Coolkenno History

THE COOPER FAMILY OF THE DISPENSARY: From the earliest pages of the Aghold Parish Records, the Cooper Family of Coolkenno had been existent in the Coolkenno area until recent times. When people think of the Coopers, they would think of the late Joseph 'Jos' Cooper or that the family home catered as a local dispensary for Coolkenno people and also as a Polling Station up until the early 1980s. The earliest mentions of the Cooper family are from 1703. It appears John and Honoria Cooper would start a lineage that would last right up until recent times in this locality. Their son, William Cooper married Margaret Tutty in April 1725. Their great-grandson, Simon Cooper (1788-1862), is recorded in the 1839 Tenant Register as proprietor of a licensed public house in Coolkenno. This business was run from the old Cooper homestead on Coolkenna Street, and would later be used and known as The Barracks, a post we discussed only a few weeks back. Having delved into the Register of Tenants of the Fitzwilliam Estate 1876-77, some brief notes highlight that Simon Cooper's new homestead was built in 1835 and was officially owned by Earl Fitzwilliam. This is the building that we now recognise and remember as The Dispensary. It seems the building was put to medical use around 1858, a time not long after many Coolkennovians succumbed to fevers that were extremely volatile in the post-Famine years. In 1898, Thomas Joseph was born to Joseph and Maryanne Cooper, but he would be locally and informally called 'Jos' after his middle name Joseph. The 1901 and 1911 Census' show us that the family allowed young Church of Ireland boarders to reside at their home. In 1901, Francis and Madeline Dugan and Thomas and Joseph Toohey of Dublin City, boarded at the Coopers. In 1911, Henry Devey and Charles Hardwicke are also recorded as boarding there. The Coopers were also renowned farmers and the late 'Jos' Cooper is still remembered for his vintage binder which the late Sam Gahan of Boley mastered for the local jobs. One story recalls how 'Jos' had an amazing appetite and was renowned for consuming two stone of spuds a day. If anyone has any pictures or stories about the late Joseph 'Jos' Cooper or his family or even the Dispensary itself, then please don't hesitate to share.