At the entrance gate in Bridge Street, Skibbereen to Abbeystrewry Parish Church is a
modern statue of Canon James Goodman 1828-1896, and rector of the parish
1866-1896. A native speaker of Irish, he made a collection, much of it from
travelling musicians, of more than 2000 traditional melodies, which he wrote
down and annotated. This forms the Goodman Collection in the Library of
Trinity College Dublin. He was also Professor of Irish at Trinity, it being
then a part-time post
