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Many thanks again - your work and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
The tall chap on the left of the 'Vicar' is my grandfather! The Collie dog, Tom, belonged to his Uncle Pat.
I did wonder if there was a small person to the left of my grandfather and if so it would have been my Ggrandmother. It was a hotel and farm and my grandfather is holding what could be lamb or more likely one of my Ggrandmother's dogs - she had a couple of 'specials'. I think it was taken in 1903. thanks, Valerie

I believe this was taken in the early 1900s at my family hotel in a Protestant settlement in Mayo.
It is the Vicar/Ghurkha that has our interest. To this day he would be a rare visitor so no wonder this photograph is in this state - earlier ones have survived well.
The lady is far posher than most visitors and I can only make as guess at her name in the Visitor's Book.
Is it possible to improve it - my equipment makes little difference. Very many thanks, Valerie

Thanks. His son William is very well documented having been in the RIC and the Lancs police where he died of his injuries. Thus the birthdate of 1837/8 is definitive.
However this sort of service often runs in the family so it is possible that another Army man was his brother so if I can find any info on him or his daughter it could be very useful - will look. In the family house I found a treasure trove, every receipt since 1890 under the stairs and more than 500 photos. However one young man is in 2 pics - one his wedding - and he looks like a Hoban and referred to William's widow as Aunt. William must have had other family. My only other clue is someone who rented some land off William's son in Achill for a few years - Lawrence Hoban but again I have got nowhere. Many thanks - I have one extra thought so far!

My GGgf from Galway was a deceased Army Pensioner by 1866. Any idea which regiment he might have joined?

I was reluctant to put full details on family in the public domain but curiosity and brick walls!
My Ggf William was born in Ballinasloe c1837 and is very well documented after joining the RIC in
1857 age 21. His marriage cert tells me his father was John a retired Army Pensioner deceased by 1866. The war office has lost a section of the records that probably applied to him. He may have died in 1862 when son returned home for while from Lancs Police. I have no idea which regiment but someone may know more and I am told they may still have some Regimental Records. William's four boys are well documented save one John Thomas b 1869 who emigrated to Chicago 1900 (ex RIC) and became a journalist 'for the Herald Tribune' but it did not exist as such then. Visited Cuba but was killed in 1905 in the New York area possibly. He did not stay in Chicago it seems. He did not marry. I inherited a vast quantity of information from the 1800s but apart from my receipt the only other Hoban mentioned was Laurence who rented a family cottage in Achill in the 1940s for a short while. All help gratefully received!