Folk tales of the 'Big Wind' of 1839 that caused immense damage in Kilkenny

On the night of January 6, 1839, a storm of almost biblical proportions swept across Ireland, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.

Known as the 'Night of the Big Wind', this extraordinary weather event has remained etched in the memories of communities, including those in Kilkenny, who witnessed its wrath firsthand.

In this article, we revisit the harrowing accounts, stories and folk tales (some likely true, others likely not) of that fateful night - as described in the dúchas.ie 'School Collection' of folklore.

Lawrence Walsh, Dunmore, County Kilkenny: "The night of the Big Wind is now history 100 years old but several old ones between 80 and 90 have the story from their childhood. Of all the storms which this county ever saw this was the worst by long odds.

"On that night we learn that houses, chimneys, slates, stones and bricks fell all night long. The houses in the city and country were shaken and several houses in Dunmore had the glass shattered in the windows. Several houses were completely burned out in Kilkenny and the flames could be seen from Dunmore.

"The village of Kells was almost wiped out entirely, by fire and wind. Several small cabins were wrecked in Dunmore leaving the poor people homeless. In the Park here several cattle were killed by trees falling on them, sheep also were victims.

"There is no record among the old ones of any loss of human life here. The city is said to have looked like a place that was attacked by an army and badly shattered by cannon balls.

"The poor cabins suffered most as many of them were knocked to the ground leaving the inmates homeless. Nobody went to bed that night at all, they remained together in the safest corner of the house till day light.

"It never abated till 5 in the morn and even then only a little. It blew all day on Monday also. The country around about the town was strewn with fallen walls and trees and dead cattle.

"It is said that the oldest person did not remember such a storm ever. Fortunately no lives were lost according to the old people who remember the story as then told."

John Kennedy, Dunmore, County Kilkenny: "It did a great deal of damage. It was the worst storm ever occurred for many years in Dunmore.  It wrecked houses in this district. No person was killed in Dunmore. Houses were wrecked everywhere around us. Slates and tiles were blown off the houses. 

"It knocked hay ricks and ricks of straw over. Any thatched houses were knocked down.  The people called it the Duke of York storm. They called it that name because it was so wicked. 

"Jackman's house situated in a boithrin on the main road to Castlecomer was stripped. They had a rick of hay in the haggard and in the morning they had not enough for the cattle. 

"A hay barn in Jenkinstown was wrecked. The link was blown away and was never found. The girders were twisted and knocked."

Teacher Ristéard Ó Faoláin, Kilmacoliver, County Kilkenny: "Crows and blackbirds were killed against Scough Hill owing to the force of the south-west wind."

Michael Dowling, The Rower, County Kilkenny: "I often heard my grandfather speak of the night of the big wind in January 1839. He heard his father tell about James Walsh (Carrigeen) who lived in a thatched house with his mother.

"On that night he was afraid the house might be blown down, he tied a rope round his mother to bring her to a neighbour's house a few fields away. On the way a thought struck him, whether he shut his own door and that he had better go back and see. But what to do with his mother he could not think.

"So he tied her to a small tree, while he was going back. When he returned he could not find her or the tree. On searching he found her in a dyke at the other side of the field.

"Also where my grandfather lives near a wood all the trees on a rise were blown down."

Kathleen Lyng, Clodiagh, County Kilkenny: "The time of the Big Wind there were two men coming from The Rower village in the night time and they came along through Coolnamuck for to get across to Tullogher.

"Everyone in the town refused to ferry them across. Only one man went with them to put them across. So when they were out in the middle of the river the wind upset the cot and the two men were drowned. The other man did his best and saved himself.

"Once upon a time a man in Ballygub had a number of men hired to pull turnips for the next day. A great storm arose and pulled all the turnips for him and it was very good for that man. The same night a roof was taken off and carried a couple of fields away.

"When a man was selling hay, the storm was so strong that it took it all into the next field."

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