In September 2001, Manus O'Riordan made the trip to Cloomullin and met
with Séamus Scall, this man brought Manus to the old Flanagan house. Mr. Scall sent to Manus a letter and he enclosed a note
written by an old neighbour on the last Flanagan who lived there, the grandfather’s uncle Michael.
“Notes of Michael Flanagan, R.I.P. Cloonmullen, Loughglynn,
Castelrea, Co Roscommon. Written by Willie Grady, Cloonbunny, Loughglynn, Castelrea, Co. Roscommon on 10th July 2001.
Michael Flanagan was a son of a small farmer. He inherited the
family farm. He married a local girl named Winifred Scally late in his life. They had no family. She was a sister of local
school teacher Mary Scally-Coleman.
He died in late 1970’s or early 1980’s. His wife died
before him. They are buried in Kilruddane Cemetery, Loughglynn. A sister of his married in Fairymont, had one son, but all
are dead.
He was a hard working farmer, loved cattle, and got a top market
prices for them. His hobbies were politics, card-playing and going to the local Public House.
He could be a contrary person. A local wit said of him “if
he was in a rose garden he would pluck all the thorns and leave the roses”. When he was old and unable to work the farm,
a neighbour cared for him. He willed his farm to that neighbour- Thomas Morris. A son of Mr. Morris, Kevin, is now married
there and he built a new house there.
The old house is still and was converted into a shed. An old neighbour,
Paddy Beirne, now dead, remembered the Flanagan family very well. He said Jimm Flanagan married an English woman and they
had a son who was called Eddie.
We visited the house on 2nd February 2007
