Growing up in Watertown, I had heard that Ma’s father had drowned, and that her uncle, the Schoolmaster, had taken her brother to live with him in Inch. Ma also had 3 sisters – my mother and her family knew Aunt Mary and Aunt Catherine who lived in Roxbury.
When I was first looking into Moriarty family history, I did come into contact with Nuala Aylward whose father was the schoolmaster, but I want to put her on hold for a bit until we get to Ma’s brother James Moriarty. I only mention her now as she will come up in one of the following letters.
Early on, someone sent me a copy of the Moriarty Newsletter. I wrote to the editor, Dan Moriarty, with my story.
I've included page 4 of the Newsletter but since the print is so small, I'll type it out.
"ANOTHER MORIARTY CONNECTION
Back in January of this year, an interesting series of letters started coming my way from Mary Ellen Manning of Watertown, Massachusetts. Those who have been following the story of Father James Moriarty of Chicago will recognize an instant connection. but Mary Ellen had to discover it, little by little. She writes:
'A distant cousin, Father Edward Moriarty of England, sent me the Sept. 1979 issue of your newsletter. I thought it was fascinating! Although my name is not Moriarty, I have Moriarty relatives.
My great-grandfather was Myles Moriarty from Loughane, Sneem, Kerry. He was drowned in the Kenmare River in 1893. My grandmother, Margaret Moriarty Keohane, was his youngest daughter -- she was born several months after Myles drowning.
Her brother Jim Moriarty was raised in Inch on the Dingle Peninsula by Myles' brother, James Moriarty who was the schoolmaster there. James Moriarty had 11 children of his own!! Eventually, young Jim Moriarty joined the Royal Irish Constabulary and later emigrated to Chicago. Meanwhile, my grandmother emigrated to Boston to join her three sisters: Mary, Ellen, and Catherine Moriarty.
Father Edward Moariarty's family was from Cahirdaniel, Kerry. His great-uncle James Moriarty emigrated to Australia and New Zealand. He later made his way to Boise, Idaho area in 1864 after a brief stop at Fraser River in British Columbia.
In the mining business, he was elected Auditor and Recorder of Boise County in 1874. He later moved to Idaho City, where he was an agent for the Wells Fargo Co. He's mentioned in the History of Idaho Territory (published 1884) as one of Idaho's first pioneers.
He was killed in January 1906 by a snowslide from the roof of the Boulder Quartz Mill on Elk Creek. His body was taken by toboggan to Idaho City.'
(Editor's Note: I then sent Mary Ellen Newsletter #12 with the story about Father James Moriarty of Chicago. Then she wrote again.)
'Newletter #12 was very interesting! Is there a way I could contact Fr. James Moriarty? I wouldn't be surprised if we were related. My family's schoolmaster was from Inch. He had a son who is Canon Myles Moriarty, stationed in Scotland.
I noticed that Fr. Moriarty sent a gift subscription to someone with the same name. The schoolmaster also had a daughter, Nuala Moriarty Aylward of Waterford. I notice that you have a new member in Waterford. Would that by chance be her?'
(Editor's Note: Indeed it is ... another of Fr. Moriarty's gift subscriptions to his brothers and sisters. So now with letters from Mary Ellen to Father James the connection has been completed. Perhaps, we'll meet Mary Ellen in Ireland, as she plans to be there on a 6-8 week trip in June and July. That would be exciting!)"
Here is Newsletter #12 that Dan Moriarty sent to me.
"Moriarty Clan Invited to visit Ireland
Dear readers, have I got a treat for you! Rev. James Moriarty of the Holy Name Cathedral of Chicago has written a letter I know you're going to love ... with an invitation I believe you'll find hard to refuse.
But first, let me tell you something about Father Moriarty.
Currently, he has just observed his 30th Anniversary in the priesthood, serving 17 years in parish ministry ...
Here, then, is a beautiful letter from Father Moriarty. As you will see, he is blessed with 'the gift of tongues.'
****************************************
'When my father died, I preached the homily at his funeral. I talked about what his eyes perceived as he opened the door of his home as a little child on his way to school. The fist thing he saw was Dingle Bay nestled between Iveragh and Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.
