Hi History79
Sent you a message offline but unsure as to how this works. We are 2nd cousins - I think. Farrell Duffy's parents(James and Maggie) moved to Aghagah Moyne Co. Longford from Aughnacliffe, that is why there is no link to the other Duffy's in the area. Farrell was born in 1909 I think.
Please respond to my offline message with contact details. I have lots of info for you....here is a little of it....
The story of James & Maggie Duffy, of "The Heather Duffy's"..
Margaret Reilly, known as Maggie, grew up up in Rossduff, County Longford. After leaving school she worked as a milner in Lynch’s on Pound Street, Arvagh, four miles from Rossduff. Maggie, a young single girl, was promised a dowry of 200 pounds by an elderly female relative on the condition she marry a particular person whom she had never met. 200 pounds would have been an extraordinary amount of money in the 1890's and would have made Maggie a very wealthy woman for her time. When the man she was to marry arrived in the village, she was horrified to see an old man supported by two walking sticks, being helped out of the horse and trap. Within weeks she eloped with James Duffy, a young man whom she may have met at Arvagh fair, thus saving her from a life of misery being married off to an old man. With no dowry or place to live, they were given the family home, a two storey thatched house, in Aughagh by James's parents; Bernard Duffy and Catherine Fitzpatrick-Duffy, (like her daughter-in law, also hailing from Rossduff). Pat an older brother to James, was an agent for Singer and gave them a gift of a sewing machine as their wedding present, allowing Maggie to use her skills as a milner within the home. .
Maggie and James went on to have 11 children and by all accounts lived happily throughout their marriage. James's older brother Michael and Maggie's younger sister Katie lived with them for a period of time and Michael worked on the land with James for over 5 years before emigrating to America. They became known as the Heather Duffys by the local community due to a large tuft of heather growing by their home. Wild fuchsia grew by the entrance and they had pear, apple and golden egg fruit trees growing at the back of the house. Farming the land, they were completely self sufficient, they had horses, cattle, chickens, pigs and cut turf from a nearby bog to heat their home. Produce would have been traded at the nearby fair at Arvagh, just two and a half miles from the house. Water for the household and farm came from the Moyne well, which today Patrick Duffy, their grandchild, has pumped to his home which is located adjacent to the orginal family house. They would have enjoyed a very high standard of living for the time and their home was in the heart of activity in the community; with the national school, St Mary’s church at Colmcille, a tailor, blacksmith and a general shop called Smith's all in the local area. .
Sadly, James died young from injuries sustained while attempting to break up a fight. He was hit with one of the boards from the back of a carriage by two of the men involved in the fiight and never recovered. Maggie, broken hearted after James's death became ill, received treatment in Dublin but died shortly after James..
Following their deaths, their oldest child, Katie, then in her early twenties, raised her ten younger siblings, including Thomas and Farrell. The house which was on the main Longford road at the time, became known as the Ceili House, as nightly Ceili's were held in the home. People came from miles around to dance, play music and enjoy each other’s company. Three of James and Maggie's son's became Gardai,