ENNIS FLEADH NUA - Comhaltas Archive

A STORY OF SUCCESS AND MUSICGERALD and CARM EL WH ELANWe are pleased to dedicate this issue of TREOIRto Gerry Whelan of Cootehill, Co. Cavan, whosegenerosity has made the publishing of this issuepossible. Gerry is a highly respected member of thebusiness community and is well known inComhaltas circles.Gerry's branch of the Whelan Family came to theLeitrim area around the 1650's and there were 10generations of the family in Drumhanny, Mohill.His brother John Joe retired from fanning in 1965and the farm passed into other hands."My father was Michael Whelan and my motherwas Mary Ann Ellis of Glosdrumin, a townland closeby," Gerry recalls. " We were a family of 14, fourgirls and ten boys and I am the youngest of theboys. There are now only 5 of us left, four brothersand one sister. My brother Tom resides in Galway,Denis in Longford, Jim in New York, myself inCootehill and my sister Minnie, Mrs. Connolly, inCavan."His older brothers and sisters were very muchinvolved in the War of Independence in the SouthLeitrim area.His childhood days, despite the troubles of the times were very happy and despite the death of his father in 1927, hegrew up in a great love and background of traditional music. The love of Irish music has been with him all through hislife. His idol at that time was Rev. Fr. Peter Conefrey, of Cloone, who encouraged and helped to keep the music alivein the 1920's and early 1930's, at a time when the imported Jazz music invaded even the humble kitchen house dancesof South Leitrim.Of his schooldays Gerry says: "To my very good fortune Peadar 0 Griofa was sent by the V.E.C. to open a Vocationalclass in the Board room of the old workhouse in Mohill.' I sat the entrance exam and gained a place amongst my4S fellow students, boys and girls. Peadar took it all in his stride, he taught us eight subjects, English, Irish, Maths,Geography, History , Commerce including book-keeping and general subjects. Not bad for a one teacher effort. Lastbut not least on Wednesday nights he taught us ceili dancing and the other fringe benefits came natural to us. "How did Gerry meet his channing wife Carmel? "Early in August 1939 I went with a friend Col m Smith (one of thefew people I knew in Cootehill) to a Carnival Dance in Shercock. We travelled by hired car and in the load was a nicewee girl from Dublin, Carmel Hannigan, who was visiting her cousins in Cootehill. I dated her and this was the start ofour romance and we were married in 1945 and are blessed with our family of five, three girls, Mary, Dolores andGeraldine and our two sons, Martin and Vincent. We have now moved to that next generation with three granddaughtersand eight grandsons."In 1940 rubber footwear became unobtainable and at that time there were big numbers working on the land and perchance Gerald went into the manufacture of clogs which were to become a very important utility footwear and substitutedfor the lack of wellingtons. He had about 25 people working at the production of clogs in the Old Town Hall,Cootehill which he converted into a factory.•In 1949, eldest son Martin who had now finished his education in Rathmines College in Dublin, came into thebusiness. At this junction they divided the business into two companies, Gerald Whelan & Sons, Wholesale ShoeFactors and The Whelan Boot Manufacturing Company which would be manufacturing their range of Drifters mens andboys shoes. Both companies were based in St. Michael's Street, Cootehill. In 1973 their second son Vincent joined thebusiness; in 1974 their space in St. Michael 's Street was getting confined, so they decided to build a modern 20,000square feet Warehouse on a 2-acre site at Lisnasarn on the Dublin road, this would leave the entire premises in St.Michael's Street to the Whelan Boot Mfg. Co ., but by 1980 they acquired a 3-acre site at Cornacarrow on the CavanRoad and here they have built and equipped one of Europe's most modern shoe factories with an area of 20,000 squarefeet.They now employ between the two companies approximately 110 people. We wish the Whelan family and businesscontinued happiness and success.