Great Dungarvan Characters

Michael Joseph Casey

FEB 1886
Town Commissioners fail in their attempt to replace M.J.Casey with Tom Power

Mr Thomas Power wrote thanking members of the board who had elected him a Town Commissioner, but stating that he would not stand in the way of Mr Casey, who was a personal friend.

Mr Casey - He won't stand in my way for I am here, and I would like to see the man who would put me out. (Laughter)

Chairman (Maurice Flynn) - Do you accept this resignation ?

Mr Tomas O'Conner - There was no vacancy at the board at all. Mr Casey was legally elected, and those who elected Mr Power were only making fools of themselves and making a fool of him.

Mr John Curran (to the chairman) - Are you taking any action with regard to Mr Casey?

Chairman - What action can I take ? I am doing nothing.

Mr Curran - He came into the room a while ago and you would not hold the meeting, as you did not recognise him.

Mr Casey - That was the way at the Poor Law Board yesterday, when they boycotted the meeting.

MAY 1886
That looks like an advertisment for a wife

Mr M J Casey, bread contractor, wrote to say that the Guardian's cheques were still dishonoured, and at present there was £370 due to him from the Guardians. Unless some provision were made for payment within a month, he would be obliged to instruct his solicitor to proceed against them for the amount.

Mr Patrick Walsh - That looks like an advertisement for a wife. Why there is no young lady in the country would refuse to marry a man that could afford to give such large credit (laughter).

JUN 1886
Hold your tongue now, slippery Dick.

Captain Gibbons - The Harbour Master was of the opinion that I was saying things behind his back.

Mr Casey - It is a foregone conclusion.

Chairman (Mr Maurice Flynn) - Mr Casey, if you please whatever remarks you have to make address them to the chair. If not I must call you to order.

Mr Casey - I hope you are not put in that position to do so, Mr Chairman. If you do you are mistaken.

Chairman - I must call you to order. [...] Perhaps the public do not now that Mr Casey is my brother-in-law. I must distinctly state that or sometimes I will be in a false position. The boy is young. He requires a little castigation.

Mr Richard Phelan said they should proceed regularly.

Mr Casey - Hold your tongue now, slippery Dick (laughter).

Captain Gibbons - ..they should get a skilled engineer from Cork.

Mr Casey said their own engineer was a skilled engineer.

Captain Gibbons-There are engineers and there are engineers.

Mr Casey - And there are Captains and Captains (laughter).

During the discussion Mr Phelan and Mr McCarthy were whispering.

Mr Casey - No whispering. It is not right.

Mr McCarthy - I beg your pardon, were you addressing me ?

Mr Casey - No, my lord (laughter).

JUL 1886
I have travelled the world, and Mr Casey is the greatest bully I ever saw

Captain Gibbons - I have travelled the world, and Mr Casey is the greatest bully I ever saw; but his bullying won't put me down.

Mr Phelan - ...It would be hard for you to keep Mr Casey quiet when the County Court Judge could not do so. (Laughter)

Mr Casey - Oh, the House League will settle you.(Loud laughter).

Chairman (Mr M Flynn) - Order, Mr Casey.

Mr Phelan - I wonder you can't conduct yourself in civilised society.

Mr Casey - You are not able to conduct yourself.

Chairman - I call you to order Mr Casey. I will allow no personalities.

Mr Casey - You allowed personalities a while ago; and I see Captain Gibbons grinning and sneering over there like a pet fox (loud laughter).

JULY 1886
You are beyond control

Captain Kirby ( to Casey) - You are beyond control.

Mr Casey - You are beyond control.

Captain Kirby, at this stage in the proceedings walked hurriedly across the room to where Mr Casey was sitting, seized him by the collar of the coat, and pulled him back against the wall. Several Commissioners intervened to keep order. The Chairman called for order several times. Captain Kirby was prevailed upon to cease hostilities.

Captain Kirby, on returning to his seat, made an observation.

Mr Casey - You commenced it, you old dog, but I will teach you manners.

