The Garngad Heritage
The unpublished work

November 2001 - Buncrana further roots

Another update is certainly required after the ‘pilgrimage’ to Buncrana.

Anne and I met up first with John Martin and we visited the cemetery at Cockhill Church where he showed me two separate graves where Martins’ and McLaughlins’ were buried with beautiful marble headstones. He pointed out the area of two unmarked graves and said our Great grandmother ‘Lizzie’ McClure was buried in one of them. It was rather sad that there was no stone marking the grave of the older generation (s) and who exactly was/were interred there.

That evening we had dinner with the Martins’ in one of the newer restaurants in town, which was on the shorefront of the Loughswilly.   John informed me of another relative, Eddie McLaughlin who lived in Cockhill Road, just beyond and a continuation of the Buncrana Main Street.   I telephoned and arranged to meet Eddie the night after that dinner.

Prior to visiting Eddie, Anne and I went over to Letterkenny and in the Main Library, I was able to gain access to the 1911 Irish Census.   I was surprised at what I found.   I had gone to Ireland thinking my great-grandparents had only three children but according to the census, they apparently had 12? With 10 of them surviving at 1911.   I noted ages; Thomas McLaughlin was listed as being 61 while his wife Lizzie was listed as being 60.   I also noted a grandson Thomas (10) who was staying with them at the time and who was listed as being born in Glasgow.   I was quite exited, I thought this was my own uncle Tommy (Bunty).  

I was able to gain access to a very poor copy of the 1901 Census where I noted both Thomas and Lizzie McLaughlin listed as being only 40 years of age.  They had apparently aged 20 years between 1901 & 1911.

From Letterkenny we made our way north and eventually arrived in Glenvar, the small village where Great-granny Lizzie was born.   I got out of the car and stood where probably she walked about 150 years ago.

On arrival back in Buncrana, I went up to ‘Keeloges’ and showed John the copies of the documents I had obtained at the Letterkenny library.   John informed me that the boy Thomas shown in the 1911 Census was not my uncle Bunty but Eddie’s father, whom we were going to visit that night.   Eddie’s father had been born in Glasgow.

After and early pub meal that evening, we made our way to the McLaughlins in Cockhill Road where we met not only Eddie, but his wife Mary, Eddie’s  brother Tommy and sister Ethna?    Also in the house at various times that evening, (if I can remember – that Irish whiskey dulls the memory) where three of Eddie’s children, Paul, Martin and Marie.   One of Tommy’s sons appeared in the house as well.

In one of the many photographs Mary produced were my Great-grandparents along with other relatives.   This photograph had been torn at the top and bottom but I asked Mary if she could copy it and send it over to Glasgow and she agreed without hesitation.   (It was there in my house when we arrived home from Ireland).   Mary also produced the names and addresses of other ‘relatives’ who were living in Scotland and I promised to contact them.  

What a night in Cockhill Road?

Our Irish visit never finished with our visit to Buncrana, that had been our first port of call and during the next two weeks we spent several days in Westport in County Mayo, Galway, Killarney, County Waterford and finally Dublin.   It had been great trip and the weather had been extremely kind to us.

I wrote to the Parish Priest at St. Mary’s Cockhill enclosing a copy for the curator of the cemetery (if there was one) in an effort to locate ‘Lizzie’ McLaughlin’s grave and to find out who else was interred there.  I received ‘good’ news and ‘bad’ news from the Parish Secretary.   The ‘bad’ news was that there was no curator for the cemetery and that there were no records of the grave where my great-granny was buried although there was a record of her funeral in the Church.   The ‘good’ news was that I received certified copies, not only of the Marriage Certificate of Thomas McLaughlin and Elizabeth McClure which took place in St. Mary’s on 24^th October, 1872 but also certified copies of the Baptismal Certificates of eleven (11) children which also contained their dates of birth.  They were from the oldest to the youngest;

William – born 6^th August 1973;

Catherine – born 18^th July 1875;

John – born 24^th June 1977;

Henry – born 2^nd February1879

Jane Martha – born 11^th March 1883;

James – born 2^nd September 1885;

Thomas – born 3^rd August 1886;

Elizabeth – born 12^th August 1888;

Edward – born 16^th August 1891;

Maria Teresa – born 23^rd April 1893 &

Ellen – born 21^st July 1895.

All were baptised the day they were born with the exceptions of Catherine and Edward, baptised 2 days after birth.

I wrote back to the Parish Secretary at Cockhill providing details of  Henry’s (Red Harry) marriage to Grace Baillie and seeking a little more information if possible.   I still await a reply.

In the meantime, I contacted and spoke to a ‘new’ cousin Eddie McLaughlin who no longer lives at the address I was provided with by the ‘Irish’ connection and have arranged for Anne and I to meet him and his wife Helen in their home in Cambuslang.   I have also written to three other ‘relatives’ in Irvine in Ayrshire that the ‘Irish’ named and I await some contact from them.

Anne & I have now met Eddie and his wife Helen in Cambuslang and passed a copy of the ‘Garngad’ Heritage and this document for them to peruse.   Eddie will be visiting the Ayrshire Branch of the family with the two documents.

Received the documents back from Ayrshire and the news that there was bereavement in the family and that they would make some contact at a later date.   No more contact from Eddie or Ayrshire during the year or 2002 & 2003.

