The Gallaghers of Ballinrobe

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Uncle Owen and hiscousin PeterGallagher walkpast the remains ofPeter's oldCornaroya home in1992. Their fathersraised families nextdoor to each otherin the early part ofthe 20th century.It was on that same trip, somewhere betweenEugene’s and Uncle Owen’s homes, that young Angielearned a stinging lesson about Irish nettles when sheventured into the roadside weeds to rescue a kitten. If Rickhad committed a transgression during the water fight, heredeemed himself by bringing home a snapshot of a framedpicture that Uncle Owen kept in a prime location on hisfireplace mantle. It was of a young Patsy O’Brien, who wasdelighted to confirm the connection with her uncle.IN THE PUBDuring Pat’s visits with his uncle, they wouldsometimes go out to eat or grab a pint. It was one of thosetimes when Uncle Owen shared a lesson in how he mightearn himself a drink in a bar when he was short of cash.Uncle Owen said he would take out a small coin, maybe 2p– as long as it was less than the price of the drink – andbrag to the person next to him that he could down thatman’s drink without touching the glass. If he couldn’t,Uncle Owen said, the man could have the coin. If thefellow took the challenge, Uncle Owen would quickly pickup the glass, drink the beverage and admit he had lost thebet. He added it was wise to choose someone with a senseof humor, or at least someone smaller than you.During another visit to a small pub in town, Patlearned another useful lesson about the Irish. On a Sunday,Uncle Owen told him, it was required that bars shut downfor an hour or two in the early afternoon. The idea was thatpatrons would take the time to go home for dinner withtheir families. When the time came that Sunday afternoon,the closing was announced and the doors were locked, butno one left. That was generally how it worked, Uncle Owentold Pat as they ordered another pint. Rather than headinghome, patrons accepted they were locked in the pub for thenext hour or so.The next story takes us from the pub to thegraveyard. Uncle Jim had at times dug a grave or two tooblige the sisters at the Convent of Mercy. And UncleOwen was no stranger to the shovel himself. He told Patthat his Aunt Maggie Sheridan wrote to him (maybe in the1950s) asking if Owen would dig her grave, probably at theAbbey Cemetery. Uncle Owen complied with the requestfor Maggie, who was his mother's sister and had nevermarried. It was not the only grave work Uncle Owen did.He remembered another time he was digging one and founda skull with a hole in its back. He thought it might havebeen the remains of a brother of “Peter Gallagher NextDoor.” That cousin of Uncle Owen’s father, who alsohappened to be named Owen, fell to his death from aladder while repairing his sister Anne King's thatched roof,hence the chance the damaged skull was his.DIFFICULT PARTINGThe stories Uncle Owen shared with Owen andLynn on their 1993 honeymoon were not so colorful. Hedid mention that he and a friend had once put out a fire in achimney at the Convent of Mercy, averting what could havebeen a real disaster. And when he rode with Owen and228
Uncle Owen was always upfor a good walk. At top lefthe is headed for theFriarsquarter House in aphoto taken from the bedand breakfast; at top righthe is heading home fromshopping in town. Aboveand at right, Uncle Owenis with Uncle Pete'schildren Pete and Maryduring a visit in the early1990s.229
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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
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THE AURANIAThe Cunard ocean liner t
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to look their finest for the excurs
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At left is an older Katie Mellet,wh
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Uncle Mike was born Dec. 15, 1897,
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By 1943, Aunt Delia, Uncle Mike and
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Aunt Delia is surrounded by cousins
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Patsy O'Brien attended St. Peter's
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Patsy worked for many years as anur
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Uncle Mike knew how toenjoy himself
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Near right areAunt Delia andUncle M
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Aunt Delia's father gaveher a gold
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MIKE O'BRIEN'S FAMILYFather Michael
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that Uncle Mike’s grandparents ra
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Father Michael is with Beno (Norris
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THE NEXT GENERATIONSJohn O'Brien's
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THE NEXT GENERATIONSColm DeAscanism
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“Grief fills the room up of my ab
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A newspaper article fromSept. 27, 1
