OFFICERS OF THE PURCELL SOCIETY

CO-PRESIDENTS: Walter Ryan-Purcell (Ireland) and Ronald Purcell (USA)

VICE-PRESIDENTS:

Catherine Purcell (Ireland)

Hugh Purcell (England)

Geoffrey Purcell (Scotland)

Rear Admiral (Retired) Marc Purcell (USA)

Lieutenant Colonel Brent Purcell (Canada)

Lieutenant Commander (Retired) G.T. Purcell (New Zealand)

Colonel (Retired) Brien Purcell Horan (USA)

Welcome to the website of The Purcell Society, an organisation dedicated to the Purcell family of Ireland.

The Purcell Society numbers more than 415 Purcells and Purcell descendants as of June 2024, from Ireland, England, Scotland, the United States, Canada, Hungary, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Chile, Samoa and other countries.

We encourage those who are interested in The Purcell Society’s activities to contact our interim Hon. Secretary, Brien Purcell Horan, to be added to the e-mail list. Brien’s e-mail address is: bp.horan@post.harvard.edu.

THE JUNE 2024 PURCELL GATHERING IN IRELAND

In June 2024, The Purcell Society held a 3-day gathering in Ireland, which was attended by more than 220 people.  The base of operations was in Kilkenny, a charming medieval city. The gathering was a great success, and attendees expressed immense enthusiasm about the experience.  The gathering was organised by Walter Ryan-Purcell, Catherine Purcell and Brien Purcell Horan.

The festivities officially began on Friday, June 21, but several of us arrived in Kilkenny on Wednesday, June 19.  Walter brought some of us to his favourite Kilkenny pub, the Hole in the Wall, in a building dating from the 1580s.  The publican Michael Conway is also a cardiologist, so one felt in safe hands.

On Thursday morning, June 20, Walter and Brien were interviewed about the Purcell gathering on local radio station KCLR FM, owned by John Purcell. In the afternoon, the officers of TPS were invited for tea at Ballysallagh House by its owners, Geralyn and Kieran White.  Ballysallagh House (an imposing Georgian residence located outside of Kilkenny on what was once Purcell land) and its beautiful gardens have been lovingly restored by the Whites.  In the evening, the officers of TPS were invited by Paul Hopkins, the châtelain of Foulksrath Castle, to tour the castle and stay for a delicious barbecue.  Foulksrath Castle was the residence of a prominent branch of the Purcell family from the 1400s until about 1650.  Paul and his wife Rachelle, in restoring the castle, have taken care to ensure that it retains its striking atmosphere of old.  June 20, the longest day of 2024, was a beautiful day, and it was lovely to gaze upon the Kilkenny countryside from the very top of Foulksrath Castle.

On Friday, June 21, the formal festivities began.  Attendees visited St. Canice’s Cathedral (where the guides gave excellent tours, with a Purcell focus, especially as to the two 16th century Purcell tombs), Foulksrath Castle (the Purcell castle mentioned above) and Kilkenny Castle (the seat from the 14th to 20th centuries of the Butlers of Ormonde, a family with which the Purcells were closely associated).

The group had the afternoon free to explore magnificent Kilkenny.  Our evening meal, for 223 people (from 9 countries and from 25 of the 50 U.S. states, including Alaska), took place at the River Court Hotel, located directly across the River Liffey from Kilkenny Castle.  A drinks hour was followed by a lively and enjoyable dinner.  At the end of dinner, Brien Purcell Horan spoke briefly, before introducing Erin Cole.  Brien noted that the two goals of the gathering seem to have been accomplished: to revive an awareness of the heretofore somewhat forgotten saga of the Purcells in Kilkenny and Tipperary and to give Purcells from all over the world an opportunity to get to know each other.  Erin Cole, a Purcell descendant from Iowa, USA, then gave a fascinating description of the Purcell yDNA project he has been overseeing for the last decade.

