Welcome to the Cleary Family Website   

Cleary Crest copy
 
This website is about two generations of the Cleary family starting with an eviction from their home at the Pollack Estate in east Galway in the 1880's. They lived through a period in the country, shortly after the 'Great Famine', of extreme poverty, misery and hardship. Committed to a United Ireland all members of the family were involved in the Easter Rising and War of Independence resulting at one stage in five of them, a father and his four sons, being imprisoned in British jails.  


Using letters, statements and documents, some recently discovered, it is now possible to piece together the story of their lives full of adventure, tragedy, love and war. They include the remarkable account in a letter written by a British soldier to his Grandchildren about how, while stationed at Athenry, he met and later married Ciss Cleary a member of Cumann na mBan and from a strong republican family.

Many members of the family went on to be successful in business some as builders at home and abroad. But tragedy struck when Tommy fell from the roof during the construction of Gurteen Church and passed away a few days later from his injuries.

Tommy Cleary 

Plasterer killed by fall from scaffold tragic occurrence at Gurteen 


The tragic circumstances of the manner in which Thomas Cleary of Athenry a plasterer working at the new Catholic church at Gurteen met his death were told at an inquest held at the central hospital Galway on Tuesday by Mr M J Allan solicitor and coroner for South and West Galway Mr H Saint J Blake solicitor Galway appeared for Mrs McNally and Company Limited contractors Galway for whom deceased had been working when the accident  occurred.

James Cleary a brother of deceased gave evidence of identification and deposed that his brother was a plaster aged 35 and unmarried.  Witness last saw him alive at the central hospital Galway at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday on that day Witness and his brother were working for Mrs McNally and Company Limited at the construction of the new church at Gurteen. Deceased was working on a scaffold about 27 feet from the ground inside the church Witness was under him on another scaffolding. Deceased had finished his section and got down to the level of the scaffold on which witness was working. Deceased was then about six feet from Witness. Witness had his back turned to him when he heard a scream and on looking around he saw his brother fall to the ground. the  shout would be like Shout of Fright and would be simultaneous with his brother falling.


During the Fall his brother hit a pole about 10 feet from where he was standing which spun him around and threw him outwards. He landed on his head. Witness got down at once and went to him.Deceased was then unconscious. Deceased got down from the level of the scaffolding on which he was first to the level on which witness was by climbing. There was a ladder from the ground to the level on which the witness was standing but it did not reach the higher level. The scaffold was erected on the day before the incident. Witness complained on the day of the accident of the state of the scaffolding which he assumed was unsafe.


It will do


Answering Mr Blake witness said that the Scaffolding he complained of as being unsafe was the one on which his brother was working and the one which he fell from. He would be surprised to hear it was erected by his brother. On the day before the accident when witness said to his brother nobody could work on that scaffold his brother shook his head and said “it will do”

 The width of the top scaffolding would be about three nine inch planks. He could not be sure if there were any more. Three would be usual on most jobs but this top scaffold was too near the roof and they had to bend when working on it. There were only two planks on the lower platform and in parts where the Purloin of the roof interfered there was only about half of one of these available a width of about six inches. The work which his brother was doing on the top scaffold was finished and he was coming down. Witness was not aware that his brother was on the way down and turned back to give him a hand in turning the planks of the top scaffold when he fell. Witness had asked him to clean the planks on the top scaffolding when he had finished.


Witness complained of the state of the scaffolding to Mr Moran and to the labouring man and to Mr McNally. Mr Moran and the labourer agreed that the scaffolding was unsafe. Witness worked on it because he did not want to be talking about it. There was a scaffolder on this job Michael O'Donnell but the witness did not complain to him as far as he could remember as he did not want to be making trouble. The witness did not know the cause of the accident.


 Dr Roland house surgeon central hospital Galway deposed that when the deceased was admitted to the hospital on Saturday he was unconscious and was suffering from a very severe concussion which had merged almost immediately into compression. He was taken to the Theater immediately and given medical attention but he never regained consciousness there were no other injuries that they could see except slight abraisions of the forearm but he also had fractures of the base of the skull .

He died about 7:30 on Saturday evening. The cause of death was due to bulbar paralysis from compression.

Alexander Stewart Forman of the building with Mr McNally swore that deceased was plastering the ceiling on Saturday with his brother James. The scaffolding on which they were working was erected by Mr O'Donnell on Friday morning on the top scaffold there were four nine inch planks and two planks of the same width on the scaffolding on the second level.


 Scaffolding safe


Witness examined the scaffolding and ordered Mr O'Donnell to put an extra foot lock in and he did so. There was a ladder there on a level with the top step and the witness went up the ladder himself. He passed the scaffolding as quite safe he did not see the accident occurring.


Anytime he saw Cleary coming from the top level to the second level he came by the ladder.