Captain Kirby - When I catch you out I will teach you manners.

Chairman - Take your seat Mr Casey.

Mr Casey - I will go to the police barracks and swear information against him. Mr Casey then retired.

Captain Kirby - I suppose he wants to boss the whole board, but if I were to know the remarks that he made about me outside, I would make him - the mean low fellows that sent him here are worse.

Mr Casey soon after returned and said he had lodged information.

DEC 1887
WHAT RIGHT HAD YOU TO GO UPSTAIRS ?

Michael J.Casey arrested and tried at County Court for maliciously wounding Michael Murphy. Casey had sacked Murphy, a baker, who had then gone up to Casey's bedroom above the shop to see him. Casey had then struck Murphy with a poker causing him to fall down the stairs. Murphy nearly died.

Casey (in court to Murphy) - What right had you to go upstairs ?

Judge Andrews - He had as much right as you had to hit him on the head with the poker.

Casey found not guilty.

DEC 1892
There were 15 gentlemen on the jury and 14 agreed to sign the paper

An inquest today was also held on the body of James Brien and from the evidence it appears the deceased had some drink taken and was proceeding home when he fell across the cutting of the waterworks now in progress. One leg went into the cut and the deceased lay in that position till assisted to his home close by. This was about 9 o'clock. He drank a cup of tea and went to bed as usual. During the night he was discovered to be dead in bed. Drs Holland and Hacket gave it as their opinions that death resulted from cerebral congestion which might have been accelerated by his having fallen into the drain although there were no outward marks to show that he had received any injury from the fall. The jury added a rider to their verdict censuring the waterworks contractor, Mr Edward Finn, for having the drain open without lights or protection. Mr Michael Joseph Casey, the foreman of the jury, disagreed with their finding and refused to sign the same paper. A scene occurred. Head Constable Brady who was in charge of the inquest applied for a warrant for the arrest of the contractor, but the magistrates would not see their way to grant the application. As there were 15 gentlemen on the jury and 14 agreed to sign the paper a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony was brought in. 

Feb 1896
SHOE BOY, BUMBAILIFF, WRETCH

Court case brought against Michael J.Casey by J.Mooney.

Mooney said Casey was a rather excitable gentleman. He danced around Mr Mooney calling him a "shoe boy",a "bumbailiff", a "wretch" and other offensive expressions.

Mooney had gone to inspect the Town Commissioner's books and Casey had confronted him. The Town Commissioners had signed a resolution saying Mooney was inspecting the books at an unreasonable hour (8.45 am) and saying he had insulted Mr Casey when questioned.

J.F Williams ( to Casey) - Did Mr Mooney put himself in a position to box (laughter) ?

Casey - He put himself in a form to fight.

Williams - Did he have his overcoat on ?

Casey - He had ?

Williams - Did he close his fists ?

Casey - He had his hands in his pockets (laughter).

Casey fined £10 and bound to the peace for a year.

Aug 1896
Using the Town Butter market to store his own goods

Dungarvan Town Commissioners

J.F.Ryan ( to Casey) - The ratepayer's money is going in your pocket. Go pay for a store.

Thomas O'Conner - Who has the keys - Mr Casey ?

Casey - I have no keys.

Town Clerk - There are complaints that the keys cannot be found.

Ryan - Casey, you have the cheek to come up here from the Comeraghs and put the keys of the Town Hall in your pocket.

May 1913
I WILL CIVILISE YOU

Meeting of the United Irish League

Mr William Stack hoped now there would be no more personalities in the branch. They should all forgive and forget.

M.J.Casey - Hear, hear.

Stack - There is a Home Rule Bill coming and if we do not look to ourselves others will tear the clothes off our backs.

Casey - Ryan wants to boss the whole county.

Chairman (James Hayes) - Shut up, Casey.

Mr Casey - I won't. This fellow wants to boss us.

Hayes - You were expelled from this branch before, mind.

Casey - If you interfere with me I will expel you. If you interfere with me -

Hayes - You are out of order.

Mr Casey - I don't care about you and your order.

