HOME + CONTENTS + Part 1 + I + II + III + IV + V + VI + VII + VIII + Part 2 + I + II + III + IV

SECTION V

DYRA, of Callowbrack, Newport, County Mayo and in America.



KNOWN FACTS

Bridget Dyra (Gorman) died 4th. July 1964 aged 69, therefore born in 1895.

PATRICK born 1879 or 1881 and died 9/7/1954 aged 73 or 75.

CHILDREN OF FIRST MARRIAGE.

JOHN P. b. 1908 mentioned on 1911 census, Tom Dyra said that John died in Chicago.

CATHERINE b. 1910 died 18/01/1989 - did not marry.

THOMAS b 1912 lived in London and died in 1999. Thomas married Mary Keane.

They had 2 children. Tom and Maureen - see details below

MICHAEL b 1914 died London June 1986 - did not marry.

MARY b 1916 died June 1991 (m. David Roettling).

Catherine lived with her stepbrother Frank in Chicago. She died in January 1988.

ASSUMPTION

Anne Dyra ( nee McDonnell ) died in 1919.

CHILDREN OF SECOND MARRIAGE.

I also met his brother Joe Dyra for the first time in 1987 on Achill Island.

A different missed opportunity to keep in contact with the Dyra family occurred in 1951.

It seems that Catherine Dyra, who lived in Chicago, was on a visit to Ireland and England and called in to see us at Poole Road. The people then living there could not or would not give her our new address so unfortunately we did not get to meet up with her.

Frank was able to give me the address of John and Tom Moran who are members of the Moran family. Tom and John live in Melbourne. When I visited Melbourne in May 1992 on a business trip I was able to make contact with them and they were very pleased to see me and made me feel very welcome. Unfortunately, Tom Moran died in about June 1995 just after he gave me details about a Paddy Flynn who lives in Dublin and does the Moran family tree. We were able to see Paddy Flynn whilst we were in Dublin.

Rona and I met Frank and Mary Dyra for the first time during our visit to America in June 1995. Frank took us to see an old lady named Barbara Moran who knew some of the McDonnell familywhen they lived in Chicago some years ago. Unfortunately, she had lost touch with them and as she was getting on in years could not remember vewry much about them . This Barbara Moran may have ben a cousin to another Barbara Moran who married our Uncle Tom McDonnell (McDonald). As well as a Barbara Moran marrying Tom a Thady and Honor Moran were baptismal sponsors for my father's (John McDonnell ) baptism in 1879.

Frank has four children - three girls and a son and count seven Grandchildren and we met some of them in June 1995.

Thomas and Marian Dyra live in, Cottenham, Cambridgeshire..

Maureen Dyra married Michael Harty and have three children.

Both Tom Dyra, and his step brother Frank Dyra in Chicago, have been invaluable to me in my quest for information about my McDonnell family and I have really made them scratch their memories for me. Without them I could not have found out as much as I have. It has been a privilege to know them as my cousins.

From Tom I was able to learn the circumstances of why my father, John McDonnell, left Ireland at such a relatively early age. Both Tom and Frank have related many more interesting snippets to me over the past few years.

One of very historic interest, even though it does not relate to my family is one of Tom's memories of when he was a ten year old boy attending the Treenbeg school in 1923. I cannot do better than repeat verbatim in Tom's own words what occurred on 22nd February 1923.

"On the 22nd. Day of February 1923, during the civil war, I was at school in Treenbeg, N.S. Early in the morning, Free State Army Soldiers had gone on to Shramore in search of I.R.A. explosives and the I.R.A. if they could find any of them.

We were at play when they were returning. As they were passing the schoolyard, they were fired on from the hill above the school. Master Gibbons called us into the school and we all lay on the floor near the wall facing the hill. Shortly after a soldier was carried in with gun wounds to his leg accompanied by a doctor. The doctor was called out again to attend a corporal Collins, as the doctor was crossing the yard he was hit by a bullet in the side. He was carried into the school. He was in great pain. After about three hours, a truce was fixed so we could go home. Corporal Collins died there. Doctor McQuade died next day in Castlebar Hospital. One time I was over there, Teddy Mulchrone told me he (the Doctor) was a step brother of Arch-Bishop McQuade who was in Dublin some years ago.

Less than two weeks later after, the area was covered with troops. It was the 7th Of March. Jim Moran from Shralogga was killed and his men captured. I can still memorize it all and Nellie Billy (Chambers) said the same as that"

This is the eye witness account of one incident during the 'Troubles' by a 10 year boy Tom Dyra in 1923.

Apropos to the story by Tom Dyra concerning the I.R.A. ambush in 1923, on page 36 of 'Back The Road' is the school photograph of the pupils who attended in 1923/34. Tom Dyra himself as well as his brother Mick and sister Mary are included as well as Master Gibbons and the two pupils Tom mentions viz. Teddy Mulchrone and Nell Chambers.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

OWN BUCKAGH HILLSIDE THREE STREAMS DOWNWARD FLOW

SOMETIMES IN TORRENTS AT TIME S VERY SLOW

ON REACHING THE BOTTOM ALL WATERS DO MEET

TO FORM THE YELLOW RIVER. THEN ALL WATERS COMPETE

DOWNWARDS IT GOES FINDING ITS WAY

TILL IT REACHES LOUGH FURNACE. THAT FLOWS ON TOWARDS

CLEW BAY .

IT FLOWS NEATH THE BRIDGE OF THE ROAD TO SHRAMORE

TWO AND A HALF MILES FROM NEWPORT ITS PROBABLY MORE

IT WINDS ITS WAY DOWN THROUGH PASTURES OF GREEN

AS PEACEFULL A PLACE AS YOU'VE EVER SEEN

WHERE THE CATTLE THEY GRAZE ALL THROUGH THE DAY

AS THE WATERS OF THE YELLOW RIVER FLOW ON TOWARDS

CLEW BAY.

NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER

YOU PLAINLY WILL SEE TWO ISLANDS

OF GREEN STANDING THERE SOLIDLY

A BREEDING GROUND FOR SEA BIRDS

THEY NEST ON THE GROUND

AND MANY ARE THERE ALL THE YEAR ROUND

THE SEAGULLS THEY SWIRL AND SCREECH

THROUGH THE DAY WHILE THE WATERS OF THE

YELLOW RIVER FLOWS ON TO CLEW BAY.