Any historical stories in your family?

Itssoeasy

maximoose wrote: »

Jim Irwin indeed

That's a class family story to have. Did you meet him ?

The only one I have is my great great grandfather is the man after which paddy whiskey is named after.

maximoose

Never met him no, died not long after I came around.

I remember there was a framed photo hanging in my Granny's house that I was told was an original from the negatives taken on the surface. Don't know how true that was, think there was some message written on it too. Pretty cool.

Have a huge amount of family on that side of the tree in the states that I've never met - including Kurt Cobain (quite distantly)

EDIT: after trying to remember the exact connection myself I had to ask my Ma to clarify
"Mum, what was James Irwin to granny again?"
"Second-cousin"
"Why did you always say he was my great-uncle then?"
"Ah you know what I mean"

So a bit further out, but I'll still take it :pac:

Kimbot

Padraig Pearce's sister was my Grandmothers godmother. She made a christening gown for her and its still in the family. Even now we have all been christened in that gown.

DanMurphy

Katie Nutty Diagram wrote: »

My great grandfather on my fathers side fought on the Somme, and my great grandfather on my mothers was a medical orderly in France & Belgium.

I served in a United Nations battalion which was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. We weren't individually awarded a special medal for it, but anyone who has served overseas since has been awarded both the mission medal and the 'Peace Keepers' medal (a bit silly really).

I think that's about it. I don't recall anything special from my parents, uncles, aunts etc.

Oh, I have a photo of my great grandfather in uniform ~ I love it and often thing that he'd have never known that he'd have a great grandson who followed him into military service.. I also gave him a lot of thought this week (being the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the battle of the Somme).

Far as I recall that Nobel Prize was awarded to all peacekeepers, prior to, and including, those serving with the UN at the time,(including my good self) There was consternation in Irish Government circles with one FF TD saying something like...'I'll not be party to presenting a medal with two naked men on it to anyone.'
So a compromise was reached, in good old Irish fashion, and they minted the medal first proposed in 1961, but not passed by Dail Eireann.
The rest is history, as they say.
Recently I saw an article published in a well read Irish Magazine listing past Irish Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Guess what...no mention at all of us Peacekeepers in 1988.
I remember this was a big deal in other participating countries at that time, especially Norway, with their UN Veterans given free health service for life, among other rewards.

castletownman

My grand-aunt was a nurse serving in a POW camp in England during WW2. She fell in love with a German soldier over there, and they married and eventually settled in Newfoundland. I have vague memories of my grand-uncle as a proud, but imposing old man, who could still do fifty press-ups well into old age.

Liam Mellows' granny was also my great great aunt.

IvyTheTerrible

In my husband's family (French), his maternal grandfather spent WW2 in a POW camp in Germany after getting captured during the invasion (and we think he may have had an affair with a German woman on whose farm he worked - his daughter found some photos of a good lucking woman in his belongings after he died with a very .... affectionate message written to him in broken French). My husband's great-grandfather was shot by the Maquis as a collaborator after the defeat of the Germans - he wasn't but it was an excuse to settle a personal score between himself and another man in the village.

IvyTheTerrible

My granny used to often talk about her granddad or great granddad who was part of a brass band that marched on the frozen Boyne river while playing. My mum always laughed and said it was a tall tale, until she heard something about it on the radio on day.

Lollipops23

Fantastic thread, so fascinating!

My own nana was basically Homeland Security during WW2- she was a young woman, about 24-25 when the war ended and still living at home in Ringsend.

When the Dublin bombings happened in the dead of night- did my nana sprint into action? F*ck no, the lazy article slept through the whole thing!! Until her dying day (aged 91!!) she insisted she was the only one who did what they were told to do in the event of an emergency (stay put) and that clearly she was a hero. My uncle still has her uniform- she used to let us play dress up in it as kids!!

PMBC

Lollipops23 wrote: »

Fantastic thread, so fascinating!

