The Schoolmaster - Let's Try Wrapping Up This Chapter!

Father James Moriarty gave us some great information about his grandfather, Schoolmaster James Moriarty, and his family. I am not surprised that education was important to this branch of my family - we have teachers, nurses, business people. My mother - my father as well but we are talking about my mother's family - always wanted us all to have the opportunity to go to college. I was fortunate to receive some scholarships and obtain loans to go to Boston College Nursing School, but I know it was a struggle for my folks to pay for six kids. I worked every weekend and every vacation to help pay for books, fees uniforms, etc. 

And I love that the Moriartys were involved in the fight for Irish freedom! I feel a connection with the nurses and hope that I would have had their courage to smuggle guns and ammunition into Ireland. 

Before we leave the Schoolmaster's family, let's just take a look at some of the online information I found.


Below are the 1901 Irish Census returns for Ballycullane. Remember Theo Stoakley's letter? This has even more information. The townland is in County Kerry - Parliamentary Division of West Kerry - Poor Law Union of Dingle - District Electoral Division of Lack - Constabulary District of Dingle - Sub-district Auniscaul - Townland of Ballycullane - Barony of Corkaguiny - Parish of Balllinvoher.

Thomas Bray is the Royal Irish Constabulary officer taking the census. Normally, a member of the RIC would not be stationed in his home county - so I presume Thomas Bray is not from Kerry.

The census does not give us the size of the townland, but there are people living in 7 of the 8 dwelling houses. All the residents of the townland are Roman Catholics. House #2 has 11 people living in it  - 4 males and 7 females. 

Next we have the listing of the schoolmaster's family who are in house #2.

James Moriarty, who is 41, and his wife Ellie, 35, have 2 sons and 5 daughters – all under 12 years old. James is listed as a National Teacher while Ellie is a shopkeeper. The children are all in school except Thomas Cornelius who is only one – he is Reverend Moriarty’s father. 

The other James Moriarty is the 14 year old nephew – this is our Jim Moriarty – Ma’s brother!! 

Mary Farrell is an 18 year old servant. 

And as you would expect for a family living on the Dingle peninsula, they all speak Irish and English although nothing is listed for the children 6 and under. The family and the servant all read and write as you would also expect from a teacher’s family. 

Both the constable and the schoolmaster signed the bottom of the return.

The next form shows the outbuildings in the townland - any kind of building on the property except no privies/outhouses, no buildings used for horticulture - like a greenhouse, no buildings used for pleasure - like a tea house or a summer house. 

The form does not say whether the buildings are in use. James Morairty has a stable. The schoolmaster and the doctor were the most important persons in a town after the Catholic priest. We just read that James Moriarty had a servant! Most likely he had at least one horse.

Three of the schoolmaster's neighbor have pigs - the family in house #1 has 2 piggeries. I wonder if he raises and sells these pigs? Have you ever been by a pig farm? I wonder if there was an odor in that area? These three families also have cow houses.  

This next form is very interesting and tells us a lot about the townland. 

Column one lists the house or building. Column 2 tells us if the house is being built or if the house is already built. There is no building going on in Ballycullane - all are complete. I'd like to know how old these buildings are - when were they built? When I looked at Griffith's Valuation for Ballycullane, I saw that Ballycullane is adjacent to Inch. Most of the houses are close to or on the Tralee to Dingle road. Remember when Dad, Beth, and I visited the Inch Post Office, the schoolmaster's house? It was right there on the main drag. 

Column 3 tells us that there are 6 private dwellings and a shop in the townland. That vacant buildings turns out to be a chapel. 

We saw already that all the buildings are inhabited except for the chapel. We have also seen how many outbuildings each house has - this information is also in Columns 4 and 5.

And according to columns 6 and 7, the buildings are pretty substantial - all made of stone, concrete, or brick - although I don't know if many houses would be made of brick - you see that more in the north. Two houses have slate roofs - this would have been too expensive for most Irish families - our shop has a slate roof. The other houses have thatch.

