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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Michael Gallagher’s grandparents would have proudly
pushed him around town in the family's pram.
Uncle Michael was given a pocket watch sent home to
Ireland after his father’s brother Michael died in
America. It was later given to Uncle John, Uncle Jim,
Uncle Owen and, finally, Uncle Jim’s son Pat.
A DIFFERENT TIME
It wasn’t until three years after Michael Gallagher
died that a sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis was
opened in Ballinrobe. A “cure” was still decades away. For
Michael, there would have been no reliable treatment. His
care likely would have been up to the family carrying out a
doctor’s advice, which typically involved having the patient
rest, eat well and exercise outdoors. Isolation would also be
important. Somehow, the Gallagher family of Cornaroya
avoided having the highly contagious disease spread to
other members.
Uncle Michael was probably born in 1897,
although his birth was not officially registered until Jan. 4,
1898. Uncle Jim said civil registrations would occur only
when the mother was well enough to travel into town. But
the Baptism couldn’t wait. In those times, it was the most
important task after a Catholic birth. Infant mortality rates
were very high, and Catholic cemeteries were consecrated
ground. In general, an unbaptized person could neither be
buried there, nor enter into Heaven.
Though never a matter of doctrine, the Catholic
Church had re-emphasized this traditional teaching through
strict reforms implemented during the 17th century's
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