On Saturday, June 22, we left Kilkenny early en route to Burton Park in north Cork.  But first we stopped at Holy Cross Abbey in Co. Tipperary.  This was a Cistercian monastery for centuries and is now a parish church.  At Holy Cross, tour guide Tom Gallagher gave a superb PowerPoint presentation on the Purcell connections with the abbey.  The oldest surviving tomb in the abbey is that of James Purcell, Baron of Loughmoe and his wife, Helen Butler.  James was a powerful Tipperary warlord in the 1460s.  The last abbot of the monastery, before Henry VIII dissolved the Irish monasteries in the 1530s, was Philip Purcell, younger brother of a later Baron of Loughmoe.  The position of Abbot of the Holy Cross was a powerful one both in Tipperary and in the Catholic Church in Ireland as a whole.

After Holy Cross, and after stopping for a quick view of the Rock of Cashel in the distance, our group of 200+ people drove to Burton Park, where we were welcomed by TPS president Walter Ryan-Purcell.  Burton Park has been the residence since about 1810 of the Purcells of Burton Park and later the Ryan-Purcells of Burton Park.  After a moving talk by Walter and a tour of the house, with its Purcell family portraits, we had a delightful picnic lunch on the grounds.  It was also market day at Burton, with traditional Irish music and arts and crafts.  Again, the summer weather was splendid.

On Sunday, June 23, the final day of the gathering, we arrived at 11 am in the village of Loughmore, Co. Tipperary, where a magnificent experience awaited us: a warm and hearty welcome from the people of Loughmore which exceeded all our expectations.  Yet again, we had perfect weather: sun, blue skies and a temperature of 21 C (70 F).

Loughmore is the village where the heads of the Purcell family, the Barons of Loughmoe, had their seat from about 1220 to 1722.  The massive ruins of Loughmoe Castle still stand there.  On arrival, our group of 200+ Purcells and Purcell descendants was met in Loughmore by many other Purcells and Purcell descendants (at least two dozen, maybe more) from various parts of Ireland who could not attend the full 3-day gathering but joined us for the final day.

The Templemore Pipe Band escorted our large group -Purcells, Purcell descendants, Loughmore residents and various officials- to Loughmoe Castle. In front of the castle, there were remarks by several people, including our vice president Catherine Purcell (a principal organizer of the events at Loughmore and whose family is the last Purcell family to live in Loughmore); Róisín O Grady, the heritage officer for the Tipperary County Council (who described plans to reinforce the castle walls to slow down further deterioration), and Brien Purcell Horan (who, as TPS secretary, expressed the thanks of TPS members present for the warm welcome).  Jean Whyte, of the Whytes of Loughbrickland, attended: her children are direct descendants of the last Baron of Loughmoe, Colonel Nicholas Purcell, who died in 1722, leaving daughters but no son. Also present were various government officials, including Michael Lowery TD and Jackie Cahill TD (members for Tipperary of Ireland’s parliament, the Dáil) and councillors of the Tipperary County Council.  There were also several members of the press, including Eamon O’Dwyer (Tipp FM radio), Jim Finn (Tipp Mid West radio), and Ronan Loughnane (The Tipperary Star newspaper), and representatives of Tipperary Tourism and Tipperary Heartlands.  The Loughmore Drama Group entertained the crowd with a short skit about the Purcells who lived in the castle.

The Purcells then walked to the courtyard of the parish church, where Monsignor Dooley spoke about the Purcells of Loughmoe, their Catholic faith, and the loss of their position due to a refusal to conform to the Church of Ireland after the Reformation.  Monsignor Dooley, assisted by Father Lee Purcell, a Catholic priest from Indiana USA, said a prayer for all Purcells, but especially those buried a few feet away in the ruined chapel of the Purcells of Loughmoe.

Following this, 300 people took their seats for an excellent hot lunch prepared by the Cottage Tearooms in Loughmore and Murphy’s Catering in Templemore.

