MY MORIARTY – KEOHANE STORY

INTRODUCTION - My First Trip to Ireland

I first became interested in my family’s “Irish roots” after traveling to Ireland in 1973 with Julie O’Connell, who attended Boston College Nursing School with me. During this first trip to “the old country,” we hired a car and toured parts of Ireland. My mother and father were also there at the same time.

I remember so vividly the many cottages in ruins – especially in Connemara –the thatched roofs were caving in. I wondered what had happened to the people who used to live in them.

This is our rental car in front of the cottage.

We went to visit the Connollys in Ballyconneelly with my mother and father. Mrs. Connolly was an American who married an Irishman and moved back to Ballyconneelly with him. They lived in an isolated area of Connemara. We knew their sons – Mike and Paul Connolly - who were out in Watertown. I wondered what life in Ireland was like for Mrs. Connolly.

Mr. and Mrs. Connolly - she was an American who married and went back to Ireland to live.

Julie and I later drove to Sneem - my grandmother, Margaret Moriarty Keohane, had left there in 1912 to go to Boston. I distinctly remember being surprised by all those mountains!! and the roads going around and through them!! And all the sheep on the roads!!

I don't have a picture of the sheep but cattle walking in the road was quite common!

Julie and I made a quick visit to Loughane - where my grandmother was born - to meet the relatives. I was surprised that their house had no indoor plumbing! But they could not have been nicer to two strangers. Larry and Eileen drove with us into Sneem to Casey’s Pub where Julie and I had a drink, but Larry and Eileen would only have “minerals” because it was Lent. They had no way to get home – Sneem was very quiet – Larry said it was “only” a six mile walk back to Loughane. I didn’t know enough then to drive them home, and so we left them in Sneem! To walk 6 miles home!!

Casey's Pub in Sneem - Molly Casey is standing in front - Mike Casey, her husband, was one of the famous Caseys from Sneem. They were oarsmen, boxers, wrestlers, athletes.

A little later Julie made me pull over on the way to Moll’s Gap so she could drive - I think she was afraid I would drive off the mountain while I was looking at all the sheep. In the dark, their eyes were red in the headlights, and they were lying all over the road. In 1973 sometimes there were no walls/barriers along the side of the road – just a low mound of earth - if you got too close to the outside of the road, over you’d go!!