We explored the Hardy family in a separate post, and now turn our attention to the O'Brien clan.
Ida May Hardy and Donogh Joseph O'Brien [1] married on the 8th of November 1919 in Clifton, near Bristol, England. Ida belonged to the protestant Church of Ireland and Donogh was a Roman Catholic. At the time, 'mixed-marriages' were largely unwelcome in a society that had been conditioned by centuries of religious strife and un-Christian bigotry. Fortunately, Donogh had a relative, who was an ordained Catholic priest serving in Clifton who interceded on behalf of the young couple. He is said to have proclaimed, "Tell them to come over here and I'll marry them on the highest altar I can find", and he did with Ida's family and Donogh's brother, 'Paddy' in attendance. The priest was William Lee, who later became the Bishop of Clifton on 26 January 1932. Bishop Lee was born in Kildorrery, near Mitchelstown, Co. Cork on 27 September 1875, the son of Robert Lee and Bridget Connery. He died on 21 September 1948. Ida and Donogh remembered his kindness in the naming of their youngest child.
William Lee, Bishop of Clifton
As the Roman poet, Virgil, wrote in his tenth Eclogue, omnia vincit amor, 'love conquers all'.
Donogh O'Brien was born on 28 February 1888, the son of William Bernard O'Brien [2] and Mary Geraldine Barry. In the 1901 Census for Ireland, William is described as a "1st Class Examining Officer, H.M. [His Majesty's] Customs', and the family was living at 9 Glenarm Avenue (Glenarm Villas) in Drumcondra, Dublin. The census reveals that the entire family was proficient in the Irish language.
Both of Donogh's parents were from the Mitchelstown area of County Cork, and they were married at Saints Peter and Paul's Church in Cork City on the 13th of August, 1885. At the time of the marriage, William was living in Drumcondra and Mary resided in Clogheen, a village in County Tipperary. She was the daughter of Walter Barry.[6] Mary was born 22 November 1857, and William on 6 September 1854 in Curraghgorm, Co. Cork.
William and Mary had the following children, which were all born in Drumcondra:
- Aileen Maura O'Brien born about 1887. She married William Francis Hooper, MD, who was born in Cork City on 4 April 1886. He was the son of a famous nationalist journalist and Member of Parliament, John Hooper, and Mary Jane Buckley. Aileen was married in Manchester, England in 1912. They had four sons. 1) Brian Patrick was born on 17 December 1915 2) Ivor Joseph Francis born 2 November 1918. 3) Niall Aidan Joseph born on 18 September 1920. 4) Shaun Finbar born on 18 February 1913. They were all born in the family home at 6 Kenilworth Park, Harold's Cross. Aileen died on 23 May 1972. She was 86. William Francis died on 7 November 1946 at the age of 60. Aileen was a member of the Central Council of the Irish Red Cross.
- Donogh Joseph O'Brien was a dental surgeon and president of the Irish Dental Association (1942). His practice was located at 22 Merrion Square, Dublin. He qualified in Manchester, England. Donogh died on 31 October 1954 at Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross, Dublin of an arteriosclerotic cerebral thrombosis leading to hemiplegia. He was 66.
- Kathleen Maura O'Brien was born on the 1st of June 1893. She married Edward Patrick Morrissey on the 2nd of February 1932 at the Church of St. Columba in Drumcondra. He was the son of Edward Joseph Morrissey of Abbeyleix, the owner of the renowned and historic pub, Morrissey's.[5] Edward Patrick was born on 8 June 1884, and it is likely that in 1911 he was working in Manchester as an electrical engineer.
- Sheela Maura O'Brien was born on the 1st of January, 1896. She died 24 January 1922 of tuberculosis at the age of 26. She worked as a bank clerk.
- Patrick Joseph O'Brien was born about 1899, and like his brother, Donogh, was a dental surgeon. He married Mary Hilda White on 30 April 1927 at the Church of St. Columba in Drumcondra. Mary was the daughter of Francis A. White, a pawnbroker, who lived at 5 Iona Drive, Drumcondra. Patrick died 22 June 1954 of emphysema. He was 55.
- Mida (Míde) Maura O'Brien was born on the 3rd of January 1903. She married Robert Charles ‘Roy' Geary (1896–1983), the Director of the Central Statistics Office. Their wedding took place at St. Columba's Church in Drumcondra on 7 September 1927. They had two children, Colm and Clodagh. She died on 19 February 1978, and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery. Mida was very musical and sang beautifully. She was an active member of the Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society and also worked at the Gate Theatre in Dublin.
William O'Brien died on the 31st of October 1934 in Dublin. Two beneficiaries were named in his will, Donogh O'Brien and William Francis Hooper.[3] The address given is 'Kincora', Glenarm Avenue, Drumcondra, an address which also appears on the registration of his death.[4] He died of cardiac arrest following a bout of gastroenteritis. He was 80.