During lunch, some splendid musical entertainment began, led by Máiréad Nesbitt and assisted by backup musicians.  Máiréad, a renowned fiddler originally from Loughmore, was one of the founding members of the internationally celebrated musical group, Celtic Woman.  Máiréad began by playing a transcription for violin of John Scott’s 1599 composition, Lamentation for Thomas Purcell, Baron of Loughmoe. The Irish traditional music continued all afternoon, interspersed with remarks by John O’Dwyer of Tipperary Tourism, Mary Fogarty (who described the founding and early days of Loughmore’s very successful Cottage Tearooms Coop), and Tara Brady, the Tipperary Rose of Tralee.  A particular hit with the audience was a very amusing skit performed by the students of the Loughmore National School.  The skit was based on the old legend that the first Purcell won the lands of Loughmore and Loughmoe Castle by being the only youth who could slay a huge wild boar ravaging the countryside.  The very young actors radiated great presence and self-confidence.  Angela Dunne, the school principal, is to be congratulated for pulling off this great performance.  All those in attendance found it extremely well done.

Our attendees then had a leisurely afternoon in Loughmore, an ideal time for people to socialize. Some remained at their tables, listening to Máiréad’s wonderful music and chatting with newly found cousins.  Others wandered about the village, buying a pint in the local pub, having a look at the Purcell tombs in the churchyard, and visiting the many arts and crafts stands and food stands that were there for the day.  One memorable opportunity was provided by Nikita Purcell of Thurles, a master herbalist.  An engineering, archaeological and ecological study of Loughmoe Castle was recently done, as required before work is begun to reinforce the walls of the castle.  The study revealed the presence near the castle of a number of plants and herbs which are not native to Ireland and which probably were planted in feudal times by the apothecaries or herbalists who prepared medicines and herbal remedies for the Barons of Loughmoe and their families.  Nikita had gathered some of these plants and herbs, and she used them to brew a tea.  This was a unique way to connect with the past.

In gratitude for and remembrance of this remarkable day at Loughmore, The Purcell Society presented a glass panel to the people of Loughmore.  The panel illustrates the legend of young Purcell and the boar, with an image of Loughmoe Castle in the background.  The glass panel was made by a Purcell descendant, Dennis Roberts of IHS Studios in Fredericksburg, Texas and donated to the TPS for presentation to Loughmore. It was carried to Ireland by his son, David Roberts.  An image of it can be seen in the Heraldry section of this website.

The festivities in Loughmore ended at 6 pm, and that brought our 3-day gathering to a close.

We are very grateful to Walter Ryan-Purcell, Catherine Purcell and Brien Purcell Horan for their hard work in making the gathering such a success and to the Committee in Loughmore (Catherine Purcell, Mary Fogarty, Máiréad Nesbitt, Noel Nesbitt, Tom Larkin, Edward Dwan, Jimmy McGrath and Nikita Purcell) who were responsible for the unforgettable celebrations in the village which for 800 years has been the ground zero of the Purcell family. We are so pleased to learn that Nicholas Ryan-Purcell, who lives in Tipperary and is Walter’s nephew, is making a documentary film about our day in Loughmore.

FORMATION OF THE PURCELL SOCIETY

The Purcell family of Ireland was closely associated over the centuries with the Butler family of Ireland. In 1967, The Butler Society was formed, with its headquarters in Kilkenny. The success of The Butler Society has directly inspired the formation in 2021 of The Purcell Society. We share the following eloquently expressed goal of The Butler Society: to establish ‘a focal point of friendliness and family lore and to arrange reunions, during which, for a few days, the ties of blood and family tradition will count more than the national and political differences, which inevitably divide us.’

The other goal of The Purcell Society is to be a means for various branches of the Purcell family to resume contact with each other and remain in contact; to increase research of and knowledge about the history of the Purcells; to assist Purcells with genealogical research; and to collaborate on projects of Purcell interest, such as the ongoing Purcell DNA project, the repair of the grave monuments of prominent Purcells, and the preservation of original documents.

