Andrew O'Sullivan's life remembered by The Anglo-Celt

ANGLO-CELT ‘BOY’ DEAD

THE LATE MR. A. O’SULLIVAN

OF MALLOW

The death of Mr. Andrew O’Sullivan on Friday, after a 40 days’ hunger-strike in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, is announced on page 2 of this issue, but we write of him to-day as an Anglo-Celt, Scholarship Boy. Our first acquaintance with the deceased was when, as honorary secretary of Denn, County Cavan, Branch of the United Irish League, he forwarded resolutions for insertion in this paper. At that period of twenty years ago, there was a good deal of annoyance in that parish in connection with the action of a person who had given a considerable amount of unnecessary trouble to the farmers of the district, and bearing on this man’s doings, the resolutions from the local branch of the U. I. L. came in regularly with the name of Andrew O’Sullivan attached.

After the insertions of these resolutions for some months we met Mr. O’Sullivan when he came personally to deliver a further missive on the subject, and we then discovered that the secretary of this branch was a youngster of about eighteen years of age. His diction and calligraphy were so excellent that the young man impressed us, and we inquired if he intended doing anything in the immediate future beyond helping on his father’s small farm in Denbawn, and acting as secretary of the Denn Branch of the United Irish League. He said that he had no plans thought out, and that his present concern was to have the trouble mentioned in the various resolutions brought to an end.

We suggested that no more resolutions should be sent to this paper, that an entirely different course of action should be adopted, that there was not to be an angry word, or any word said, that there was not to be the smallest violence, that there was to be no insult or harm, but that a week’s picketing by silent people should be tried, and that at the termination of a fortnight we would ask for a verbal report. At the end of ten days he called at our office and intimated that the principal grievance has ended.

We then advised young O’Sullivan, to attend one of the evening classes which the National Teachers were holding in the rural districts, and for which the Anglo-Celt had offered several prizes open to Cavan and surrounding counties for (1) the best pupil attending each, (2) for the youngest pupil, (3) for the oldest pupil, (4) and for the best essay on a subject to be named. Young O’Sullivan said that although he had “gone as far as he could” at school, he would attend the night classes, the result being that he was an easy winner of the first prize for the essay.

At that period, in addition to having the iron ore from Redhill and Smeare, together with the brick clay near Cavan, exhibit at the Cork Exhibition and the Imperial Institution in London, and samples of the former sent to Germany, the editor of the Anglo-Celt had just established a Free Scholarship in Monaghan Agricultural College for the sons of small farmers or labourers who had been regularly kept to the National schools, in the hope of giving them such an education in Agriculture as would enable them to work up to the position of Agricultural Instructors. The Monaghan establishment, which had been called into being through the wonderful exertions of Rev. Brother Higgins, of the Christian Brothers’ Order, was doing splendid work, and this was the place we selected for “our boys.” We had made a rare find the previous year in the first selection for the Anglo-Celt Scholarship – which included the payment of all fees in the institution, maintenance in lodgings in the town of Monaghan, rail fare there and back, and pocket money during the period.

For the second year’s Scholarship, young O’Sullivan was one of the 26 to appear for the examination which we held in the Male National School, Cavan, through the courtesy of the late Mr. Edward Morgan, the then Principal. The question paper was arranged by Rev. Brother Higgins, copies printed here, and distribution to the youths when the examination opened, to be afterwards forwarded to Brother Higgins for his decision. When his report came to us it was accompanied by a letter which stated that the winner, Andrew O’Sullivan, was evidently a remarkably clever boy, his answering being far ahead of anything he (Brother Higgins) had expected. As an indication of what Brother Higgins meant, it may be said that one of the many questions asked was “to give a description of the Gulf Stream,” and instead of answering with a few lines, young O’Sullivan produced a reply which would more than fill half a column of the Anglo-Celt, and all most interesting matter.

At the Monahgan Agricultural College he was one of the most studious, and in the course of time he went to the Model Farm at Glasnevin, and the, on a scholarship into the College of Science, Dublin, concluding his career there by being appointed Agricultural Instructor for Cork. From his first entry to that county he became most popular, discharging his duties as effectively as might be expected.

The decease possessed a most marvelous memory, and could, without the smallest difficulty, repeat almost verbatim, any speech he had heard delivered. An indication of his thoroughness may be gauged from the fact that on receiving a circular from the Department with a request that they would be pleased to know of the destination of certain animals then being sent out of Ireland, Mr. O’Sullivan travelled 153 miles in the same train with a man whom he observed entering a carriage at a railway station, and who, although possessing the information, was in no way communicative. But at the end of the journey young O’Sullivan had found out all he wanted to know.

His passing away is regarded by us as a personal lose, and his mother and other relatives will know that the condolence which we not tender is genuinely sincere.

Source: The Anglo-Celt, Saturday, December 1, 1923, Page 1, column 8

Andrew O'Sullivan/Sullivan is the great nephew of Patrick and Bridget (Corcoran) Sullivan and the son of Michael Sorahan (c1836-1909) and Mary Smith (c1856-?). Thanks to Mike Sullivan for sharing this article he found in the newspaper. For more information on Andrew Sullivan click here.