Searching
for a Maria McKay married to Michael O’Grady with a daughter named
Eileen:
I have
recently had an enquiry trying to find the descendants of a Boyle connection.
The background is that members of a family called McKay apparently came
to Boyle in the latter half of the 1800s’. There were two brothers Henry and
Hugh and they were shoemakers. The line of interest is that of Henry. Henry
died in 1910 and a son Corporal William McKay, Connacht Ranges, born in Grange,
died of his wounds in Flanders, France on October 11th 1918. He nearly made it
through that hell. His is buried in Aisne, France and his headstone is marked
as aged 36, son of Henry and Mary McKay (nee Ryan) Drum, Boyle, Co.
Roscommon.
Another son
of Henry and Mary i.e. Patrick McKay (died 1957) married a Kate Feeney a
Catholic. They had 3 daughters, Maria, Elizabeth and Sarah.
Maria McKay
married a Michael O’Grady and they had a daughter Eileen. It is probably there
that there could still be a Boyle connection.
There was
another branch of the family called Roberts through marriage who lived in
Dublin
The person
researching this family was in Boyle and Grange some time ago and it was
suggested that they contact me. It is not really my field but by putting it
‘out there’ we could come up with a connection.
The latter
part of the query does not go too far back. Maybe someone will have heard of
the Cpl. William McKay being killed so late in the War or some such
information. (Thanks to Danny Tiernan for that nugget of information).
Chernobyl
Sky Atlantic Television Series
I mentioned
this recently. I have watched the first two episodes of the drama. While what
happened was a huge and long-living disaster the documentary/drama indicates
that Europe escaped what might have become a an unimaginable disaster. The
first instinct of the regime of the then USSR was to cover up but it was on
such a scale that it could not be covered up. It was first detected outside the
USSR in Sweden by scientists in a Swedish power plant monitoring the fall-out
from Chernobyl over 1,000 KMs away. The U.S. then confirmed the location
through spy satellites.
There are a
small number of Irish actors they being Jessie Buckley as the wife of a fireman
first on the scene, Barry Keoghan and Caoilfhionn Dunne. One of the main
characters a nuclear scientist is played by Jared Harris son of Richard. While
Emily Watson also plays a key role as another scientist who has an influence
for good in the horror story. A Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgád plays a high
ranking Soviet politician impressively.
The series
illustrates the horror to great effect. Isn’t it is something that mankind can
put together such a facility that they then cannot control when things go
wrong. It is said that Einstein regretted his contribution to the nuclear
option which his famous equation E=mc to the power of 2
facilitated.
BREXIT
It reminds
me of September and the reopening of school after the summer break. Well the
holidays from BEXIT are nearly over with elections of this week (Thursday in
the U.K.) being the extra can of (I do not like using the term) worms into the
boiling pot. The opening scene of Macbeth with the witches seems to be a
possible analogy here;
A cave, a
caldron boiling. Thunder.
Enter the
three witches.
“Double,
double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn,
and cauldron bubble”.
The EU
election in the U.K. is, predictably, a vote on Brexit v Remain though not
couched as such. Nigel Farage is in great form and his party is predicted to
win the majority of U.K. seats. The opposition is fragmented and the Brexit
electorate is wound up like a shed of Millwall supporters and going for the
straight message ‘Out’ . Hapless and helpless Theresa May can do little about it.
Her days are numbered. The U.K is like the fishing cork that gets sucked
into one of those river whirlpool. Let the games begin again.
Two
Weeks of ‘Unbelievable’ (Soccer) Football
It almost
seems as if it is a long time ago now when Liverpool welcomed Barcelona to
Anfield and performed one of the greatest comebacks in high level football
by turning a 3 goal deficit into a 4 to 3 win. It was unbelievable.
Then on the
following night Spurs went to Amsterdam a goal behind to Ajax. Ajax added two
goals as they looked to be cruising and then Spurs made the great comeback with
a hat-trick from Lucas Mouras enabling their 3 away goals to tip the balance in
Spurs favour. So two English premier league clubs contest the Champions League
final in a couple of weeks.
