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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Aunt Nora works in the garden during a 1966 visit to Ballinrobe by Uncle Pat and his family. With her is Uncle Pat's
wife, Catherine. Visits from America were always a joy for Nora. In the background are the fields of Cornaroya.
Pat Murphy was a more humble dresser, but he
had a better heart. We don’t know when their relationship
started, but Matrimony did not come until Aunt Nora was
more than 40 years old. By that time, she had seen her
parents pass away and a number of her brothers and sisters
leave behind an Ireland constantly struggling with a poor
economy and other troubles. The 1940s were described by
the Irish Examiner as “a decade of war and want.” Ireland
was officially neutral in World War II, or “The Emergency,”
but the country could not escape its reach. Many Irish
fought with the Allied powers despite their country’s long,
bloody history with Britain. Privations that came with the
war continued for many years.
That was the era when Nora Gallagher and Pat
Murphy finally joined their lives. There was no elaborate
wedding that Saturday in January 1948. Aunt Ann
remembered herself and Nora going off to the church on a
cold, dark morning, meeting Pat and his brother Walter of
Lough Mask there, the quiet ceremony, and then going
home their separate ways. Nora's brothers Jim and Owen
likely would have been present, but her sister Mary may
have already immigrated to England.
Pat Murphy works the butter churn during the 1966 visit.
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