On this day in 1817, construction work began on the Erie Canal which would link the Great Lakes in the Mid-West with New York City via the Hudson River. The canal was 363 miles long and its success propelled New York City into a major commercial centre. The entire project was supervised by a Tipperary-man, J.J McShane.
There is limited information available online about McShane and we are not sure from what part of the county he hails from. lt seems that he learned all about building canals in England. That’s where he met Canvass White, engineer on the Erie Canal, who invited him over to New York to supervise the thousands of Irish immigrants who provided the muscle to dig, haul, push and shove the enormous amounts of earth, stone and logs to build the canal and all its aqueducts.
McShane recruited hundreds of Irish workers and helped create a positive company culture by sending out the “jigger boss” with swigs of whiskey at regular intervals. Immigration from Ireland had just begun to soar following the end of the Napoleonic Wars (and America’s War of 1812) in 1815 and many new arrivals were greeted on the docks of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York by agents telling them of magnificent job opportunities on the canal. By 1818 some 3,000 Irishmen were swinging picks and lifting shovels for the new canal. The canal would not be finished until 1825.
If you know any more about this remarkable but little-known J.J McShane, please let us know.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Erie-Canal
On this day in 1890, one of Tipperary's greatest sporting icons, Lena Rice from New Inn, became the only Irish woman to win Wimbledon.
Despite a very brief tennis career which lasted only two seasons, Rice took the coveted title in 1890 when she was 24 years old. She beat Britain’s Mai Jacks on Wimbledon’s famed Centre Court on Friday 4th July 1890. The final score was a convincing two set victory (6-4, 6-1) for Rice.
Helena ‘Lena’ Bertha Grace Rice was born on 21 June 1866 at Marlhill, a Georgian mansion just outside the village of New Inn. She was the seventh of eight children born to Spring Rice and Anna Gorde. She played tennis from a young age with her siblings and joined the Cahir Lawn Tennis Club which had four courts and two croquet lawns.
Her first foray into competitive tennis was at the Irish National Championships in Dublin in 1889. She was defeated in the semi-final by Blanche Hillyard but clearly there was no bad blood between the pair as they later teamed up to reach the final in the doubles where they were narrowly beaten. Rice eventually tasted success in the mixed doubles where she and her playing partner, Willoughby Hamilton, defeated Hillyard and Stone in the final.
In her first appearance at Wimbledon in 1889, Rice made it all the way to the final where she again crossed paths with Blanche Hillyard who had defeated Lena’s sister Annie in an earlier round. Unfortunately, the result was he same as Hillyard was victorious on a two sets to one (4-6, 8-6, 6-4) scoreline.
Lena wouldn’t have to wait long for her redemption though as she again reached the final in 1890, this time facing Mai Jacks in the final where, after a slow start, she gained in confidence and won quite easily. Lena was presented with the winner’s trophy and a cash prize of 20 guineas. According to contemporary accounts, Lena wore a two-piece costume, comprising an ankle length(!!) floral-patterned skirt and a blouse tightly clenched at the waist.
Remarkably, Lena seemed to bow out while she was on top as there is no record of her ever playing competitive tennis again. It is thought that her mother’s ill-health may have played a role in this although we can’t be sure. Lena herself contracted a tubercular condition and passed away on 21 June 1907 at the age of 41- just 17 years after her moment of glory at Wimbledon. She is buried in the small Protestant cemetery in New Inn. To this day, she remains the only Irish woman to have won Wimbledon.
#internationalwomensday2024 #lenarice #marlhill #newinn #wimbledon #champion #1890s #heroine
Source: 'Lena Rice of New Inn- The Only Irish Ladies Wimbledon Champion' by Eileen Bell, Tipperary Historical Journal 1988.
Image courtesy of Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