On a clear day, he could see Glenbeigh across the bay. To his left was Castle Main Harbor. To his right, the bay joining the wild Atlantic.
Immediately adjacent to his home on the right was a small river that drained the range of mountains that is the spine of the Dingle Peninsula. On his left was the road that led to school three miles away. The house next door was the home of his mother's family. Next was the village chapel.
The schoolmaster who greeted him was his own father, James Moriarty.
Many miles down the coast at the same time a little girl would be leaving her home to go to school. Her eyes would gaze into the broad Atlantic, focusing on the wave-whipped Blasket Islands. At her feet were the golden sands of Clogher Strand surrounded by the rocky embrace of land that sheltered it from the ocean currents. She also walked three miles to school in Ballyferriter.
These two people, my father and mother, had to come to Chicago to meet and marry.
As a child and young adult, I knew my parents only in the urban context of a large midwestern city, Chicago. I was deeply impressed, when I first went to Ireland to discover that my parents were part of a rural community which eked out its living from the rocky soil of the Dingle Peninsula and from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, farming by day, fishing by night.
Until I went to Ireland, I had no sense of how much these people's lives were subject to the tides, the seasons, the dawn and the dusk.
I have gone to Ireland many times, fourteen times to be exact, to better understand my parents, my heritage and myself. By personal experiences and by studying, I have become more aware of what it means to be a Moriarty.
When I proposed to Dan Moriarty, editor of The Moriarty Clan newsletter, the concept of a national tour of Moriartys to Ireland, his response was both a greeting and a benediction. 'I have been waiting for you for a long, long time.'
I propose that The Moriarty Clan newsletter sponsor a tour to Ireland in the summer of 1982. Included on the tour would be a lecture by a genealogical expert on our family history and social gatherings with Moriartys, both prestigious and otherwise.
I have already sought and acquired the cooperation of Officialdom in Ireland. I propose that the national tour of Moriartys include: *all Moriartys, * those married to one, *those related to one, and *those who even know one.
Come with me to the land I know and love.'
*********************************
Thank you, Father Moriarty, for that exciting invitation! With you as our Spiritual Moderator, the tour should be an experience never to be forgotten.
More details of this 'once in a life-time' trip will be announced in the December issue.
START DREAMING NOW OF SUMMER IN IRELAND IN 1982!"
So I sent a letter to Father Moriarty. We're see his reply in the next installment.
I've included page 4 of the Newsletter but since the print is so small, I'll type it out.
"ANOTHER MORIARTY CONNECTION
Back in January of this year, an interesting series of letters started coming my way from Mary Ellen Manning of Watertown, Massachusetts. Those who have been following the story of Father James Moriarty of Chicago will recognize an instant connection. but Mary Ellen had to discover it, little by little. She writes:
'A distant cousin, Father Edward Moriarty of England, sent me the Sept. 1979 issue of your newsletter. I thought it was fascinating! Although my name is not Moriarty, I have Moriarty relatives.
My great-grandfather was Myles Moriarty from Loughane, Sneem, Kerry. He was drowned in the Kenmare River in 1893. My grandmother, Margaret Moriarty Keohane, was his youngest daughter -- she was born several months after Myles drowning.
Her brother Jim Moriarty was raised in Inch on the Dingle Peninsula by Myles' brother, James Moriarty who was the schoolmaster there. James Moriarty had 11 children of his own!! Eventually, young Jim Moriarty joined the Royal Irish Constabulary and later emigrated to Chicago. Meanwhile, my grandmother emigrated to Boston to join her three sisters: Mary, Ellen, and Catherine Moriarty.
Father Edward Moariarty's family was from Cahirdaniel, Kerry. His great-uncle James Moriarty emigrated to Australia and New Zealand. He later made his way to Boise, Idaho area in 1864 after a brief stop at Fraser River in British Columbia.
In the mining business, he was elected Auditor and Recorder of Boise County in 1874. He later moved to Idaho City, where he was an agent for the Wells Fargo Co. He's mentioned in the History of Idaho Territory (published 1884) as one of Idaho's first pioneers.