There are only two one room cabins. Four houses have between 2 and 4 rooms. And of course the shop has 7 to 9 rooms.

The figures in column 9 seem a little odd - it is a listing of all the windows in the front of the house. The shop seems to have too many windows! 12 in the front of the house! 

Here is a picture of the Inch Post Office from 1982. It is a large building. I wonder if the part on the left is included in the shop or if that is a separate building? I count 7 windows. Granted the building might have changed, but it makes me wish I had paid more attention to it. Now I would like to go back and take a good look at the house, the school/community center, the church, the neighborhood.

To find out what class the building is, you add together the numbers in columns 6 through 9. Our shop is the only first class building in the townland. Only fitting for a schoolmaster I suppose! I wonder when it was built and who lived there before the schoolmaster?

Column 12 tells us that only one family lives in each house. Eleven people live in the schoolmaster's 9 rooms according to columns 13, 14, and 15. The census was taken on April 8, 1901.

Thomas Fitzgerald in house #1 owns the land, and I suppose that means he owns the house where the schoolmaster lives. Father Moriarty said that James Moriarty married the girl next door, Bridget Fitzgerald - is this Thomas Fitzgerald her father? You know that I think so! He is the one who has two piggeries. And he also owns building #7 - that 4th class "house" where Edward Kenney is living with three others in one room with no windows in front. So I would presume that Thomas Fitzgerald is fairly well off.

I was excited to find a marriage for James Moriarty of Ballinagowan to Ellen Fitzgerald of Ballycullane on www.irishgenealogy.ie until I read that James' father was Daniel Moriarty - we know that the Schoolmaster's father was Michael Moriarty. Ellen's father is Thomas Fitzgerald so that would fit. The marriage took place on 5 February 1888 in the Annascaul Catholic Church. No names of mothers or priest were given. The witnesses were Johanna O'Connell and James O'Brien. So what do you think?  Copies of the original Kerry records are not available yet on this website - the original might give us a little more information than the transcribed.

I also found a baptismal record for Michael Moriarty whose parents were James Moriarty and Ellen Fitzgerald. No residence, priest, or witnesses were given. The baptism was on 21 March 1890 - this is in line with the above marriage and synchs with the 1901 census which lists Michael as 12. It is Entry 47 in the Annascaul Roam Catholic book.

The other baptisms from this website are:

1891 - 22 May - Mary Moriarty - Margaret Fitzgerald is the only sponsor listed - this is probably the mother's sister.

I know that Ma's father drowned about October 1893 - so young Jim Moriarty would be arriving in Ballycullane between these two births. 

1894 - 7 June - Deborah Moriarty of Inch - parents James Moriarty and Helen - sponsors are Cornelius Moriarty and Johanna Fitzgerald. Could this be the schoolmaster's brother?

1896 - 14 October - Helen Moriarty - sponsors are James Moriarty and Mary Foley. I wonder who this other James Moriarty is? 

1898 - 17 October - Johanna Frances Moriarty - sponsors are Catherine Sullivan and Eugene Sullivan.

1899 - 31 December - Thomas Cornelius Moriarty - Mary Lenihan and John Lenihan

So we are missing the baptism for Catherine Moriarty who was 7 in the 1901 census - that makes her birth year about 1894. So she would probably be born just after young Jim Moriarty came to live in Ballycullane. I wonder if he was homesick for his mother and sisters? Maybe the small children helped to distract him. He probably went right to school after arriving. But more about young Jim Moriarty to come. 

So the schoolmaster and his wife  had 7 children in 1901 - that leaves another 5 to come? 

The Schoolmaster - Quick Hello to Father Moriarty in Sneem

So Father Moriarty provided the low down on the Schoolmaster and his family in his two letters. The Moriarty Clan Tour of Ireland was a smashing success according to the September 1982 newsletter.   I was especially interested in the write up by Dan Morairty about the stop in Sneem.