While it
might seem as if I am glued to soccer on T.V. that is not the case but I did
indulge in the lesser menu of the Championship which can turn up drama of its
own. Aston Villa (managed by John Terry) v West Brom. in the effort to get into
a Championship play-off final with the prize being promotion to the
premiership. The game goes to extra time and then penalties which Aston Villa
win. The Villa star is Jack Grealish. A real indulgence was to see who
they would play and this meant watching Leeds v Derby County (managed by Frank
Lampard). Leeds bring a 1 nil lead back to their home ground i.e. Elland Road-
and are odds on to win but don’t and are beaten 4 to 3 in the dying minutes.
Irish international Richard Keogh plays a big part in the win and Shay Given is
to be seen as part of the management
So Aston
Villa now play Derby County in Wembley England’s Bank Holiday Monday May
27th (Ireland’s Bank Holiday is June 3rd) at 3 to see who will be
promoted with Sheffield Utd. and Norwich.
On the
local soccer scene I attended Boyle Celtic v Moore at Lecarrow on a Saturday
evening in the Roscommon County Cup semi-final. As Ronan Flanagan headlined it
in his ‘Roscommon Herald’ report ‘Moore drama as United reach final’. In
keeping with the above this game too went to penalties and extra penalties with
Moore going through 7 to 6.
Changing
back to my regular code I attended Roscommon v Leitrim in the Hyde in their
first round of the Connacht C ’Ship. Roscommon 3.17 Leitrim 0.12. When I
relayed the opinion to my son that; ‘This was the worst performance I have seen
from Leitrim in the Connacht C ‘Ship’ he replied “You said the same thing last
year”. I will not dwell on the Leinster v Saracens tank battle in the Heineken
Cup final. It was cruel.
By the time
I am back here again, the two intriguing European Soccer finals will be
resolved, Liverpool v Spurs and Arsenal v Chelsea and Villa v West Brom.
The
Caves of Keash
On May Bank
holiday Monday I participated in a walk up to ‘The Caves of Keash’. It was
something I have been meaning to do from time to time. A good group gathered at
the Eastern Harps complex a kilometre or so from the Caves. On a fine sunny day
we walked towards the base of the caves and proceeded up a nominated path. As a
senior person now, I realised about half way up that my flat terrain walking
was not appropriate training. However pride pushed me through the incline
barrier. Maybe that wasn’t clever but I’m here relating it! There is not much
to see within the caves but outward Sligo looked well. So down again and a chat
with a lady gardening, from Boyle actually, formerly Egan. Back in the Eastern
Harps a chat with Edward East and having a social cup of tea with cake and some
music from members of the Dwyer clan. It was a really nice couple of hours and
I am indebted to the organisers Carmel and Thomas Taheny, Padraig Henry and a
great Eastern Harps man Sean Scott. On the pitch training a young Harps
group was Francis Candon who was unusually subdued. That is what time can do.
Thanks also to the farmers who accommodate this access through their lands.
Things have got so restrictive to a ridiculous degree that this is not always
the case. I commend also Eastern Harps on their magnificent new Club facility
which shows where the club has come to and is a hugely positive statement of
intent into the future. It is up to the present and future generation to
appreciate it and keep it well.
*I have
just got a text note re. the 2nd Eastern Harps Walk Series 2019. “This month’s
walk is scheduled for this coming Sunday May 26th in Strandhill. Meet at 9.30am
at Mama Johnson’s Ice Cream Parlour. Walk starts at 10. Free of charge. Route 7
km. approx.. various terrains. Unsuitable for buggies. Please spread the
word.
Eugene
McGee R.I.P.
It is a
rare ‘gift ‘I suppose to able to criticise an organisation and still be
regarded very highly by it. Such was the personality of Eugene McGee. He rose
to GAA coaching prominence with UCD in the early seventies and guided them to
three Sigersons in a row and six of the eight he contested as manager. This
will never be equalled. They won two Dublin county championships and an
All-Ireland Club Championship. Their great rivals were St. Vincent’s with
Kevin Heffernan and they had to give up on a final when it was fixed for during
exam time. County boards disliked College teams as I know with UCG also. I’ll
refer to that again maybe.
