"MORTY OGE" AND JOHN PUXLEY.
Fall River Globe, Fall River, 1907-11-26, p.8
Summary
A Fall River notice promoting a serialised history of the Beara peninsula running in "The Searchlight," a weekly published in Brockton, Mass. by **William D. Dwyer, a native of Bearhaven**. The serial recounts the life and death of **Morty Oge O'Sullivan, who killed John Puxley** — the central Beara legend — illustrated with half-tone engravings of Bearhaven scenery. The notice rehearses Dwyer's claims: that Morty Oge of Quolagh was the chief recruiter in Ireland for the Irish Brigade in France, fought at Fontenoy, and was made a colonel by Lord Clare; and that Governor Sullivan of Rhode Island, Governor Sullivan of Massachusetts, and General John Sullivan (George Washington's confidant) all descended from a Bearhaven man, Sylvester Sullivan, kin to the Fall River Sullivans. The paper sold at 3 cents through Henry M. Driscoll's (cnr Main and Rodman sts) or by mail from W. D. Dwyer, Box 615, Brockton. Documents the Beara-American diaspora actively mythologising its own homeland in the US press in 1907 — the same folklore the inbox reference books ("Puxley and the Famous Morty Oge," Sullivan's "Bantry, Berehaven and the O'Sullivan Sept") preserve in book form.
In its time
Narrative
William D. Dwyer, a native of Bearhaven, is running a serial account of Morty Oge O'Sullivan and his killing of John Puxley in The Searchlight, a weekly he publishes in Brockton, illustrating each chapter with half-tone engravings of Bearhaven scenery. Dwyer argues that Governor Sullivan of Rhode Island, Governor Sullivan of Massachusetts and General John Sullivan were sons of the Bearhaven man Sylvester Sullivan, and that Morty Oge of Quolagh recruited chiefly in Bearhaven for the Irish Brigade in France and fought with them at Fontenoy, where Lord Clare made him a colonel. The paper sells at three cents a copy at Henry M. Driscoll's, corner of Main and Rodman streets, or by mail from Box 615, Brockton, at $1.50 a year.
- “To all the people of Bearhaven stock in this country as well as in the historic isle beyond the sea”
- “he received a medal in recognition of the fact that he was the handsomest soldier in the army”
- “it was Bearhaven men who crowned Ireland with glory by the routing of the British on that never-to-be-forgotten field”
AI-generated (claude-opus-5). Verify against the transcription before quoting.
Also mentioned
- William D. Dwyer · author_serial
Native of Bearhaven; author/publisher of "The Searchlight" (Brockton, Mass.) and of the serialised Morty Oge history. A Beara-diaspora folklore popularizer. Surname Dwyer recurs among Beara historians (cf. Riobárd Ó Dwyer, "Annals of Beara"); no established relation, logged for context.
- Morty Oge O'Sullivan · historical_subject
18th-c. Beara figure who killed John Puxley; recruiter for the Irish Brigade in France, present at Fontenoy. The subject of the inbox reference books — see crossrefs.
- John Puxley · historical_subject
Beara revenue/mine figure killed by Morty Oge O'Sullivan.
- Henry M. Driscoll · local_vendor
Fall River news vendor, cnr Main and Rodman sts.
Places
- Beara Peninsula (primary)
- Berehaven (Castletownbere) (primary)
Themes
Story threads
Tags
Source type
news_item
Related sources
- 1916 — Chapter extract from O'Halloran (1916), Chapter XIX (10) — "Puxley and the Famous Morty Oge" — O'Halloran 1916, Chapter XIX — 'Puxley and the Famous Morty Oge'
- undated — T. D. Sullivan — *Bantry, Berehaven and the O'Sullivan Sept* — T. D. Sullivan's Bantry/Berehaven/O'Sullivan Sept — the 19th-c. Bantry-nationalist history of the family's region
Transcription
Dotted underlines mark key terms on first mention — hover or tab to one for a reference note. The wording is the source’s own.
Open questions
- Is William D. Dwyer of Bearhaven (publisher of The Searchlight, Brockton) related to Riobárd Ó Dwyer of Eyeries (author of the Annals of Beara and the "Stories from Beara" NEHGS papers in this archive)? Both are Beara folklore custodians a century apart; worth a genealogical check.