"Our next visit with native Moriartys was at Sneem, the village with its different colored buildings. Una Moriarty O'Sullivan was waiting for us at the Sneem House with Bessie Moriarty and others. Unfortunately, Una's mother Maureen was ill and not able to meet us ( she is also the mother of Denis and Pat Moriarty of Indianapolis (Issue #15). After a delicious cup of hot coffee, we headed back to the bus where we were pleased to meet Mary Ellen Murphy of Watertown, Ma, on a vacation in Ireland, who made a special effort to see Father James of Chicago (see Issue #!5). Through the newsletter, they discovered they were related."

I was in Sneem with my son Danno when the tour bus arrived. I had planned to hang out at Loughane cross with a big welcome sign, but time got a way from me. We had been hanging in the South Square waiting for the bus. Of course, the minute we ran into Greta Drummond's B&B, the bus arrived. But we did manage to say hello to the tour group before they pulled out!

I didn't make the reception in Killarney - I can't remember why now. But Dan Moriarty wrote "That evening another reception was held at which we were honored by the presence of the Bishop of Kerry, Kevin MacNamara, along with His Honor the Mayor, Paudie O'Connor, both of whom extended welcomes and remarked how important it was for people to renew their links with their heritage, acquire new understanding of their pasts, and develop a greater respect for tradition.
Also with us was Canon Moriarty, honored with a position similar to monsignor. A dozen or more other Moriartys from Killarney, Cahirdaniel, Killorglin, and Waterford added to the joy of the evening ... In the hotel lobby later, Maura Moriarty, postmistress from Cahirdaniel, joined with the PJ & Mary Singers to thrill the crowd to a rendition of 'Are You There, Moriarty?' It was a perfect close to a very special evening." I wish I had been there!!

We will do quick detour shortly to talk about our cousin Maura Moriarty from Cahirdaniel. 

Several years after meeting Father Moriarty, I heard from his brother Thomas.  I think I was contacted by him in 1987 when I lived in Sneem - he was making a trip to Sneem then and was looking for directions to Loughane. The next time he contacted me he again wanted to contact my cousin Larry O'Sullivan in Loughane about a visit. He then wrote to me:

"June 10, 1994

Mrs. Mary Ellen Murphy

222 Main Street

Watertown, Mass. 02172

Dear Mary Ellen:

Thank you for your nice letter in response to my note regarding our upcoming trip to Ireland and my interest in the Moriarty Family heritage. I was surprised that my letter followed you from Sneem to Watertown so quickly.

I have been in touch with Florence Dweek - in fact, I was the one who suggested that she contact you. There is nothing that I have at the moment that confirms that her great-grandmother, Abigail Moriarty Burns, was a sister of Michael Moriarty.

Your recent findings of Ellen and Michael Moriarty (1865-1868) are interesting. Perhaps they could be part of the Moriarty branch that Father Edward Moriarty talks about.

Our Ireland trip has a tight schedule. We will have only two days in Sneem - August 6th and 7th - a Saturday and Sunday - so our research time in Sneem will be limited. We will stay at the Hillside Haven B&B, just outside of Sneem. Lorraine and I had the opportunity to see the old Moriarty homestead (now the O'Sullivan farm) in 1984 and 1987 - however, it will be an interesting experience for our children. I will drop Larry O'Sullivan a note advising of our visit - if you will phone him, that will be appreciated.

I will write letters to St. Michael's parish in Sneem and to the Annascaul-Inch parish in Dingle prior to our revival. Also, time permitting, I will do some research in Dublin prior to the Sneem portion.

Special thanks for your interest - I will keep you updated on any new information I secure.

Sincerely,

Thomas J. Moriarty

9836 S. Turner Avenue

Evergreen Park, Il 60642"

My last contact with the Chicago Moriartys was this letter from Thomas. They did take over publishing The Moriarty Clan newsletter when Dan Moriarty died.

