24 Market Grove,
Lower Hutt
May 1988
Dear Nola,
I am astonished to see all the facts and dates that you have accumulated about the family and I am afraid that when I lived with my parents I was too young to know much about anything. Afterwards I lived with other people and only had occasional visits with family members such as Ena and Mary so what I know or think I know about family history I would have got from Ena, Mary and Paul and is short on dates, places etc. and is all rather sketchy.
The story of my parents as I heard it is that their mothers were first cousins and when their first children were a boy and girl they decided that they should marry in due course. This would not be unusual as they lived in a farming area where farms were handed down from generation to generation for centuries. All families within miles would be heavily intermarried and finding someone not within the forbidden degrees of kindred was a constant problem. The idea was to throw them together at all gatherings and events so that they couldn't miss. Of course it was not as easy as it sounds as one thing I heard was he had to walk ten miles to go courting.
They duly married and as they had little money he came to New Zealand first and earned money which he sent back to pay the fares for my mother and for his brother Michael to travel with her.[3] Soon after they arrived Jack was born and when they went to register his birth they found that because New Zealand was a colony the British laws applied here and their marriage in the Catholic Church in Ireland was not accepted as valid. It was suggested to them that they should get legally married first and then register the birth so as to avoid having "illegitimate" stamped on Jack's birth certificate. They therefore got married in the Registry Office and I guess that the marriage certificate you have relates to that marriage so you would probably learn more about time and place from that than I can tell you.
I understood that they had several farms before Waimate but the only one I heard mentioned much was at Lovells Flat. Balclutha seems to have been mentioned too but I can't remember any mention of Milton, but as Lovells Flat is about halfway between Milton and Balclutha they probably connected up with the same farm.
I have no idea what ships they came to New Zealand on, but I think the port was Invercargill or Bluff. Though Invercargill was established as a Scottish settlement lots a Irish people settled there too so I imagine they had contacts there and knew that encouragement was being given to settlers prepared to clear the bush and farm the land. As a farmer's son with no other qualifications, that would be just what my father would be looking for. I don't know who came here first but there are Newell 'cousins' in Invercargill - exactly whose cousins I don't know - but Pat visited them at one time.
There was a man named Boyle had a hotel at Winton for years. I am not sure but I think he was my mother's brother.[4] He was some sort of relation at least. The present Catholic Bishop of Dunedin is Leonard Boyle and I read somewhere that he comes from down that way and he could be a member of that family.
There were people named Kavanagh farming around Ashburton. Not long after I came to Wellington - at the time of the 1840/1940 Centennial Exhibition - this tall man with his two tall daughters called at the boarding house I was living in and said he was a relative. I had never heard of him and I never found out how he knew where to find me. Some member of my family must have been in touch with that family but I can't imagine who it could have been.
There was also Malachi Newell who was my father's cousin and lived in Rangiora. His family was Paul, Margaret, and I think the third one was Robert. I don't know whether you knew Margaret, but Bill and Paul used to visit her when they were around Christchurch and I stayed overnight with her once during the war. She was married to a man named Jack Feary. So it seems that they may have come to New Zealand because "everybody" was coming here at the time.
About my father, I would not have characterised him as "a bad tempered man" though he could certainly do his scone when he came home and found that things around the farm were not as they should be such as animals escaped from their proper paddocks and nobody doing anything about it. He was a very strong man and one hit from him would be more than enough for anyone. I was only about six when he lost his farm during the depression and he got a job at the Kurow hydro-electric works and I don't think I saw him until I was about eight when I stayed a few days with him there when your mother rescued me from Nora and sent me to him there. Then it was about 5/6 years when he came out of hospital before I saw him again. He spent about 8/9 months in bed in Waimate Hospital with something wrong in his urology department. After that he didn't seem to regain his strength and was very quiet. When he was in hospital I was living right next door but couldn't visit him because I was under age.
The uncle in Dunedin was named Michael and I think it was about 1930 when he died. I can vaguely remember him visiting us in Waimate and he died within a couple of years. His wife's name was Florence. They had five children named Fred, Vernon, Michael (known as Mick), Eileen, and Maurice. Mick worked for the Post Office and was in Wellington for a while and stayed in the same boarding house that I was staying in. He died about 10/12 years ago. Their home address was 87 Oxford St. South Dunedin and when I looked in the Dunedin phone book I found an F. J. Newell at that address now. If this is Fred he would be into his seventies.
