Walshes in Newport


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Walshes in Newport

In April 2006 Joseph James McLaughlin emailed to say that the Walshes of Newport are part of his family. His grandmother was Catherine Walsh. She had several brothers.

Stephen Walsh and Family

Catherine's brother Stephen was born in Galway moved to Mayo with the family after home was set to the tourch, married and had three children: Packie, Bride and Mai. Packie lived at Glynsk and never married. Glynsk was where the family moved to from Galway. Bride married to one of the Morrison and had children (No Names). Mai married Thomas O'Malley of Carrowkennedy. They never had children.

Michael Walsh and Family

Michael was born in Galway and grew up in Glynsk. He emigrated to Scotland and worked for the railway in Glasgow, He had one daughter called Margaret. Margaret was a teacher in a Catholic school in Glasgow, never had any children

Patrick Walsh and Family

Patrick born in Galway grew up in Glynsk tending the sheep, went into Westport to sell off the four sheep he owned to buy passage to America, But was asked by Mr. Martin Carey to come and work as a hireling for him, and Patrick asked my Great Grandfather, Stephen, and his father agreed Patrick would get 2/6p per week, but the year was 1903. As time when on Patrick spooning with the under cook and where to ask permission from the Master, that was what Martin Carey was known as. You see Martin Carey was the Largest Business in the West of Ireland at that time owning Builder Saw Mills Flax Mills Railways Quays and many other Business and Property's. Martin made Patrick the shop manager and a year later told Bride to tell Patrick to come and see him ten minuets before four O'clock and tea will be for four people at four. So Bride went and told Patrick he had to meet with the Master at ten minuets before four O'clock. So Patrick was on time and knocked on the Office door when Bride open the door to the sitting room and told Patrick to come in. Bride left to get the Tea from the Kitchen downstairs. And Martins said: "Patrick you will be the Manager of all the Business from now on not just the shop, and don't you think it's time you and Bride got married?" Patrick answered: "Well Mr. Carey we have talked of getting married but we need to save for a home, and Bride would have to give up work". At that time married woman did not work outside the home. We all know that ladies work far harder than any man including myself, this is a fact of life. Bride returned with a tray of sandwiches and cream cakes, and then collected the tea and boiling water setting up on a table, turned and bowed to Martin and went to leave the room when Martin said: "Bride would you come over here and pour the tea for Patrick and yourself will have tea with me, Please sit down. Patrick has some thing to ask of you", looking at Patrick. Patrick looked at Bride and said: "Bride will you be my wife?" And her answer was: "Yes that I will". At this Martin said: "Well now that is agreed the sooner the better this week" and bride said: "But Master we have to make arrangements". Martin said: "Bride don't worry your sister will be here for the wedding". You see Bride and her sister where orphans living in a convent up in West Meath, where Bride was trained as a cook, and her younger sister was finishing school. Two days later thy where married and weyn to live in the Quay House in Newport. where Patrick ran all the Carey Business from until Martin moved to his Late wife's niece to live. He still came to the store and was active and training Patrick to manage the different Businesses. He had no children and thought of Patrick as a Son, He was not lucky enough to have, so when he died Patrick was left everything. Bride had two daughters and a son named Patrick Joseph (PJ). His daughter where Mary (known as Mai) and Bride. Neither daughter ever married or had children and PJ died from a kick in the leg while playing football when he was just eleven.

(In August 2013 Dympna Joyce wrote:

Mary Ellen Lavelle was a niece of Julia Lavelle who was Martin Carey's wife, when she died Mary Ellen looked after Martin.

Mary Ellen was also a niece of my GGF, John Lavelle, an auctioneer in Westport. When Martin Carey passed there was a lot of trouble about the will, as his relatives came home from abroad to contest, saying Mr Carey was not of sound mind when he made it, and was "influenced by " Ms Lavelle!!!

I had heard that Martin Carey was influential in bring the couple together, and that the two sisters died penniless in spite of their inheritance.

