Author Topic: Bray, Co. Wicklow - Murphy  (Read 17405 times)

Offline Ajfm

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Re: Bray, Co. Wicklow - Murphy
« Reply #18 on: Saturday 09 September 17 21:44 BST (UK) »
Thanks Sparksss67.
I'm pretty sure the sisters that I visited with as a boy were indeed Sadie and Margaret.
May I ask what's the nature of the political connection to which you referred? I didn't think my family had any real political connections, so the fact that James was involved in local politics was new for me.
Anthony

Offline sparksss67

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Re: Bray, Co. Wicklow - Murphy
« Reply #19 on: Saturday 09 September 17 22:49 BST (UK) »
Hello Anthony
My great grandfather was Edward Byrne (MBUDC, MWCC, and PC) from Bray, and worked as a railway store keeper in Westland Row station.  He was a nationalist and was politically active from Parnell’s time onward, being involved with the Home Rule Movement (supporting Redmond) and the Labour party from its start.  James Murphy was a near neighbour and close friend of Edward Byrne.

James was Edward’s best man at his wedding in 1899. These two men were the closest of friends for the remainder of their lives.  They were very active members of the NUR and were both elected to Bray Council in 1920 as Labour candidates.  They were also founding members of the Bray and and Labour Trades Council, founded in 1917.  They appear in a number of photos alongside each other during their years working together. I have some photos of Edward and James together from 1919 and 1934.

I have also created a Powerpoint presentation following Edward Byrnes life. It was very important to me to acknowledge James Murphy’s contribution to their success and their achievements in the betterment of conditions of railway workers and the working class people of Bray and Wicklow. James’s brother in law, James Rochford, was also politically active at the time.  I would be more than happy to share my findings with you if you would like to have them.  It is also nice to know that Edward Byrne and James Murphy are buried within meters of each other in St Peter’s cemetery.

Mark Murphy, Bray.

Murphy, Broe, Canavan, Acton, Byrne - Wicklow.
Murray - Castlepollard
Murphy - Enfield
Redmond - Ballygarret

Offline Ajfm

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Re: Bray, Co. Wicklow - Murphy
« Reply #20 on: Sunday 10 September 17 02:45 BST (UK) »
Hello Mark

It is great to meet you through this forum, and I would indeed be delighted to learn more of your findings regarding our two ancestors and the historical context that you described. The photos you mentioned would be fascinating. I understand that we are not supposed to share contact details on the open part of the forum, so I will send you a separate message with my email address.

There are quite a number of echoes of what you mentioned in what limited information I had on my father's family. For example, his father - William, one of James' brothers - also worked on the railway, as a signal man and later as a ticket inspector. As I noted on one of the early posts, he died aged 33 of TB, just three years after getting married to my grandmother, Margaret Kelly. It was left to her to raise my father. She had not worked outside the home previously, but it seems that she joined the railway company also and worked at the old Harcourt Street station in presumably an administrative role. While one should not speculate without some concrete facts, it would not be surprising if James, perhaps in combination with Edward, had sought to secure this type of role for his recently-bereaved sister-in-law.

My father must also have kept up a relationship with his uncle James. Sarah and Margaret were his cousins and I know he visited them (including with me) over the years. Given the family circumstances I described, I suspect that James would have had a significant influence on my father when my father was growing up. For one, my father was a skilled carpenter (though that was not what he worked at). There were a number of carpenters in the Murphy family, including James, and I suspect that my father would have learned some of his skills from James. My father was also a committed trade union member all of his life, again perhaps reflecting the influence of James, and indeed Edward.       

You also mentioned Anastasia Doyle, James' wife. There may have been other relatives on the Doyle side that my father knew, as I have vague recollections of other references. I also note that a "Maggie Doyle" was one of the witnesses at both the weddings of James and my grandfather William.

A couple of additional questions -
1. I'm still in the early stage of researching my grandmother's line - Margaret Kelly. Have you come across other references to Kellys in Bray that may be related to either of our families?
2. At some point after William's death, Margaret moved to Dublin and raised my father in a house at 77 Bath Avenue. There was a very strong relationship with a family of Coates who lived nearby in Irishtown, and I met some of the latter when I was a child. I don't know if the relationship with the Coates was established then or whether there was some pre-existing contacts from Bray. Have you come across any Coates in Bray in your researches?

