Title of Project:
Fr Matt Ryan and his Enduring Influence on the Parish of KnockavillaDonaskeigh
Name(s) of Class/group of students/individual student submitting the project
Sixth Class
School Roll Number:
14426N
School Address:
Scoil Mhuire Chnoc a’ Bhile,
Cnoc a’ Bhile,
Dún Droma,
Co. Thiobraid Árann.
Class Teacher’s name(s):
Anne Dalton and Eleanor Ní Dhuibhir
Contact Phone Number:
062 71533/ 087 6324360/ 087 7627145
Contact email address:
knockavillans.ias@eircom.net/ ellieod@eircom.net
Fr. Matt Ryan 1844 -1937
INTRODUCTION
We go to school in Scoil Mhuire Chnoc a’ Bhile. Our parish is in the diocese of
Cashel and Emly. Knockavilla in Irish is “Cnoc a’ Bhile”. Bile means a great
oak tree near which, according to tradition, the local chieftains were
inaugurated.
Fr. Matthew Ryan, or Fr. Matt as he was known locally, became parish
priest of our parish in 1897. He was parish priest here for forty years. He had
a very powerful influence on the parish and its people. He was a patriot, a
nationalist, an Irish language enthusiast and an eloquent speaker who spoke
out to support the small tenant farmer. He was very famous during his time
here and even today the people of this area are very proud of him and all he
did for this parish and this country.
Scoil Mhuire Chnoc ‘a Bhile
Early Life
Fr. Matt Ryan was born in 1844 in Pallasgreen, Co Limerick. He went to school
locally and in Emly. He then went to St. Patrick’s College, Thurles and then to
the Irish College in Paris. He was ordained a priest in 1871. He was a curate
from 1874 - 1885 in Lattin -Cullen and was then transferred to Hospital Herbertstown . He was promoted to parish priest of Knockavilla-Donaskeigh,
our parish, in 1897.
Plan of Campaign
When Fr. Matt arrived in Hospital parish in 1886 he had witnessed the
hardship people had suffered during the famine and had seen many
evictions. He found the whole landlord system wrong and unjust .He
was a stalwart land leaguer. He was a big supporter of the Plan of
Campaign . This was a strategy adopted in Ireland between 1886 – 1891
for the benefit of tenant farmers. The tenant would try to get a lower
rent through a programme of collective bargaining. If the landlord
refused , the tenant paid into a central fund which then supported
tenants who were evicted.
It started because the slump in prices of dairy products and cattle from
the mid 1870’s left many tenants in arrears with rent. Bad weather in
1885 and 1886 caused the crop failure which made it harder to pay
rent .
Plan of Campaign Headquarters in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork
Fr. Matt was a strong supporter of the Plan of Campaign. He believed in the
right of the people to the land. They wanted:
 Cíos Cothrom - Fair Rent,

Buaine Seilbhe - Fixity of Tenure,
 Cead Díolta –Free Sale
Fr. Matt spoke of the problems facing the tenants after the bad harvest. He
also spoke of political separation from England. He was jailed because he
refused to give information about the Plan of Campaign. On his release
he was greeted by cheering crowds at every railway station on his way
home.
Within a year Fr. Matt, or “The General” as he was called, was in jail again
because of a speech he made in Caherconlish supporting tenant farmers.
He was released after a fortnight. He was greeted in Herbertstown by a huge
crowd of 10,000 people. He addressed the crowd saying –“The landlords have
drained the life blood of the Irish people. The Plan of Campaign will win
justice and make the landlords honest”.
A Plaque commemorating the Plan of Campaign in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork
In 1888 the Pope forbade Catholics from taking part in the Plan of
Campaign. Fr Matt had to resign from his position in the Campaign.
Knockavilla- Donaskeigh Parish – 1897- 1937
Fr. Matt had a huge interest in education in the parish. It was a priority for
him during his 40 years in our parish. The old school in Knockavilla, which
is now the Community Centre, was built in 1894. Mr. Edward Cussen
was the Principal of the boys’ school and Mrs Mary Kennedy was
Principal of the girls’ . Both schools were under the one roof. Fr. Matt
became manager of the schools in 1897.
He campaigned for a proper teacher’s residence in the parish. In November
1912 sanction was received for the building to begin. He also
campaigned for alterations to be made to the school plan –“Efficient
teaching cannot be done in a room where two teachers are trying to
instruct their respective class.” He also demanded extra desks and
eventually received them.
‘Old School’ Knockavilla
Porches at Knockavilla Church erected by Fr Matt in 1917
Language Enthusiast
When Fr. Matt arrived in Knockavilla in 1844 , Edward Cussen was
teaching Irish in Knockavilla National School . Fr Matt began studying the
language and became an enthusiast. He put his whole heart into the
revival of the language. He was a patriot who believed that the land
and the language movements should work together. He hired only Irish
speaking teachers for the six schools he managed, and oversaw the
introduction of Irish instruction by riding his bike to each school every
week. His passionate interest in the Irish language resulted in Bridget
Dirrane from the Aran Islands becoming his housekeeper.
Nationalist
At the beginning of the 1900’s a strong Nationalist spirit was growing in
the country with the foundation of the GAA, The Gaelic League and Sinn
Féin. The local branch of the Gaelic League/Conradh na Gaeilge was
founded in Knockavilla in 1904 with the Principal teacher as its first
secretary. Fr. Matt was also a dynamic presence in the branch. Conradh na
Gaeilge grew to be very strong and influential in the parish with large
numbers of parishioners and people from neighbouring coming to learn the
language during the early years of the twentieth century. Fr Matt was
National Vice President of the Gaelic League from 1908 – 1924.
