The Gallaghers of Ballinrobe

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Clockwise from top left, Uncle Owen, Pat and Aunt Nora Murphy,Aunt Ann and Aunt Mary together in Ballinrobe in 1970.Nora did compose help keep alive the memories of awoman who devoted her life to her family. Her marriagedid not bring any children, but there were many nieces andnephews who came to know they were embraced by theirAunt Nora.'PLEASE GOD’; LETTERS FROM NORAThere may have been times when Aunt Nora’scorrespondences were not as big an event as Aunt Mary’s.But that was only because Mary did not write nearly sooften. Nora would dutifully keep the family in Americainformed about everything. Her letters, and truly the meremention of her name in conversation, then and now, had away of lighting up memories from the family’s times alongthe boreen in Cornaroya. They offer a record of her heart.Following are a few examples:* A letter from Cornaroya dated April 14, 1958, toCatherine Hoopes, shows Nora’s welcoming nature. Itincludes the phrase “Please God,” a little prayer she oftensprinkled into her sentences.“My Dear Catherine,“This is from Jim’s brother Owen and his sisterNora. We have heard the wonderful news that you and Jimare engaged to be married in September, Please God. Well,may you have the very best of good luck and many yearsof happiness together. We at home here are delighted toknow that Jim met such a nice girl. Jim is thrilled with it. Iwish we could all meet. But who knows, maybe we willmeet each other someday P. God.“Well now Catherine I won’t say much more forthis time. I hope to be writing often from now on. Write afew lines when you can. So until then … God bless you all.From Owen, Nora and my husband Pat”* On Jan. 7, 1966, Nora writes to Patsy congratulating heron her marriage to Leon DeAscanis and wishing both thehappiest New Year they ever had. “Your mother sent apicture of you and Leon on your wedding day,” Nora says.“And we thought you and Leon looked the nicest we haveever seen. I wouldn’t part with that snap for a million.” Sheasks whether Patsy’s brother Johnny was home forChristmas and about how her Mom and Dad, Uncle Jim112
and his family and Uncle Tom and Aunt Ann are doing.* In March 1966, Aunt Nora writes thanking Patsy for a St.Patrick’s Day card. “Hope you get that Irish flag outsideyour window on St. Patrick’s Day,” she writes. “You willmake an Irishman of Leon yet.”* At another time, a letter to Patsy told her for the first timeabout the practice of Stations in Ireland. It was a holdoverfrom when celebrating the Catholic Mass in Ireland wasforbidden. A family hosting Stations in their home wouldwelcome the local priest for a Mass, followed by a festivemeal for family and neighbors. The white linen tableclothused for such occasions in the Gallagher home was sent toPatsy by cousin Maureen Gallagher after Uncle Owen died.* In her July 1975 letter in response to Aunt Delia’s death,Aunt Nora extends an invitation to County Meath nativeUncle Mike that if he ever comes to Ireland again, “don’tforget to give us a call. You are always welcome.” UncleMike finally did make that trip back to Ireland with sonJohn in 1977.* In 1976, Nora apologizes to Patsy for not sendingshamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day but says they “completelyleft my mind after your mother died.” Nine months or sohad passed, but her older sister’s death, and the welfare ofthe rest of the family, were very much in Nora’s thoughts.“How are the rest of the crew?” she asks about the otherGallaghers in America. “None of them (are) coming homethis summer. I wish some of them come.”In that letter, and a number of others, Noracomments on how she is glad a long, hard winter haspassed. She seems to be growing weary in her eighthdecade, but still finds comfort with the coming of Easter.* On a few occasions, Aunt Nora would mention politics,both Irish and American, in her letters. When Jimmy Carterwas elected U.S. president in 1976, Nora writes, “I do hopehe will be a true and good man.” About four years later, shenotes Ted Kennedy was challenging the incumbent Carter.In June 1977, she mentions Ireland was having anelection in a few days’ time, but she was apparentlyunimpressed with any candidate. “It’s the same old story,”she writes. “‘Vote for me! Vote for me!’ It doesn’t makemuch difference to a lot of people who gets in. The rich getricher and the poor get poorer all the time.” She does sayshe would like to see the country doing well, adding, “I’dbe happy if England were kicked out of the North.”Aunt Nora was realistic when it came to worldA recent photo shows Aunt Nora and Pat Murphy'shome, the right half of the duplex, with the walled yard.It is in the 'back cottages' area of New Street.leaders. And she had lived through enough hard times notto expect too much. But she was not without hope. PopeJohn Paul II was the first head of the Catholic Church everto come to Ireland when in 1979 he visited Dublin,Drogheda, Clonmacnoise, Galway, Knock, Limerick andMaynooth from Saturday, Sept. 29, to Monday, Oct. 1. Thevisit marked the centenary of the apparitions at the Shrineof Knock in August 1879.