated within our family!

With best wishes

Alison

Dear Alison,

Here is my email as promised. I remember our last Farewell to Rochelle gathering in Cork and Harriet Pomeroy drove me from Dublin and we visited her brother in Whitegate where he had a guesthouse. Also Jack Newman, my friend Hazel’s husband , did work there for John Paul engineers in Dublin at the oil refinery . Jack is buried in Cobh. I correspond around the world, by text on iPhone or on WhatsApp by text and voice or on Skype or on Facebook Messenger and after 7 at night and all weekends free on landline in the UK

I have much of my life story written online. My site is www.patriciamccormack.com my daughter’s site is www.hettahuskies.com Ther you canread all abouther many activities and life history... I have been her PA and her PR person over the years, perhaps my most exciting role was of team manager for her By hands and Feet across Greenland for which she was awarded a silver medal by Lady Soames, Sir Winston Churchill’s daughter and I had a beautiful invitation to that ceremony in Guildhall, London.

In London I met up with St John Stevas whom I’d met in Belfast and who came to London as Assistant-bishop of Guildford. Later the bishop of Manchester used to invite me and my husband to the Trinity functions he arranged and we were at his farewell garden party when he reired. The past is really coming alive for me again! I have told Margaret Hawkins about my contact with you. Wonder if David’s uncle had a 90th as out of this world as my week in Hetta with so many amazing people from across the world. Folowing week the New Zealand family arrived and local politicians including our beautiful MP came to greet them and me. Amanda’s mother’s uncle and brother were NI C of I clergy called Johnston; she is to look out some photos for me.

Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Patricia