"January 8, 1995

Mrs. Mary Ellen Murphy

222 Main Street

Watertown, Ma 02172

Dear Mary Ellen

Just a short updating report on our trip to Ireland and my genealogy project.

We had a fantastic trip - 3 of our children joined us and it was a great adventure. I had intended to spend some time in Sneem - but there just wasn't enough hours in the day. We did visit the old farm and spent about 2 hours with Larry and his wife. It was a moment in time for our children to look at the place where their Great-Grandfather was born.

I got some good information from my Aunt Nuala on the Moriarty Family as well as a look at the old family bible of my Grandfather. I also found out that the Irish government is placing all the old church records into computer files in order to improve genealogy research. Unfortunately, the Kerry project seems to be very slow in getting off the mark. So this is where I am at.

I am going to concentrate on bringing all the genealogy records from my Grandfather's Family (that's the School Master) up to the present time up to date. That is something that I can handle and should be finished in 6 months or so. I can then concentrate on the Moriarty Family prior to my Grandfather.

I would be very interested in learning the location where you got your data. Did you secure all of it from St. Michael's Church in Sneem - or were there other places? If you can give me this information, I will know where to concentrate my efforts. Also, any statistical information you have will be helpful/

I will send you a copy of the research on my Grandfather's Family when it is finished.

Thanks for your help.

Sincerely,

Tom

Tom Moriarty 9836 S. Turner Avenue

Evergreen Park, Il 60642"

The Schoolmaster - Gun running nurses in the fight for Irish freedom!?!?

So Father Moriarty had responded to my initial letter. He was busy planning the Moriarty Reunion in Ireland. His next letter came just days before the Reunion tour was to leave.

"Catholic Television Network of Chicago
His Eminence John Cardinal Cody
Archbishop of Chicago

Rev. James Moriarty
Director

Charles E. Hinds
Executive Director                                                                                 July 6, 1982

Dear Mary Ellen, 

I wish I had written to you sooner so that you would have received a letter from me in the United States, but I dictated this on July 2 and your flight was July 4.

First of all I would like to add to your Moriarty genealogy and then talk about meeting you.  Helen Murray Nichols, whom I never had the pleasure to meet, was visited frequently by my uncle Msgr. John Moriarty. I believe on one or two occasions, my father visited her.  Strangely enough, my brother Edward who works for the Internal Revenue Service lives in Fairfax, Virginia and on family orders, visited her on several occasions. As you mentioned, she died in October 1978. My brother Edward has three children -- Edward, Mary and Eileen. Eileen just graduated from high school and has won a scholarship for her swimming prowess to Wright University in Ohio. She will be in the Olympics someday. When Helen Murray Nichols' widower heard of the graduation, he sent a gift to Eileen just because he felt that Helen and Eileen were similar names. It was a very expensive ring of Helen's. My mother who was there for the graduation was very impressed with the sentiment of the gift. The gentleman gave up their home in Virginia and lives somewhere in the deep south.

About the children of James Moriarty and Ellen Fitzgerald -- you were quite right in suggesting that Con and Thomas Cornelius were one and the same. My dad was baptized Thomas Cornelius, but everyone called him Con Moriarty. That leaves you with two names short. One whom you have not listed is Una. My guess is that there was another woman not mentioned who, like Una, spent her entire life at Inch, never married and died very early.

Mary and Eileen Moriarty were both nurses who spent all their adult life in England. Like my dad Con, they were active in Sinn Fein. Because nurses were given a pass at Customs, they used to make frequent trips from England to Ireland carrying pistols and ammunition in their luggage. Both were nurses in London during the blitz. In later years, they both retired and managed the Inch Post Office. They were the ones who sold it to Kathleen Casey whom you have met already. Eileen, like Mary, eventually settled in Waterford to be near Nuala. Believe it or not, she died at age 83, being struck by a car while crossing the steer.

