cawley's in ireland

This manuscript pertains mainly to the Murphy family of Binghamstown: Richard Murphy, his wife, Mary E. Cawley, and their children. It also records the names of Richard’s parents and his brothers and sisters as well as the parents of his wife Mary and her sisters and brothers. 

Our forebears, living and dead, are precious to us and rightly so. It is always of interest to discuss them, but our problem is that we know so little about them, with perhaps the exception of our parents. Many of us know very little about our grandparents beyond the fact that they lived in a particular town or village or farm. 

We visit the graves of our deceased parents and relatives and stand or kneel in prayerful silence at the graveside as a token of our love and affection. We have Mass offered for them from time to time particularly on the anniversary of the death of each one but unfortunately some are completely forgotten except when we use the expression “our deceased relatives.” It may be that a parent or member of the family died when we were still very young. In such cases, the deceased is known only by hearsay with perhaps the assistance of a photograph. We depend upon others to inform us about them: who they were, what they were and what was their standing in the community where they lived.

I have been requested several times to compile some facts about my parents, brothers, sisters and close relatives as well as my grandparents. I am pleased to do this as I have an immense love and respect for those who have gone before us.

My parents were Richard Denis and Mary Ellen Murphy (born Cawley). They lived in Binghamstown, County Mayo. Their nine children in chronological order were:

Mary – later known as Mai – at one time a boarder at Gortnor Abbey High School, Crossmolina. She married George Reilly, a pharmaceutical chemist of Ballina. They lived in Belmullet. Some years after George died on December 19, 1945, Mai and her five children when to reside in Dublin. She died on May 29, 1993, at the age of 85.

John Patrick was the second child of the family. In God’s good time, he was ordained a priest at Irish College in Paris for the Diocese of Billala on June 3, 1934.

The third member of the family was Kathleen, who attended a Domestic Economy School in Roscommon and later married John Lee, a member of the Garda Siochana. They had one child, John. Twelve months later, John Lee, Sr., died leaving Kathleen a widow. Soon afterwards, she and her baby went to live in Dublin. Kathleen died on September 27, 1992.

The fourth child was Michael James, later known as Jim. Shortly after he graduated as ha s civil engineer at University College, Dublin, he was accepted as an engineer by the May County Council. The appointment was terminated when he became a permanent member of the Irish Army Corps of Eingeers. He married Nuala Boylan of Lostowel. They had a family of three: two girls and one boy. Nuala, died November 25, 1992., and Jim died December 6, 1995. He was given a military funeral. His army rank was lieutenant colonel

Then followed a long period of sadness and grief for my parents. Thy next three successive babies died at a very early age. The first names Richard died at the age of six months. The second also named Richard died at the age of three months. The third named Denis, died at the age of six months. One of the three shared my birthday, July 26. We accept them as family saints.

The penultimate baby was Denis who in due time was enrolled as a boarder in St. Muredach’s College in Ballina. On his return from college life, he became very much involved in family affairs under the direction of his parents. He married Nancy Healy of Barnatra. They had a family of ten, four daughters and six sons. Denis died July 25, 1998. Nancy died on October 25, 1989.

Peggy was the last of the nine children born to Richard and Mary Murphy of Binghamstown. She was a boarder at Kiltimagh Convent High School, also at the Dominican High School, Sion Hill, Dublin. She married John Gallagher of Blacksod. They lived in Aughleam. They had a family of two, a daughter and a son, John Lee, who died on December 31, 1980.

My paternal grandparents were Jimmy Murphy and Brigid Murphy (born Keane). It is said they came from a little village near Newtown, close to Aughlean, but came to live at Monaghrory soon after they were married. They had a family of three daughters and five sons and owned an average sized farm.

Jimmy was known to be a handyman, a carpenter and smith, and probably had a better cash flow than many of his contemporaries. There was certainly no sign of poverty around the homestead. Their grave in Cross Abbey graveyard is easily identifiable. It is covered with an inscribed slab of slate. I remember Jimmy very well. Brigid died many years before I was born. I am unable to give the sequence of the birth of their children, but it is my opinion that Mrs. Brigid Meenaghan was the eldest of their eight children. The place allocated to each one of the eight children has no claim to accuracy. According to my reckoning, they were:

Brigid, who years later became Mrs. Brigid Meenaghan. I never met her husband, but I often visited her home in Drum. They had a family of one daughter and five sons. Four of the sons emigrated to America and settled in New York. All members of the Meenaghan family are now dead but descendants of those wh emigrated to America have visited Erris.

