Dr. William Joseph Sweeney & Sweeney Memorial Public Library, Kilkee
Michael Sheedy, who was born in Kilkee in 1833, emigrated to Norwalk,
Conn., U.S.A. and died there in 1901. He married an Irish girl Johanna
Hanlon who was born in 1826 and died in 1909. They had a family, their
eldest daughter Mary, who was born in 1856 in Norwalk, married Dr. Senan
Sweeney in 1882, they had one only in family, a son William Joseph Sweeney.
This boy’s parents died in his youth and he was reared and educated
by his Sheedy uncle who had two sons, Bryan and Edmund. Edmund was a
popular Christian name for boys in Kilkee at that period, possibly from
the emigrant ship “The Edmund” which foundered in Kilkee
Bay in November 1850 as she was sailing from Limerick to the U.S.A.
with a few hundred West Clare emigrants on board. About 100 of them
were drowned.
The Sheedys were first cousins of the late Mrs. Falvey nee Sheedy. Her husband built the “Royal Marine Hotel” in Kilkee, both of them ran it very successfully for years, as did their son Dan Falvey. Another son, the late Tom Flavey was a Clare Co. Councillor (Farmer’s Party) for many years. He was a very colourful character. By co-incidence, his cousin’s library is now under the control of Clare Co. Council.
Ed and Bryan Sheedy mentioned above have visited Kilkee a few times within the past few years as did Doctor Sweeney’s financial Advisor. William J. Sweeney graduated as a medical Doctor and practised in Union City, N. Jersey. He was also a Director of several companies and founder of the Union City Bank and Trust Bank and was one of its Directors until his death on April 2nd, 1945. Doctor Sweeney was married, had no family and lived at Weehawken, N.J.. His wife pre-deceased him.
His will, signed and sealed, was made on 24/2/1938. He bequeated sums of 10,000 dollars each to various people, to others 1,000 dollars each, to the Knights of Columbanus bonds of a Building Fund, to others shares of Stocks of the Hamilton Bank of Weehawken and the contents of his wine cellar.
For his wife their home, its contents for her life-time and the nett proceeds of his real estate to be sold, proceeds from which to be used to set up a Trust for this wife. If his wife pre-deceased him the corpus of said Trust Fund to be used to build, equip and maintain a Library in Kilkee, Co. Clare to be known as “The Sweeney Memorial Library”. The carrying out of such provisions shall be under the direction of Trustees.
His wife’s relatives contested his will, but they lost the case and the Sweeney Memorial Library was built in Kilkee. Under the Charities Act of 1812, the Library was administered under a High Court Scheme of 1961, the Trustees being the Comms. of Charitable Bequests and Donations. All the property of the Library is vested in and held by said Commissioners. Moneys belonging to the Charity are invested under the law for the investment of Trust moneys. The Sweeney Memorial Library gets no public assistance. Due to inflation and rising expenses it was decided under the Public Libraries Act 1894 that the Library be amalgamated with and become part of Clare County Libraries. Under Dr. Sweeney’s will and his wish the Kilkee Library shall continue to be known as “The Sweeney Memorial Library”.