My father's father died in 1936 aged 96. He was born on the Aran Isles, or one of them. They are just outside Galway Bay and there are signs of human occupation since the iron age although they are mostly solid rock.
I don't know where you came across O'Boyle. I did hear someone in the family say that the name was previously O'Boyle but I think the change may have been made two or three hundred years ago. English poet Edward Spencer who lived in the days of Elizabeth I was enraged by the number of people with O' on their name and thought it should be eliminated. I have also seen a brief reference to the dropping of O & Mac from a large number of Irish names as a result of English agro, but no date was mentioned. I noticed this because O'Boyle was one of the examples given.
When I look at your list of my family members I learn a lot I never knew. However I can give you some more confusion here. Before I left Waimate my father asked me to come down to his place to fill in a form for him. It was an application for an old age pension and I have always thought I remembered his date of birth as 31/3/78. He was born in Galway City.
You have a ? after my mother's name Honora. When I was young I always heard her name as Honor. At least when I got a bit of education and came across the word Honour I though that was it. Later I realised that it must have been Honor. When I was in Ireland I introduced myself as a son of her sister Honor and she didn't have any trouble knowing who I meant. When I got my own birth certificate a few years ago and found it had Nora I nearly became ill. However I suppose they are all the same anyhow.
If your date for Jack's birth is correct then there is something wrong with my story about his birth but at least I do know they had two marriages.
I have often wondered about "Sheila". I found it hard to believe that any priest would baptise her with that name. They usually insist on a name of a saint or a biblical name. You have got your mother's name as Julia and her father had a sister Julie who became a nun in an enclosed order in a convent situated on Long Island, New York. I remember they used to write to her. At least my mother did. My father never wrote anything except to sign his name. After my mother's death Ena and Mary took over the writing but I don't know how long they kept it up.
I would have said Bill's birthday was 14th December.
You have Pat's twin down as Joseph - I always thought his name was Phillip. There was also a Thomas before Mary. There already appears to be far too much congestion (or is it gestation) there already with only seven months between Bill 16/12/09 & Pat 5/7/10.
I thought Ena celebrated her birthday on 10th October but you wouldn't know with Ena: she probably just preferred that date.
Fionnola is shown in a dictionary of first names in the Lower Hutt Library as the Irish version of Fiona. The same book shows Sheila as an Irish variant of Julia.
At last I come to something I can be sure about. My birth date was 7/12/1921.
Referring back to the previous page, Phillip (Joseph) & Thomas died in infancy.
My visit to Ireland took place about 37 years ago and there are gaps in my memory now. I went to Cork first and stayed there about a week doing tourist day trips to various places around the southern area. As I had only two weeks I then decided to have a look at Galway but I wasn't set on looking up my relatives there. The only names I knew were my father's brother Paul and his son, known as Paddy Joe who was set on taking over the family farm. I didn't know where they lived and I didn't fancy my chances of finding them.
I arrived at night and it was dark and raining (the only rain I saw in Ireland) and looked very uninviting. There was a taxi waiting near the bus stop so I asked the driver if he could tell me where to find accommodation. He took me about forty yards into the corner of the square we were in and went in with me to make sure I got what I wanted at this small hotel.
The next morning I went for a stroll about Galway but on the other side of the square in which I was staying I came across a shop with NEWELL written in large letters above the door. There were some initials but I forget what they were. It was a general store and through a wide doorway I could see groceries, clothes, hardware, tools and in the corner there was a bar. There was only one woman in the shop and while she poured me a drink I asked if she knew Paul Newell. She knew him well. He was no relation but he was a very nice man who always called at that shop when he came to town which wasn't very often. She said about half a dozen more times that he was a very nice man while telling me that he lived about ten miles north, what bus to catch and what road to tell the driver to put me off at.
I have forgotten the name of the road but I had no trouble finding the house. A girl of about 15/16 was there on her own and when I had explained myself she said the rest of the family were along the road working on a piece of land that didn't belong to them but which they had the use of. I wanted to walk along but she wouldn't hear of it. I was to wait there while she went and got them. I waited only a short time while she disappeared over a rise in the road about fifty yards away and returned with the family carrying forks so I think they must have been hay making. There were four girls all nicely dressed & the forks seemed out of place. Paddy Joe seemed to be the oldest and the only boy so no wonder he had decided it was the farm for him. Two older girls had already left home and gone to Liverpool where one of them had died just a few months earlier. I didn't ask what she died of but I think the shock of Liverpool on a girl from that home would be about enough.