In answer to Mr Blake, the witness said he thought it would not be correct for Cleary to say that the top of the ladder was 18 inches below the top level of the scaffolding. The scaffolding was quite safe and one half of the roof was finished by means of a similar scaffold. Mr O'Donnell is a good scaffolder. The deceased gave him a hand in putting up the scaffold. He was there on Friday and no complaint was made to him by either the deceased or his brother. James Cleary Said they had not enough head room on the top scaffolding and witness told him the scaffolding was put up according to his brother's instructions. Michael O'Donnell Gurteen swore that he had four years experience of erecting scaffolding with Mr McNally and several years experience in England and Scotland. He erected the scaffold at Gurteen  church on Friday last. The deceased and a labourer assisted him in putting up the scaffold. He had all the materials necessary for erecting a good scaffold and the one he erected was quite safe. The part of the scaffold under the Purloin was only the framework of a scaffold. The second scaffold was not prepared for working on. He saw a ladder there and it  projected over the second landing but he could not say if it reached the top.


To Mr Blake the scaffolding was erected to suit the deceased. When it was completed he asked the deceased if it would suit him and he said it would. Half the roof was finished on a similar scaffolding; the scaffolding was passed by the foreman and no complaint was made to him that the scaffolding was unsafe. The foreman asked him to strengthen the scaffold by pushing a third bearer which he did. He did not see anyone working on the  second scaffold.


 Joseph Moran the Carpenter working for Mr McNally at Gurteen  church swore that he saw the accident happen about 1 .40 witness was on the top scaffolding which the deceased had just left. He saw him catch one of the footlocks and lower himself onto the next level about four feet below. The latter did not reach the top landing and the manner in which they got up was to climb from the bottom scaffold. Michael Hogan and the deceased were standing side-by-side and they went to turn the planks for witness. They turned one plank and were turning the second one and the deceased fell down .Witness could not say how the deceased slipped but he saw him fall straight under him. James Cleary complained to him about the scaffold not being safe. He could not say what time that was but it was before the accident. Thomas Cleary had finished on Witnesses level before the accident and Cleary was only giving witness a hand before the accident happened in Witnesses opinion the top scaffolding was quite safe. 


 Lost his balance


Michael Hogan Cloneagh  woodlawn a labourer swore that he was on the scaffolding on the top level together with the deceased and Joseph Moran. Witness came onto the scaffolding on the second level and the deceased came after him. On their way down Moran  asked witness to turn planks on the level of the platform which they had left. The level they were On then was four feet below the planks. When the witness was turning the first plank, the deceased said he would give him a hand. as they were turning the second board caught and they were not able to get it down. Deceased put his hand on one of the supports to get the plank right and the plank on which he had his left hand turned flat and the deceased lost his balance and fell.


Deceased did not complain to witness at any time that the scaffold was unsafe but deceased for Brother did. Witness was working at the church for the past 12 months. He considered the platform dangerous but he did not complain. Witness worked with the deceased from 11:30 on Friday until the time of the accident. He did not feel nervous going up on the platform .


Witness did not ask the deceased to help him to turn the planks. One man could not turn them; it would require two men; there were other labouring men available to turn the planks if witness had called them.


The coroner returned the verdict in accordance with the medical evidence that death was due to bulbar paralysis from compression caused by deceased having fallen from a scaffold. he said this was a very sad case and tendered his sympathy to the parents and family of the deceased Mr H Saint Jay Blake on behalf of Mr McNally also tended sympathy to the parents and family of the deceased no one he said regretted to the deplorable accident more than Mrs McNally in cope.


Sergeant Devoy  Eglinton Street Barracks Galway who represented the Garda tendered sympathy on behalf of superintendent Hunt and the Garda

The victim of the accident was very popular in County Galway. he joined the volunteers in 1913 took part in the rising in 1916 spent a term in frongoch internment camp during the black and tan regime was arrested and interned in Ballykinler internment  camp in 1921. He was also arrested and released after a short period in 1922. He was a member of a Republican family well known in the west of Ireland; the funeral took place from the central hospital to the parish church in Athenry where the Remains lay overnight. The Coffin was draped in the Tricolor. After a solemn Requiem mass on Monday the Remains were taken to Abbey burial ground.

 The arrangements were in charge of the IRA and the last post was sounded over the Grave. Later in the evening three volleys were fired over the Grave. 

 Reverend P O'Grady CC Athenry of officiated at the Grave side Reverend tea fatty CC read the services at the central hospital.

 Chief mourners Thomas Cleary father Mary Cleary mother John and James Brothers Mrs Mary J O Byrne and Mrs Catherine Kennedy sisters Sydney o'Byrne  and Patrick Kennedy brothers and law Mrs John Cleary sister-in-law


………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………