New book recounts the history of the Hemphill family of Killenaule 

A fascinating history of the Hemphills who lived in Killenaule for more than 200 years has been published by a member of the family now living in the UK, who has drawn together and built on the research carried out by his grandfather. 

The Hemphills of Springhill and Associated Families recounts the family’s history particularly in the period when they lived in Springhill, Killenaule from 1728 to 1949.  A former Canon of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin and pioneer of photography are among the noted members of the family. 

The book has been compiled and published by Patrick Hemphill, a retired electronics engineer living in Suffolk,  who was born in Kalgoorlie in western Australia where his family emigrated to after his father sold up the family home in Springhill. 

Patrick says the book is largely based on the research his grandfather, Henry Hemphill, carried out on his family tree drawing from family documents, newspapers and local interest books along with records from the Genealogical Department of the Four Courts before they  were  destroyed during the Civil War.  Henry Hemphill also diligently researched family names  associated with the Hemphills through marriage and ancestry.     

The book describes how Samuel Hemphill, who was of Scottish descent, moved to Killenaule from Coleraine in 1728 and built Springhill House. The original building was burnt down but a  replacement house was built in the 19th century and still stands today. 

“Among the more well known members of the family are Archdeacon Samuel Hemphill, born at Springhill in 1859, and who had a long career in the church,” Patrick recounts. 

“He studied at TCD, later becoming a Professor of Biblical Greek and a rector of various churches including Birr and a Canon of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin before moving to Belfast to become Archdeacon of Down. He died suddenly in January 1927 when about to conduct a marriage ceremony, an event which was reported in the national press at the time.”

William Despard Hemphill was another member of the family who left an indelible mark. Patrick says William was born in Springhill in 1816 and came to live at Oakville in Clonmel, now the site of the shopping centre of the same name. He was a doctor for most of his life and early experiments in photography was one of his many pursuits. 

“He is said to have taken one of the first photographs of a train in Ireland, at Clonmel station around 1857. He also created albums of pictures using stereoscopic photography viewed with a hand-held viewer.” 

Patrick recalls that an exhibition in Clonmel in 2014 showcased William Despard Hemphill's photographs. 

He says he first visited Killenaule as a child when he was taken to see the old family home Springhill when the Robinsons lived there. 

“I recall they had set up a clog factory in the old stables. I have returned on a good few occasions, most recently about three years ago on a tour of Ireland with my wife Stephanie, when we also visited my remaining relations in Nenagh.”

Patrick  was prompted to publish the history of his family because he has inherited many family documents and his grandfathers notebooks on which the history is based. 

He also had transcriptions of his grandfather's notes that he typed out with the help of his aunt more than 40 years ago. 

“The deciding factor was thrust upon me this year when I was self-isolating during the worst of  the coronavirus pandemic. It afforded me lots of continuous time to update and complete the book.” 

The book  was printed as a limited edition in June as a self-published work. It is on sale for €12 at the The Bookmarket, Marketplace Shopping Centre in Clonmel and Patrick hopes it will be more widely available in the near future.