{"id":116,"date":"2007-04-27T12:13:53","date_gmt":"2007-04-27T12:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/54.229.91.100\/libraryandarts\/library\/ehistory\/?p=116"},"modified":"2025-10-29T19:49:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T19:49:54","slug":"the-art-of-the-obituary-local-lives-honoured-in-print","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/the-art-of-the-obituary-local-lives-honoured-in-print\/","title":{"rendered":"The art of the obituary \u2013 local lives honoured in print"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leinster Leader 1 March 2007<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The art of the obituary \u2013 local lives honoured in print<\/span><\/p>\n

by <\/span><\/p>\n

LIAM KENNY<\/span><\/p>\n

All human life is recorded within the pages of newspapers. In bygone years local newspapers gave many column inches to weddings and to obituaries. And indeed in the society columns in the early years it was not unusual to see colourful reports of christenings and of engagements. Trends in social coverage have changed\u2013 no longer is it common to see detailed wedding reports in the local notes with admiring descriptions of the bridal fashion! However obituaries remained an enduring feature of the local paper. Although sad reading for immediate relatives the obituaries also brought a sense of pride to family circles and represented local journalism at its best, emphasising that the passing of a life was worth recording through the permanence of the printed word.<\/p>\n

In the Leinster Leader of 2 March 1957 one of a number of obituaries relates to a Mr. Frederick Stockton. The recitation of his life and career is a reminder that Co Kildare men in uniform traversed the globe. We learn that the late Frederick Stockton was born in Naas Military Barracks (now occupied by Kildare County Council\u2019s spectacular headquarters) where his father had been manager of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers canteen, which regiment the deceased joined.\u00a0 The reader of 1957 ws transported back over fifty years previous as the obituary relates how Mr.\u00a0 Stockton had \u2018fought in the Boer War and also the First World War\u2019. He was stationed in India and in Africa and finally returned to the Dublin Fusiliers depot in his native Naas where he resided through a long retirement.<\/p>\n

The obituarist skilfully drew a character sketch of the old soldier. We learn that he was an energetic man, acting for many years as \u2018drag\u2019 for the Naas Harriers. And his early army training continued to be of service to the community –\u00a0 \u2018 A regular worshipper in St. David\u2019s Church, Naas, he was always respected as an old reliable to assist in preparations for parochial functions when his military technique in making much out of little was of no small advantage\u2019.<\/p>\n

Another obituary in the same column casts light on a contrasting aspect of modern Irish history with a notice concerning the death of Mrs. Sarah Burke of St. Brigid\u2019s Terrace, Naas.\u00a0 It was noted that she was the widow of William Burke \u2018who was well known as a composer of ballads, and of patriotic songs\u2019. The tributes continued in a following item reporting the vote of sympathy at that week\u2019s meeting of Naas UDC where Cllr. Jack Lawler said that Mrs. Burke\u2019s late husband \u2018was a sterling Nationalist and was an old Gael and well-known figure in Naas.\u2019 We learn that he was better known as \u2018the Bard\u2019 and had done a term in gaol with other townspeople during the Land Agitation at a time when, the speaker noted pointedly,\u00a0 \u2018 a gaol term was not as popular as it proved afterwards\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u00a0By recording such references the newspaper has given the modern reader an insight into the life and times of the locality in the late 1800s when land agitation manifested in controversial local incidents. As with Mr. Stockton whose army service in the imperial cause recalls Kildare\u2019s place in military heritage, the references to the late William Burke highlight the often overlooked nationalist influences in the county.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Both items reiterate the value of a well-crafted\u00a0 newspaper obituary as a tribute to the deceased, as a source of pride to the family, and as an enduring record for readers in years to come by recording insights into local lives –\u00a0 insights which would not be easily recreated from any other source.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Compiled by Liam Kenny from the rich resources of the Leinster Leader files, Local Studies Dept., Kildare County Library. Series No. 5.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0first instalment for\u00a0March from Liam Kenny’s regular column ‘Nothing New Under the Sun.’ Our thanks to Liam.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first instalment for March from Liam Kenny’s regular column ‘Nothing New Under the Sun.’ Our thanks to Liam.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-obituaries"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Kildare Local Studies","author_link":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/author\/localstudies\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8178,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116\/revisions\/8178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}