“The pope’s visit … did a lot of good in a lot ofways,” Aunt Nora writes that year. She is cautious,however. “But trouble is still on in the North, and I’mafraid it’s not going to stop until it does harm. May Godbless our country.” The latest Catholic-Protestant“Troubles” in Northern Ireland, which began in the late1960s, did in fact go on to do harm for almost two moredecades before the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998brought a period of relative peace to the land.* In November 1976, Nora writes to congratulate JohnO’Brien on his marriage to Cindy McClafferty. “It’s grandto know he is getting such a nice girl. May God bless themfor the rest of their lives.” In 1979, Nora is happy to hearJohn and Cindy are doing well. “It would be nice to have ahouse with a couple of acres of land,” she notes. “Hecouldn’t have better than land; it’s always going up inprice.”* The biggest regret that comes through in Aunt Nora’sletters is she did not have the chance to meet her nieces andnephews from America. Yet she never loses hope. In thelatest letter we have from Aunt Nora, from 1979, she tellsPatsy she is sure her children are growing up fast. “How I’dlove to see them,” she adds. “I never saw Jim’s childreneither. May God bless them all. And, who knows, maybeI’ll see you all someday, Please God.”113
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TheGallaghersof BallinrobeThe Story
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1. Blue Hen Dairy - Where Uncle Pet
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“An sean Madra don bhóthar chrua
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IRELAND BEFORE THE 1800sThe Ballinr
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the story told by Uncle Owen - our
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Records from the Valuation Office o
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The cottage where Pat and Mary (She
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Also in 1879, less than 20 miles no
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A colorized photo shows Ballinrobe'
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Charles H. Knox agreed to lease to
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Six months later, on Dec. 19, our g
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never married. She died May 7, 1953
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Eugene Gallagher,holding a cigarett
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Below left are three Peter Gallaghe
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Above, Mary Mellet wears herCommuni
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“Down a boreen green came a sweet
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low of 109,525 in 1971. The county
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Ballinrobe was a garrison town unti
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with the slean and take up a brick
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Items that helped ease the workload
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The St. JosephConvent of Mercy inBa
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The foundation for St. Mary's Catho
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was soon dug up and tossed in a loc
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“He is dead,” Greta Conroy said
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TUBERCULOSIS IN IRELANDAn estimated
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A monument marks the area northwest
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A page from the 1901 Census of Irel
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“There are four corners on my bed
Page 64 and 65: THE AURANIAThe Cunard ocean liner t
Page 66 and 67: to look their finest for the excurs
Page 68 and 69: At left is an older Katie Mellet,wh
Page 70 and 71: Uncle Mike was born Dec. 15, 1897,
Page 72 and 73: By 1943, Aunt Delia, Uncle Mike and
Page 74 and 75: Aunt Delia is surrounded by cousins
Page 76 and 77: Patsy O'Brien attended St. Peter's
Page 78 and 79: Patsy worked for many years as anur
Page 80 and 81: Uncle Mike knew how toenjoy himself
Page 82 and 83: Near right areAunt Delia andUncle M
Page 84 and 85: Aunt Delia's father gaveher a gold
Page 86 and 87: MIKE O'BRIEN'S FAMILYFather Michael
Page 88 and 89: that Uncle Mike’s grandparents ra
Page 90 and 91: Father Michael is with Beno (Norris
Page 92 and 93: THE NEXT GENERATIONSJohn O'Brien's
Page 94 and 95: THE NEXT GENERATIONSColm DeAscanism
Page 96 and 97: “Grief fills the room up of my ab
Page 98 and 99: A newspaper article fromSept. 27, 1
Page 100 and 101: hundred yards or so farther along t
Page 102 and 103: The Connaught Tribune features pict
Page 104 and 105: “A happy family is but an earlier
Page 106 and 107: The Catholic Church chose Dublin to
Page 108 and 109: “Once I culled a bunch of shamroc
Page 110 and 111: Uncle Owen and his brother-in-law P
Page 112 and 113: Pat Murphy's family was from Killou
Page 116 and 117: “There are no strangers,only frie
Page 118 and 119: all this, the children could get th
Page 120 and 121: Uncle Pete is shown when he became
Page 122 and 123: Aunt May was 20 years old when she
Page 124 and 125: wedding, Aunt Delia had to be roust
Page 126 and 127: he married Loretta Slavin. (“Lovi
Page 128 and 129: Clockwise from above right are Uncl
