Portmagee Early History/Dromod, Co. Kerry

Photo: Portmagee/ICP

A poem called ' A Kerry Pastoral' written in 1719 by Murragh O' Connor ( a Kenmare man) has the following lines;

Our Irish veins are filled with blood of kings,

But I alas can no such honours boast,

Since sweet Rhincarah,

dear ivragh is lost.'

Magee

During the early 1700s the seamen of Portmagee were not noted for their fishing, for we find in a government document the harbours of Valentia and Dingle were regarded as the cheif haunts of the Munster smugglers. The O'Sullivans, aided by Captain Theobald Magee, after whom the area derives its name, were at this time carrying on a prosperous trade several continential countries - ilegally of course as there was no mention of Common Market or Free Trade in those days. 

Magee himself was officer in King James' army who retired after the battle of the Boyne and, becoming a sailor, commented a merchant ship trading between France, Portugal and Ireland. He must have been doing rather nicely, as we find that he acquired a large amount of property in Cork and Kerry and married Mrs Bridget Morgell who was the widow of a rich Dingle merchant and the daughter of Thomas Crosby of Ardfert who was the widow of a rich Dingle merchant and the daughter of Thomas Crosby of Ardfert who was the member of parliament for County Kerry. Records show that in 1724 Magee made his will at Lisbon, Portugal, after which he entered a monastery where he remained until his death in 1727. It is not unlikely that the Crosby family, who were probably not very proud of being related to Irelands most notorious smuggler, had him locked up so to speak. In his will he left farms in Dingle, Valentia and Cork and he gave strict orders that his sons David, Theobald and George and also his daughters should be brought up in the Catholic faith. But the poor captain was not long out of the way when the Crosbies saw to it that both George and Theobald turned Protestant; it seems that the third son David may have resisted, for we find him emigrating to the Azores shortly afterwards. Magee's daughters probably met the same fate, as there is a record of one of them marrying a parson from Ballycarbery. 

The bold Bridget did not spend too long mourning her husband and was soon busy carrying on the family business - smuggling. In November 1727 a Kinsale brig or ship left the Port os Nantes in France and arrived at Portmagee three days after christmas with a smuggled cargo of brandy, linen and tea. The voyage was made in mid - winter because the English crusiers were then off their stations and the coast was clear. The ship was given a warm welcome: smuggler was to smuggler a friend that sat closer than a brother. No informer had as yet ventured into Kerry. The widows own sloop was lying at the pier taking in a cargo of wool and hides. Boats and lighters came out in the daylight to carry in and disperse the Nantes brig's brandy kegs. In the middle of their operations a man-of=war's gig came down fom the guard ship at Valentia with an order for the brig to move up to the main harbour; not however, for any vexatious enquires into her contents, which were perfectly notorious, but only because the Captain and officers expected a percentage of the spoil. The brig ran up as she was ordered,and anchored within a cable's length of the warship, and went on with her buiness. The country people came on board in their hundreds. A brandy auction was held on deck and one hundred and twenty ankers were disposed of as fast as the coats could take them away besides what the captain, and the officers and the crew of the man-of-war received for the perquisites.