Walking in the Steps of My Irish Ancestors

Where did Edward McGrath and Ann McKeon come from? They lived in County Longford, in the Midlands in Ireland, back in the second half of the 1800s. Edward was a labourer, a person who worked for a farmer and was allowed to live in a cottage on the farmer's land. Ann had 6 children, with my great-grandmother, Mary 'Annie', being the eldest. She and the kids emigrated to America over a decade or so after Edward died in 1874. I wanted to know more! Was there a cluster of relatives living near them in the old country? What happened in their daily lives?

Exciting news arrived in my email last month: a family history center just opened in County Longford! The Killian Homeplace Family History Center, on a beautiful restored farm, will help you discover your Irish roots. They have especially deep knowledge about County Longford. Ireland is just a hop, skip and a jump from Norway. I am all over this!   

I contacted Eilish Feeley there, and asked to come on Saturday, 22 July. I sent her what I knew about the McGraths, and what I imagined about them. Yes, she said, I was welcome! I may have been their first in-person customer. She and Sister Margaret, both avid historians and genealogists, searched the local area and undigitized records preparing for our day together. Eilish picked me up at the Longford townland train station on a cool day that promised rain, and we spent a couple of hours at the Center.

Welcome to the magical Killian homeplace!

"Enjoying Genealogy" in front of the hearth

Old boots found during the restoration and placed on the hearth gave a feeling of home. Of course, tea was a huge part of the day. Cows supported our work from right outside. Butterflies had to be rescued and sent back outside as the morning progressed. 

One story about my g-grandmother, Annie McGrath, looks to have been a misreading of the records. My cousin and I believed that she was in a women's prison in Dublin. Eilish showed me the squiggle after the place name for Annie, and it looks like Street. Dublin had streets with the same names as townlands and counties. My romantic story of Annie walking 62 miles to Dublin after her father died should be taken with a grain of sand.

KHFHC is in the south of the county, while the McGraths lived in the north of the county. Eilish and Sister Margaret had driven up to Leitrim and Granard townlands, talked to locals, and contacted Sister Maeve who is an avid historian of that area. The three of them had lunch with me, before we all piled into Maeve's car to explore. 

Eilish had found, in the Valuation Office in Dublin, in a Revision Book to Griffith's Evaluation, that in 1871 Edward McGrath first appeared living on Anne Browne's farm. Eilish had found the location on a historical map, and overlaid the modern map on that. While she had been driving around looking for it in Leitrim townland, a farmer told her, "That's down at Brown's Cross." Paydirt! A locally known name led to plot 1Ca! 

We four drove right there, and stopped for a picture-taking session.

The main Browne house (no longer owned by Brownes)

Maybe where the McGraths lived?

The records show that Ann McKeon McGrath was paying rent on the house until 1883. In 1890, the farm was owned by another family, O'Hara, and the small house was rented by someone else, McGlynn.

Under all that wild greenery, under the roof peaking out, was the school. 

We think the kids walked across the fields to get from home to school, perhaps a couple of miles. Sister Maeve let us out of the car to walk along a section of road, smelling the farmland and feeling the fresh air.

Down the road at plot 17, there was another McKeon. Related? We don't know yet, but we went to visit. We were invited in to Mickey's house to talk about Peter McKeon and the neighborhood. It was such a cosy place. Mickey played his recorder, his wife couldn't keep from singing, and his grandson enjoyed the experience.

Next stop, the Granard cemetery. 

Finding McKeons and McGraths

We found one McKeon

What an enjoyable experience! These women are completely involved in the history of County Longford. The ability to walk the land and talk to the folks who know the stories of their neighbors' homes, to share old papers, and to search library books, is vital to bringing those old days to life. And it is fun!

Eilish, Sister Margaret, and Sister Maeve

At the end of the day, Sister Maeve invited us in for tea and cakes, and to look at records from her bookcase. These women were the wind floating me through my ancestral Irish homeland.

I have to share this video I made at the former Browne farm. The cows were very interested in us, standing and talking in their personal road.