Early life

Westropp, a notable antiquarian in Victorian Ireland and a collector of folklore

Folklore

Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...

, was born at Attyflin Park, Patrickswell

Patrickswell

Patrickswell, historically known as Toberpatrick , is a small town in County Limerick, Ireland.-Etymology:The name refers to St. Patrick and there is a small hand pump/well in the main street; Microsoft mappoint and some other programs call the village St. Patrick's Well or St....

, County Limerick

County Limerick

It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...

. Westropp's family were of English origin and settled in County Limerick in the mid 16th century. The family married into the O'Callaghans of Clare and were large landowners in both Clare and Tipperary in the 19th century. Thomas Johnson Westropp was the most recognised member of the family due to his deep interest in the history and folklore of the counties Clare and Limerick and his observations of many of the megalithic and Iron Age monuments of these counties.

From a very young age Thomas Johnson Westropp displayed an intense interest in the antiquities of County Limerick

County Limerick

It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...

, Co. Mayo and County Clare

County Clare

-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...

 and began making notes on the topography, antiquities and folklife of areas visited during trips. He attended the University of Dublin

Trinity College, Dublin

Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...

 where he graduated in 1882 with a Master of Arts degree and as a civil engineer in 1885. Westropp was apprenticed to the eminent engineer Bindon Blood Stoney who was responsible for altering the structure of the port of Dublin enabling large vessels to navigate it at all times. Westropp went on to become assistant surveyor for County Meath

County Meath

County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...

, but by 1888 he had abandoned professional work to pursue his archaeological interests. He spent the remainder of his life researching antiquities in Co. Clare and the rest of the western seaboard, including the promontory forts of Erris

Erris

Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Erris derives from the Irish 'Iar Ros' meaning 'western...

, north west Co. Mayo. He drew accurate sketches of buildings, remains of antiquities, grave slabs etc. throughout Ireland. Many of these sketches are held by the Royal Irish Academy

Royal Irish Academy

The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...

. His publications are widely available in libraries throughout the west of Ireland. His work is a very valuable resource in the state of antiquities in Ireland around the turn of the 20th century. http://www.archive.org/stream/ancientfortsofir00west/ancientfortsofir00west_djvu.txthttp://sources.nli.ie/Search/Results?lookfor=%22%20Westropp,%20Thomas%20Johnson%22&type=subject

Survey of Antiquities of County Clare

Thomas Johnson Westropp, during the course of his extensive survey of the field monuments of County Clare, became fascinated by the variety and vividness of the innumerable folk tales still being recited by the country people. He gathered these tales, beliefs and customs over many years and published them in a series of articles which appeared in ‘Folk-Lore: Transactions of the Folk-Lore Society’ between 1910 and 1913. In 2006 these folk-tales were published on the internet by the County Clare Library. The folk-tales are of particular relevance to the oral history of County Clare as they preserve many of the folk-tales of the peasantry that were still remembered late last century. Westropp also undertook research into the early history of Clare and Limerick - known by its ancient name Thomond

Thomond

Thomond The region of Ireland associated with the name Thomond is County Clare, County Limerick and north County Tipperary; effectively most of north Munster. The name is used by a variety of establishments and organisations located in , or associated with the region...

 - through publishing a series of three articles about the Normans

Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 in Thomond as well as other articles focusing on the palaces of early Killaloe

Killaloe, County Clare

Killaloe is a large village in east County Clare, Ireland, situated in the midwest of Ireland. The village is on the south end of Lough Derg, while the settlement spreads across the River Shannon, with the County Tipperary side known as Ballina...

 and other articles on prehistoric stone-forts and notes on the 'peel towers'or tower houses of Clare.

Westropp's contribution to Irish and the history of County Clare was significant and he was acknowledged as the leading antiquary of Limerick and Clare early in the twenieth century. His contribution to the study of folk-lore was also significant and his methods and the scope of his work later provided the foundation for the work of the Irish Folklore Commission

Irish Folklore Commission

The Irish Folklore Commission was set up in 1935 by the Irish Government to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland....

in Ireland during the 1930s and 1940s.

Articles on Local History

Some was Westropp's more notable articles are his three part historical essay on the "Normans in Thomond, 1275-1287"; "The Normans in Thomond 1287-1313" and "The Normans in Thomond 1313-1318". Westropp's other important contributions to Irish antiquities include the following articles:

• The Promontory Forts and Early Remains of the coasts of County Mayo http://www.jstor.org/stable/25514206
• "Killaloe and Its Ancient Palaces and Cathedral" http://www.jstor.org/stable/25507942
• "Types of Ring-forts and Similar Structures Remaining in Eastern Clare (the Newmarket Group)"http://www.jstor.org/stable/25502769 ;
• "Prehistoric Stone Forts of Central Clare - Moghane and Langough, near Dromoland"http://www.jstor.org/stable/25508043
• "Notes on the Lesser Castles or 'Peel Towers' of the County of Clare" http://ww.jstor.org/stable/20490552.

Most libraries throughout the country will have the work of Thomas Johnston Westropp in store or will be able to acquire same. He contributed a vast amount of work listed here from the National Library of Ireland http://sources.nli.ie/Search/Results?lookfor=%22%20Westropp,%20Thomas%20Johnson%22&type=subject