The Gallaghers of Ballinrobe
IN MARCH 2020, Pat Gallagher had an idea. He asked his brother, Owen, what he thought of writing a book about the family of their father, James Gallagher, who grew up in the early decades of the 20th century in the West of Ireland in the small town of Ballinrobe, County Mayo. The shutdown from COVID-19 was just beginning, and the thinking was they would have more time on their hands than usual. What better way to spend quarantine than exploring the stories of our aunts, uncles and other relatives. The task turned out to be much more complicated (and rewarding) than anticipated. It involved sifting through ship manifests, census, birth and marriage records, newspaper archives, and, most enjoyable, sessions delving into the memories of extended-family members. Sorely missed was the chance to hear first-hand the tales from our deceased cousins John O'Brien and Pete Gallagher. This book's stories and more than 500 images are the result of the past year's journey. The goal was both simple and ambitious: making the memories of the Gallaghers of Ballinrobe ours forever.
IN MARCH 2020, Pat Gallagher had an idea. He asked his brother, Owen, what he thought of writing a book about the family of their father, James Gallagher, who grew up in the early decades of the 20th century in the West of Ireland in the small town of Ballinrobe, County Mayo. The shutdown from COVID-19 was just beginning, and the thinking was they would have more time on their hands than usual. What better way to spend quarantine than exploring the stories of our aunts, uncles and other relatives.
The task turned out to be much more complicated (and rewarding) than anticipated. It involved sifting through ship manifests, census, birth and marriage records, newspaper archives, and, most enjoyable, sessions delving into the memories of extended-family members. Sorely missed was the chance to hear first-hand the tales from our deceased cousins John O'Brien and Pete Gallagher. This book's stories and more than 500 images are the result of the past year's journey. The goal was both simple and ambitious: making the memories of the Gallaghers of Ballinrobe ours forever.
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The Catholic Church chose Dublin to host the 31st Eucharistic Congress to coincide with the 1,500th
anniversary of St. Patrick coming to Ireland. After the final High Mass, 500,000 people gathered at O'Connell
Bridge for the concluding Benediction. The Congress drew more than a million people and dominated
newspaper coverage at the time.
was chosen for the first time for that 31st international
gathering because of its people’s strong Catholic faith and
because it was the 1,500th anniversary of Saint Patrick’s
arrival on the island. There were an estimated 3.2 million
Catholics in Ireland at the time. More than a million people
attended the closing Mass of the Congress in Phoenix Park
that Sunday. A half million then gathered at O'Connell
Bridge for the concluding Benediction, given by Papal
Legate Cardinal Lorenzo Lauri.
Somewhere in that weekend’s crowd was 26-yearold
Nora Gallagher from Ballinrobe. We don’t know who
she was with (friends or other family members?). But we
do know Aunt Nora obtained a souvenir Mother pin for our
grandmother.
The city sidewalks were packed for the event with
wandering tourists, Boy Scouts providing first aid, multiple
processions, including marching Dutch girls singing hymns
… and, apparently, plenty of entrepreneurs selling
mementoes.
Aunt Nora would have been witness to ocean
liners serving as extra hotels in Dublin’s harbor, massive
individual Masses for men, women and children, and an
address from Pope Pius XI. He did not attend the Congress,
but he was heard from the Vatican during the concluding
High Mass via a PA system set up around the city.
It is likely Nora would have arrived by train, but
one newspaper account mentions a man from Ballinrobe
who rode his bike cross-country to Dublin. He was just
beginning his return trip when the reporter talked to his
group.
In the West of Ireland, the port in Galway had
been bustling for more than a week with ships arriving with
passengers from America headed for the Congress. In
Ballinrobe, those who didn’t go to Dublin would have
taken part in local ceremonies marking the Congress, which
coincided with the Feast of Corpus Christi. The procession
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