They gave me a chair at the table which was against the wall and they sat together in the centre of the room with Mum & Dad in the centre and the others close around as if they were posing for a photograph. They were very interested in the family from N.Z. and they produced a photograph of Paul which was in the Waimate Advertiser when he got his M.M. Ena sent that to them. The family hardly spoke to me at all but directed their questions etc. through Paul who did most of the talking for them all.
They knew what time the bus was going back to the City and suggested that I have a meal. The fireplace had no grate and a fire was burning on the hearth which was just a continuation of the floor. There were ashes there which suggested a much larger fire earlier but while I was there there was just a small flame licking the bottom of a huge pot hanging from a hook. It was full and piled up with potatoes. They looked good but I hoped I was not going to be expected to eat my share of that lot.
While the meal was being readied Paul took me out the back and showed me what was obviously the family source of income - a young beef type cow in a shed. This one would eat the hay and when it was big enough and prices were right it would be sold and replaced by another young one. The farms in that area tend to be small and the soil poor. The good land in Ireland is all in the central & eastern midlands and all around the north, west and south the land is poor and subsistence farming is the thing. They will never become rich but they seem to live longer by about 30 years than their brothers who emigrate.
When we returned into the house I was astonished to find only one place set at the table. I was to eat alone, which was very embarrassing, but they resumed their seats and conversation continued while I ate Bacon & Eggs which were very nice and proved that they could cook more than potatoes. The potatoes continued to steam quietly in their cauldron. I found that they had a bench top cooker on the other side of the room fired by kerosene or bottled gas or something like that. Paul produced a small bottle of poteen. I was keen to try this but here again I had it to myself. He pressed me to have more and I had about three - fortunately it was a small glass. It was very easy drinking and I could feel myself warming up inside. It would not be difficult to have enough of that stuff to flatten your eyeballs out.
Eventually it came time for me to catch the bus and I left with a list of my other aunts & uncles still around the area. I have kept this list in case some member of the family might want it but by now I don't think any of those on the list would be around anymore. I happily pass it on to you for what it is worth. At least it has got the names of some places on it which would help you or any member of your family who wanted to make contact there.
Besides the list, they also gave me the name, which I think was Mrs Leahy, of another sister of my mother in Galway City. I went there first. I must have missed something they said about her because when I got there the woman there told me that Mrs Leahy had died the year before which probably explains why she was not included in the list. However the woman gave me the address of her daughter in another part of Galway City. When I went there I found that John Hannon had been there earlier and was somewhere around the city. He was the husband of my mother's sister Mamie who is the only aunt whose name I can remember. From that cousin's place I walked back into the town centre with her daughter who worked at the local telephone exchange. I was glad it was only a short distance as she could really walk. I think she was going to show me a place where I could hire a bicycle as I wanted independent transport so I could avoid being around any more places at meal times after what happened at Paul Newell's place.
I set off by bicycle to John Hannon's place which was also said to be 10 miles north of Galway City. I am not too sure but I think it was a different road from the one I went along in the bus the day before. I arrived at the village which I think was called Corrandulla. The ink addition on the list was made before it was given to me and I don't remember seeing Cloonboo though it appears on a map of Ireland in the L. H. Library. Naturally I went into the pub and I asked in there where John Hannon lived. I was told that his house was right behind the hotel and was easily found as it was the only house in the place that had a corrugated iron roof. I went around the block and was met at the gate by my aunt Mamie. When I told her I was the youngest of her sister Honor she threw her arms around me and said I must be Michael. She obviously knew a lot more about me than I knew about her. I had never heard of her until the day before. She told me that anybody living within about ten miles of where I stood was related to me in one way or another. About four or five younger women soon gathered at the house and there were several small children. It seemed that most of the women in the village were members of this family or cousins from the area.