Katherine Callahan had five children. Her husband Dan died of cancer many years ago. He was also from the Dingle Peninsula. Three of her children, William, James and Donald, were police officers. William eventually left the Chicago Police Department and moved with his wife and six children to Hollywood, Florida. He is now a Lieutenant and I predict will be visiting Ireland this summer for the first time. Katherine's other two children were Mary DePlanche, with whom she lives, and her youngest Myles who is married and has a family of his own in Oak Park, Illinois.

Msgr. John Moriarty died and was buried on March 16, 1980. I celebrated the funeral. There were 45 priests at the Altar with me, including Bishop Sullivan and His Eminence John Cardinal Cody.  Cardinal Cody was a Bishop in St. Joseph, Missouri and my uncle was the Chancellor of the diocese when Cody came. They eventually appointed him Vicar General as well. I suspect that that relationship contributed to Cardinal Cody's interest in me when he came to Chicago. Msgr. Moriarty spent his entire life as a priest in the city of St. Joseph, Missouri. He had all the official jobs that small dioceses give to one or two men. Later on, he got a parish and lived there 28 years. He was still working there four years  after his retirement when he passed away.

Canon Myles Moriarty and his sister Nuala visited Chicago in the summer of 1981.

Michael Moriarty, like his father, was a schoolmaster. I never met him personally, but in our seminary days, he and I carried on a great correspondence. He was a prolific writer. He had four children. He taught school in Letterkenney, Co. Donegal. Like his brothers and sisters, he also was active in the fight for freedom. For awhile he was on the run. His wife died at a very early age. Somehow I have it in memory from childhood that her death was somehow attributed to the fact that her husband was being sought. He had three boys and a girl. Two boys became missionary priests -- Frs. Charles and Peter. The third son Gerald became a civil engineer in Ireland -- one of the few cousins I have not met. The only daughter, Una, is married to Noel Croal in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal. Fr. Charles Moriarty was a Columban Father. He was Provincial of the order in Japan and died there during surgery about ten years ago. Fr. Peter Moriarty is a member of the Oblates of Mary Imaculate. He was a missionary for years in the Philippines and then was transferred to Brazil.

Dora Moriarty, like my father and Katherine Callahan, came to Chicago. She met and married Timothy Sullivan from Killmachder, west of Dingle. Dora also died very young leaving three children -- Eileen, Kathleen, and James. After that, Tim could not handle his responsibility. One day, my father just walked into the house and took all three children. He gave the oldest, Eileen, to his sister Katherine Callahan. The other two he brought home. They were raised with me. James did military service in World War II and returned to Chicago, where he married and raised a fine family. Kathleen became a nun. Her name is Sr. Mary Joseph. She is very, very close to my mother, spends almost every weekend with her. There is no doubt that my parents were richly rewarded on this earth for their act of kindness.

Thomas Cornelius: My father came to Chicago suddenly when he was tipped that his name was on an arrest list. He met and married Bridget Flaherty from Clogher, Ballyferriter, Dingle. They had eight children -- James, Thomas, John, Edward, Marie, Gerald, Robert and Myles. Myles, the youngest, died suddenly two years ago.

To fill you in on the story of Jim Moriarty, the son of Myles, I was told that on the occasion of the funeral after the tragedy in the Kenmare River, James Moriarty, after attending the Funeral Mass, simply took young Jim home with him and he was raised at Inch with the other children just like a son of the family. He was in the Royal Constabulary. I don't know exactly when he came to Chicago, but I do believe it was sometime before my parent's wedding. I remember him very well. He was very tall and distinguished and wore a mustache. He was a Station Manager for the Illinois Central Railroad. His wife's name was Bridie. They had no children. They were extremely pious. Their apartment was one of the ones we visited regularly on Sunday afternoons long ago. When we visit the cemetery where most of us have graves, we always go over to Jim Moriarty's grave. His wife died several years afterwards. None if us were informed. Her estate was taken care of by an attorney. Her grave is next to Jim, but it has no marker.