In Loving Memory Of
John and Bridget (nee McGreal) Lavelle
and their Family

Birth: 1840 Death: 1907 Westport County Mayo, Ireland

Mary 1866-1867 Pat 1866-1891 Dominic 1869 (USA) John 1871-1872 John 1875 (USA) Thomas 1877 (USA) Michael 1882-1884 Peter 1882 (USA)

Catherine 1885-1923 Married Matthew Beckett Margaret 1872 married John O Malley

Excerpt from Obituary: .....News of the sad event of the death cast a gloom over the neighbourhood and all business establishments of the town were promptly shuttered when it became know....Mr Lavelle was a prominent figure in our local public and social affairs.....he was for many years a member of the Town Board. In politics he was an advanced Nationalist......took an active part in the Land League adressing meetings in West Mayo. He belonged to an old and respected Western family whose best know member was the celebrated orator, writer and patriot, - the late Father Patrick Lavelle of Cong..... Deceased was married to a sister of the late Rev John Mc Greal PP, who with four sons (now in the United States) and two daughters now survive him............ The geniel and kindly presence of John Lavelle will be sorely missed from social gatherings.......... At 1 o'clock the funeral started for the family burial place in Kilmeena and was one of the larges seen in the neighbourhood for many years.... Chief Mourners were Mrs Lavelle (widow), Misses M & K Lavelle (daughters), Miss Mary E Lavelle, Newport (niece), Mr Patrick McGreal (brother in law) and Mrs Keating and Misses McGreal(Octogan) Sisters in Law..." (above is part of an Obituary"

Family links: Spouse: Bridget McGreal Lavelle (1846 - 1921)

Children: Dominick Lavelle (1868 - 1911)* Thomas Lavelle (1877 - 1946)* Katie Lavelle Beckett (1885 - 1923)* *Calculated relationship

Burial: Old Kilmeena Cemetery Kilmeena County Mayo, Ireland

Created by: Dympna Beckett Joyce Record added: Apr 09, 2012 Find A Grave Memorial# 88255622)

Birth: 1828 Death: Dec. 28, 1880 Kilmeena County Mayo, Ireland

In Loving Memory Of Peter Lavelle Husband of Ellen Father of Annie and Mary Ellen Died December 28th 1880 aged 52 Years

Family links: Spouse: Ellen Lavelle (1833 - 1879)* Children: Mary Ellen Lavelle* Annie Lavelle (1867 - 1880)* *Calculated relationship

Burial: Old Kilmeena Cemetery Kilmeena County Mayo, Ireland

Created by: Dympna Beckett Joyce Record added: Oct 31, 2010 Find A Grave Memorial# 60918223

John Walsh

John the youngest son borne in Galway grew up in Glynsk looking after the sheep like the rest of the Family. He finished school, and John went to America with my Grandfather, Michael Gannon, son of Thomas Gannon of Westport and the grandfather of the late Princess, Grace Kelly. Where Kelly founded the Kelly Construction. John worked on the building along with my grandfather and Kelly. This was too much like hard work for my Grandfather so he asked his Father for some Money and started a News stand on Wall St selling papers. As the two John where working on the building they both went up town to visit Michael, my Grandfather, to find the stall close and the Paper not being sold so John Walsh started selling. John Kelly when to the lodging and got Michael out of bed and when he when to get back Kelly threw the Jug of ice cold water over him.

John stopped working on the building and took over the stand from my Grandfather, Michael, as he returned back to Mayo to marry John's sister, Catherine, my Grandmother. John went from selling news papers to building a brokerage firm on Wall Street and became a Millionaire. But sold everything and caught a liner to come home to Ireland. Just as it was pulling into Liverpool the news broke of the Wall St. crash John had a lot nothing and returned to Mayo after visiting friends in England and His older brother in Scotland. On arrival in Mayo people Knew he had come home from America and took it he had lost everything, So John worked as Barman in Carey's Store until it closed in the 1960, then he worked in a Bar in Newport. John died in 1964 never having any children.

Catherine Gannon Nee Walsh

Now there is Just the most wonderful Lady in the world My Grandmother, Catherine, believe me she was hard working and would put men to shame working the land tending stock and cutting the turf. But there again she had to be good to make up for Granddad, he was great a telling and explaining how a job should be done, But even as a child I can never remember him actually going any work, He believed he was a Gentleman Farmer and dressed in handmade suits with watch and chain, But I was wrong Granddad did clean all the shoes for Mass on Sunday for the household. They had Two sons My Uncles and four Daughters My aunties and Lived in a small house made of dry stone wall and thatch until the fifties when they Built a New house at Carowkennedy overlooking Crough Patrick the Family grew up there and went their different ways My grand parent had thirteen grandchildren including myself.