The second daughter became Mrs. Tigue whose home was a Carne Rock near Bundula which was a a favorite swimming place for the Reillys in their childhood days was. It was strange that I never visited the Tigue family, but I did know two of her children very well: Paddy Deane and his sister, who is Mrs. Eammon Gallagher of Tallaght, Belmullet.

The third daughter was Jane Murphy, probably the youngest member of the family. She was a gentle person, unassuming, kind, attractive and competent. She administered a home that at one period was all male. She never married.

I would say that Jamesy Murphy was the first-born of the boys and was the first of the family to leave home. He settled in Belmullet, married a Miss McAndrew from Bangor Erris and had a family of three daughters, one of whom, Katty Lanaghan, a widow lives in the original home of her parents.

John Murphy was probably the second member of the family to leave home. He emigrated to America. When I visited the USA in 1957, I met some of his descendants in Cleveland, Ohio. Two of them were priests, Fr. Charles Barrett and his brother (name unknown). The former visited me in Port Elizabeth on his return journey to the U.S. from Zambia where he spent a sabbatical year teaching in a Catholic school. John never returned to Ireland and rarely communicated with Monaghrory.

Denis Murphy qualified as a primary school teacher and in due time became principal of Corclogh National School which became noted for his high standards of religious instruction and was awarded the highest marks of any similar school in the Diocese of Killala by the diocesan examiner of Christion Doctrine over a period of seven successive years. He married Miss Lynott also a teacher, from Templeboy in County Sligo. They had no family. His grave is located in Tarmanchara cemetery.

Richard Murphy, my dad, came to Binghamstown as a young man of about 26 years. His father, Jimmy, provided him with a house and a few hectares of land plus a horse and a number of cows. He was given a sum of money to start a grocery shop. It may be mentioned here that his progress was strictly m0nitored by his dad, Jimmy, and his brother, Jamesy.

When he was fairly well established, he married a handsome young lady who lived with her parents and other members of the Cawley family on the opposite side of the street. Her name was Mary Ellen Cawley. Mary and Richard were obviously progressive in their vision of the future, so they constructed a new double story house adjoining the house they occupied with storerooms and stables at the rear. They were now in a position to accommodate paying guests such as Fr. Joe Carroll, to be followed by Fr. Michael O'Donnell. This entailed extra work, so they employed a housekeeper and a Jack Ginnelly. They practically became part of the family.

The existence of a shop in Binghamstown attracted many customers who would otherwise walk to Belmullet to obtain their usual groceries. Provisions for the shop were obtained from Sligo, Ballina and Belmullet, but flour and meal from Westport by sea delivered at Sailin quay, a special delivery for Richard Murphy. It usually tool two days to deliver the cargo at Murphy's stores. The delivery was performed by a team of three horse cars. This operation entailed at least 15 men.

As the family grew in size and numbers, accommodation had to be rearranged to suit the household. My parents decided to build another house. This time on a newly acquired piece of ground purchased from Gerald Bingham, located on the opposite side of the street.

My mom was a remarkable person, capably of caring for a large family plus employees and casual laborers. She was a seamstress and excellent cook, who make delicious homemade bread and butter. She always had something special each weekend and excelled herself at Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's Day and November 1st.

It would seem that the original house acquired by my dad had a tavern license as it was a popular place for locals and visitors.

Young children have a facility of becoming teenagers and growing into adulthood. Parents advance in years and eventually had over authority to one or more of the family to manage the whole estate or part of it. In our case, all members of our family left home on becoming married or to follow a particular vocation. Myu brother, Denis, inherited the Murphy estate.

He married Nancy Healy of Baratria in her parish church at Glencastle. I officiated at the ceremony some weeks after my return from South Africa. Denis and Nancy shared the dame house as my parents who completed the last years of their lives in Peace.

Their graves are located in the New Cemetery at Cross. I officiated at4 the Requiem Mass and burial of my dad. I was in South Africa when my mom died. It was impossible for me to attend her obsequies. 

