Connacht Tribune
Cousins reunited after 200 years
by Ken Kelly
A single phone call to an East Galway man from the Loughrea-based volunteer group that helps those of Irish heritage to find their roots opened up a family history that was lost for almost 200 years.
It all began in 2013 when a member of a group of American visitors picked up a leaflet in a Midlands Hotel, explaining the aims of the Loughrea-based Diaspora organisation, Ireland Reaching Out.
The visitor in question was Margaret Burk, formerly Curley, who believed her ancestors emigrated to the USA in the 1800’s from somewhere in Galway.
Armed with a few snippets of information, she contacted the Loughrea Office and established that her great-grandparents were from Clontuskert and Killimor in East Galway, and had gone to Indiana in the USA in the 1850’s.
Then a phone call to Frank Curley in Ballagh, Clontuskert seeking his help resulted in him and Margaret Burk, with her husband Don, meeting up.
They visited Clontuskert Cemetery where the gravestone inscriptions tallied with her meagre history of her ancestors.
Then further research revealed that Malachy Curley from Ballagh, Clontuskert and his wife Brigid (McClearn) from Killimor, together with their ten children – four boys and six girls – settled on a farm in Terre Haute, Indiana in the late 1850’s.
The story took an ironic twist when it was discovered that Brigid was a great-grand aunt of Frank’s wife, Maura (McClearn) also from Killimor.
Baptismal records showed that some of Malachy and Brigid’s children were baptised in Clontuskert and some in Killimor.
With the family complete, they left in stages for Indiana where Malachy’s brother Patrick and sister Anne had already gone. They set up home, got involved in farming but over the years lost touch with “their roots” and relations in Ireland.
Now this amazing family connection thrilled the American couple and they invited Frank and Maura over to Terre Haute to meet their long-lost cousins. It was an emotional trip and an even more emotional reunion.
“We couldn’t believe that after almost two centuries our cousins tracked us down. They were just as excited. We noted they kept the faith of their forefathers, were very much part of the community and are regarded as resilient,” said Frank, praising Ireland Reaching Out in helping to reunite the Curley and McClearn families.
Eager to learn more about Ireland and the areas from where their ancestors came, a group of 23 cousins travelled over to East Galway to see the family homesteads, the schools, graveyards, churches and lands where their forefathers were brought up.
They were greeted by 113 Curley/McClearn cousins at a historic family reunion, on the grounds of the old homestead where Malachy Curley was reared and they received a real Cead Mile Failte from the parishioners of Clontuskert when they attended mass, celebrated by family friend, Fr. Anthony Kelly, assisted by Parish Priest, Fr. Michael Finneran in the local church.
“It was a massive undertaking for a couple to rear ten children during the Famine years and finally settle, and continue farming in the US,” said Frank.
“It took 175 years or more to discover our relations, but cousins on both sides of the Atlantic have now vowed to make atones by communicating more frequently as well as having reciprocal visits to their kinfolk.”
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
