Maggie McDermott, Co Down to " Dear Cousin".

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Document ID 107162
Date 14-03-1927
Document Type Letters (Emigrants)
Archive Mellon Centre for Migration Studies
Citation Maggie McDermott, Co Down to " Dear Cousin".;Document Presented by & Copyright Retained by Sharon DoranTurnbow; CMSIED 107162
29984
             Grange Kilkeel
             March 14th 1927

My Dear Cousin

I now take the pleasure
of answering your nice
letter which I received
alright you didint [didn't?] keep
me long waiting for
an answer I was delighted
to hear from you &
to know Dear Auntie Mary
is still alive I am sure
she would be wondering
about every body. I just though [thought?]
the Doran crowd knew more
than they let on Mrs Peter
just told me you wanted
to know how Uncle Barney's
ones were and I guessed yous
[you?] would like to hear.
I thought she might have
showed me the memory cards
atself [herself?] & it hurt me and
I just put on a bold face
& asked for your adress [address?]
I told her I wanted to get
in touch with Uncle Toms
people through you so I
told her I had a letter from
Mrs Doran & she said Mrs
Doran of Liverpool and I said
no my cousin Mrs Willie Doran
she said did she ask for
us at all and I said you
wished to be remembered
to them all they are what
we in Ireland call very polished
their friendship is skin deep.
There is one thing I am going to
ask you dont answer if you think
me too inquisitive
does the house & farm out in
Killowen belong to you or
to your husbands Brothers
as she told me they didnt
know whether it would be let
or not till they would hear
from Willies brothers & it wasent [wasn't?]
a week afterwards till there
was an auction at it it is
a fine house and place
they have the house let now
till [to?] a schoolteacher & her
two sisters I can get all the
news about it from my
brothers now about myself
there is a niece of my husbands
out in Chicago she went out
there when she was 16
she was reared with my
Husband & his father after her
own father died and she has
a brother lives here with
Patrick & me he is a good
boy & we both think a
lot of him we havent
any children of our own
Well I wrote to Bridget
and gave her your adress [address?]
and I had a letter from
her since and she looked
you up in the telephone
book and is going to call
to see you she will be
able to tell you about
everybody & everything.
My eldest sister lives in Lpool [Liverpool?]
she is Mrs Darcy her husband
died a few years ago she
hasent [has not?] any family and Annie also
lives in Lpool [Liverpool?] Mrs Doran
Annie has three children two boys
& a girl my sister Ellen is in
California she is away about
thirty years she went out
there to get married to a
young man from around
here Joe Marmion he is a son
of Pat Marmions of Lurganreagh [Co Down?]
she had more than her share
of sorrow last April her two
only sons were killed in
a motor accident coming from
a dance on a saturday night
one was threw [thrown?] into what
they call a ditch we call
it a shough and drowned
before they thought of him
the other had his skull
fractured and lived till the
following day the two were
buried in the same grave she
has a daughter a first class
school teacher and one a
telephone operator and one
stays at home it was
enough to kill them all
one boy was 27 the other
21 two lovely fellows she
sent their photos after
Xmas I will send you the
paper some time with their
deaths in.  I have another sister
lives in Camlough Co Armagh
Sarah is her name she is
a Mrs Burns it is beyond
Newry I havent seen her
for four years she might
as well be in America
my sister Minnee [Minnie?] lives in
Rathfriland her husband is
in the fish and fowl business
her name is Maguire she has
4 lovely children 2 boys and
two girls the girl is about
11 yrs [years?] old her and my sister
Alicia were married the
same day.  Alicia is a Mrs
Burns also she has two
children a boy & girl.  we
have a brother went to
America and we havent
heard any word from him
we dont know were he
is the last time he wrote
it was Canada I think he
was in he sailed from
Liverpool in vessels going
out and then stayed there
was ten of us all together
so I think I have told you all
Why dont you and Uncle Toms
daughter come to Ireland for a
holiday there is lots of
Americans come now tell
your mother where I live
is near cranfield shore there
is a golf links now near
where the Greencastle fair
used to be and lot of visitors
in the summer and motor cars
racing in the sand tell her
my mothers sister Sarah is living
and wishes to be remembered to
her she minds her well she
is now over 76 tell her my
father lay 2 yrs before he died
he wasent [wasn't?] sick but he hadent
[hadn't?] power of himself my mother was
going about attending him about
a week before he died she got
an attack it was her heart she
was dead two months after him
they both had big funerals (stain) of offerings
You wanted to know about Aunt
Allies ones well aunt [Allie?]
and her husband is both
dead this long time and
her eldest daughter is also
dead Lizzie they called
her I was at Aunt Allies
bedside before she died
she done nothing but talk
about Ireland if only one
of the old neighbours could
come to see her she had
a bad leg for a long time
it was that that killed
her she hadent much comfort
a working mans wife in a place
like Liverpool and dont have a family
to keep there was one girl Alice
and two boys left one fellow
was man[ag?]ing a pub and
the other worked at the
docks Aunt Allie was buried
in Ford Cemetry [cemetery?] Liverpool
My sister Minnie Lizzie and
I were at the funeral as
we were in Liverpool
at the time Lord have mercy
on them all I will now close
my budget hoping to hear
from you soon your
loving cousin Maggie Mcdermott

 Adress [Address?] Mrs Patrick McDermott
                     Grange Kilkeel
                       Co. Down
                       Ireland

(Donor's Note:- The cousin to whom the
letter was written was Dorothy Doran.)

(Transcribed by Tony Flanagan.)