He was elected to the National Executive of Sinn Féin in 1917. He got more
votes than either Michael Collins or Sean T O’ Ceallaigh.
Bridget Dirrane described Fr. Matt as ‘a great Irishman and a follower of the
nationalist movement’ and a ‘true blue Irishman’. Fr Matt encouraged
Bridget and her sister and his two nieces to join Cumann na mBan. Fr Matt’s
influence encouraged many young men in the Knockavilla- Dundrum area to
join the fight for Irish freedom. The 3rd Tipperary Brigade was made up of
many men from this area. Fr. Matt, unlike some other priests at the time,
was very supportive of ‘the boys’ and was known to hear their confessions
at his house during the War of Independence. He did not support the
recruitment of Irish young men into the British forces and spoke out against
it saying he did not want ‘their sons to become maggots, meat in France and
Belgium’.
Feiseanna
Fr. Matt organised the first Feis in Co. Tipperary in 1904. Dr Douglas Hyde
first President of Ireland attended one of these feiseanna. Fr. Matt’s
influence and his enthusiasm for the language revival bore great fruit in the
parish. The Feiseanna were hugely successful. Pádraig Pearse referred to
one of them –“ Over 10,000 people were expected and trainloads were
to come from Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford. The Aeríochtaí
continued for many years in the parish.
A copy of an essay written by a child in Donaskeigh School (Curraghpoor
N.S.) in September 1906. It tells of a Fr Matt Feis which was attended by
300 people. It refers to a speech given by Dr Douglas Hyde and Fr. Matt
Ryan and an Irish play performed by a Knockavilla boy.
Fr. Matt Ryan had a powerful influence on Micheál McCárthaigh who
continued the love of the Irish language, music and traditions in Knockavilla.
Micheál trained as a teacher, and also went on to become Uachtarán
Chonradh na Gaeilge (1959-1965). He was Principal of Knockavilla NS from
1961– 1977. He continued the tradition of holding feiseanna and aeríochtaí
until the 1970s in our parish. Musicians and Gaelic scholars came from all over
the country to take part in these popular events.
Plaque to Micheál Mac Cárthaigh at the Grotto in Knockavilla
Buy Irish
Fr. Matt promoted “Buy Irish “. He could be seen riding a big Pierce
Wexford Bike until his death . At Mass one Sunday he demonstrated the
superiority of Irish made matches over English by counting the number
in both boxes. His sermons ranged from the Freedom of Ireland to the
price of women’s hats “ye’d get them cheaper in John Crowe’s in
Dundrum”. His words also showed sincere faith and spirituality.
Fr. Matt died in Oct. 1937. He was 93 years of age. His funeral was huge
with thousands of people coming from all over the country. Eamon De
Valera and Sean T O’ Ceallaigh, both future presidents of Ireland, attended.
His generosity was legendary and when he died, he was practically
penniless. He is buried in the Church grounds in Knockavilla.
Fr. Matt’s Headstone
We in Scoil Mhuire Chnoc a’ Bhile are very proud of Fr. Matt Ryan. His legacy
continues today in the following ways:
 The high regard for and love of our native language, music and traditions in
the parish,
 Strong tradition of ‘Gaeilge labhartha’ sa scoil agus sa Pharóiste,
 Aifreann Lá ‘le Phadráig,
 Seachtain Na Gaeilge
 Ceolchoirm
 Scór
 Continued singing of much-loved old Gaelic hymns such as ‘Ghile Mo
Chroí’, ‘Is Maith an Bhean Mhuire Mhór’, ‘Deus Meus’, ‘Rug Muire’ srl.
Ode to Fr. Matt
Copy of Fr. Matt’s handwriting on a Baptismal Record.
Memories of Fr. Matt
Sr. Bede, past pupil of Knockavilla School wrote from her convent in Cape
Town in 1995-“Fr. Matt was a great Irish man and frequently came to the
school. Once we had a test and I got the prize which was an Irish dictionary
with a green cover and gold writing on it. I had the least mistakes. This was the
only school prize I ever won. Fr. Matt took a Latin class for those who wanted it
in Ballinahinch on Saturdays.”
In 1997 at the age of 103 Bridget Dirrane, Fr Matt’s housekeeper recalled
bringing food down to “The Bog” for the “men on the run”
Locals told of “a volley of shots fired over the heads of participants by the Black
and Tans at one of Fr. Matt’s Feiseanna”
Philly Taylor remembers Fr Matt making a pilgrimage to Rome in the 1930’s
and returning with a beautiful new chalice for use in the church.
Austin Crowe remembers his mother (our present principal’s grandmother)
who taught in a local school as a young woman, telling how she lost her job
because of her involvement in Cumann na mBan. Her job was restored when
Fr. Matt spoke on her behalf.
On his death “The Nationalist” our local newspaper wrote-“A simple,
unassuming, saintly man of considerable intellectual powers, a classical scholar
of wide repute and above all a typical saggart aroon, living for his people,
working for them and wearing himself in their service”
The Irish Press wrote “The parish church of Knockavilla was unable to
accommodate the throng of sympathisers who travelled long distances to the
funeral. Many shops in Tipperary town were shuttered.”
Jack Dwyer told that one of his earliest memories was coming to see all the
cars in Knockavilla for Fr. Matt’s funeral – at the time such an amount of cars
would have been very unusual. He also spoke of the excitement in the area
when word got out that De Valera was at the funeral.
Bibliography
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1997)
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