my name is Margaret Bridget Nixon ( nee Connolly ) middle daughter of John Connolly ( eldest son ) and Margery , granddaughter of Matt Connolly and Bridget ( Horan - daugther of Slin Horan ) ,
and I am absolutely amazed that within a day of deciding to do my family history on my Connolly side i have found you - - you amazing man !!! I am named for my grandmother - and have nominated myself as the Connolly family archivist ( unofficial !!)
I remember well the house at Branch Street Stacksteads , my Connolly Uncles , some of the Ashworths , but most memorable is being taken to all the relations houses ( all women) who seemed to occupy most every house in Branch Street
My mum and dad married in 1951 , John , Paul , Angela were all born , then me in April 1956 , then Madeliene , Patrick and Michael - so another big family - at last count I have 46 connolly cousins - all the girls are the most gorgeous lookers i've ever seen - and some of the boys aren't bad too !!!
I regard myself as having a blessed childhood , with memories of family gatherings where Uncle Des and Uncle Jim would sing - and they truly have the finest voices , Jim has recently cut a CD - at last so we have some memories forever , but not all the best of singers would do a "turn" - Uncle Mat , God bless him would always stand up tapping his giant feet to the "Boston Burglar " , and of course my dad would do " Skibereen " , and aunty Mary "a mothers love's a blessing " and we'd all be shedding a tear now
in fact both my parents have passed - as has my uncle Mat , and only yesterday Mary , and her daughter Catherine and Mary sang that song beautifully in the Rosemount working mans club in Stacksteads !
IN fact i now get to the reason for this post , Sunday May 3rd 2009 was a great clan gathering of the Horans at Stacksteads and they invited as many Connollys , Ashworths and other related people to attend - your family simply MUST have been there too , I know john grogan junior is a massive singer and does all the do's a turn
what a mind blowing day
from it , e-mails were exchanged cos there are a lot of photographs to be exchanged of the above names - and I would love to invite you to send your e-mail so you can add in your memories and stuff - and join the group - in fact you may not be aware but on facebook there is a site group called - "bring back john grogan's barbers shop on fareholme lane , stacksteads " !! hahaah
During the telling of stories I stood up and asked the room ( must have been 150 people there - all related - how mind blowing , and not everyone could come ! ) could anyone tell me the place and date of Slin Horans birth - my aunty Mary shouted Glan , Glantarvan , I don't know the date but he died on my 18th birthday , and he was 75 - so sleuthing means he was born 1865-8
and can you believe it - thats all anyone knows - I don't know who the following are and would really appreciate if you could help - I can see my great grandparent Horan's are buried in Stacksteads - as are my mum and dad
my great grandmother Horan - b where and when ? - her parents ditto , Slin Horan's mum and dad - ditto ( i do know a Horan married a Moran as family legend goes - but thats all !!)
my granddad Matt Connolly - born when and where ?- who were his mum and dad - born when and where ? - the fact no-one can help me with this is astonishing - it's like the Connolly memory was wiped off the face of the earth as the Horans took over !!!!
any information would be amazing - and any details however vague of ancestors before them - a serious bonus !!!
I am now going back to read your story of growing up in stacksteads - its like listening to my dad's voice down the ages - when did you emigrate - and are you interested in catch up on what happened to the great Connolly dynasty ? haah
please write back and lovely to meet you - you were 15 when I was born - I remember as a little girl my dad took Angela , john and Paul for a hair cut to John Grogan's , and he cut them all the same - all short - and my mum cried cos he'd cut off all Angela's black curls - and the story goes they never grew back again - and yes I remember tin baths - there a picture of me an my sister in one as babies - (much to my horror !!!) at townsendfold where mum and dad spent their first years of married life ,
again my delight at meeting you on this site and any help over the Irish place names and people of Horan ancestry would be great - and then the Connolly digging must begin also
kind regards
Margaret Nixon
Author
Topic: Mary Halligan,Shannon,Moran (Read 14359 times)