My own nana was basically Homeland Security during WW2- she was a young woman, about 24-25 when the war ended and still living at home in Ringsend.

When the Dublin bombings happened in the dead of night- did my nana sprint into action? F*ck no, the lazy article slept through the whole thing!! Until her dying day (aged 91!!) she insisted she was the only one who did what they were told to do in the event of an emergency (stay put) and that clearly she was a hero. My uncle still has her uniform- she used to let us play dress up in it as kids!!

Apropos lazy article, I was involved in snow clearance in the early 1980s at the time of the massive snow clearance. Myself and my colleague called, on the first day, to the house of the local Civil Defence guy. He took one look at the snow and ice outside and said 'I'm not going out in that. Its too dangerous'!! Names withheld to protect the innocent.

Joeface

Good Reads

Grandmother was arrested along with Nan Hogan of Clare fame trying to break Anti Treat members out of limerick jail and sent to Kilmainham jail , Started a hunger strike up there . Still have letters she wrote between some of the woman arrested with her.

Grandfathers story is similar vain , actually met during the independence war , story goes he dragged off a bike to keep her from getting caught up in an ambush . It's in one of the witness statements as part of story...Nice find.

unfortunately never got to meet either of them

uch

My Granda was in the war of Independence, the civil war, the Spanish civil war and WW11, was taken out of the water after 6 hours in Dunkirk, more or less a professional Soilder, there's a book written about him

Teyla Emmagan

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

My mother can trace her family back to the Siege of Limerick in 1691.

My great grandfather went to college wtih James Joyce. Here's the graduation photo. Joyce is in the second row, standing, on the left of the tree and my great grandad is on the far side of the trunk to him.

http://www.ucd.ie/joyceresearchcentre/

My great granddad's was also the first voice heard on Irish Radio - with the words 'this is Dublin calling' when 2RN launched. He was an interesting man and a great collector of Irish songs - he went to the States to record the songs and stories of Irish Emmigrants back in the 1920s.

It would be interesting to discover whether Joyce was in any way friendly with your great grandfather, or whether there's some reference to him as one of Stephen Dedalus's (James Joyce's) friends in the end of A Portrait or in Ulysses.

Although the day of Bloomsday takes place when Joyce has already graduated from UCD, Joyce was preoccupied with music, so I'm sure he had plenty to discuss with your ancestor.

There are literally thousands of Dubliners referred to in Ulysses, some are only given a mention by their real names, and others are obscured only by paper-thin pseudonyms, so it may be worth exploring.

Sapphire

I was reading this thinking I had boring ancestors then I remembered that:

I'm directly descended from one of the High Kings of Ireland. (like most of you on this thread I'm sure!) I'm also descended from a famous pirate and have assorted relations who fought in the Boers war, both World Wars, and the Malaysian Emergency.

I have a cousin who works as a government spy - though I wont say for which country! And another person related to me through marriage, their grandmother was an active member of the Resistance in France and has quite a few cool stories of nearly getting caught.

I once went out with someone who was related to Hitler. Didn't like to talk about it as you can imagine.

A few, actually -

My great (great?) grandmother went to America in or around 1911 as a young girl. She kept a diary and it was fascinating to read her accounts of seeing things like a motorcar for the first time and the moving pictures. Also she sailed back on the Lusitania.

My great (great?) granduncle fought as part of the British army during the Boer war. He kept a diary and it's interesting to see warfare during that period.

My grandmother's parents (so my great grandparents - I know that one) took a fugitive that was on the run from the black and tans into their home. There was one day that this fellow was babysitting my granny (she was around 4 or 5, I believe) while her parents were out at a town fair. He got word that the Black and Tans were coming to the fair to apprehend people and he needed to go to warn them, so my granny vividly remembers his picking her up and throwing her on to his shoulder, and sprinting to the fair.