Soon John Hannon came home and he and I set off on our bicycles further along this road. About a mile along we stopped outside a house where he called out something I couldn't catch to a woman outside the house and got a reply. As we set off again he said "there's none of the Boyle strain in that one". That was the only sour note heard while I was there. He told me that was Martin Boyle's place but he was not at home. I knew then that this was Lissenoran[sic] which I knew was my mother's birthplace. The area was Lissenoran but I could only see one house there. We continued along the road which curved around to the right until we came to a church. He told me that this was where my parents were baptised, first communion, confirmation and married. Close by there was a small cemetery where he said that many of the people lying there would be ancestors of mine. There was also the remains of a small stone church and one curved row of stones had various figures carved on them. One was a lamb which was upside down. He told me a story about this lamb but I had heard enough such stories during my bus trips and of Cork to be immune so I kept a straight face - I think.
We continued on along the road for a short distance and came to quite a large old house which was the home of Mr. & Mrs. William Kavanagh. This was another sister of my mother. While we were there her son, who was a priest, came in. He and another man had been out fishing. The house was about fifty yards back from the edge of Lough Corrib and had an unimpeded view out over the lake.
When we left there it was dark and we returned to Lissenoran where Martin Boyle (my mother's brother) was at home. This was a wooden house like you can see lots of around N.Z. The lighting consisted of a candle. There was a son & daughter who appeared to be in their late teenage. They were a very bright pair and wanted to know all sorts of things about life in N.Z. but along the way they told me that the building at the back of the house was where my mother was born. Years later I read in a book by Brendan Bracken a description of a place like this one. He said it was so low you could pat it on the back like a dog. The strongest thing I had to drink during this afternoon was two cups of tea but I can't remember leaving this place or going back to the hotel.
The next day I decided to visit Mrs. Michael Kennedy who, for a change, was my father's sister. She lived some distance north in County Mayo. I took a bus to what was a fair sized town but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. I think it must have been Castlebar but I wouldn't bet on it. The departure time of the return bus left me only two hours so it was a rush trip. When I arrived I went into a bar. These pubs in Ireland are mostly just small one bar places operated by one man who usually knows all the answers. I was only doing the "when in Rome" bit when I went into bars for information. He not only knew where Michael Kennedy lived but lent me his bicycle to go there. When I arrived he was working in a paddock close to the road. He told me that he grew up with my father and knew him well. There was no better foot-baller around. I knew my father was always keen on rugby but I never thought of him playing it. My aunt was not at home. She and another woman were at a small cottage about two thirds of the way back along the road I had just travelled. There had been a single man living there but he had decided to get married so there had been a party. The two women were cleaning up. I had a chat to them and I think they had been sampling the leftovers. I could only stay for a short time so I returned the bicycle to its owner and caught the bus back to Galway City.
My stay in Ireland was cut short by a strike on the ferries. Only one, which belonged to a different company from the ones on strike was running so I took a gentle train ride straight across country to Dublin which is an entirely different world from the west of Ireland.
I am sure Ireland has changed a lot in the last thirty years but I think if you or any of your family went over there you would have little difficulty in finding relatives in or around Corrandulla. If you wanted to write to someone there I think the best bet would be to write in the first place to Mr Boyle, Lissenoran, Corrandulla, County Galway, Ireland. I feel sure there would still be a Mr Boyle there.
I am sorry I have been unable to help you with any clear information or dates. I can only remember about four dates in family history and you have them already.
I am pleased to see that your own family is so successful and I am sure it won't be long before you are busy baby-sitting additions to your family tree.
I am enclosing a photogragh of my parents which I thought I had lost but I have just found it after a bit of searching. It was sent to me years ago by Mary who said it was taken at the time of their marriage down south so if you haven't already got it you can file it with the marriage certificate you have.[5]
I am sorry my reply has taken so long and in the end has become a hurried scribble which I hope you do not have too much trouble reading. I have got a date next week to go into hospital for an operation which is a bit sooner that I was expecting. Apparently my aorta needs a rebore or something like that. Your letter arrived at exactly the right time to give me something else to think about.
Although I have been unable to help you much with names & dates I wish you all the best with your researches.
I think I have omitted to say that all the family I met in Ireland were very nice people and one man I met who was a school teacher, related only by marriage, said that my visit was much appreciated by my relations because so few overseas relatives bothered to visit them. They often heard, by letter, that people had toured Ireland and had seen Galway but they had not bothered to call in. So anyone who does call can expect to be welcomed.
Best wishes,
Mick.