![]() In the late 1950s, a policeman from Tipperary with the surname O’Brien was assigned to the town of Skibbereen. If your ancestor left this area of West Cork for new life in the USA, UK or Australia, the chances are they bought their ticket in this very same shop. Now, Hosfords Grocery Shop had one other particular distinction – they were the main ticket agent for the Cunard Line at the time (phrase used twice). The family of Archibald Hosford had been in Skibbereen for some time when he opened a Grocery shop in the late 1800s on Bridge Street in the town. One of these families were the Hosfords who came into County Cork about that time – and over the centuries they spread across much of West Cork. Of course, many of these soldiers had no intention of settling in Ireland and sold the land on to English settlers. At this time, Cromwell had finished his “excursion” into Ireland, and granted lands by way of payment to many of his soldiers. The surname Hosford appeared in Ireland for the first time about the mid 1600s. This descendant of Miles de Cogan located his bar right beside Hosford’s Grocers and Newsagent. Despite his early death, his widow Katherine and sons took over the Pub which remains in business to this day. Also, when one John Goggin opened a public house on Bridge Street in Skibbereen in 1880, the location quickly became known as “Goggin’s Corner”. Goggin is one such example – we have “Goggins Hill” just up the road nearby. There is a tradition in Ireland for many places to be named after a particular local family. Do you have one of those Irish surnames that seems to have so many variations? Finally, the version of the name that seemed to survive the best was Goggin – which you can see here sprinkled all over the south-west. There was Cogan, of course – mostly found around Cork City. As time went on, like many Irish surnames – it started to appear in different English spellings. Over the following centuries, the success of the Cogan family waned in the Cork region – especially when compared to other Norman families such as the Barrys or the Fitzgeralds. De Cogan did so well on those initial forays into Ireland, he was granted half of the “Kingdom of Cork” alongside another Norman knight, Robert Fitzstephen in the 1170s. One of these Lords was called Miles de Cogan. These were the name and surnames of the Norman lords that accompanied Richard de Clare, or “Strongbow”, on the first Norman incursion into Ireland. So many Irish surnames we know today came out of the Norman lands of south Wales in 1100s – names such as Barry, Fitzgerald, Walsh, Prendergast, Joyce and so on. The Corner Bar, Bridge Street, Skibbereen The Norman Knights of Wales. As you already know, behind every Irish pub is a good story or two – so here is the story behind the Corner Bar in Skibbereen. ![]() Our musical HQ for the event will be William O’Brien’s Corner Bar – a lovely old Irish pub with a reputation for the best in Irish music and hospitality. You see, in a few weeks time, we’re having our inaugural Green Room Hooley here in Skibbereen. And we’ll tie them all together in one special Irish pub. We have the descendants of a Norman Knight who came to Ireland in the 1100s, an English family who arrived sometime in the 1600s and a policeman who “migrated” from Tipperary to Cork. Today’s story looks at a story concerning some of these people. People such as shoemakers, soldiers, policemen, hedge-school teachers and so on. Then, there were those who migrated around Ireland from early times. They were soldiers, adventurers, farmers and so on. Often to the displeasure and annoyance of the local natives! However, let’s not forget that there were many migrants who came into Ireland – usually seeking a fortune or living of some sort. Most of our readers have ancestors and relatives who left Ireland. ![]()
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