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| Dental Society Dance 1942 Ida and Donogh front row seated on right |
Ida and Donogh had four children:
- Oona (Una) Marie was born 14 August 1920, at a time when the family was living at 3 Percy Place, Dublin. She married Eunan Edward McCarron on 21 June 1947.
Death of Oona McCarron mother of colleague Martha McCarron ( RTÉ Radio )
Our deepest sympathy to our colleague Martha McCarron and the McCarron and O'Brien families on the death of her mother Oona .
The following notice appeared:
McCARRON (née O'Brien), Oona (Blackrock, Co. Dublin) - March 5, 2016, in her 96th year, beloved wife of the late Eunan (peacefully), in the presence of her daughters and in the tender care of Ferndene Nursing Home staff; sadly missed by her loving children Fr. Peter [born 1950], Martha and Mary, pre-deceased by her brother Delcan; she is deeply mourned by brothers Ronan and Oliver, sister-in-law Monika, sons-in-law Paul and Tim, grandsons Shane, Conor and Darragh, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews and by her extended family. Her Funeral in the Church of the Assumption, Booterstown and at Mount Jerome Crematorium was private in accordance with her wishes and took place on Wednesday March 9. May she Rest in Peace.
Former military surgeon Royal Army Medical Corps (b 1923; q University College Dublin 1946; LM, MBE, OStJ), died from secondary lung cancer on 14 March 2006.
Former military surgeon Royal Army Medical Corps (b Dublin 1923; q University College Dublin; MBBCh, BAO 1946, LM 1948, brigadier L/RAMC, MBE, OStJ), died from secondary lung cancer on 14 March 2006.Declan was surgeon and commanding officer of the British Military Hospital in Berlin and was involved in the health care of Rudolph Hess. He often monitored the opinions of consulting surgeons from the United Kingdom, USA, Russia, and France, and his wise statements were accepted when Hess was treated in the British Military Hospital. He was a careful meticulous surgeon whose clearcut opinions were highly respected. He served in Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, British Army of the Rhine, and in the military wing of Musgrove Park Hospital, Belfast, where he operated on soldiers and victims of the violence from both sides of the sectarian divide. He became a recognised specialist in missile surgery and his final posting was in the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital, Woolwich, the major receiving hospital for casualties from the Falklands War.
After retirement he became chief medical officer of the British Red Cross overseeing a new edition of the First Aid Manual. He then worked for various benevolent organisations, most notably the Oswald Stowell Foundation and the Officers’ Association. He kept up this work to the end of his life, dispensing wit and wisdom in equal measure.
He was a keen supporter of the BMA and served as president of the Bromley Division. The Sydenham Medical Society was another of his interests, and he hosted a meeting just a few days before his death. A strong family man, he lost his wife, Georgina, in 2001. His family, Moya, Patricia, Donogh, Conor, Fergal, and Oona, always gave him strong support during his travels overseas and were with him when he died from secondary carcinoma deposits in the lung.
- Ronan Patrick was born 15 June 1926.
- Oliver Murragh Lee was born in the Herbert Street Nursing Home, Dublin on 10 April 1939.
William O'Brien (1854-1934) was the son of Denis [1] O'Brien and Ellen Lee as the following entry in the parish records of Mitchelstown testifies:
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| 6 September 1854 (National Library of Ireland) |
Denis O'Brien was born about 1813, and died on 25 March 1895 in Kiltankin, Co. Tipperary. He was 82. Ellen Lee O'Brien was born in 1822, and died at Kiltankin on the 25th of April 1902 at the age of 80. She is described as 'of Corracuna'. Denis and Ellen are both buried at Marshalstown Cemetery. Her epitaph reads:
According to the birth record of their son, Thomas, Denis was a farmer in Curraghgorm Townland. Immediately contiguous with this townland, to the west, is Baunnanooneeny Townland. It is in the Baunnanooneeny Townland that Denis O'Brien leased a house and over 11 acres (4.5 hectares) of farmland from the Earl of Kingston.
According to Griffith's Valuation (the survey of Cork County was completed on 20 July 1853), Denis held the leasehold on parcel 10A and Michael O'Brien held 10B. Michael is likely to have been a brother of Denis.
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| Map of Griffith's Valuations 1853 Aerial View |
The known children of Denis O'Brien and Ellen Lee are:
- William
- Thomas, who was a witness to William's marriage, was born on 11 September 1864 in the village of Curraghgorm, near Mitchelstown, County Cork. He was a surgeon. Thomas died on the 14th of 1933 at the age of 69 of prostate cancer while at St. Anne's Hydro in Blarney. His wife, Mary Kate, died the 19th of May 1934 in Mitchelstown. Both are buried in the Marshalstown Cemetery.
