Fr. Thomas Cawley, Priest , Writer, Playwright, (11 October 1878 - 6 May 1949)

Born in Craughwell

Craughwell

Craughwell is a village and townland in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. The name is also used as a surname, properly Ó Creachmhaoil, though often anglicised as Craughwell and Crockwell...

, County Galway

County Galway

County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...

, to Patrick Cawley and Julia Carr, he was ordained on 23 June 1907. In his student days he collected folklore, published in Iris Leabhar Manuat under the pen-name Killura (the old name of Craughwell). There is a strong belief in the Cawley family that he collected Raftery

Raftery

Raftery is a surname originating in Ireland, predominantly in the County Mayo, County Galway and County Roscommon area. Many Rafterys resettled over the years, out side of Ireland, predominately to America in the 19th and 20th centuries, but also to Australia and Great Britian...

's poems and gave them to Douglas Hyde

Douglas Hyde

Douglas Hyde , known as An Craoibhín Aoibhinn , was an Irish scholar of the Irish language who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945...

. He was involved in the Killeeneen Feis as secretary, and thus knew Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn

Edward Martyn

Edward Martyn was an Irish political and cultural activist and playwright.-Early life:Martyn was the eldest son of John Martyn of Tullira and Annie Mary Josephine Smyth of Masonbrook, Loughrea, both in County Galway. He succeeded his father upon John's death in 1860...

, W.B. Yeats, and were jointly responsible for erecting a headstone over the grave of Raftery. The Cawley family of Craughwell possess an oil portrait of him. He was the granduncle of Rev. Martin Coen.

Reference

• Galway Authors, Helen Maher, 1976.