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hundred yards or so farther along t
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The Connaught Tribune features pict
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“A happy family is but an earlier
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The Catholic Church chose Dublin to
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“Once I culled a bunch of shamroc
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Uncle Owen and his brother-in-law P
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Pat Murphy's family was from Killou
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Clockwise from top left, Uncle Owen
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“There are no strangers,only frie
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all this, the children could get th
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Uncle Pete is shown when he became
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Aunt May was 20 years old when she
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wedding, Aunt Delia had to be roust
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he married Loretta Slavin. (“Lovi
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Clockwise from above right are Uncl
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Gallagher family visits to Atlantic
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Pete and Mary in their senior pictu
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At left, Pete and Judy share a toas
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Uncle Pete hikes along Brandywine C
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Aunt May, at right, and her brother
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Aunt May's brother Joe remainedin I
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THE NEXT GENERATIONSUncle Pete and
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“Mothers hold their children's ha
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At left is Uncle Pat's passport pho
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Uncle Pat and Aunt Catherine werein
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'SAINTS ON BULLDOZERS'The motto of
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A series of photosshow Uncle Pat wi
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Mary Kathryn, shown with her mother
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Photos from the Bustleton construct
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Mary Kathryn, third from left, is s
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Above are sisters-in-law Aunt May a
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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
Page 180 and 181: Aunt Catherine's wedding party begi
Page 182 and 183: Owen and Pat join Pop-Pop Bayard Ho
Page 184 and 185: Left, Aunt Catherine with Pat and O
Page 186 and 187: Aunt Catherine with Pat and Owen dr
Page 188 and 189: Above left, a photo from a sales br
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Page 192 and 193: The Hoopes family children in about
Page 194 and 195: Aunt Catherine, seated, with her si
Page 196 and 197: AUNT CATHERINE'S FATHER’S ANCESTO
Page 198 and 199: Grandparents Jefferson Hoopes & Jan
Page 200 and 201: AUNT CATHERINE'S MOTHER’S ANCESTO
Page 202 and 203: Sisters Ann and CatherineHoopes in
Page 204 and 205: THE NEXT GENERATIONSPat and Ronnie
Page 206 and 207: “What grace is meant to do is to
Page 208 and 209: WAKE UP THE ECHOESA ticket stub amo
Page 210 and 211: Uncle Tomwas the bestman at thewedd
Page 212 and 213: Three days after the Allied invasio
Page 214 and 215: Uncle Tom, top left, his brother-in
Page 216 and 217: Among those attending a DeAscanis f
Page 218 and 219: Uncle Tom and Aunt Ann moved into t
Page 220 and 221: Uncle Tom is congratulated by Wilmi
Page 222 and 223: “Aren't we Irish good at criticiz
Page 224 and 225: Uncle Owen always loved his dogs. A
Page 226 and 227: The home where Uncle Owen lived out
Page 228 and 229: Uncle Owen chats with his nephew Ow
Page 232 and 233: Uncle Owen and his nephew Owen stro
Page 234 and 235: “A little fire that warmsis bette
Page 236 and 237: Aunt Ann remembered trying to make
Page 238 and 239: A photo taken in the early 1930s sh
Page 240 and 241: Uncle Jim holds his daughter, Marga
Page 242 and 243: Aunt Ann and cousin Tommy Gallagher
Page 244 and 245: Aunt Ann is joined by Uncle Pete, A
Page 246 and 247: “When you are old and gray, and f
Page 248 and 249: As much as anyone in her family, Ma
Page 250 and 251: Aunt Mary with a friend at one of t
Page 252 and 253: Aunt Mary, left, and Aunt Ann pose
Page 254 and 255: the legacy of the Gallaghers of Bal
Page 256 and 257: PARTING SHOTSEugene Gallagher is su
Page 258 and 259: PARTING SHOTSAt left is a late 1990
Page 260: PARTING SHOTSGrandchildren of Aunt
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The Gallaghers of Ballinrobe

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