Person:James Courtney (1)

Origin of Courtney name: Descendant of Cuirnin (little horn or drinking cup). Courtney

The name Courtney in Ireland is often of Norman origin being derived form the name de Courtenai. The native Gaelic O'Curnain Sept of County Kerry also sometimes adopted Courtney as the anglicized form of their name as well as the more usual Curnane or Cournane.

We have little authentic information about the early life of our maternal grandparents in Ireland. From relatives we have learned that Dennis Courtney was born near Castle Gregory in County Kerry. It is not far from Tralee which is on the southwest coast, a short distance from Dingle Bay. Our maternal grandmother Bridget Sullivan came from near Cork in the south central part of Ireland.

According to historians, the country around Tralee was made up of "verdant valleys, beautiful upland dales and many lakes cradled in the mountains." In the city of Dingle it is said there were relics of the old pagan cemeteries, the old fire altars and old castles. In the 16th century its population was 5,000. By 1911 it had decreased to 2,200. In the early days trade was carried with foreign countries and the cultural life was encouraged by the schools, churches and monasteries that had been established. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, English soldiers occupied Dingle and the citizens were forced to flee to caves in the mountains. After this siege the city never regained its former prestige.

The town of Tralee was no doubt the one our forebears frequented often. It is on the river Lee and the name is a contraction from the Celtic Traigh-Li. A grant of 6,000 acres given to Sir Edward Denny by Queen Elizabeth included Tralee Castle built in 1549. It was later destroyed and rebuilt in 1700. It was torn down in the 18th century and the grounds were named Denny Street. In this same area St. Brendon was born in 484. He lived in the village of Kilmalkir and after his ordination to the priesthood he built a church there and later a cell up on the mountainside. He became well known in Scotland, England and Wales. His followers built oratories on Mt. Brendon and they were kept intact for many years. St. Brendon died in 577 at the age of 93.

Gregory Hoare. It later was owned by the Knight of Kerry and during the Cromwellian wars was used as a garrison. When it became a ruin, the villagers built their small homes from the stone from the ruined castle. In 1873 Castlegregory was made famous in Ireland by Father John O'Kane. The story is that a group of Irishmen known as the Dingle contingent were coming to Tralee to cast votes for their English landlord. They were led by Mr. de Moleyne who rode proudly at the head of the procession of carriages. During the course of the journey he went to the back of the line and to his consternation found that many of the carriages were empty. He was told that the occupants had "slipped down there to walk a bit and faix we're thinking they're not coming at all." Mr. de Moleyne then galloped back to the front of the line and found that the occupants of at least a dozen of the front carriages had also disappeared. He accused his deputies of lack of diligence and neglect of duty. They replied that they were there to protect those needing protection and not to treat them as prisoners. When the depleted line of carriages reached Castlegregory, the entire population of men, women and children were in the main road and at their head was Father O'Kane, his white hair blowing in the breeze. He stopped the march of carriages and appealed to the Irishmen by saying, "Oh sons of Kerry, where is your pride and manhood to be dragged like prisoners or carted like cattle in this way?... and for what? that you may give the lie to your conscience and give a stab to your country, poor Ireland?" With one wild shout the voters sprung from their carriages and disappeared in' the crowd. Mr. de Moleyne had to continue his way to Tralee at the head of "an immense army of empty carriages." That night the hills of Kerry were ablaze with bonfires in celebration of the event (Hidden Kerry O'Sullivan).

By 1857 Castlegregory became the site of one of the National Schools established by the English government. One also had been established in Dingle several years previously. Throughout Kerry there were 77 such schools. In 1831 Father Fitzgerald established a parochial school in Castlegregory.

This then was the environs from which our grandfather came. His father, Daniel Courtney, no doubt participated in the development of the rural area. There was said to be a cordial relationship between the landowners and the shop-keepers of the villages. Some luxuries, such as pipes, port wine, brandy, hogshead of claret for the gentry were imported. They also brought in an "odd bale of silk or lace for the ladies."