The Nenagh Guardian, 16 January 1889

How did the poverty stricken of the late 19^th Century find themselves in their unhappy circumstance? In January 1889 this curious journalist, whose name is unfortunately not recorded, was bothered enough to try to find out. At this time there were really only two ways in which an “Ordinary Joe Soap”, never mind the unemployed or the destitute, would be mentioned in the newspapers. They either had to be appearing on a charge in court or have the misfortune to have some bizarre accident, inflicting serious or fatal injuries, befall them. Otherwise the readership didn’t hear of them, as they were far more interested in reading about the great and the good, and especially, royalty and the landed gentry. But this journalist bucked that trend, playing the “Paddy O’Gorman” role to a tee in Borrisokane: