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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A wedding photo shows the couple with the maid of honor, Aunt May's sister
Delia, and best man, Uncle Pete's brother Pat. The ceremony was in the
basement of St. Ann's School in Wilmington. The church was being renovated.
Ninth and DuPont streets. The large, three-story brick
building he stayed in was eventually sold to the church to
use as a convent. But in Uncle Pete’s time, it had a bar on
the ground floor called Mullarkey’s. During the week, he
may have stayed at the construction site in Centerville.
Uncle Pete also worked for a time for Blue Hen
Dairy, on Union Street near Eleventh. He was a milkman,
with his route in Dobbinsville, just south of New Castle,
close to the Delaware River. He also was a night watchman
at the Brandywine Zoo along Brandywine Creek. The job
may have been a little eerie, with the noises from the
monkey cage, exotic birds, bears and alligators at the
bottom of Monkey Hill. Uncle Pete got a revolver when he
worked at the zoo. Apparently, all of the crazies in the park
weren’t behind bars. Uncle Pete worked there for only a
few nights; a better situation must have blossomed.
However, he kept the gun almost his entire life. Mary
remembers finally getting rid of it in the early 1980s.
A NEW FAMILY AND A BAR
After their marriage, Uncle Pete and Aunt May
lived at the two-story Clayton Street home she had
purchased with her brother. Jack Tierney lived there until
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