Page 130 and 131: Gallagher family visits to Atlantic
Page 132 and 133: Pete and Mary in their senior pictu
Page 134 and 135: At left, Pete and Judy share a toas
Page 136 and 137: Uncle Pete hikes along Brandywine C
Page 138 and 139: 136
Page 140 and 141: Aunt May, at right, and her brother
Page 142 and 143: Aunt May's brother Joe remainedin I
Page 144 and 145: THE NEXT GENERATIONSUncle Pete and
Page 146 and 147: “Mothers hold their children's ha
Page 148 and 149: At left is Uncle Pat's passport pho
Page 150 and 151: Uncle Pat and Aunt Catherine werein
Page 152 and 153: 'SAINTS ON BULLDOZERS'The motto of
Page 154 and 155: A series of photosshow Uncle Pat wi
Page 156 and 157: Mary Kathryn, shown with her mother
Page 158 and 159: Photos from the Bustleton construct
Page 160 and 161: Mary Kathryn, third from left, is s
Page 162 and 163: Above are sisters-in-law Aunt May a
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162
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At left is Catherine Oliver on what
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medical attendant available.Aunt Ca
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“The Irish are the greatest peopl
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Uncle Jim with his sister Nora and
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When they finally got to the conven
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help Aunt Nora and her new husband
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In 1934, Aunt Catherine, in hat at
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Aunt Catherine's wedding party begi
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Owen and Pat join Pop-Pop Bayard Ho
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Left, Aunt Catherine with Pat and O
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Aunt Catherine with Pat and Owen dr
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Above left, a photo from a sales br
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188
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The Hoopes family children in about
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Aunt Catherine, seated, with her si
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AUNT CATHERINE'S FATHER’S ANCESTO
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Grandparents Jefferson Hoopes & Jan
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AUNT CATHERINE'S MOTHER’S ANCESTO
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Sisters Ann and CatherineHoopes in
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THE NEXT GENERATIONSPat and Ronnie
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“What grace is meant to do is to
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WAKE UP THE ECHOESA ticket stub amo
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Uncle Tomwas the bestman at thewedd
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Three days after the Allied invasio
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Uncle Tom, top left, his brother-in
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Among those attending a DeAscanis f
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Uncle Tom and Aunt Ann moved into t
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Uncle Tom is congratulated by Wilmi
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“Aren't we Irish good at criticiz
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Uncle Owen always loved his dogs. A
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The home where Uncle Owen lived out
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Uncle Owen chats with his nephew Ow
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Uncle Owen and hiscousin PeterGalla
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Uncle Owen and his nephew Owen stro
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“A little fire that warmsis bette
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Aunt Ann remembered trying to make
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A photo taken in the early 1930s sh
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Uncle Jim holds his daughter, Marga
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Aunt Ann and cousin Tommy Gallagher
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Aunt Ann is joined by Uncle Pete, A
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“When you are old and gray, and f
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As much as anyone in her family, Ma
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Aunt Mary with a friend at one of t
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Aunt Mary, left, and Aunt Ann pose
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the legacy of the Gallaghers of Bal
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PARTING SHOTSEugene Gallagher is su
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PARTING SHOTSAt left is a late 1990
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PARTING SHOTSGrandchildren of Aunt
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The Gallaghers of Ballinrobe

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