Biographies of Our Forefathers

Francis Tinneny was the fourth child of Francis Tinneny and Catherine McConnell.  He was born at Goladuff on July 15, 1886.  He was baptized at Saint Mary's Church in Newtownbutler.  His godparents were Francis Donate and Bridget McConnell.

Growing up Francis was said to be very shy.  His niece Maisie told me the following story relating to Francis' shyness.  As a young man Francis and some of his friends would go to the local dances in Newtownbutler.  If Francis danced with a nice looking girl he would tell his buddies "When we are walking home will some of you push me into her." 

Photo: Rate Sheets 519 and 520 for the Francis Tinneny property on Goladuff paid December 30, 1929. From scraps of paper found in Francis home. 

For a time, Francis worked as the postman for the Earl of Lanesborough.  He went on foot twice a day and got the mail for the estate from the post office in Belturbet.  For employment at the Lanesborough estate, the employees were required to be measured and weighed.  He went through this process when he was about 40 years old.  His height was 5ft 10 inches and his weight was at 12 stones.  

Francis was very neat about his appearance.  One person I spoke with told me "Frank Tinneny was the greatest gentleman."  When he dressed up he wore a suit, hat and tie.  Francis was the godfather for his niece Maisie, the daughter of his brother Hugh. 

His niece Maisie said that she had memories of her Uncle Francis going through a bit of a ritual if he was going to pay someone something he owed them.  She said “He kept his money in an old turnip seed pouch in his pocket.  If he owed someone money, he would take out the pouch, turn around away from the person, spit on the pouch three times then take the money out, turn back around and give it to the person.”  Sure must have made for a smelly pouch!  Another of Maisie’s memories of her uncle is of him always wearing a long gabardine coat and riding his bicycle from Belturbet to her parents home in Quivvy sometimes with a half-pound of meat in the pocket of the coat. 

As adults, Francis and his brother Benny lived in the house on Goladuff that was their father's and in which they and their brothers and sisters were born.  When the house finally became unlivable in the 1950s, Patty Connolly helped Francis build a small stone house directly in back of the old house.  A visit to the uninhabited house in 1994 revealed that it had two small rooms, clay floors, a corrugated metal roof, one door and two windows. 

Photo: Francis' little house in 1994 by R. Tinneny. 

Although Francis was said to have been shy by some, Francie Tummin, his neighbor on Goladuff related the following story about Francis.  One day, when Francie was a young man, he was working for Phil Tinneny on the land at the homeplace.  Phil, who was Francis' first cousin, was cutting rushes while Francie Tummin was cutting hay.  At one point Phil cut a little grass across the property line on Francis' land.  Suddenly Francis ran up and grabbed Phil by the throat and told him, "If you cut my grass again it will be on the pearl of your life." 

When his brother Benny died, Francis came to Hubert Tinneny's home in Belturbet where he spent the night.  As was his usual habit, he kept his money hidden in a Cocoa chocolate can.  After a long night and plenty of drink Francis went to sleep and when he woke up he couldn't immediately find his Cocoa can.  He thought that someone had stolen his money, which of course hadn't happened he had just misplaced it.   

One day, in the mid 1960s, Francis was injured when he was struck hard by one of his bulls.  For the rest of his life he walked bent over. Francis was operated on twice to repair hernias.  When the subject of hospitals came up, his niece Maisie recalled he would say, “You know, I hate going into hospital and having them nurses clawing at me.”  During his frequent visits across the lough to his brother Hugh’s home in Quivvy his sister in law would cook him up a batch of bacon to eat. 

Francis never married.  He died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1962.  It appeared that he was either getting into or out of his bed.  He was carrying a candle when he died and was found slumped half on the bed and half on the floor.  He was buried in the Tinneny plot at Drummully Cemetery.