My great (great?) grandaunt was actually a telegrapher that was working in the GPO on the day of the Rising. Later in a letter she sent home, she recounted how they heard glass smashing on the street (they were on the first floor) - they ran to the window to see what was happening and saw the rebels storming the building. They then made their way into their office, told the women to get their jackets and then go home. She commented about how polite and apologetic they all were, even referencing the lovely Mr. Pearse.

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can remember right now.

metaoblivia

Speedwell wrote: »

I'd love to hear more stories about mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers. Maybe the stories are not so dramatic, but are just as interesting.

My great grandmother was once the female boxing champion of the state of Kansas. She also played on a women's basketball team in the 1910s and into the 1920s, even after she had kids. My grandma would tell us about going to her games and watching my great grandpa rub out her charley horses.

Once, my great grandpa - who was several inches shorter than her - hit her (was never told why, just that that's how men disciplined their wives back then) and she hit him back and laid him out. He didn't try that again!

arybvtcw0eolkf

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

My Grandad's brother was serving in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers when the Easter Rising kicked off.

He wrote to my Great Grandmother about it and by all accounts it was a pretty horrific couple of days - the Shinnners, as he called them were shooting anything that moved - man, woman or child!

He also had 'the pleasure of burying the rebel leaders Pearse and Connolly' after their executions by throwing them in a shallow pit and covering them in lime.

The letter is the only written record in existence of the burying of any of the leaders. (However, when I was researching it further, it turns out he could have been making it all up!)

He died in France the following year while serving in WW1.

I'm fairly certain that the Sherwood Foresters where given the job of executing and burying the leaders in revenge for Mount Street Bridge.

arybvtcw0eolkf

DanMurphy wrote: »

Far as I recall that Nobel Prize was awarded to all peacekeepers, prior to, and including, those serving with the UN at the time,(including my good self) There was consternation in Irish Government circles with one FF TD saying something like...'I'll not be party to presenting a medal with two naked men on it to anyone.'
So a compromise was reached, in good old Irish fashion, and they minted the medal first proposed in 1961, but not passed by Dail Eireann.
The rest is history, as they say.
Recently I saw an article published in a well read Irish Magazine listing past Irish Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Guess what...no mention at all of us Peacekeepers in 1988.
I remember this was a big deal in other participating countries at that time, especially Norway, with their UN Veterans given free health service for life, among other rewards.

Where you with the 63rd or 64th battalion?.

I thought the whole Peace Keepers medal was rather silly tbh.

Andy-Pandy

My mum grew up in a chipper and told me with great confidence that my uncle invented the battered sausage. I like to think it's true and have told many people after a few pints.

My dad was in the army and used to guide in missiles strikes before the days of Lazer guidance. He was special forces and from the little bits I've gleamed from him over the years, was a very active and skilled solder .

storker

My great grandfather was skipper of a fishing schooner off Kinsale when the Lusitania was torpedoed, his vessel helped rescue survivors, and he was presented with a commemorative book as a thank-you. This can still be seen in the Arklow Maritime Museum today.

In another submarine-related story my great-uncle by marriage was killed when his freighter was torpedoed during an attack on an Atlantic convoy in 1940. The sinking was carried out by KapitanLeutnant Otto Kretschmer, commander of U-99 and one of Germany's highest-scoring U-boat aces. My great-aunt subsequently moved to Dublin and became friends with a younger women who eventually became my wife. So I guess I have a torpedo to thank for that.

No wonder I find submarines so interesting...

Oh, and my great-grandfather brought home some of the Lusitania's deckchairs that had been taken from the water. They stayed in his shed until (gulp!)...they were broken up for firewood during WW2. :eek:

DanMurphy

Katie Nutty Diagram wrote: »

Where you with the 63rd or 64th battalion?.

I thought the whole Peace Keepers medal was rather silly tbh.

