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AdminPermalink Reply by Fran Reddy on October 14, 2013 at 12:40pm

It's https://www.facebook.com/100millionIrishunitedOntarioCanada

I'll post the promo picture by the Gathering with my better half and I having dinner at The Waterford Castle as a teaser :)

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AdminPermalink Reply by Fran Reddy on October 14, 2013 at 12:43pm

And ssshhhhh... don't tell anyone that I'm an admin ; )

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Permalink Reply by Seamus McCaul on October 18, 2013 at 3:34pm

Hi my name is Seamus McCaul.  I was born in Newry county Armagh .  In 1964 due to unemployment and future prospects for myself and siblings my parents decided to leave Ireland and emigrate to New Zealand. At the time the family consisted of 6 boys and 3 girls and mum and dad.  We left Newry at the end of October 1964 and arrived in New Zealand on the 2nd of November 1964.  At the time of our arrival we were met by newspaper reporters.  The reason was that we were the biggest single family to arrive as new residents since a previous Governor General.  Our family photo appeared in the local newspaper the following day. The photo was seen by a number of people from Newry who were either living in New Zealand or were working on merchant ships. For several days we were visited by a number of people who knew our family.

I started work as an apprentice Electrician on my 15th birthday and remained in the electrical trade until 1975. I joined the NZ Police in 1975 and worked with them until 1987.  I left the Police and went into the Security Industry until I was made redundant in 2003.   During my earlier years I discovered that I was not a citizen of New Zealand.  I had arrived here on my Mothers passport and there was no record of my arrival.  My parents and younger siblings had been granted Citizenship.  I eventually obtained residency by using my Irish passport.

In December 2003 I took my wife my youngest son and one of my daughters on a trip back to Newry.  It was the trip of a lifetime, being the first time I had been back and the first time they had every left New Zealand. Newry had changed, everything  seemed smaller. 

I have been interested in building our family tree since the 1970s and I visited St Marys Cemetery.  I could not find my grandmothers grave.  After a lot of searching I found that her grave marker and a lot of others had been moved and a pathway had been created over her grave.  I also discovered that our family name had been spelt McCall and McCaul .  I grew up being told that my grandmother had changed the spelling to McCaul from McCall to get away from the English spelling.  Other members of the McCalls were told the same. 

Subsequent checks reveal that the name was Maccathmhaoil  and was spelt McCaul at least in the 1700s and 1800s. Our family seems to have originated around the area of County Tyrone.  It appears that my Great-great grandfather (David McCaul) migrated to the USA in approx. 1840.  I think his wifes name was Mary B??????

Its a long slow process but someone will eventually get it all together.

 

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Permalink Reply by Bit Devine on October 18, 2013 at 5:01pm

Seamus, my Gran's family comes from Newry...the Markethill area

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Permalink Reply by Seamus McCaul on October 18, 2013 at 5:43pm

Thank you for the reply.  I was born in the middle of the town (Water St).  All that area is changed or changing rapidly

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Permalink Reply by Bit Devine on October 18, 2013 at 6:15pm

I still have family there, out on Barr Road. They still work the farm that my Gran left from when she was eighteen.

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Permalink Reply by Seamus McCaul on October 18, 2013 at 7:24pm

Barrs Road Approx 7 or 8 miles from newry.  I have lots of relatives (my mother, 3 brothers and a sister living  in Warrenpoint.  also lots of cousins in and around Newry.  The only problem is I don't think they know how to use a computer.  My mother went back when my father died here in 1987and my sister and 3 brothers followed her.

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Permalink Reply by rob mullally on October 19, 2013 at 1:47pm

Seamus...had a good friend from Newry, Aiden Madden, , used to work for reed factory in warrenpoint. I was with them in Wigan, Lancs. 

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Permalink Reply by Seamus McCaul on October 19, 2013 at 2:31pm

Hi Rob

I left Newry in 1964. I cannot recall an Aiden Madden. Prior to leaving I was still a pupil at the Abbey.  I worked part time doing bicycle deliveries for McCanns and also helped clearing glasses in Corrs (Edward st)

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Permalink Reply by Brendan Hamilton on October 20, 2013 at 5:19pm

Hello all,

I'm a poet/writer in the US, currently working on a novel focused on Irish-Americans during the American Civil War. Interested in this subject as well as tracing my NY-Irish roots. The Curley part of my family was from County Galway, the Kearneys and Larkins from Magherafelt and Desertmartin in Derry, but I've yet to uncover where the Hamiltons and Murphys hailed from.

Anyway, I'd love to learn more and to share what I've learned along the way. I'm fascinated by themes of hybrid identities, diasporas, and how historical trauma reverberates through time.

-Brendan

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Permalink Reply by Ryan O'Rourke on October 21, 2013 at 3:49am

Excellent, Brendan ... glad to have you in the "flock."  Hope you'll share some of your poems / writings with us here via blogs.  There are loads of other members here who are big American Civil War enthusiasts like you.

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Permalink Reply by Brendan Hamilton on October 24, 2013 at 10:58am

Thanks, Ryan! I might share some excerpts for feedback. I'm particularly curious about how 19th century Irish-Americans spoke, and whether my interpretation so far is believable. One thing I've found is that, as with Americans, much of the slang common among Irish people today (e.g. "craic") are actually products of the 20th century. Might be worth even just starting a forum thread about historic words, phrases, idioms, etc. (both in English and Irish), unless there's already one I missed.

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