Dudley Forde was here

Hermy

My partner and I visited Strokestown today on account of their week long commemoration of the Famine to take in the sights and hope that someone could help me identify where a relative of mine - Dr Dudley Forde (d. 1945) - lived and worked.

Firstly, we attended Roscommon Genealogy Centre for a talk which can only be described as pathetic. I honestly could have done better myself. On arrival we were shown the door on account of arriving ten minutes early and during the talk itself I learned among other things that burial records are actually of very limited use! Before leaving I enquired about Dudley Forde only to be told that the man who might know about him was unavailable and try again tomorrow.

Thankfully, once we left the Genealogy Centre things improved dramatically. At the other end of the town a marque was set up and we spoke with various people who knew of Dudley - one man even remembered attending his surgery as a young boy - and as well as getting a potted history of the various doctors who practiced in Strokestown we were also told that the Spar shop across the road was originally where Dudley lived and worked. There's even a plaque outside the shop which mentions him by name.
We're going to go back again tomorrow as there are other people we hope to speak to who we are told may even have photos of Dr. Forde.

So a big thumbs down for the Genealogy Centre but kudos to the people we spoke to on the street and the local librarian who were so friendly and generous with their time.
What a pity the official genealogy research Centre for County Roscommon could not act in a similar fashion.

L1011

Stokestown has the most complete set of historic building signage I've seen anywhere in the entire country - pity that the town itself seems to have suffered horrendously from the recession to a level rare that 'close' (as in just about commutable) to Dublin.

Waitsian

Hermy wrote: »

Firstly, we attended Roscommon Genealogy Centre for a talk which can only be described as pathetic.


So a big thumbs down for the Genealogy Centre but kudos to the people we spoke to on the street and the local librarian who were so friendly and generous with their time.

What a pity the official genealogy research Centre for County Roscommon could not act in a similar fashion.

MYOB wrote: »

Stokestown has the most complete set of historic building signage I've seen anywhere in the entire country - pity that the town itself seems to have suffered horrendously from the recession to a level rare that 'close' (as in just about commutable) to Dublin.

I was in it 2 years ago and it looked like the Celtic tiger years had passed it by. It's a real ghost-town (more a big village really). I walked past that genealogy centre (looks like an old church?) but didn't go in. They have a charming little library, a grand wee hotel (the Percy French) and a very good museum and walk through the grounds in what was the local 'big house'.

And on a personal note there's a tree planted in memory of my brother in the same grounds.

Hermy

I was back there again today to see who else might know of Dudley but to no avail it seemed. But then a lady stopped us in the street to tell us that she remembered Dudley - a small man, always in a hurry - he was apparently sent for after the Scramogue Ambush, sneaking out in the dead of night to Quaker Island near Lanesborough to tend to two injured men.

johnny_doyle

mention of Dudley Ford and another Dr in this witness statement

http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/reels/bmh/BMH.WS0661.pdf#page=29

Galway Volunteer

I have some personal items belonging to Dr. Forde. Some text books. But most interestingly i have his WW1 Field Service Pocket book. I found this post while searching his name in Google. Feel free to contact me if you wish. Im in Galway.