Joseph James McLaughlin Esq

Michael Gannon

My Granddad was Michael Gannon, The only son of Thomas and Bridget Gannon, of Carrowkennedy and Westport, Thomas had a shop in Westport where My grandfathers sister worked, It seemed that all the ladys of the Family worked hard, and as in these time the only son was left everything, As you will have seen I do not agree with this, And it is good that this practice has stopped but in saying this my grandparent never had much.

But where very good to all the Grandchildern, Even thought we would take the mick, i.e. While hay making in the field around the house one summer, My Grandfather Micheal came out to see we where doing it right, My Gran said to me, "Jimmy spring the straddle the other way", And as granddad come over he roared, "Jimmy you should know how to spring a straddle by now", So I turned and asked him to show me, as my gran roared with laughter and fell over, granda just said, "whats up with you woman". Only at that did he realize the joke was on him. So this was life

The New house at Carrowkennedy was built in the 1950 before that the old house was just a dry stone wall house with a thatched roof, beside the cow shed's as you may know the land in that part of Mayo is very poor as under the soil there is only rock, and we even in the new house had no Bathroom or toilet, or running water, The water had to be brought up from the steam at the bottom of the boreen (The Drive) and the cows would graze out the Leenon road so it is strange to think, how they lived,

But they were the same as most of the people that lived in Mayo at that time, My Uncle Micheal worked bracking stone for the road, and then come to England to work in the sugar beet field of Norfolk, for several years, Until he got consumption and died at the age of 33. He now rests in Coushlaugh churchyard along with My grandparents on the right in front of the church, Mary-Bridget was next she worked in the Mill at the Quay in Westport until she also come over to England to live with her sister Sarah (My Mother) where she met and Married Jim McLaughlin my dads twin brother they had one son Jimmy. Kathleen was the third she also come over to England to my parents and met her husband Bill and they moved to London and had three children Catherine, David and Liam,

My mother was Sarah and she was brought up in Glynsk by my Great Grandfather Stephen until she come to England with Ann Reiley from out the road, My mother worked for a family called Snell in Kent as a house maid, and then during the war worked as a nurse until she married my Father, and our Family consists of my elder sister Patricia Anna, Myself, and the twins Kathleen and Maureen.

Then there was Ann the fourth daughter Ann also come to England and married Keven and there Family was Kiristine and Keven. Tommy was the youngest son and for a change he stayed at home and worked for a few years and than come to Scotland and married Margaret, there Family consisted of Margaret, Kathleen, and Micheal.

Joseph James McLaughlin Esq, May 2006


Glynsk, Newport

Maggie leaving Westport and walking south towards Leenon past Knappa on your left and on to the crossroads at Liscarney, If you turn left at the crossroads to-wards Drummon just walk a short distance and on the right there is a Bungalow opposite is a borreen. This is Glynsk if you go to the bottom there is a stone thatched cottage. This is where the Walsh Family where brought up including my mother,

It could have got the Name Glynsk from Stephen my Great grandfather as the Walsh Family came from Galway near a place called Glynsk,

Coming to Mayo

According to My Uncle John they had to leave Galway and he said he seen the Old house burning as the Family walked North into Mayo,

John also remember that the family where at that time very poor and can remember eating Dandy Lions from the roadside,

More on Patrick Walsh

This was born out by John's brother Patrick when I questioned Patrick about the Large amount of Outstanding credit given to the Customers of Carey's. Patrick told me not to worry about it you cannot sell goods to people if they have no money to pay for them. But you neither can watch these same people starve either,

This dept was never paid back but It is good to know these Family's have Prospered to-day if Patrick was alive He would smile and know He done the right thing after all you cant take it with you.

Joseph James McLaughlin Esq, April 12, 2006


Newport in County Mayo on the shores of Clew Bay.


Newport Walshes

In Newport County Mayo there where three Familys of Walshes, one was My Family as you know.

There was the Family of Dr Joseph Walsh. He was the Arch-Bishop of Taum for many years and a great Gentleman that I had the pleasure to Call a friend.

The other is Mr. John Walsh and he has a shoe shop in Main Street and it has been there as long as I can remember

Joseph James McLaughlin Esq, June, 2006


Possible Ancestors and the Godparents of the Children of John Walsh
John Walsh

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