Now to the possibility of getting together. I really feel compelled to stay with the tourists. We have set up gatherings for the local Moriartys on our tour. One of these will be at the Great Southern Torc Hotel in Killarney on Monday evening, July 12. There is a gathering set at 9:00 pm. I suppose I will be playing the role of host. Is there a possibility that you might come up sooner? If you leave a message, I could be waiting for you at dinner. We could have a meal together and further fill in the details. Bring your lad with you if you like. After the tour is over, I will have two more weeks left in Ireland. Certainly if I have a car and come back to Kerry, I would consider going to Loughane. However, as yet I have made no plans.

I could easily spend the remainder of my time on the Dingle Peninsula. I just hate to spend all that money on car rental. I have told one and all that I will not keep driving around Ireland as I used to because I badly need the rest. I even told the family in Kerry they had better see me at hotel visits during the tour. I have the offer of a house on the ocean in Donegal. It is a possibility I just might stay there for the last two weeks.

I can't tell you how much my family enjoyed the history you sent me. I made copies and distributed them among my brothers. They were totally fascinated. I will bring your letter and map with me just in case.
                                                                              Sincerely,

                                                                              Rev. James F. Moriarty
(Typed and mailed in Fr. Moriarty's absence)"

I was impressed that the Moriartys were involved in the fight for Irish Freedom, but I wasn't surprised because Dingle is known for its rebellious nature. But being a nurse, I was awed that Ma's cousins were nurses and smuggled guns into Ireland.  I wonder now where in London they were working. I never thought to ask Fr. Moriarty.  I knew that Jim Keohane, whom we visited in Kinsale, was a scout for the rebel forces - he had shown my father sites of battles and ambushes. Now to learn that Ma's cousins were also involved was something. 

And to learn that the schoolmaster just took Jim Moriarty home after the funeral! Was his mother okay with this? Did she try to stop him? Why would he do this? 

The same thing happened in the next generation - Con Moriarty just walked in and took his sister's three children out of their home.

Then controversial Cardinal Cody took an interest in Fr. Moriarty. 

Such interesting information! "Soldiers," saints, and scholars!! And I never made it to dinner with him! But Fr. Moriarty did include a brief biography with his letter. 

Shall we take a rest to absorb all this information?

The Schoolmaster - his grandson's first letter arrives!

So we saw that I wrote to Dan Moriarty, editor of The Moriarty Clan newsletter, and he put me in touch with Reverend James F. Moriarty. The following is Father Jim's reply to my letter.

"April 20, 1982

Dear Mary,

You hit it right on the target. We certainly are related! I was delighted to hear from you because I have not adequately identified the exact site of my grandfather's birthplace. In 1958, I did the Ring of Kerry with his wife --my grandmother -- and while driving through Loughane, she pointed out a road and said that James Moriarty's birthplace was down that road. That was as close as we got to it.

Let me fill in the blanks. My grandfather James was born in Loughane, Sneem. He graduated from Trinity College and became a school teacher. He was offered the opportunity of starting a school near Inch. The name of the schoool is Killeenach which was built in 1880. The building still stands, although is is now used as a community center. It is three miles east of the Inch post office. He established his home in Inch and married the daughter of the farmer next door. My grandmother's name was Ellen Fitzgerald. They had, I believe, twelve children. Two are priests -- Msgr. John Moriarty who died two years ago in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Canon Myles Moriarty who is more than 70 years of age, residing in a small parish in Ayershire, Scotland. Other children, Tess O'Donohue and Nuala Aylward, you have meet.

There was a child who became a school teacher in Donegal. His name was Mikey Moriarty. At least four of the daughters never married. Two died and are buried in Inch. Two became nurses and were in England during World War II. They were the ones who eventually inherited the post office and eventually sold it to Kathleen Casey whom you met. These two single ladies, Mary and Eilee, both retired to Waterford to be near Nuala Aylward. Eileen was struck by a car while crossing the street at age 83 and died several years ago. Mary is still in a nursing home and is in her high 80s.
My dad, Thomas Cornelius, came to Chicago and married Bridget Flaherty from Ballyferriter on the Dingle Peninsula. I am the oldest of eight children. In addition, they raised two other children of my dad's sister Dora after she died. My father died suddenly about three years ago at age 79. My youngest brother Myles died suddenly about two years ago at age 34. The rest of us are all strong and healthy.

