Alumni Spotlight

The legacy of Charles and Joseph Duggan

When Queen’s College Galway opened to students on 30th October 1849, amongst the first 68 students were two brothers from Galway city. They were sons of James Duggan and Cecilia Winston Duggan from Flood Street, and both were Catholics. Their father owned a grocery shop, tobacconist, and pub on high street (their grandfather owned present day Taaffes Bar). Pigot & Co’s Town Directory of 1824 lists James Duggan, a tobacconist at Mainguard Street. He appears to have moved his business to High Street, Galway sometime before 1835.

In April, 1794 his father John Duggan appears on a list of 300 Roman Catholics who had been admitted as Freemen or Burgesses of the Corporation of the City of Galway.

In 1839 James Duggan purchased a freehold house at Flood Street, Galway, for £85. The house was number 7 and remained in the family until sold in 1903.

CHARLES WINSTON DUGGAN, was their fourth son and was born in 1829. He enrolled in Queen’s College, Galway on the opening of the College, matriculating in Arts on 30th October 1849. He was 19 years old. He commenced Engineering in 1850-51, matriculating on 18th October 1850. He held a Junior Scholarship in Arts (Science Division) in 1849-50, 1850-51 and 1851-52 and a Senior Scholarship in Natural History in 1852-53. He graduated B.A. with First Class Honours in 1852 and M.A. with First Class Honours in 1853. Following graduation, he was appointed an Inspector of National Schools. As Inspector of National Schools, he was posted to various places around the country, first in Enniscorthy, then in Derry and finally in Parsonstown (now Birr) County Offaly.

Charles Winston Duggan married Esther Elizabeth Rogers in 1859 and they had six children who are known to have survived. These were: Florence Cecilia, born 6th June, 1864 at St. John's, Enniscorthy; Charles William, born 5th December, 1865 at St. John's, Enniscorthy; Almira Elizabeth, born 12th February, 1867 at Mill Park, Enniscorthy; Francis Rogers, born 6th June, 1868 at 45, Clarendon Street, Derry; Winston Joseph, born 3rd September, 1876 at Parsonstown (he became Governor of South Australia in 1934 and Baron Dugan in 1949) ; Norah Esther Mary, born 10th August, 1878 at The Mall, Parsonstown.

As can be seen from the records Charles Winston Duggan changed the spelling of his name to Dugan sometime before 1864. In 1883 he purchased No. 4 Oxmantown Mall, Birr, for a sum £300 with the help of mortgage for £200 with the Irish Civil Service Building Society.

He was a member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and contributed to its Journal. Between 1898 and 1906 he contributed an historical introduction and bibliographical notes to four issues of Ernest Reginald McClintock Dix's "Catalogue of early Dublin-printed Books, 1601 to 1700".

Sometime before 1898, possibly as early as 1887, Charles Winston Duggan and his family moved to Lurgan, County Armagh. He made his will there on 8th March, 1898 in which he is described as a retired Inspector of Schools and resident at Florence Villa, Lurgan.

Winston Joseph Dugan attended Lurgan College there between 1887 and 1889. The 1901 Census record the family is living at 3, Hatch Street Lower, Dublin.

He died on 4th September, 1906 at Oxmantown Mall, Birr. On his death the King's County Chronicle wrote; "He was a gentleman of intellectual distinction and took a deep interest in antiquarian and archaeological research and amongst other literary achievements, he resuscitated a collection of ancient writings relating to the history of King's County".

He was buried at Clonoghill Cemetery, Birr.

JOSEPH MICHAEL DUGGAN was the youngest son and second youngest child of James Duggan and Cecilia Winston and was born in 1831. In 1845 he enrolled in Arts and Medicine in Queens College, Galway in the 1845- 50 session matriculating on 9th January, 1850. He was age 16. He was awarded a Junior Scholarship in the Science Division in the faculty of Arts for each of the years 1849- 50, 1850- 51, and 1851- 52 and he held a Senior Scholarship in Therapeutics and Pathology in 1854- 55. He did not graduate from Queen’s College Galway and appears to have gone to Glasgow to complete his education, graduating from the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons there in 1857.

The following appeared in the The Galway Mercury 22nd August 1857.

‘We have great pleasure in announcing that our young townsman, Mr Joseph Duggan, formerly a distinguished student in Queen’s College Galway, has been unanimously elected as a member of the faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and obtained Letters, Testimonials qualifying him to practice Medicine, Surgery and Midwifery’.

In 1858, having spent one month as an Assistant Surgeon in the Royal Navy and he was appointed Medical Officer for the Turloughmore Dispensary District of the Galway Poor Law Union, at a salary of £80 per annum.

In 1860 the Medical Directory of Ireland lists him as follows:

“Duggan Joseph, Lackagh, Athenry, Co. Galway, L.F.P.S (Licentiate Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow) 1857, Ex Senior Scholar in Therapeutics and Pathology, Queens College, Galway, Medical Officer, Turloughmore Dispensary District and Surgeon to Constabulary at Loughgeorge. Formerly Resident Clinician, County Galway Infirmary”.

Later editions of the Irish Medical Directory provide additional information; late assistant surgeon Royal Navy, member of the Surgical Society, Surgeon to the Constabulary, author of papers published in the Medical Press. "On Cholera", "On Placenta Praevia", "Diagnosis of Scarlatina", "Necrosis of Tibia", "On Diphtheria" "On effects of Morphia and Chloroform combined", "Poisoning by Carbolic Acid" and several translations.

In 1887 he became a member of the Kings and Queens College of Physicians in Ireland, later the Royal College of Physicians.

On 20th February 1862 Joseph Michael Duggan married Margaret Josephine Kinneen of Moyvilla House, Athenry. They had eight children. They lived for some time in Lackagh, County Galway. They then moved to Ballyglass, Turloughmore, County Galway. All of their children were born there.

Sometime between 1879 and 1889 they moved to Woodville, Coolarne, Turloughmore on the Meldon estate and had an adjoining farm of land of about 14 acres for which they paid a rent of £18.9.0 during the 1890's.

Joseph Michael Duggan died on 24 March 1894 aged 64 from acute bronchitis.