The first I heard of that medal (or even the fact that we had been awarded the Nobel Prize was when I arrived in Lebanon with the 66th Inf Bn. The 65th lads going home had little cards that bore their name, rank & Army number with 'Nobel Peace Prize Winner' on their flight bags.
I was presented with my medal while on checkpoint duty a few months later, on Ash Wednesday (much to the amusement and bewilderment of the locals) just after the chaplain had plastered ashes onto our foreheads on the roadside!
I agree the whole thing was a f##k-up, but it was a big deal everywhere except Ireland.

Lollipops23

Remembered another one- my step father's father was born in Limerick in 1910. When he was a little boy the Black and Tans were running the area and were chatting to the local kids. They asked my step grandad to sing them a song...and 5 year old Bill sang them The Boys of The Old IRA
They saw the funny side and have him a penny whistle!

arybvtcw0eolkf

DanMurphy wrote: »

The first I heard of that medal (or even the fact that we had been awarded the Nobel Prize was when I arrived in Lebanon with the 66th Inf Bn. The 65th lads going home had little cards that bore their name, rank & Army number with 'Nobel Peace Prize Winner' on their flight bags.
I was presented with my medal while on checkpoint duty a few months later, on Ash Wednesday (much to the amusement and bewilderment of the locals) just after the chaplain had plastered ashes onto our foreheads on the roadside!
I agree the whole thing was a f##k-up, but it was a big deal everywhere except Ireland.

65th lol, and it was during the summer trip of the 63rd when we got the Nobel Prize for peace.. Tbh I hold no value in the Peace Keepers medal, means nothing to me.

So anyway, I'll lay claim to be a Nobel Peace prize winner in this thread ~ maybe my great grandchildren will talk about it in 100 years time :P

Galwayguy35

My gran died in 1977 aged 101, she knew many people who lived during the famine including obviously her own parents.
She told many stories to my mother but unfortunately much of the information has been lost.

On the other side of the family they were helping the old IRA during the War of Independence, the Tans came and asked my great grand uncle for a rope and then took his son and tied him to the back of the truck and dragged him along the road until he was dead.

My uncle was a soldier in the D Day landing in Normandy as well, he came home safely but many he knew weren't so lucky.

DanMurphy

Katie Nutty Diagram wrote: »

65th lol, and it was during the summer trip of the 63rd when we got the Nobel Prize for peace.. Tbh I hold no value in the Peace Keepers medal, means nothing to me.

So anyway, I'll lay claim to be a Nobel Peace prize winner in this thread ~ maybe my great grandchildren will talk about it in 100 years time :P

I also served with the 43rd and 52nd Inf Bns. lol.

Aineoil

I love this thread, so much undocumented history unfolding.

My husband had a relative that was called the "Queen of Alaska". Her story is a long one so I won't bore you all to tears with it.

Short story is she emigrated to America from Galway and worked as a housekeeper. Then she got a job as a maid for a Mrs Healy. Mr Healy had a trading post in Dyea in the Yukon. So they moved there.

She ended up marrying a Kilkenny man who was a millionaire (from his gold mining).

Here's a link to the full story.

http://www.skagwaystories.org/2012/02/09/queen-of-alaska/

arybvtcw0eolkf

DanMurphy wrote: »

I also served with the 43rd and 52nd Inf Bns. lol.

I'm only a red arse so :P

DanMurphy

Katie Nutty Diagram wrote: »

I'm only a red arse so :P

Didn't mean to insinuate any such thing.

Calibos

My granny and grand aunt were chatting one day and asked my mother if she wanted to know who killed Michael Collins. Before she could answer there was a knock at the door and by the time the caller was dealt with my granny and grand aunt thought better off divulging the information.

"Feck off!! Sure everyone and their granny (pun intended) has a story about knowing who killed Michael Collins!!"