I knew Jim Moriarty, son of your great grandfather, very well. As you mentioned, after the accident in the Kenmare river, my grandfather brought James to his home and raised him with his children. He joined the R.I.C. When he arrived in Chicago, he worked for the Illinois Central and became baggage master at their main station in Chicago. He was married and had no children and lived in an affluent neighborhood on the southeast side of Chicago. He and his wife were very, very religious people. Among my childhood memories is this tall, thin, moustached distinguished gentleman whose name was the same as mine. In fact, he died just after addressing a letter to one of his sisters. My father had me write a letter and enclose it in the addressed envelope.

One of my dad's sisters, Katherine, lives in Chicago. She is 89 years old. She had five children, the last of whom was named Myles. Isn't it strange how that name comes up again and again? In the three cases I've mentioned, Myles was always the youngest child. We have a family joke that says Moriarty is Gaelic for "stop, no more."

I have been to Ireland fourteen times and know Inch very well. One of my great joys is to sit in Foley's Pub on a quiet evening. After the locals figure out who I am, the old men drift by to tell me that my grandfather taught them their letters. the chapel in Inch has a bronze plaque in the sanctuary with a dedication to James Moriarty, the schoolmaster.

Dan was a little wrong on the relationship between Nuala Aylward and myself. She is my aunt -- my father's sister. As a single lady, she lived in Chicago. I was at her wedding. Her husband was very involved in the rebellion in Ireland. After the marriage, they returned to Ireland where he was a Senator and a very prominent businessman for Clover Meat. In fact, Nuala still resides in the executive's estate owned by the company.

I have given you some quick information. I am wondering if you could respond to me and give me exact directions on how I might locate the birthplace of my grandfather and your great grandfather. Give me road directions. Give me names of people, local residents. I can do the rest. It might be fun to meet you this summer in Ireland. As you see from the enclosed brochure, we are leaving on July 9. There will be a flight from New York and one from Chicago. Both planes will land in Shannon about sixty minutes apart.

Let's hear from you.

With every best wish, I am

Sincerely yours,
Father James F. Moriarty"

Father Moriarty was living at 528 Lathrop, River Forest, Il 60305. He enclosed the following brochure with his letter. 

Father Moriarty mentions Foley's Pub. Do you remember that Mike Shea of Loughane had sent my father there when he was trying to find out about my mother's uncle, Jim Moriarty? We got directions there for the Inch Post Office where we met Kathleen Casey.

When I read Father Moriarty's letter, I wondered how James Moriarty ever managed to go to Trinity College. How did a poor Catholic from Loughane fit into a Protestant College? And what was Trinity like? Years later I read in the Kerryman newspaper about a Reid Entrance Exhibition Fund started in the 1880s with the intention of allowing Kerry students of limited means access to the higher education. So I guess James Moriarty must have had some kind of scholarship.

The website -  http://www.tcd.ie/about/history/  - tells us that "Trinity was founded just before the Tudor monarchy had completed the task of extending its authority over the whole of Ireland. The idea of an Irish university had been in the air for some time, and in 1592 a small group of Dublin citizens obtained a charter from Queen Elizabeth incorporating Trinity College junta  (adjacent to or near) Dublin. The Corporation of Dublin granted to the new foundation the lands and dilapidated buildings of the monastery of All Hallows, lying about a quarter of a mile south-east of the city walls ... During the next fifty years the community increased. Endowments, including considerable landed estates, were secured, new fellowships were founded, the books which formed the beginning of the great library, were acquired, a curriculum was devised and statutes were framed ... During the 18th century, Trinity was the university of the Protestant Ascendancy. Parliament, meeting on the other side of College Green, viewed it benevolently and made generous grants for building."

