Hi Sheena,
Sorry for the typo which addressed you as Sheen on my last post!
I'd like to ask you if I'm correct in assuming what you wrote about Michael came via your dad, Paul and grandfather, Patrick? I remember my dad mentioning Michael but can't recall what else, if anything he said about him. The same with Patrick really when I think about it, no details, just his name. But, Michael along with Thomas are both proving very elusive in terms of finding records of them other than the 1911 Census and Thomas's birth details which Roger shared with us. On the other hand, Jay, Maria, Patrick and John Joseph have proved relatively easy to discover various records about. I'll keep plodding on though.
Yes indeed, I like your description of my dad: well spoken, self-made, with no (obvious) accent. He did do remarkably well, especially considering his difficult childhood. He struggled all his life to better himself and sadly he struggled too much at times and, even sadder still, he sometimes struggled against both his ownself and his nearest and dearest too.
Following WWII, newly settled in Manchester, he transitioned from Army Pay Corps to the Civil Service. My first recollections were of him working at the Food Office where he seemed always intent on getting a transfer and/or promotion within the civil service structure. I recall one weekend in the early to mid 50's when we all went to view Aldermaston as a potential transfer location. Aldermaston was then an obscure, uncontroversial nowhere kind of place, the home of some government research establishment or other. I'm not sure what transpired, but we all remained in rainy old Manchester where at least there was a football team or two to cheer on.
Dad worked as a GPO telephone operator four or five evenings a week in addition to his day job. Once I started school, my Mum got a part-time job in a local rubber factory and a few years later she became a full-time GPO trained Telephonist attaining the position of Supervisor before her early retirement in about 1972. (I'd need to dig out old letters to be sure of the dates, tbh.)
Anyhow, back in 1957 they had both saved between them what was then a Prince's Ransom of £500 for the deposit on the house of their dreams. The family moved to Heald Green in 1958 and by then, John Joseph was working for The Lord Chancellor's Office as a Clerk of Court, but still looking out for that elusive promotion or internal transfer which never came. They were both in their element having a place of their own and Mum was beside herself at having a garden front and back.
Sadly, their shared dream didn't even last twenty years, and Mum died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1975 a couple of years after separating from Dad. She came to live around the corner from us in Cheadle Hulme. A few years later, John Joseph sold the family property and went to live in a retirement flat in Heald Green which was huge in relation to what passes for a retirement flat now, I can tell you. He took an early-ish retirement on full Civil Service Pension, supplemented by State Pension later on, so he was comfortable enough in his old age.
And, he did a fair bit of travelling as we all know and, why not? As far as I'm aware he was mostly in fairly good fettle although he did need to see a doctor when he was in the States. He was lucky he did because the medical profession over there was years ahead of here and after tests they diagnosed Haemachromotosis, now popularly known as the Irish Disease.
His GP back in Heald Green had never even heard of it and it is a pretty serious genetically transmitted disease, fatal if not treated. He had to regularly go into hospital for the rest of his life where they would drain his blood in order to thin out the excess iron. It was a factor in his death too, his skin having turned yellow a couple of weeks before he died.
At some point, Thomas and John Joseph made contact with each other and c1962/3 Bernard holidayed at Hawksford prior to going to Uni, then cousin Breege stayed with us for a month or so before heading off to the States never to be heard from again, at least by myself. I met Uncle Tom the once as he waited on my parent's doorstep to pick up Breege, and I never saw or heard from him again either.
My father did have further contact and he visited Ballaghaderreen a few times. I have some photos somewhere.
My youngest son, Liam went travelling about 15 years ago and came across Donagh, Sean and (yes, the very same) Breege - three of Uncle Tom's children living in Perth, Western Australia. In fact, Liam stayed with Donagh for about a month. During their various chats, Donagh said that Tom didn't let John Joseph know his father had died because he didn't know his home address, which I found odd because Uncle Jay and my father never lost contact, so did Uncle Tom not know Uncle Jay and Auntie Nellie's whereabouts either?
(Interestingly, I have come across an Obituary Notice for your Great Granddad online. It's in the Sligo Champion dated 23rd May 1953 and mentions only Thomas out of the six siblings. A Requiem was held at Ballaghaderreen Cathedral and he was buried at St. James's Cemetery, Carracastle.)
I even "chatted" smalltalk with Donagh once or twice on Facebook a few years ago, but the FB malarkey isn't really my cup of tea, I'm afraid. Moreover, my account was hacked so I speedily left FB and deleted all my contacts. I contacted Donagh via Twitter but it didn't seem to suit him.
The last Liam heard from Donagh was the day of his Uncle Bernard's funeral in Brum in December 2013. They had spoken previously about meeting up that month and, as Donagh was passing through London either coming or going from Oz or Ireland he text messaged Liam. Liam sent a text back saying Bernard was being buried that day but never got a reply.
Donagh did leave a voicemail message on my phone when Lily passed away in May 2016. My neice, Lara lives in Perth too and had told him but, unfortunately my service provider was unable to provide me with a number to return the call - for reasons beyond my ken, maybe a Giffgaff issue with Oz perhaps, I don't know.
Anyway, I'll close for now Sheena, give my best wishes to your dad, Paul. I'll keep beavering away and see what else I can find out about my seemingly elusive uncles, Michael and Thomas McDonagh. I like a good mystery and this is proving to be some puzzle to be sure. Michael is a complete enigma, it's as if he vanished off the face of the earth.
Sorry, I lost contact with cousin Eddie around about the time my dad died, so I have no up-to-date information on Maria's family, the Gallaghers in New York City I'm afraid.
Kind regards,
John
