Let’s start at the beginning, which for me is Martin O’Grady, my grandfather. I was 9 or so when he
died, but I remember a sometimes funny, sometimes grumpy man who, in retrospect, had seen a lot
of the world and the troubles that are in it.
He died in Ireland in 1971, finally making it back home to Ireland in 1969 (when my family and I moved there with him from Yonkers, NY, from 1969 to 1974).
I never knew much about Martin, which is a giant shame. I visited his gravesite in 1985 and took this pic:
I was intrigued by all the names on the stone, especially the evolution of the name from Gready in 1903 to O’Grady in 1969. I was additionally intrigued with the first name on the stone, “John Gready of Derreentighe” … Who was he? Where is Derreentighe? My grandfather Martin always said he was from Castlerea! It turns out that saying you are from Derreentighe is like saying you are from some small street, in some tiny town, near a tiny village, which is miles outside of the one actual town someone MAY have heard of, Castlerea. So, better to say you are from Castlerea.
In 1970 or so, we took my grandfather to visit his sister, Bridget Hart of Castlerea. It was a lovely farm and
a wonderful family. It is NEAR Castlerea, but certainly not in it (post map image!). But, Martin said he still “wanted to go home.” I thought this was home? I thought his sister lived on the farm
his family had owned. Turns out, not true at all.
I visited both the Harts and Grandpa’s gravesite in 1985. The drive from the Hart’s to the gravesite. seemed like miles through country lanes. Why was he buried so far from home?
Well, it turned out we missed an entire side of the family story, and it wasn't until a few years ago that one of my older sisters, Katherine, connected with Finola, (Martin's brother Thomas's granddaughter) and we got to de-mystify the whole mystery.
For now, what we know about Martin. He was born Feb 1, 1884:
Part of the confusion is his place of birth seems to be written as 'Derryeen' (not Dereentighe).
His parents were Thomas and Mariah, married Oct 23rd, 1876:
At the time of their marriage, they live in Cloonreleigh, her home townland.
But the time of the 1901 census, Martin has already emigrated:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Roscommon/Ballinlough/Derreenteige/1663764/
His initial departure is with his father to Liverpool/Manchester. This turned out to be an semi-frequent/occasional journey for members of the family. His oldest brother, John, has stayed home while his father is away.
By the time of the 1911 census, Thomas has returned home (so has Henry/Harry):
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Roscommon/Ballinlough/Derreenteige/760428/
But, tragedy has struck in the interim: oldest brother John had gone to work in Manchester and was killed in an industrial accident in 1903.
Martin, meanwhile, has emigrated to America.
Here is a picture of the gravesite from 2019, wonderfully cleaned up and maintained by Finola's family:
unfinished ...