Gallagher in Doocastle, Mayo
I am looking for family connections to Thomas Gallagher (1835/7 - 1930). Thomas was born in Doocastle on the 12th December of either 1835, 36 or 37. I obtain 1835 from his date of death, 1836 from a diary of his granddaughter and 1837 from a primary document when he joined the London Metropolitan police in 1865'
According to this police document his parents were John and Agnes. There are a number of Gallagher households in Griffiths Valuation in the district of Kilturra dating 1856, including John Gallagher and John Gallagher Junior.
Thomas had a much younger brother John who was born in 1853 (give or take a year) who later also joined him in the Metropolitan Police in London from the early 1870's and settled in London.
There is also a sister Mary whom was born in 1844.
Assuming that Thomas may have been the first born and John the last it is possible that their father John was still alive in 1856 and is one of the two John's in the Griffith's Valuation. Perhaps it would even be possible for him to be John junior and his father the other John (though that is a bit of an assumptive stretch!)
After his wife died in England in 1900 - Thomas returned to Doocastle. He is in the English 1901 Census and the Irish 1911 census. His youngest son was born in England in 1888 so I assume that Thomas may have moved to Ireland at the earliest in 1904 and before the census of 1911. He had a police pension and i guess that stretched further in Doocastle than it did in London , notwithstanding a desire to return to his homeland
He brought with him another son (Peter) who had been born in London in 1885. Both of them and a niece Bridget Cawley appear on the 1911 census.
Peter dies in 1923 (there is a death certificate) and Thomas in 1930 (still cared for by his niece Bridget Cawley) - both at Doocastle Cottage.
Bridget was one of the daughter's of Thomas's sister Mary Gallagher who married John Cawley but i will go into that on another post or it will get too complicated!
What I would love to try and do is match up Thomas to his parents and other siblings (it is surely likely there would be some - as we have for certain Thomas 1835, Mary 1844 and John 1853- so gaps are there to be potentially filled!)
On the 'find my past site' someone has given his mother's (Agnes) maiden name as Kelly but I have not had a response from them and have not found any evidence over the years to give that any support.... so i raise it, but it could be a red herring or a wild goose!!
Thomas lived in Doocastle Cottage according to the address of letters sent to him by his youngest son.
I had the pleasure and good fortune to visit Doocastle back in 2007 and a lot of folk there treated me superbly and even took me to what they believed was the cottage! It was a whirlwind long weekend. I was fortunate to meet a Father Gallagher (no direct relation) whom I believe at the time may have been 100 or so. He told me a story of recalling his grandfather and Thomas walking back from Doocastle Post Office after collecting their pensions. He said they were both as deaf as posts and shouting at each other.
How lucky I was to meet a man who'd seen a man born in 1835!
With digitalisation and a little bit more time finally I am picking up the pieces again!
I also spoke to Mr Coen at the time of my visit but we could not find any burial records. Letters suggest that both Peter and Thomas were buried but Peter without a headstone and Thomas in the plot with his parents. I did not find any sight of them in the cemetery but it was all a bit of a whirlwind.
So there you have it ! If anyone has any ideas of knowledge then I am very grateful. It is still quite something for me to deal with place names/ parishes , townlands and the fact that the religious parish straddles Mayo and Sligo so i think Tobercurry might come into the mix.
I do hope I have managed to get this to the Mayo board!
I will post another mail at some point in regards what I know of Mary Gallagher (1844 -1922) I believe marrying John Cawley and their 8 children of whom at least 7 I believe were daughters
Many many thanks to you all and of course if I have got it wrong in terms of placing Doocastle in Kilturra district , or anything else, please do put me right!
Oh one more scrap is that Thomas may have served 3 years in the RIC before he joined the Metropolitan Police. He was relatively tall (at least in London terms) and I guess that experience would have counted in his favour when he was given the tough and infamous Whitechapel beat!