Charles Ffrench Blake-Forster was an Irish writer-historian. He was born in Forster House, Forster Street (College Road) in 1850. It was said that he was blessed with a gifted mind and an outstanding intellect from his childhood. His father was Captain Francis Blake-Forster, an officer in the Connaught Rangers. His mother was Mary Comerford, daughter of Henry Comerford, a prominent Galway businessman and merchant.
The Forster family were originally from Hertfordshire in England and arrived in Galway during the 1640s. A great ancestor, Francis Forster, was granted property in County Galway by Charles II on 18 August 1677. The family acquired other properties around Galway and County Clare, including one at Kilfenora. A descendent, another Francis Forster, inherited some of the family estates in 1752. He married Anastasia Blake of Menlo and the family then became known as Blake-Forster.
Another property associated with the family was Hermitage House, which was the residence of Francis Blake-Forster. It is not known for certain when they first moved to the residence in College Road, but it was perhaps sometime in the early nineteenth century. Charles Ffrench Blake-Forster was aware of his family background; he was proud of their history and strong association with Galway. He was initially educated at home and later at Stonyhurst College near Birmingham in England.
His father had inherited Duras House, Kinvara through marriage. After returning from Stonyhurst College, Blake-Forster made this his principal residence. Although still in his teens, he became involved in public affairs. He was elected as a Galway town councillor and member of the Board of Guardians. In 1874, he became High Sheriff of Galway, with the responsibilities of administering justice and ensuring peace in the city. He presided over the first elections held for Members of Parliament under the new Ballot Act, which had just been introduced.
Apart from public life, Blake-Forster studied many ancient books and manuscripts. He also interviewed some of the renowned genealogists of the period. He was an extraordinary man; some even said a ‘genius’. His volume of literary work was immense and included publishing many historical articles and essays and editing numerous annals.
Between 1869 and 1871, he contributed a number of historical articles to The Galway Vindicator and The Galway Express newspapers, which were very well received. It was said that his essay on Kilfenora bears testament to his ‘sterling patriotism’ and dedication to Irish history. He quickly gained a vast knowledge of history, which can be seen from his book The Irish Chieftains or A Struggle for the Crown (published 1872 McGlashran & Gill). The book is a historical study of South Galway and North Clare; and included an account of the Williamite–Jacobite War (1689-1691) in Ireland from a Galway perspective. While it is described as a novel, it is without doubt an astonishing account of real events and individuals mixed with stories from other centuries. Even the notes and appendices which accompany this manuscript are a volume of work alone; and are astonishingly detailed. According to a relative, this work caused problems for him among the leading aristocratic families of the day, and he was expelled from the County Clubs of Ennis and Galway. This was because he had expressed his nationalist opinions in the book. The binding of the manuscript was also decorated with an uncrowned harp, which they found offensive. This is a hugely important work and is a treasure for anyone who might have a copy in their library.
Blake-Forster had just launched himself in public life and historical academia when he died of a brain haemorrhage on 9 September 1874 at the age of twenty-four. Shortly before his death, he had been nominated for the East Ward of the town council. The people held him in such high esteem that they posthumously elected him as a mark of respect. His obituary declared: ‘Through his great labour he had undergone in his untiring literary pursuits that affected his constitution, and the fatigue and mental anxiety consequent upon the illness and death of a beloved sister proved too much for him to bear’.
He had also just completed another important manuscript, The Annals of Galway at the time of his death, but this was subsequently lost. With its disappearance, a vast knowledge of Galway was misplaced. It is believed that some ten unpublished manuscripts also disappeared after his death. He was laid to rest in the family vault at Bushypark Cemetery on the Galway to Oughterard Road. One can only wonder about the contribution to history and his city he might have made had he lived into old age. Forster Street, Forster Court and Forster House bear his family name, but many people are unaware of the origin of the name.