Mayo Message Board for Roots and more ...

Michael Gallagher

Thank You Mary for your message. So you have been been working for 37 years in the same job. Good on ya ! I spent 37 years in the Guards. My sister (Nancy RIP 2004) and sister Angela went away to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham to train for Nursing. They later returned to Cstlebar and spent some years there before they married.Mick's wife (from Cork) was also a nurse in Selly Oak. They all met at a dance in Hurst St?? (spelling) dance Hall.Mary and my sisters were workmates. (Mary is a first cousin of Michael O'Leary, the Airline, Ryan Air Guy) They returned to Straide to take over "the ridges" (and the rushes) and to take care of our ageing parents in the home place, Mary got a job as a midwife in Castlebar. She delivered hundreds of children. Sometimes when we'd be out and about in the car, she would point out a young adult and say with noticable pride; "I delivered him" or "I delivered her" My Gawd!! what a "scatta paistí" that lady in CA produced. Yes of course, that was International News, even in Straide. ...Was your Company or Medical Co. Involved ? That was more like a "litter" than a human birth. I hope they all survive, the poor little creatureens! I heard in Straide that a couple of them are on support. I'm just back from Straide via Bus Eireann. A great mode of travel for an owld guy like me. That 540 mile drive that you did was some trek in your Camry. Lovely car though. I have a 10 year old Honda Civic since new and I love it. Hard to beat the Jap cars. But now I travel a lot by bus and train. I have the free travel and that makes it worthwhile. I can sit back and scribble on my laptop; or read, or listen to ipod music and just relax. The roads are crazy here though and I'm sure it is the same story in US. I travelled by coach thought during my last visit there. But about 30 years ago I drove from SF down along "Interstate 5 I think ?, in a hired Ford Fairmont? It was an automatic gearbox and about 30 horsepower.A guzzler, but Petrol, or gas as you'd call it was 18 cents a gallon I think...hard to credit that. I visited my first cousin Father Anthony McGowan in Anaheim? ..think it was. He is still alive, he must be about 95 by now. His Mother and my Dad were brother and sister. Yesterday, visiting the churchyard in Straide where my Mom and Daddy lie, I noticed a headstone nearby which reads "Owen Mulroy Dec 10 1975 and Wife Ellie March 22nd (My birthday) 1998. Also infant grandaughter Noreen Ann Mulroy Nov 11th 1992. RIP.Is that your family grave Mary ??? If it is, your mother was Ellie Lavelle ? and she was a close schoolpal of Annie Smyth (my mother). Mick says that they often met for a chat after Mass in Straide (their only social outing, with a load of kids waiting for them at home) But she loved to meet Elie Lavelle, who was a very pretty woman I'm told. She once was blinded by a spatter of lime in her eyes whilst she was whitewashing and suffered long term damage to her sight ?? I wonder would that data be correct ? Because I know about the Mulroy multitude of families. There was the Clárs and the Rickards as well as all the others you mentioned. I know you are a busy girl Mary so you can ignore all the questions if you wish, until I get in touch via another medium. ?? Please excuse all the typos and spelling errors. It's hard to edit all the stuff and I don't know if there's spelling correction on this programme.But "windows 2000" would throw a fit if I put in a word like "Coolkeevane". I responded to One 'Bill Tunney' on the Straide Discussion Board and in an attempt to do editing and corrections, I posted the darn message three times without knowing it !! I'm still only plodding on this internet www though. Cheerio for now Mary and stay safe. Tony Ruane

Posted by Ruane, Tony on Friday 30 January 2009