The Mulry family tree

The Gathering

The year of the gathering brought the Mulry family together here in Dangan. We were visited by American cousins on two occasions who with the help of our local genealogist, Martin Curley, pieced together our family tree.

Discovering new information

These visits uncovered a great deal of information about our past going back as far as the 1800s. Stories from old about immigration, war and commitment to family were to the forefront of information uncovered.

How it all began

It all started with a man named Patrick Mulry born in 1821 who married a Mahon woman born in 1825; both of whom were from Dangan. They had a son named Thomas Mulry born in 1848 who married a local woman Ellen Nicholson in Killererin Church in 1876.

Thomas and Ellen together, bought a piece of land in Dangan Slievegorm and started a family. They had eight children; five girls and three boys. Michael ‘Pop’ Mulry was one of their sons born in 1893. Michael would be my great grandfather.

Emigration to America

Michael emigrated to America with his cousin Michael Nicholson in 1914. Records were uncovered that he arrived in Boston on the SS Adriatic on the 21 October 1914. They were going to the home of Thomas, brother of Michael Mulry and cousin of Michael Nicholson-as stated in the ship’s record.

Called to War

In 1917, Michael aged 24 was listed as registered for WW1 Draft Registration in Brooklyn, Norfolk, Massachusetts. Three years later in 1920, the naturalization of Michael Mulry was recorded and at this point Michael was listed as being unmarried. However, upon research of marriage certificates from the time, it was unearthed that Michael married a Delia A Mannion in Boston in 1920 a short time later. The same year Michael gained American citizenship and applied for an American passport.

The Call home

Following this Michael’s father Thomas grew ill and requested that his son return home to Dangan to look after the farm. Michael and his wife Delia respected Thomas’s wish and returned home to Ireland in 1921.

Michael and Delia settled in Dangan and successfully farmed the land whilst looking after Thomas as his health deteriorated. Ten years later in 1931 Thomas Mulry passed away.  However, the Mulry’s remained to live in Dangan and Michael and Delia had six children; three girls and three boys.

My Grandfather

Thomas Mulry was one of their sons born in 1921, the eldest of the family.  He is my grandfather.  Thomas took over the family farm from Michael and went on to marry Monica Mahoney from Cooloo, Moylough. They had four children; one girl and three boys, Della, Michael, Brian and Tomás.

Still farming today

Today we see Thomas and Monica’s son Tomás farm the family farm in Dangan.  Tomás married Maureen Morrissey from Athenry.  Today with their four children and grandmother (Monica Mulry), they live in Dangan on the farm that has been passed on for generations and who knows perhaps for many more generations to come.