[2] During his formation for the priesthood at St Patrick's College, Maynooth his widowed mother was nearly evicted by the Earl of Leitrim which contributed to his anti-landlord stance.

[citation needed] As a curate in Killoe, County Longford Coneford organised for households to use traditional spinning machines to weave cloth,[4] at one point even taking 60 people with their equipment to exhibit at the Royal Dublin Society.

[citation needed] In 1926 Conefrey wrote in the Catholic Pictorial: "Jazz is an African word meaning the activity in public of something which St. Paul said 'Let it not be so much as named among you'.

The dance and music with its abominable rhythm was borrowed from Central Africa by a gang of wealthy Bolshevists in the U.S.A to strike at Church civilisation throughout the world".

[2] Some recordings have survived of arrangements of ballads by Conefrey, sung by Joseph Maguire and accompanied by Paddy Killoran and his orchestra, including "My Willy O",[12] and "The Blackbird of Sweet Avondale".