Yeah, but not everyones grand aunt was married to Joe McGrath Jnr, the son of Joe Mcgrath Snr of Collins' Director of Intelligence and Irish Sweepstakes fame.

gitane007

Late great grand Uncle was with the Paratroopers and was at Arnhem, there was a sliver comb my granny often talked about , apparently he got it at Mussolini and his wife's lynching. His canteen and blanket (itchy green thing) were things i used to love playing with in the house for years, little did i know eh. He never talked much about anything until he was a bit all over the place on his death bed, it all came out of him then so i am told , including all the fear and other emotions. Poor man. RIP.

dilallio

My great-grandfather Thomas Higgins holds the unfortunate record of serving the shortest time as an elected member of the British Parliament.
Thomas was a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party which campaigned for Home Rule and Land Reform and was put forward as the IPP candidate in the 1906 election, which was held on 25th January.
Thomas who contracted pleurisy during the campaign, died that night of a heart-attack (1:30am on the 26th).
When the votes were counted on the 26th, he topped the poll, and was posthumously declared elected by the county sheriff, the returning officer.

prinzeugen

Lia_lia wrote: »

My (English) granny was in the Women's Royal Naval Service during World War 2. She was a wireless telegraphist and had to decrypt codes. What she did was kept a secret till the early 90's. She has lots of medals. I really must ask her more about it.

My aunt got the Imperial Service Medal last year for 35 years in the UK civil service, most of it in the Navy. Lots of stories she would love to tell us especially from the 80's but can't as it is still classified.

I am sure she has a few more medals hidden away like your gran!

Pac1Man

My Great Grandfather served in World War 2, was imprisoned upon his return (for political reasons), escaped from prison and was never caught again. He certainly lived a life.

Two Great Great Uncles also died in World War 1.

prinzeugen

I found out more about my grandad and his escape from the POW camp.

Basically working as a boilersmith at HM Rosyth. War breaks out in 1939. Gets drafted into army (even although he fixed battleships).

Captured during the fall of France and ended up in a camp in a part of Germany that is now Poland.

End of 1943, two of them escape and get to Sweden.

Back in UK for 1944. I remember my grandad being bitter about his time in the army and know why now.

On his return (with the Iron Cross he "Acquired"), he was not allowed to contact any family for two weeks while he was interrogated about how he escaped, and how he got to Sweden. He said it was worse than an integration by the Germans.

They though he had turned sides and was let go to come back and spy.

Every hour had to be accounted for, who helped them, etc.

He wanted to rejoin his regiment but was given a desk job. Argued that he was in a reserved occupation and got back to the dockyard and worked there till he retired.

When he died my gran gave what money he had to the British Red Cross. When questioned about it the reply was " the only reason you exist is because of the help the red cross gave your dad (or grandad for me) in that camp".....

Jimbob1977

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Sounds like a very interesting story.

You should research him, if you have his name/ the time

This is an database of all the Irish-regimented soldiers that were killed in WW1
http://imr.inflandersfields.be/search.html

Use the online census for 1901/1911 to help find his name via your grandparents census return, if you don't already know his name. It's available online for free, too

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

So many interesting stories out there waiting to be found. There is a huge amount of information available online, free.

If you find your grand uncle's details via that first link, you should be able to find the location of his grave, and a picture of his gravestone easily enough.

Hi!

I was able to find my grand-uncle, thanks to that Search Engine you referenced.

Timothy McCarthy of Dunmanway, Co. Cork

Died 12 December 1917 at the Battle of Cambrai

Royal Irish Regiment, 7th Battalion

Timothy was located in a British trench when a German shell struck his position. He was immolated, along with 200 comrades. There were no human remains to speak of.

My family in West Cork received his blood-splattered Bible........

His brothers didn't speak much about his death because they were active in the IRA. It must have hurt them, though. Stiff upper lip.

Timothy probably thought that he was furthering the cause of Irish independence or Home Rule by fighting for Britain.

He ended up slaughtered in a freezing French field.