Hayes - Take care, my boy, or I will have you expelled again.

Casey - I will civilise you, I promise you, my boy.

Mar 1922
LET MR DE VELARA COME AND GO

Meeting of the Dungarvan Urban Council

At the close of business Mr Michael O'Mahony, Vice Chairman of the council, referring to the coming visit of Mr De Valera to the town on Tuesday next said as this was Mr De Valera's first visit to Dungarvan, he thought it would be fitting for the members of the Urban Council to present an address of welcome.

M.J.Casey - I am sorry gentlemen; we had Black and Tans and murder and bloodshed long enough, and I move a direct negative to Mr O'Mahony's proposition, that we do not present an address. We want peace and prosperity in our country.

O'Mahony - We ought to pay an address to him as a distinguished gentleman.

Casey - We want no more trouble or murder or bloodshed. We want no more Black and Tans. Look at the enlightenment given us by the Bishops of Ireland.

O'Mahony - Every man is entitled to his own opinion.

Casey - Let Mr De Valera come and go.

Mr O'Mahony made some further remark which was inaudible, as the members were at the time rising in their places and filing out of the council chamber without discussing the matter further or taking any action on the motion.

Nov 1922
I WILL DO MY DUTY

The Town Clerk, Mr O'Mahony, told the members of Dungarvan Urban Council that he was refusing to draw up a juror's list.

Town Clerk (taking his hat) - I won't sit here any longer.

Mr Casey (hitting the table) - I will do my duty. I am a strong supporter of the Free State Government, and any officer who will not carry out his duties and instructions and directions of the Free State Government and the ratepayers will be dealt with.

Mar 1923
HAVE YOU ANY PLUCK ?

Meeting of the Dungarvan Urban Council

The acting clerk, Mr O'Meara, said he had received the demand from the County Council. The amount demanded this year was £3,5557. It meant an increase of about 3/6 in the £ for poor rate.

M.J.Casey - A very nice Easter gift, gentlemen. I think some steps should be taken to protest against this waste of money. The idea of giving salaries and bonuses in such times is most uncalled for conduct on the part of any public body. I care not about anyone, and I say there is a very strong feeling outside against the present increase of rates, and I say there should be a meeting of the ratepayers called and a deputation sent on to Dublin to take some steps in this matter.

Thomas McCarthy - They give bonuses to the officials all right and nothing to the working men.

Casey - They'll give them dry bread and black tea, and the others champagne and three-star brandy (laughter). Have you any pluck ? I will move a resolution condemning this conduct, and calling upon the members of the County Council who voted for this waste of money to resign...There is only a small section - five or six paltry ratepayers - members of the county council who are squandering the rates to pay bonuses to already overpaid officials. While they job away the money they give the working man starvation, and it is high time to put an end to this jobbery.

Casey - Do you refuse to take that resolution ?

Chairman (Michael Brenock) - Certainly.

Mr Casey - Then leave the chair.

Chairman - No; I will not. And let me tell you, sir, that you are not living in the Black and Tan regime at present.

Casey - Then I will move that you leave the chair.

Chairman - Is the business finished Mr O'Meara ?

Casey - It is not.

Mr Casey then proceeded to write a resolution, and while doing so the Council began discussing other business, so that calm and peace were restored, and the meeting concluded without further reference being made to the subject of the discussion above reported.

( The above was one of the last meetings of the Dungarvan Urban Council that M.J.Casey attended. )

Aug 1923
REFUSAL TO DIG A GRAVE

As an instance of the bitter feeling owing to the strike in Dungarvan the Transport Workers refused to dig the grave for the interment of the late Mr M.J.Casey. When this became known many volunteers came to the rescue and that night Mr P.McGrath (Manager, reps of M.Flynn's), M.Clancy, merchant, and F.Phelan, Phelan's Hotel, proceeded to dig the grave. They had it finished by morning. At the interment these citizens assisted by others from the town and district covered the grave in an expeditious manner. The refusal to dig the grave has caused an uneasy feeling among the people.