Update, November 2003

Since my last update, I have tracked down Seán Quinn, now confirmed as my third cousin, (grandfather “Red” Henry) brother of (Old) Tom.  A Barrister at Law, and Genealogist, Seán lectures in Law at the Letterkenny Institute of Technology (traced him through the internet) and now keep in touch with him by email.

My youngest daughter Julie (the wean) got married on 5^th September this year to Keith Law.  Their reception was held at the Gleddoch House Hotel, Langbank with over 100 guests.    One of the guests, my nephew, Iain Valentine, over from Seattle in the U.S.A. had expressed the wish that he would like to visit Buncrana to see where his Irish roots lay.

On the 10^th of September, Iain And I travelled over to Belfast by ferry from Troon and by car to Buncrana.   That evening, walking into Buncrana along the Cockhill Road, I saw a movement at Eddie and Mary McLaughlin’s house and we were invited in and met their son Martin, then Eddie’s brother Tommy from his shop next door.  During our brief stay, young Martin suggested a ‘family tree’.  I took a photo of Iain with the Eddie McLaughlin’s before we left. 

During the next few days we met with Seán Quinn in Letterkenny, who took his to his home and showed us some of his research into the genealogy of the family.  What a character, shocking red hair, wearing spectacles where the left ‘arm’ fell continually off his ear. He reminded me of a long ago view, as a child, of what an ‘absent-minded professor’ might look like.   During a discussion, I happened to remark that there should be ‘members of the family’ in Derry and with a mischievous smile on his face he said, “you mean the occupied territories” I believe Seán is an Irish Nationalist at heart.   I did notice a photograph of Gerry Adams on one of the walls of his house.    As we were leaving, Iain took a photo of me with this very pleasant Irish rebel (it came out well too).   We also met with John and Kathleen Martin at ‘Keeloges’.   John gave me the name of an American ‘cousin’ Agnes Hogan in New Jersey, USA.

Iain and I travelled back to Scotland on 13^th September and he left for home on the 15^th.

Like an idiot, I decided to create a McLaughlin family tree.   I drafted a circular letter and sent off six copies to Agnes Hogan, Eddie McLaughlin and John Martin in Buncrana and Sean Quinn in Letterkenny.   One of the Irish ‘cousins’ apparently sent a copy of this letter to ‘The Derry Journal’ where it was apparently printed in full.

I was delighted to receive a letter from Patrick (Packy) McBrearty in Derry and spoke to him on the ‘phone.   I actually stayed with Packy’s mother in 1946 when on holiday with my mother and sister Betty.   I sent Packy 11 copies of the circular letter (there were 11 children in his family and he apparently has 32 grandchildren).   I later spoke to Packy’s son Shane on the ‘phone a few days later and he promised to send me details on the McBrearty clan.

I also received a letter from Myra McColgan (neé McLaughlin) a closer ‘cousin’ to Seán Quinn, (her Great grandfather was ‘Red’ Henry) and in turn sent her 6 copies of the circular letter.   I later spoke to Myra on the ‘phone and she promised to forward more information.

At this stage, as I am constructing a ‘family tree’ I should mention the names of “Red” Harry and “Big” Gracie’s 9 children.   They were from the oldest to the youngest, Katherine (later Katie McFarlane) Thomas (Bunty the bookie), Robert (Big Robey my father), Henry (another one), Elizabeth (later Lizzie McCaig), William, John, Edward and Mary (later May Callaghan).

I also paid a visit to my cousin Joe McFarlane and gave him 6 copies of the circular.    I was a little vexed when he told me that his brother Harry (the name really runs in the family) had been home from the USA and had left for home the previous day.

I called at the house of Grace Cox (nee McCaig), Grace was not at home but I left 6 copies of the circular at her house.

I made some enquiry and later sent the 6 copies of the circular to Sadie Romeo (nee McLaughlin the daughter of William, and Harry McLaughlin, (another one) the son of Henry.   I traced a cousin John McLaughlin (son of ‘Bunty’ the bookie) spoke to him on the ‘phone obtained his email address and sent over the circular to him as an email attachment.

I sent off the circulars t May Callaghan the only surviving member of my father’s family, now residing on the Isle of Man.   I later spoke to May on the telephone.

I paid a visit down to Irvine in Ayrshire and there met Betty Leslie (nee Running), her mother was Mary Running (nee McLaughlin), sister of Tommy McLaughlin, Buncrana Eddie’s father, along with her daughter Angela Gordon and her (Betty’s) sister, Annie Shanahan.   Both sisters would be second cousins of mine and they both lived at one time in the Garngad.   Both sisters and Angela are all widows.   The sisters’ brother Thomas Running also lives in Irvine and the death of his wife was the bereavement, previously referred to when Cambuslang ‘cousin’ Eddie visited them two years before.

I have also made contact with Agnes Hogan (nee McLaughlin) in Clinton, New Jersey, USA who has informed me that her father, Thomas, “Red” Harry’s brother (named after his own father, (Big Tom) was the only member of the family who went and settled in the United States.   There he met and married, Veronica Mulholland who apparently was born in Glasgow.

The only member of my father’s family that I have failed to contact at this stage are the children of Edward (Big Eddie).   His wife (widow) Bernadette lived in the Haghill area of Glasgow but left there some time ago.   I may be able to contact her through her Irish family, her maiden name was apparently Quigley.