‘John described the workings of the machines as “mechanical wizardry and magic” – and he’s not far off the mark with those words!’
The recently announced return of the Strokestown Democrat printing press prompted relations of the Morahan brothers to return to the town to investigate and take a trip down memory lane.
As soon as John Connors and Gerardine McDonagh, whose mother was Mary Morahan, heard about the return from exile of the historic press, they contacted Declan Kavanagh from the local heritage group, and arranged to meet up at Pat Brogan’s yard, where the press is temporarily located.
Their grandfather, Owen Morahan, along with Owen’s brother, Paddy, founded the Democrat newspaper in 1907, and their uncles Paddy and Tom carried on the business after the deaths of the two brothers. Their aunt, Nell Morahan, then acted as Strokestown Notes compiler for the Roscommon Herald for 30 years.
The paper stopped publishing in 1948, but they carried on a successful printing business up until the mid-1970s. One of their most iconic creations was the 1917 Count Plunkett ‘Election of the Snows’ (The West’s Awake) poster, prints of which are still widely available. They paid a heavy price for their nationalist and independent Ireland views, but that never stopped them from carrying on their mission.
Needless to say, both John and Gerardine were very excited about, and naturally emotional at, the sight of the old press – which they hadn’t seen for a long time. Despite this, John was able to explain to Declan, in a most eloquent manner, how the machines worked, as he remembered them from his childhood days coming to Strokestown on holidays from his home in Ballinasloe. The hum (the “clickety-clackety-shlump sound”) and smell of the machines were special memories for both siblings – ink, paraffin oil, turpentine and the unique rhythm of the manually operated presses.
“It was magic to work on and to watch”, John recalled.
John related that there are in fact three machines here, and not one. There is a stand-alone Albion Press dating from the 1830-1850 period (the oldest machine), a Wharfedale press which was most used by the Morahans, and a smaller Platen press (also called a ‘jobber’) with a foot pedal which created items of A4 size or less, such as cards.
The press had been located at the Morahan’s premises on Bridge Street in Strokestown, but found its way to Bunratty Folk Park in 1983, via a German professor (Gerd Fleishmann) who recognised its value, and remained on display there for many years. Unfortunately, the Morahan building was demolished in 1989.
In conversation with an old schoolfriend, Brigid Kavanagh (née Shiel), and her son, Declan, Nell Morahan recounted the story, and this prompted Declan to investigate further, albeit many years later. The end product was a Pat Brogan lorry, driven by Michael Martin, making its way to Clare and arriving back in town with six tonnes of mainly iron, split into nearly 50 sections.
Now, thanks to Nell’s nephew and niece, John and Gerardine, the jigsaw puzzle has become that bit easier to piece together. It is the intention and hope of the heritage group to restore the press as near as possible to its former glory. John believes that the smaller Treadle Platen Press could become viable with a little work and expertise.
Appeal to public
The Strokestown Community Heritage Group appeals to any person or company with knowledge of these beautiful machines to get in touch with Declan at 087 2484530 or Rory at 086 1024320.
The group is currently making progress on a suitable location for displaying the press to the public and to schools. It believes that the return of the press is important for the town culturally, as well as in attracting tourists and educating people about our rich heritage, exemplified by the expertise and artistry of the Morahan family.
John described the workings of the machines as “mechanical wizardry and magic” – and he’s not far off the mark with those words!