His family appears in the 1901 census for Ireland: See also 1911 census
Thomas married Mary Kate Germaine on the 14th of October 1891 at the Church of St Francis Xavier in Gardiner Street, Dublin. At the time of her marriage, she was living in Graney, County Kildare. Mary was the daughter of John Germaine and Mary Foley, and was born on 5th of April 1870 at Grangecon, County Wicklow. John Germaine was a farmer, born in County Wicklow about 1834.
Their son, Thomas Kevin, was killed-in-action on the Western Front during the First World War on 30 May 1916. He was a Captain in the 6th Battalion Connaught Rangers. He is buried in the Noeux-les-Mines Communal Cemetery (Pas de Calais), Grave I. L. 7. His epitaph reads: "Son of Dr. Thomas O'Brien, of Ard-na-Greene, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork." This refers to Ard na Gréine, the family home. Thomas Kevin was educated at St. Colman’s College, Fermoy, Co. Cork. He attended Bristol University in 1909, and transferred to University College Cork, where he studied medicine, and was a resident of St. Anthony’s Hall (UCC) from 1910-12.
Aileen 'Muire' was born on 16 September 1892. She married Benedict Arthure on 7 July 1920. They are the parents of the late Father Robert Arhure.Thomas Kevin was born on 15 December 1893.Donagh Patrick was born on 14 May 1895.Kathleen Geraldine Irene was born on 3 June 1899.All were born at home.
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| Photo credit: Bill Power (Facebook) |
- David (The Very Reverend). Catholic priest, vicar forane, Father Provincial and Canon of Clifton (Bristol). He was born during 1862 in Mitchelstown, and died in Bristol on the 4th of July 1910. His body was transported back to Ireland, where it was buried at Marshalstown Cemetery with his family.
On the 18th of May 1853, he was elected a member of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society, giving his address as Chapel House, Clarendon Street, Dublin. This was obviously connected to St. Theresa's Church, confirmed by the fact that David belonged to the order of Discalced Carmelites (see Thoms Irish Almanac 1852). He was also a council member of the Celtic Society (1853).
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| 1910 Deaths Limerick Leader |
The 1901 Census for England and Wales shows that David O'Brien and William Lee were sharing a house on York Road in the Bedminster area of Bristol, from which they serviced the local Roman Catholic Church of Holy Cross on Victoria Street. David at 39 was the priest, and William at 26 was the assistant priest. The two priests, of course, were related through David's mother, Ellen Lee. It is assumed that William's father, Richard of Curraghgorm, was the brother of Ellen.[9] William Lee eventually became Bishop of Clifton.
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| Holy Cross (now demolished) |
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| Official Directory Bristol 1904-05 |
David officiated at the marriage of his brother, William, to Mary Barry. Their brother, Thomas, witnessed the union. David also officiated at the marriage of his brother Thomas, which was witnessed by Patrick O'Brien. The beneficiary of David's will was Patrick O'Brien, his brother.
- John O'Brien married Catherine Hyland on 9 March 1886. She was the daughter of Martin Hyland, a farmer of Curraghmore. They were married in the presence of Denis O'Brien and Alice Lee at the Chapel of Ballygiblin. John was a farmer. He died at Kiltankin (like his parents) on 28 March 1912. His daughter, Ellie (Ellen), was in attendance. John was 60 when he died, which suggests a birth year of 1852. According to the 1901 census, his wife, Catherine, was born about 1856. [10] They are both buried at Marshalstown Cemetery. See also here.
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| 1901 Census for Ireland See also 1911 census |
The John O'Brien mentioned in Thomas O'Brien's (1864-1933) birth record [7] is not be confused with the above mentioned John. He is likely to have been Denis O'Brien's brother.
Ellen Lee O'Brien, a widow since 1895, is found living under her son's roof in 1901.
Denis was born 6 March 1891 in Kiltankin (named after his grandfather).Ellen was born 18 June 1894 in Kiltankin (named after her grandmother).Julia was born 16 July 1897 in Kiltankin.Catherine was born 2 October 1900 in Kiltankin (named after her mother).
- Patrick was born about 1857, no doubt in Curraghgorm, Co. Cork. He appears in the 1901 census for Ireland living with his brother, William. Patrick's wife, 'Brigid' is also present. She was born around 1859. Their marriage record shows that Patrick married Bridget Morrissey of Clogheen, Co. Tipperary, the daughter of Thomas Morrissey. They were married on 9 August 1892 at St. Francis Xavier's Church in North Dublin. .Patrick is described in the census as a drapery merchant. He was a witness at Thomas' wedding.
Some Observations
Ellen Lee was born about 1822. If she married at age 23, her wedding would have taken place during 1845. Her known children are John (born 1852); William (born 1854); Patrick (born 1857); David (born 1862) and Thomas (born 1864). We can assume that other children were born prior to John and in the years between William and David. There is an entry in the Tithe Applotment Books for 1831, showing a Patrick O'Brien farming over 12 acres in Curraghgorm. It is likely that he was a family member, perhaps a brother of Denis, and William's brother, Patrick, may have been named after him.
