Michael (Ned) Neary's of Shrahannary, Bangor Erris, Mayo, Ireland

Kate Neary Koehler c. ? 

An revision of my earlier account of our research on Kate Neary (1893-1977) our grandmother. My co-researcher is my sister, Celeste.  Understand, research was necessary. When Celeste asked about Ireland, Nan Nan always replied:  “Why do you want to know about that god-forsaken place?” and refused to go further.

In the 1901 Irish Census, Michael (Ned) Neary of Shrahanarry, is listed as being 46? with the question mark. We know that he is our grandfather as the names of our great- grandmother, Bridget (b.1864 Bangor Erris), and the children (John, 9; Kate, 7; Mary, 6; Annie, 4) are correct.  Michael(Ned) was the son of Edmond and Bridget (possibly Gilroy).  Bridget Neary was the daughter of Patrick Collins and Honor Gaughan.  Michael Neary and Bridget Collins were married on November 9, 1890 and Cloontikilla is given as their residence on the marriage record.

My sister, Celeste, had been researching the family to determine why my grandmother came to the US as a 14 year old.  After a day of research in Bangor Erris/Belmullet, County Mayo, she was told to purchase a copy of Father Sean Noone's book, Where the Sun Sets, a history of the county. She found it at the local news stand in Belmullet. Her husband, Guy, asked if they could go some where quiet so that he could "take a little nap" so they parked near the beach overlooking the bay. Celeste started paging through the book for the chapter on Shrahanarry and found it on page 329. Much information to be found:
"Shraigh of the Spring";
194 acres
Population: 1841=10, 1851 = none, 1911 = 17
1855 Landlord: Ellen Cosgrave
No dwelling house in 1855
East of Bangor.

But the most wondrous words then appeared on the page:

A June 8, 1907 newspaper article from The Western People reporting evictions in Bangor Erris on June 4th:

• "The Sheriff's bailiff and a party of police and Mr. Bingham of Doolough (Landlord) proceeded to Shrahannary. The first house visited was that of a man named Neary who is only three weeks home from America to take charge of his holding. His little children he found alone with an old woman, their mother having died a few weeks previously. Notwithstanding the protestation of Neary , that he was prepared to pay his rent, his sickly old mother of 86 years of age and her helpless burden of orphans, the eldest not ten years and the youngest scarcely that number of weeks were cast out on the roadside where they remained until given shelter by a kind neighbor. The party next proceeded to the house of a widow Bridget Neary who with her 4 children were evicted. The only shelter remaining for her was to put her little scanty furniture opposite the house on the roadside. Sometime during the night, being very cold and finding the house open, she went in a lighted a fire to give warmth to herself and her children where she has since remained.........She will likely be prosecuted for what is known as forcible possession..........The Relieving Officer was not present having got no notice of the eviction and living ten miles away ..................."

We later determined that Michael (Ned) had died in 1901 and this newspaper article indicates that Bridget was in dire straits. We have a death record for Bridget, who died in 1909, and a birth record for another daughter of Bridget’s, Margaret Cosgrove, the “illegitimate” daughter of John Cosgrove…. another story.  This told us why Ireland was “that god-forsaken place”!

John, the oldest, states in his 1915 US immigration record that he was a miner in Bedlington, England, and living with a Carey family there, a common name in Bangor Erris.  He married a Mary Gallagher in 1916, Philadelphia, PA and they had two children Mary and John.  John was a fireman in the oil refinery.  My father remembered visiting John most Sundays at their home in South Philadelphia

The story told to us by Kate (our NanNan) was that she had come to America - through Philadelphia in 1907 with her sister.  We have done much research through the  Immigration records online, and have a Kate Neary (Narey), from Bangor Erris, coming to her Aunt Kate Collins on North 10th Street in Philadelphia. (Kate Collins is listed as Kate Neary's sponsor on the baptismal record we have for Kate Neary.) The date of arrival is June 25, 1907 - she is 14 and it is just 21 days from the eviction, and no sister is with her.  Kate married Frederick Koehler in 1918 in Wilmington, DE and they had seven children, Fred, Harry, John, Richard, Mary, Arthur Thomas and Dorothy.

We do not know where Annie and Mary were between the eviction in 1907 and their immigration to Philadelphia, PA in 1913 to their sister, Kate Neary.  We cannot pinpoint them in the 1911Irish census, but they were either living with relatives, or in the workhouse. We have lost track of the sisters in America, and would love to know what happened to them.  Our aunts and uncles did not remember much, if any, interaction with them and talked of them possibly being in Chicago and North Jersey.

Margaret Cosgrove came to Philadelphia, PA in 1922, to her sister, Kate Koehler.  On the manifest the address she gave for Kate Koehler is the same house where my father grew up.  And she gave as her contact in Ireland, “Mother Superior, Convent, Belmullet.  The sisters ran the workhouse/orphanage, and we believe we have Margaret there in the 1911 Irish census, but the residents were only listed by initials/age, so it is somewhat speculation.  The workhouses were closed after the Irish War of Independence.  Margaret went on to become a baby nurse in Philadelphia, living with families and taking care of their babies.  She usually came to Thanksgiving and Christmas with Nan Nan’s family, and always had the most beautiful hand knitted sweaters to give to the newest baby.  I have the one she knitted for my brother in 1957.