Lady is a tramp

No story here really, just a picture of my son and his great-grandad, they are freakishly alike! I never met my grandad, but it's amazing to see him in my little boy.

s15r330

I've a great great uncle who was in WW1, he kept a diary throughout, supposed to be the best account of day to day life from the point of view of an average soldier.
It was turned into a book called "Diary of an old contemptible".

archer22

My Grandad was in the Black and Tans..was always on about pulling peoples fingernails out with a pliers, shooting prisoners and burning down houses.
Said that year in Ireland was the happiest time of his life "the good old days" he used to call it.

jimbis

My great uncle founded Shelbourne football club. My uncle later played for them. And all 3 of us share the same name.

arybvtcw0eolkf

jimbis wrote: »

My great uncle founded Shelbourne football club. My uncle later played for them. And all 3 of us share the same name.

Not a relation, but you reminded me of a friend whose grandfather was one of the founders of Dunlop tyres ~ he sold his share for money to buy a race horse, the thing fell on its first race and had to be shot

Spanish Eyes

Lady is a tramp wrote: »

No story here really, just a picture of my son and his great-grandad, they are freakishly alike! I never met my grandad, but it's amazing to see him in my little boy.

Those are some pictures to have, and the resemblance is just amazing!

Bet great grandad didn't have blueberries and bananas to snack on just the same......Times were different then, although many survived to a ripe old age anyway!

You have a lovely little boy. Bless him.

steddyeddy

My uncle organised the first civil rights march in the north (in my auntie's kitchen).

Spanish Eyes

jimbis wrote: »

My great uncle founded Shelbourne football club. My uncle later played for them. And all 3 of us share the same name.

Was his name Rowan by any chance?

jimbis

Katie Nutty Diagram wrote: »

Not a relation, but you reminded me of a friend whose grandfather was one of the founders of Dunlop tyres ~ he sold his share for money to buy a race horse, the thing fell on its first race and had to be shot

And I'm in the tyre business myself :eek:

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Was his name Rowan by any chance?

It was indeed.

RayM

My great-grandfather and his four brothers all fought in World War 1 - and survived. And then my grandad and five of his brothers fought in World War 2 - and also survived.

lazybones32

While researching the family tree we found out that the ancestor who moved our name to this County was a serious gambler and had lost the farm. That's why he moved here.
My mothers granduncle was on the Titanic and was rescued when a woman in a lifeboat told him to jump in because 'you're someones son' (or something to that effect) while the ship was still horizontal. The same man was killed in WWI by a grenade. We have a few relatives buried in Northern France.
An RIC officer was killed outside the local Church and the gunman fled through my granddads' house. That evening, a few drunken RIC men decided on revenge and started shooting at the house. A bullet was lodged in the stairs until the house was renovated recently.
My gran was engaged to a young man who was killed when the RMS Hood was sunk by the Bismarck. She used carry a dog in the basket of her bike as protection from GI's, who were a bit grabby...

Spanish Eyes

jimbis wrote: »

And I'm in the tyre business myself :eek:


It was indeed.

Not going to give too much away, but that's an amazing coincidence.

My elderly mother was only talking about Shelbourne and the R connection this afternoon. She was a neighbour at one time.

Hope you are not messing now!!

the evasion_kid

My family were notorious smugglers,ive seen their names appear in a few local folklore books

jimbis

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Not going to give too much away, but that's an amazing coincidence.

My elderly mother was only talking about Shelbourne and the R connection this afternoon. She was a neighbour at one time.

Hope you are not messing now!!

Wow that's unreal. No I'm certainly not messing.
I'm curious now so I'll pm you. I'm dad will be delighted to hear of anyone that knew the family.

Spanish Eyes

jimbis wrote: »

Wow that's unreal. No I'm certainly not messing.
I'm curious now so I'll pm you. I'm dad will be delighted to hear of anyone that knew the family.

Please do PM.

There is an T and an F (first names). If that rings any bells.

Maybe we are off on the wrong foot. But who knows.

StupidLikeAFox

steddyeddy wrote: »

My uncle organised the first civil rights march in the north (in my auntie's kitchen).

They hardly got much exposure from marching around a kitchen surely?