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 Mary, left, and Aunt Ann pose outside the Walsh home on the boreen in Cornaroya
during a 1970 trip to Ireland by Ann and their brother Tom.
“Anyway Jim, I think I have done my best and
couldn’t do much more. I am going back to England this
weekend. There is no point in me staying any longer
because it would only make it harder for all of us. Do write
please.
Love, Mary
* * *
It was not only sad occasions when Mary would
come home to the boreen to visit her brothers and sisters.
Among her visits was when she traveled there to coincide
with a trip to Ballinrobe by cousins Pat, Mary Kathryn and
Mary Theresa in the 1990s. The latter two stayed at the
Friarsquarter House Bed & Breakfast on the Convent Road.
Pat and Aunt Mary stayed in Uncle Owen’s home.
The impression Aunt Mary made on the visitors
from America was she was a shy person, but certainly a
woman of her own mind. If she didn't want to do
something, she was unlikely to be persuaded differently.
One morning during the visit, Aunt Mary declined an
invitation to breakfast at the Friarsquarter House, which
was run by the Kavanaugh family. Uncle Owen gladly
accepted the invitation, but Aunt Mary could not be
convinced to go. She ended up missing a delicious meal
from the Kavanaughs, who were never anything but kind to
the various family members who took advantage of the
B&B while visiting Ballinrobe. The Gallagher/Kavanaugh
connection reaches back at least to the late 19th century.
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