The medical school started in 1711 - among its teachers in more recent times were Graves and Stokes - both of whom had family ties to Sneem. The first Catholics were admitted in 1793 - women were finally admitted in 1904. 

We saw that Theo Stoakley, who wrote the book on Sneem, obtained his degree from Trinity. And when I was researching this, Mary Robinson, former Irish president and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, was Chancellor.  

It is hard for me to imagine that back in the 1880s, one of my relatives was attending Trinity! It was great to get so much new information about the Moriartys! My mother, father, and I were so excited!

It was two and a half months before the next letter from Father Moriarty arrived as we will see.

The Search for The Schoolmaster

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.

Mary Moriarty: True or False?

Hannah "John L" O’Sullivan has told me that one of Myles Moriarty’s sisters married Ned Jim Sullivan of Ballybog – down off Gleesk Pier Road. Could that be our Mary Moriarty? Later one of her daughters married Mike Breen of Moneyflagh, Patrick Breen’s uncle.

I actually just (31 December 2011) found a record in Sneem Parish book 2, page 45, entry 3 for the 10 February 1880 marriage of John - not James - Sullivan of Tulkilta to Mary Moriarty. No parents are listed. Witnesses are Geofrey Donoghue and Daniel Shea.

I believe Geofrey Donoghue is the parish clerk – he is witness at an awful lot of marriages!

The Mormons have indexes to the mandated civil registration of the above marriage, but since Mary is a side branch, I haven't really gone in that direction. That involves renting films at a Mormon library and searching them. I'll leave that till I retire!

Note: It is now May 22, 2023 and I just found a civil marriage record for Mary Moriarty and James O'Sullivan. The marriage was registered in the Superintendent Registrar's District of Kenmare on the 10th of February 1880. James was a 24 years old bachelor from Tourkellah - his father Patrick was also a farmer. Mary was a 26 year old spinster from Glenlough - her father Michael Moriarty was also a farmer. Reverend Thomas Davis married them in the Catholic chapel of Sneem. The witnesses were Michael Sheehan and Maggie Moriarty.

 

There are 5 children listed on www.irishgenealogy.ie with James Sullivan and Mary Moriarty as parents.  All are from Tourkelta/Tourkilla except one.

a) 2 April 1881 Bridget Sullivan – no residence listed. 

Sponsors are Myles Moriarty and Bridget Sullivan. 

The priest was Reverend T. Davis. Book 2, page 232.

Do you think this sponsor is Mary’s brother – our Myles Moriarty?

b) 26 August 1882 Michael Sullivan of Tourkelta.

Sponsors are John Sullivan and Catherine Sullivan.

Reverend T. Davis officiated. Book 2, page 247.

c) August 1887 Mary Sullivan of Tourkelta. 

Sponsors are Michael Moriarty and Catherine Leary. 

Reverend J. O’Shea. Book 3, page 36.

Could this sponsor be Mary’s brother Michael Moriarty?

d) 28 April 1889 Helen Sullivan of Tourkelta.

Sponsors are Patrick Sheehan and Hanora Burns.

Reverend R. McCarthy. Book 3, page 48.

e)  26 June 1892 Catherine Sullivan of Tourkilla. 

Sponsors are Stephen Burns and Mary Sullivan.

Reverend B. Scanlon. Book 3, page 72.

Johnny Murphy has told me that Mike Breen married Nellie Sullivan. If this is our Mary Moriarty and her family, maybe it is the above Helen who married Mike Breen of Moneyflagh. 

To sum up this little section, I don't know for sure if this is our Mary Moriarty or if this James Sullivan is Ned Jim Sullivan or if it is even the correct location! But I am throwing it out there - and if anyone has any information whether it is correct or incorrect, kindly let me know!!

I think we will move on to something a little more certain ...