Finally I should ask where your own Murphy family name connection comes from? You said you weren't related to my side.

many thanks the help you have already given!

Anthony

Offline myluck!

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Re: Bray, Co. Wicklow - Murphy
« Reply #21 on: Sunday 10 September 17 10:48 BST (UK) »
Just a quick look for you this morning

Margaret KELLY gave her address as Lauderdale Terrace at the time of her marriage in 1913; her father was a painter named Michael KELLY

I think that this is them on the 1901 census LINK
at house 1 in Newtownvevay (Bray, Wicklow)

Michael KELLY died Oct 07 1906 at the Meath Hospital; address Bray; aged 56; a Painter - LINK #375
Esther KELLY died May 23 1910 at Lauderdale Tce, Bray; aged 65; widow of a House Painter - LINK #345

Michael KELLY m Esther McADAMS on Sept 08 1862 - LINK
Michael's parents were Michael KELLY and Mary KELLY
Esther's parents were John McADAMS and Catherine CONDON

There were at least seven children in the family but there may have been more
Michael b 1863 LINK to baptism #778
Teresa b 1865 LINK to baptism #981
Catherine Kelly b 1869 LINK to Civil Record #406;
      She married Peter COATES on May 06 1889 LINK #57
      Family on 1911 census LINK
Esther KELLY b 1873 LINK to Civil Record #48
Jane KELLY b 1877 LINK to Civil Record #448
John Joseph KELLY b 1879 LINK to Civil Record #235; LINK to baptism record
Margaret Mary b 1881 LINK  to Civil Record #107
Kearney & Bourke/ Johns & Fox/ Mannion & Finan/ Donohoe & Curley
Byrne [Carthy], Keeffe/ Germaine, Butler/ McDermott, Giblin/ Lally, Dolan
Toole, Doran; Dowling, Grogan/ Reilly, Burke; Warren, Kidd [Lawless]/ Smith, Scally; Mangan, Rodgers/ Fahy, Calday; Staunton, Miller
Further generations:
Brophy Coleman Eathorn(e) Fahy Fitzpatrick Geraghty Haverty Keane Keogh Nowlan Rowe Walder


Offline sparksss67

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Re: Bray, Co. Wicklow - Murphy
« Reply #22 on: Sunday 10 September 17 11:37 BST (UK) »
Edward Byrne was one of the top men in the railway benevolent society (or various names for same) around this time. It is very likely that they helped William's widow to get back on her feet.

The Coates family from Bray were also friends of the Byrnes and most likely the Murphys, they were involved with the AOH in Bray.  Christopher Coates was tragically killed in an explosion in the electrical works in Bray in 1912. This is the same Coates family as mentioned in a previous post.

To answer your question regarding my own Murphy surname.  My mother is a Byrne, a granddaughter of Edward.  Our Murphy family came from Greenan, Rathdrum area.

Mark
Murphy, Broe, Canavan, Acton, Byrne - Wicklow.
Murray - Castlepollard
Murphy - Enfield
Redmond - Ballygarret

Offline Ajfm

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Re: Bray, Co. Wicklow - Murphy
« Reply #23 on: Sunday 10 September 17 16:34 BST (UK) »
Mark
Thank you so much for all of your help. I had a little of the information on the Kellys already, but you have added a significant amount. I see the link with the Coates also through my grandmother's sister, and it is interesting that it was indeed a Bray connection after all.
Looking forward to remaining in touch on all of this.
Anthony

Offline Ajfm

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Re: Bray, Co. Wicklow - Murphy
« Reply #24 on: Monday 11 September 17 18:11 BST (UK) »
Mark

The Coates family are indeed linked to the ones that my grandmother and father knew in Irishtown/Ringsend. I have the Little Bray cemetery records and there a series of Coates buried there with final address as 12 Gordon Street, Ringsend. This is exactly the same address as listed for my grandmother Margaret Murphy nee Kelly - James sister-in-law. The Coates and my family were indeed very close.

By the way, the cemetery listing for the 1912 Coates is for a Peter rather than Christopher -

"Grave: BA30      Name: Coates, Peter   Electric Works, Bray   10th July 1912   12th July 1912"


all the best
Anthony