He was killed in January 1906 by a snowslide from the roof of the Boulder Quartz Mill on Elk Creek. His body was taken by toboggan to Idaho City.'
(Editor's Note: I then sent Mary Ellen Newsletter #12 with the story about Father James Moriarty of Chicago. Then she wrote again.)
'Newletter #12 was very interesting! Is there a way I could contact Fr. James Moriarty? I wouldn't be surprised if we were related. My family's schoolmaster was from Inch. He had a son who is Canon Myles Moriarty, stationed in Scotland.
I noticed that Fr. Moriarty sent a gift subscription to someone with the same name. The schoolmaster also had a daughter, Nuala Moriarty Aylward of Waterford. I notice that you have a new member in Waterford. Would that by chance be her?'
(Editor's Note: Indeed it is ... another of Fr. Moriarty's gift subscriptions to his brothers and sisters. So now with letters from Mary Ellen to Father James the connection has been completed. Perhaps, we'll meet Mary Ellen in Ireland, as she plans to be there on a 6-8 week trip in June and July. That would be exciting!)"
Here is Newsletter #12 that Dan Moriarty sent to me.
"Moriarty Clan Invited to visit Ireland
Dear readers, have I got a treat for you! Rev. James Moriarty of the Holy Name Cathedral of Chicago has written a letter I know you're going to love ... with an invitation I believe you'll find hard to refuse.
But first, let me tell you something about Father Moriarty.
Currently, he has just observed his 30th Anniversary in the priesthood, serving 17 years in parish ministry ...
Here, then, is a beautiful letter from Father Moriarty. As you will see, he is blessed with 'the gift of tongues.'
****************************************
'When my father died, I preached the homily at his funeral. I talked about what his eyes perceived as he opened the door of his home as a little child on his way to school. The fist thing he saw was Dingle Bay nestled between Iveragh and Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.
On a clear day, he could see Glenbeigh across the bay. To his left was Castle Main Harbor. To his right, the bay joining the wild Atlantic.
Immediately adjacent to his home on the right was a small river that drained the range of mountains that is the spine of the Dingle Peninsula. On his left was the road that led to school three miles away. The house next door was the home of his mother's family. Next was the village chapel.
The schoolmaster who greeted him was his own father, James Moriarty.
Many miles down the coast at the same time a little girl would be leaving her home to go to school. Her eyes would gaze into the broad Atlantic, focusing on the wave-whipped Blasket Islands. At her feet were the golden sands of Clogher Strand surrounded by the rocky embrace of land that sheltered it from the ocean currents. She also walked three miles to school in Ballyferriter.
These two people, my father and mother, had to come to Chicago to meet and marry.
As a child and young adult, I knew my parents only in the urban context of a large midwestern city, Chicago. I was deeply impressed, when I first went to Ireland to discover that my parents were part of a rural community which eked out its living from the rocky soil of the Dingle Peninsula and from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, farming by day, fishing by night.
Until I went to Ireland, I had no sense of how much these people's lives were subject to the tides, the seasons, the dawn and the dusk.
I have gone to Ireland many times, fourteen times to be exact, to better understand my parents, my heritage and myself. By personal experiences and by studying, I have become more aware of what it means to be a Moriarty.
When I proposed to Dan Moriarty, editor of The Moriarty Clan newsletter, the concept of a national tour of Moriartys to Ireland, his response was both a greeting and a benediction. 'I have been waiting for you for a long, long time.'
I propose that The Moriarty Clan newsletter sponsor a tour to Ireland in the summer of 1982. Included on the tour would be a lecture by a genealogical expert on our family history and social gatherings with Moriartys, both prestigious and otherwise.
I have already sought and acquired the cooperation of Officialdom in Ireland. I propose that the national tour of Moriartys include: *all Moriartys, * those married to one, *those related to one, and *those who even know one.
Come with me to the land I know and love.'
*********************************
Thank you, Father Moriarty, for that exciting invitation! With you as our Spiritual Moderator, the tour should be an experience never to be forgotten.
More details of this 'once in a life-time' trip will be announced in the December issue.
START DREAMING NOW OF SUMMER IN IRELAND IN 1982!"
So I sent a letter to Father Moriarty. We're see his reply in the next installment.
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