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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THE GALLAGHERS NEXT DOOR
Margaret (Gallagher) -- one of Peter Gallagher Next
Door’s sisters -- and her husband, Thomas Mellet, pose
with four of their children in this photo from the early
1930s. Front center is Bridie (later Butler); in back, from
left, are Thomas, who died in 1936, Martin and Harry.
CONTINUED from Page 23
friend, Sarah Gallagher (later Connell/O'Connell), as well
as “Peter Gallagher Next Door,” who got his nickname to
distinguish him from the too many other Peter Gallaghers
around at the time. The six other brothers and sisters were
Bridget (b. 1876), Margaret (1878), Annie (1881), Winifred
(1884), Patrick (1887) and Owen (1897). Peter was born in
1890, Sarah in 1893.
“Peter Gallagher Next Door” married Maggie
McDermott in 1926, with our Uncle John serving as best
man. (It was four years before John died in a tragic bicycle
incident.) Peter and Maggie had seven children: Eugene,
Jack, Margaret, Peter, Philomena, Tommy and Delma.
Those children went forth and multiplied, as have their
children, who are now raising the latest Gallaghers of
Ballinrobe. Maggie died in 1977, seven years after her
husband.
The family has, of course, expanded beyond the
borders of “the old country” and the name Gallagher. There
'Peter Gallagher Next Door' was a first cousin of our
Grandfather Pat Gallagher. He and his wife Maggie
(McDermott) lived in the home of his parents Owen and
Peggy (McCormick) Gallagher next door to our aunts
and uncles. His children included current boreen
residents Eugene and, of course, another Peter.
are Kings, Mellets, Connells, Burkes, Butlers and others
who share bonds with Peter and Owen Gallagher from 170
years ago.
From Peter Gallagher Next Door’s generation, we
know Margaret married Thomas Mellet and had 10 children
between 1902 and 1919. (As with many names, the spelling
can vary from source to source, including Mellot or
Mellett.) By whatever spelling, they lived on New Street in
Ballinrobe. Their oldest daughter, Katie, met Aunt Delia
when she arrived by ship in New York in 1924. Peter's
sister Anne married Thomas King in 1906. They had seven
children by 1918; two daughters, Mamie and Bridget, came
to America. Peter himself raised his family in his father's
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