As the years passed by, the Murphy home at Monaghrory became unusually quiet. The death of my grandparents, Jimmy and Brigid Murphy, followed by the death of their daughter Jane and the departure of all the other members to follow their own way of live left one member of the family alone and probably very lonely. Fortunately, he was fairly well domesticated. He married a Miss Cahill. They had one child whose name was James. Pat and his wife died within a short time of each other. James was cared for by close relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Creane and neighbors. He became part of the Creane family, very kind people indeed. James died in his early thirties.

The grandparents - maternal

We now meet with my mother's parents, her sisters and brothers. My maternal grandparents were John and Maggie Cawley born O'Donnell. John Cawley came from Thobaorinavine in the district of Crossmolina. He was a blacksmith by trade and lived in Binghamstown where he owned a rather large house as well as an unusual number of plots of ground which if compounded would make a useful farm. Maggie Cawley, his wife, was born in Geesala or Doorhome. They had a family of three daughters and five sons, like the Murphys of Monaghrory! I do not know the order in which they were born. The sequence given here is probably not correct.

Edward emigrated to America and settled in Cleveland where I met him in 1957 while I was on a visit to the United States. He was rather seriously ill in hospital at the time with the result that I did not call at his home, but I did meet his wife and some members of his family at the hospital.

Anthony became a Franciscan Brother. At the time, the Brothers made a promise of commitment for a definite number of years which could be renewed at will. I met Anthony when he returned home for the funeraly of his father. Some years later, he left the monastery and came to live in a Home for the Aged. I officiated at his funeral Mass and burial which took place at Cross Abbey.

Charles Cawley left home to live in Crossmolina where he did his apprenticeship as a smith. He returned to Erris and set up shop in Belmullet. He married and had a family of three: two daughters and one son. His daughter, Margaret, married a Joe Basquill and now lives in Belmullet. His second daughter and her brother, Shaun, reside in England. Charles Cawley died at the age of `03 on April 5, 1987.

Willie Cawley joined his brother in Cleveland where he was very successful in his work at a heavy machinery factory. Promotion came quickly and eventually he came a floor manager. His wife was born in Tourmakeady. All four of their children were uyniversity graduates. Willie nursed the Murphy family at Binghamstown during the 1918 flue epidemic. Rumour has it that Willie Cawley was involved in the Sinn Fein movement as a political party. British intelligence police were anxious to meet him, but he managed to avoid them and eventually arrived in Cleveland where he was welcomed by his brother Edward and some other friends from Kilmkore Erris.

John Cawley inherited the Cawley estate. His brothers, Edward, Anthony, Charles wnd Willie had made their decisions where to live. His parents had died and his eldest sister, Mary, my mother had married. His Sister, Catherine and the youngest of the family, Margaret, was about to leave for America. The logical thing happened. He married Sabrina Kennedy of Cross. They had at least four children: John, Michael, Maggie and Sheila. Michael went to Australia. Maggie and her sister, Sheila, to London. John, the eldest of the family never married. He died about eight years ago. John Cawley and his wife, Sabrina, died while I was in South Africa. The dates of death are unknown to me.

Mary Ellen Cawley was probably the second or third child of John and Maggie Cawley, Mary grandparents. She married Richard Murphy, who a few years previously took up residence in Binghamstown. 

Catherine Cawley was the second of the three Cawley girls. She married a Pakey McAndrew, who was thw owner of a large tract of land from Ballymacsheeran to the Atlantic. The original Binghamstown Golf Course was located on the McAndew land. They had three children. Catherine Cawley-McAndrew died less than 12 months after the birth of her third baby. A great tragedy not only for the McAndrew family but also for the Cawley's.

Margaret Cawley was the youngest member of the Cawley family. She was most helpful to my mom, her sister, in a variety of ways. She emigrated to America and joined her two brothers, Edward and Willie, in Cleveland. She married Michael O'Callaghan and three children; one boy and two daughters, one of home became a nun. I was her guest in June-July 1957 and had a wonderful time visiting all my relatives in Cleveland as well as visiting Niagara Falls and part of Canada with the aid of her husband, Michael. She died about 1988.