John
Kelly of Boyle and Tony McManus a bit later were members of those teams as was
a player who seemed to be an eternal student of the time Benny Gaughran of
Louth. I met Eugene or perhaps I should refer to him as Mister McGee a small
number of times since I was for a period Secretary of UCG GAA in the early
seventies. He was not a person to be trifled with. He was Editor perhaps owner
of the Longford Leader and later a columnist for the Independent papers and
regular commentator on GAA for R.T.E. radio. Beside me is the Sunday Indo of
May 12th. Sport pages 8/9 and Colm O’Rourke gives him a great tribute amongst
others. I seem to remember him giving a talk once in Boyle maybe at the
Arts or some such forum. My longest interaction with him was on a train journey
to Dublin when he sat down in the seat opposite me at Longford. He was going
through a file of old clippings and photographs for a U.C.D. former players
re-union and we talked of the Sigersons that we had in common. For people who
have never experienced that inter-varsity competition it is for GAA players
(with its hurling equivalent The Fitzgibbon Cup) a livelong memory.
In GAA
terms he will always be remembered as the manager of the Offaly team that
defeated Kerry in ’82 when Seamus Darby scored the goal that ended Kerry’s
drive for five in a row. The account of that year’s Offaly campaign and the
huge part played in it by team- manager Eugene McGee is told in the award
winning book ‘Kings of September’ by Michael Foley published in 2008. ( A
similar title ‘When we were Kings’ by John Keenan of the Galway 3 in row team
of the sixties is a favourite essay of mine if you wish to Google
same).
P.J.
Cunningham headlined his tribute in that Sunday Indo paper regarding Eugene
McGee “A great manager and a great man”.
A busy
week end in prospect.
Friday
evening usually kicks off the weekend. This Friday will see the flurry of
activity with the election. I have noted this a couple of weeks ago. The
only revision I would have is that in the EU elections after the certain
Mairead McGuinness, the near certain Ming and Matt Carthy the fun starts from
there. I see Brendan Smith posters seeping into the Boyle area. Perhaps the
opposite is happening in his area with Anne Rabbitte posters. The danger for
Fianna Fail is that a surging Maria Walshe would take a second seat for Fine
Gael. That would be a repeat of the previous F.F. debacle and invites the spake
‘Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me’. Peter Casey’s bubble has
probably evaporated but his transfers will be of major significance.
In England
they have the first past the post electoral system which is a disaster for
small parties and probably independents. The Irish system of transferable votes
is much more nuanced and can lead to candidates being elected after any number
of counts. If one was very clever one could start at what one would suggest was
the weakest candidate and work the way up giving the vote a value all along the
way….a kind of ‘Yankee’ bet. So you could actually give the Green candidate
Saoirse McHugh a number one vote to suggest that you are coming around to
environmentalism and go on to x, y z from there!
Saturday
Evening another contest of a different hue
On Saturday
at McHale Park Roscommon play Mayo in the ‘real’ championship. Roscommon last
won at McHale Park in 1986 with Gary Wynne on the team. It was the year after
Dermot Earley and Pat Lindsay retired. Roscommon are underdogs but they seem to
be very fit and strong and the if the hard running and back-up play, so much in
evidence against a weak Leitrim, can be replicated to a degree they could
really challenge. Also the game now is about panels and the use of twenty
players. It surprises me in watching rugby that star players are regularly
substituted a decent time from the end of the game. But for the manager in
Rugby Union it is a regular occurrence albeit with the possibility of 7
substitutes. Anyway it will again tell us where Roscommon senior team is at and
how long the summer for county football will be.
*A friend
of mine who is a Dublin resident and is a dedicated Roscommon supporter
bemoaned the fact to me that he and his ilk could not travel to C’Bar on
Saturday by train as the last train passing back to the capital would be well
gone before the game was ended. Railways played a very important place in the
fixing of fixture venues for decades in the early days of the GAA. Then there
were ‘specials’ for games but now there is no co-ordination from both the GAA
and CIE on this matter. It is worthy of consideration is it not?)
Actually
since I sent this blog first time I see a note on twitter regarding; Full
details of the match special on Sat. are on the website…….too complicated for
me to transfer to here but maybe someone can translate to realboyle…please.
(A result
from a first year colleges game this week Enniscorthy C.B.S. v Tullamore. At
half time it was Tullamore 5.11 Enniscorthy CBS 0.0. final result
Enniscorthy CBS 11. 01 (34 points) Tullamore 6.12. (30 pts). It was a breezy
day!)
‘Good night
and may your gods go with you’ Dave Allen.
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