05/05/2026
On a recent visit to Killenvoy cemetery I stopped at the grave of Andrew Curley, died 27th Oct. 1923 age 80
He died a couple of years before the 1926 census but in both the 1901 and the 1911 census he was listed as a ‘clay pipe manufacturer’. Others were listed as ‘pipe makers’ or ‘pipe finishers’ ( mostly female) but he had ‘manufacturer’, most likely reflecting his status as the biggest employer at the time. His son Patrick was also listed as a ‘pipe maker’ in the census of 1901 and 1911 but in 1926 his occupation was Grocer Draper. The Curleys operated on the site of what is today the Clay Pipe Centre and theirs was one of the houses destroyed in June 1921 when the Black and Tans burnt the village of Knockcroghery. The burning marked the end of a centuries old tradition of pipe making in the village. The 1901 census shows twenty people employed in the business with the names Curley, Fitzgerald, Lyons, Cunnane, all well established local pipe makers, other names working in the industry were Tierney, Gavin, Treacy and Dowd. By 1911 the numbers employed in the clay pipe industry had dropped to twelve. The names were Curley, Fitzgerald, Lyons, Cunnane, Gavin, Comer, Walsh and Atkins. Patrick Walsh age 30 was born in Co. Waterford and Patrick Atkins age 45 was born in ‘Galway Town’ probably indicating that they were travelling pipe makers who had traditionally joined the local workers as needed. In the recently released 1926 census there is no mention of clay pipe workers in Knockcroghery although Bernard Fitzgerald has entered the words “formerly a” but crossed it out and written farmer. ( see comments) I wonder what Andrew Curley would have written. ..