Our co-presidents are Walter Ryan-Purcell, of Burton Park, Co. Cork, and Ronald Purcell, of Arizona, USA. We view Walter as representing the Purcells who remained in Ireland and Ron as representing the Purcells who left. Walter’s family, the Purcells of Burton Park, is the only current branch of the family to have maintained its position in Ireland from the 18th century to the present. The Purcells of Burton Park have exemplified the very best traditions of the Purcell family, especially during World War I. Although Ron is American, he is the head of a distinguished European branch of the family. His ancestor, John Baptist Purcell, who as a Catholic found himself deprived of the possibility of a military career in Ireland or Britain, left his native Kilkenny at age 21 in the 1740s to serve in the Austrian army of the Holy Roman Emperor. He finished his career as a Major-General and a Baron of the Holy Roman Empire. Ron Purcell, whose Purcell grandfather emigrated from Hungary to the United States in the early 1900s, is the senior male line descendant of Major General Baron Johann Baptist Purcell.

One of our vice presidents, Catherine Purcell, lives in Loughmore, Co. Tipperary, where the ruins of Loughmoe Castle stand and where the head of the Purcell family had his principal seat from circa 1220 to 1722. Another vice president, Brien Purcell Horan, has agreed to serve as interim Hon. Secretary. He is the author of the history of the Purcell family which is available in pdf format on this website, and he hopes it will be a useful addition to Purcell scholarship.

FAMILY HISTORY

In order to spark an interest in the Purcell family by Purcells who might visit this website, we are pleased to make available here a PDF of a new history of the Purcell family, covering the period of the 12th century to the present.

In the contiguous counties of Tipperary and Kilkenny, the Purcells prospered and multiplied over many generations.  By the late 1600s, after 500 years in Ireland, the Purcell family had spawned numerous branches which remained linked to each other not only by kinship but also by geographical proximity and frequent intermarriage.  The members of these many different branches tended by and large to know each other and to view themselves almost as part of a distinct tribe. The political and religious turbulence of the 1690-1750 period alas brought this ancient and deeply rooted Purcell ecosystem to an end.  It was in fact thoroughly pummeled, beyond revival.  The Purcell family writ large ceased to play a prominent role in Irish affairs.  Much of the family’s history was lost or forgotten.  Deprived of the lands they had held for generations, numerous members of the extended family scattered, while others remained as tenants in the vicinity of their old properties.  The sense of identity as a tribe ended too.

We who live now in the 21st century will understandably view these glimmerings of the past as perhaps very distant and faraway, however real they may have been in their day. The purpose of the 2024 gathering then would be to try to counteract this sense of distance for a couple of days in Ireland – to provide an opportunity for Purcells of various branches of the family, now located from Australia to California to the British Isles to Hungary, to meet over drinks and dinners, to swap stories, to visit some key sites connected with the family history, and to learn a bit about family lore.

Since an earlier version of this website was launched in 2020, many Purcells and Purcell descendants have got in touch to express an interest in the family and its history. Many branches of the family long out of touch with each other are now in contact. We would be particularly interested to hear from relations of the following branches of the Purcell family:  the Purcells, formerly of Albert House, Dalkey, Co. Dublin; the Purcells, formerly of Glenageary, Co. Dublin and of Glannanore, Co. Cork; the Purcell-FitzGeralds, formerly of the Little Island, Co. Waterford; the Purcell-Burets, formerly of Winchester, Hants;  the family of Lieutenant Martin Purcell, Irish Volunteers, of Dundrum, Co. Tipperary (died in 1921) (his great-nephew saw this website and has been in contact with us); and the family of the late Major J. Denis Purcell, stipendiary magistrate, who in the 1980s lived in Cheltenham Terrace, London S.W.3.