The Corcorans of Ballindine
and The Lords Oranmore and Browne
By Mary Doran, Brisbane, Australia
The name "Oranmore and Browne" was familiar to me from my earliest years in Australia, as my mother often spoke of her fathers life in Ballindine in the years before he and his family emigrated to Australia in 1890. It was obvious that the Lords Oranmore and Browne had played a major role in the lives of both my grandfather, Austin Corcoran and his father - my great-grandfather, Thomas Corcoran.
Thomas was not a native of Ballindine, or of Co. Mayo. According to family tradition he was born in Cobh, Co. Cork around 1815. As a young man, he was a teacher at St. Jarlaths College, Tuam, Co. Galway, but he was living in Ballindine in the early 1840s when he married Letitia Grehan, whose father was a farmer in the area. The first documentary evidence of Thomas in Ballindine is his appointment as Teacher at the National School, by the Manager, the first Lord Oranmore and Browne, in 1853. The School had opened in 1845, the first two schoolmasters being Richard Vizard (1845-1848) and John OGrady (1849-1853). We have no information on how Thomas was employed in Ballindine during the 1840s and up to the time of his appointment to the National School in late 1853. One possibility is that he was teaching at the private school supported by Lord Oranmore, which had been in existence in Ballindine for twenty-two years before the opening of the National School (Richard Vizard and his uncle, Robert, were both reported as having been teachers at this private school). It is also possible that Thomas did teach at the National School between 1845 and 1853, but if so, there is no record of his name in the Education Department files.
Following 1853, there are several reports mentioning Thomas Corcoran as Master of Ballindine National School, for example, in relation to the Evening School which operated during the winter months in the 1850s. This was also under the patronage of Lord Oranmore and he supported the appointment of Thomas as Teacher of the Evening School, in addition to his daytime duties. This must have been a heavy burden for Thomas as the number of young men attending these classes to learn "reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic and geography" was thirty to forty.
Another piece of documentary evidence relating to Thomass life in Ballindine is contained in the Griffith Valuation of 1856. Thomas Corcoran was reported as leasing "a garden, yard and house" from "Hon. Geoffrey Browne" (Lord Oranmores son), in Newtown South, Ballindine, and also another area of land in Ballindine North, also from the Hon. Geoffrey Browne.
We know that Thomas had received a Classical education and was fluent in Latin and Greek (talent not required at the National School). However, he did hold tutorial classes in Latin and Greek for boys who had completed their studies at the National School and wanted to proceed to higher education in order to enter the priesthood, the university, or the civil service. These classes were held after hours when Thomas was teaching at the day school, and so must have had the approval of Lord Oranmore. It is obvious that Thomas was well known to the First and Second Lords Oranmore and Browne. White it is not possible to say that friendship existed, it appears that there was a state of mutual respect and goodwill between the Lords of Castle Macgarrett and the Master of the Ballindine National School. There is the possibility of some social contact, as according to family tradition, Thomas and the astronomer, John Birmingham were guests of the first Lord Oranmore at least on one notable occasion, when a disagreement between Oranmore and Birmingham resulted in the latter challenging the Lord to a duel (which fortunately did not take place.
My grandfather, Austin Corcoran, the fifth of Thomas and Letitias ten children, was born in December, 1850. He followed his father into the teaching profession and was appointed as Senior Monitor in 1868, and Assistant Teacher in 1871. He succeeded his father as Principal of Ballindine National School in 1880. During the early 1870s, Austin acted as tutor to the son of the second Lord Oranmore. My mother told the story of how her father, Austin, used to walk from his home in Ballindine (he was still a bachelor and living with his parents) to Castle Macgarrett to teach Lord Oranmores son, who was an "invalid". She said that her father was greatly impressed with the boys eagerness to learn, despite his handicaps. Until I received the latest edition of the "Ballindine Post" (Autumn, 2002), I was unable to confirm this story of the "invalid son" of Lord Oranmore. So I was excited to read the article "Lord Oranmores Journal 1913-1927" by John Butler, in which it states that "The Third Lord Oranmore and Browne, Geoffrey Henry Browne (1861-1927) and author of this journal, was the only son of second baron Geoffrey Dominick, and he suffered, as a child, from curvature of the spine." It goes on to say that "he attended Cheam preparatory school before prolonged bed rest was prescribed". This was the boy whom my grandfather tutored, and who impressed him so greatly with his enthusiasm for learning and cheerful and friendly personality. I do not know how long Austin taught young Geoffrey Henry Browne, but he must have been one of many tutors over the years, as the boy apparently never returned to regular schooling. I am sure that my mother would have been pleased to know Geoffreys subsequent history, particularly the fact that he recovered from his condition.
I have been researching my family history for several years and have found that even the smallest piece of information is of value in elucidating the complex and wonderful story of ones ancestors. It is fascinating to know that the boy my grandfather tutored, back in the latter third of the nineteenth century, would live a long and active life (tragically ending in a car accident), and that his son would live on into the twenty first century. I always had the picture in my mind of this boy, Lord Oranmores son, lying in his bed, surrounded by his schoolbooks, and being taught the intricacies of Latin and Greek by my grandfather. I could imagine the boy being very conscientious, but occasionally glancing out the window and wishing that he could be outside playing like other boys of his age. Maybe this picture was not too far from the truth.
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