Hurley Family Emigrant Letters (Ref. U170)

U170/

Letter from Denis Hurley, Carson City, Nevada to his brother John Hurley, Tawnies, Clonakilty, County Cork. Glad at the ‘improved state of affairs in Ireland. The cleaning out of Dublin Castle was a great change’. All from the old town are proud that a Clonakilty man was a ‘central figure in this reconstruction’ (reference to Michael Collins). Hopes the people of Ireland will make good use of their liberties ‘and make the Land contented and prosperous’. Mentions a ‘great deal of unrest and discontent’ in the United States and the ‘partly successful’ enforcement of the Prohibition Law. He cannot celebrate St. Patrick’s day with a ‘pot or glass’ and has only a weak beer unlike Clonakilty Porter. 2pp 12 May 1922 Letter from Denis Hurley, Carson City, Nevada to brother John Hurley, Tawnies, Clonakilty, County Cork. He regrets the death of John’s son. Notes that having the Wake in the church is a ‘new departure’, and that few of the people were taken to church in his time, and most of the poor did not have a priest in attendance at the funeral. In America the priest attends regardless of how poor a person may be. There are only a score of priests in the whole of Nevada. Mentions ‘much labor unrest- wealth crushing the sons of toil and the toiler trying to come back on the employer’. Regrets that Ireland does not agree on a course of action and favours giving everybody the opportunity to vote. Claims that ‘Robbing of banks and acts of violence is not in keeping with the religious God fearing and law abiding character of the people which we in this country claim for our people at home’. 2pp 18 September 1922 Letter from Denis Hurley, Carson City, Nevada to his brother John Hurley, Tawnies, Clonakilty, County Cork. He had hoped that events in Ireland would have settled down, ‘too bad that some common sense and a desire for peace could not prevail. The Irish seem to have imbibed that French frenzy in Paris in the 70s’. He is in the same position and would have had the opportunity to ‘study law and practice speaking’ if he had the job 40 or 50 years ago. Notes the Turks ‘living up to their old barbarities’. Regrets that ‘…Michael Collins’ young life should be extinguished in a petty ambush. He seemed to be more of a general favourite with the Press…and his career more romantic than any of the other leaders’. 2pp