Maurice (Mossie) Caplice

Maurice's parents Michael and Winifred Caplice moved to the United States for about 15 years. Maurice Caplice was born at New Haven, Connecticut in the United States on 6 January 1908. They returned to Ireland in about 1905-1908.

OBITUARY

CAHIR NEWSPAPER

HEAD OF FOUR GENERATIONS DIES AT 88
Post famine in Ireland, Michael Caplice emigrated from Burncourt, Co. Tipperary; and Winifred Maloney from Foxford, Co. Mayo. They met and married in America, and on the 6th January, 1908, their first son Maurice was born in New Haven, Connecticut.

Three years before the Titanic disaster, Michael, Winifred and baby Maurice crossed the Atlantic for a permanent return to Ireland to ensure survival of the Caplice name in an area where it can be traced to the thirteenth century.

Michael followed his father's footsteps into gardening at Shanbally, and took over from Mr. Frazer as head gardener at Shanbally Estate. They lived in the family homestead at Toorbeg, Burncourt, where the rest of their eight children, Mattie, Jim, Mary, John, Richard, Michael and David were born.

Michael senior died at the age of 56, leaving Maurice the head of the household at 24 years of age; a role he affectionately held until his death on 30th January. The biggest responsibility of that role being the planning and organising of his brother Richard's ordination at Cloncliffe, and reception at the Belvedere Hotel, Dublin at a time when travel was very difficult.

Mossie was a member of the Fife and Drum Band in Burncourt, when they were All Ireland champions at a competition in Limerick, under the baton of Tim Dowling of Burncourt. He and his local friends regularly cycled to the GAA matches in Limerick, Thurles and Cork.

After finishing school, Mossie began his working life at sixteen years of age, as shop assistant in Burncourt Creamery under Jack Creed. When Nora Bergin left to get married he was instated as book-keeper, and took night classes in book-keeping and accounting under the local head master, Jack O'Callaghan.

After five years of Creamery Accounts, he got a job in Cahir in Bobbie Bole's shop, and cycled eight miles to and from work each day. In the year 1932 he was appointed Rate Collector for Tipperary (S.R.) Co. Council; a position he held until his retirement due to ill-health in 1967. His area stretched from Cahir, over the Vee, and on to the Waterford border.

During the war, when cars were off the road, Mossie and Maureen cycled the roads to collect rates. He was highly respected by his rate payers, who found him very sympathetic to deal with. He was a meticulously conscientious employer of the County Council.

Mossie Caplice met Maureen Gleeson at a Treshing Dance at Tobin's of Rahill. After their wedding in 1932 they started married life in Galtee Cottage, Upper Abbey Street, Cahir, where Winnie and Paddy were born. In 1936 they bought a grocery and bar business in Church Street, and the family moved in over the shop.

When his brother Mick finished Vocational School he came to work in the show which opened in 1937; and Mick remained as part of the family for seventeen years, until Paddy was ready to take over. The family business thrived for thirty years until the arrival of supermarkets.

Trade was based on a credit system of weekly and monthly accounts; a God-send to families. People lived on meagre incomes then, and there were few luxuries on the Working-man's table.

Caplice's was famous for card playing; and many times the Saturday night game continued well into Sunday morning. 25 or 45 were the order of the day, and games were regularly followed by heated "post-mortems"!! Only the best card players dared to join the schools to "make a nine"

On one occasion Caplice's was raided by the guards for playing cards for a pig's head, and being open after hours. It was during the war when pig's heads were hard to come by.

The report on the ensuing court case appeared in the Cork Evening Echo as follows: headed ' "Pig's Head Found" and continued - "Pig's heads are a rarity nowadays. One cropped up the other day in a breach of the licensing laws in the otherwise pleasant town of Cahir. There was no fine; just good humour in the court, and the District Justice wished that whoever won it, would enjoy it!!!!"

In 1945 the family moved to "Mount Carmel" formerly known as the Barrack Cross House, as the number of children had increased to seven. In 1949 Maurice's mother moved in to live with Mossie and Maureen, and there remained for fifteen years until her death in 1964. During this time Mount Carmel became the home base for Fr. Dick Caplice, when he returned from the Missions in Africa.

Musical gatherings in Mount Carmel were a common event with visits from many Holy Ghost Missionaries from Kilshane, Rockwell, St. Marys, Rathmines and Kimmage. Sr. Claude Gleeson's return visits from Argentina were eagerly anticipated also.

From the outset in Mount Carmel, the budding tennis players of Cahir made their own of the Caplice home; a tradition continued to this day at the Ahern home at New Haven, Cahir.

Maurice was a founder member of Cahir Park Golf Club, and enjoyed that sport to the full. Many great golfers of Cahir Park today were 'shown the ropes' by Moss Caplice, who watched the first tee from an upstairs window at his home, and played the course countless times a day in his health. On the morning of his youngest daughter's wedding, he played nine holes before the Church Ceremony!! He continued to enjoy a round of golf until he was 8? old.

In his early years he took an active role in local politics, and never failed to cast his vote. All his life he was an enthusiastic GAA man, and a devoted follower of the Tipperary hurlers. He had a great interest in horse racing, and considered Derby Day at the Curragh, the peak of his social calendar. Gardening was in his blood, and he developed this talent to capacity. In his early years in Mount Carmel, he had his garden so beautiful that the Bus Tours used to stop and request permission to take photographs.

In their marriage Maureen and Mossie were blessed with nine children, Winnie, Paddy, Brieie (died in infancy), Michael, Frank, Maureen, Mossie, Peggy and Carmel. He was a wonderful husband and father; full of love, integrity, spirituality and tenderness. Maureen and himself enjoyed sixty one years of happy marriage, during which time they never missed saying the daily family rosary.

Her death on the 7th June, 1993, left a void that nothing ever filled. The annual Diocesan Pilgrimage to Knock was a must for him in May, while he had health. He attended daily Mass and Holy Communion until the 8th December 1995, when he suddenly lost his strength and got weaker over Christmas until he was completely bed bound for the last week of his life. He was loved and cherished by his whole family, and died peacefully in his sleep, in his own home.

Mossie Caplice is survived by his only sister, Mary, five of his brothers, his brother-in-law, and sisters-in-law, his four sons and four daughters, his sons-in-law, and daughters-in-law, thirty six grandchildren, twenty two great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews. He was an inspiration to all who knew him. He could walk with Kings, nor lost the common touch'. He has gone home. May he rest in peace.

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This Page first produced on 15 Feb 1997

This Page last updated on 23 February 2020