Charles Mc Grane + Mary Ann Travers

Shared via Elizabeth Mc Grane who got it from Desmond Doran......

I don't have any dates for this but if it was taken when they were about 30 years old that would place it around 1895.

Charles Mc Grane and Mary Anne Travers from Ballinacarrick, Ballintra, Co Donegal.

All rights reserved - D Doran

John Patrick and Bernard Mc Grane

Both John Patrick and Bernard Mc Grane, Ballinacarrick, Co Donegal, (sons of Charlie + Mary Anne Mc Grane) died quite young. John was 22 years old and Bernard was 20 years old.

Hugh Behan tells me that the family always said that both died from complications of Appendicitis while in actual fact they had died as a result of contracting Tuberculosis or TB. This was a common but lethal disease in those days. It carried a lot of stigma. TB was closely associated with poverty: although all ranks of society got the disease, the poor were at greatest risk, both because they were in greater contact with other sufferers (because of overcrowding at home, at work, travelling and socialising), and because their immune system was weakened due to poor nutrition.

This then is the reason for the family lie, the shame of TB must have been very hard for this proud family.

(c) Noeleen Leahy

Charlie Mc Grane and Mary Molloy

Charlie Mc Grane (son of Charlie + Mary Anne Mc Grane) moved to Strabane from Ballinacarrick with his brother Jim and both became business men. Jim had a pub and Charlie had a shop.

Family folklore tells that both brothers opened a shop and pub, the Bridge End Bar, on the Melmount side of Strabane bridge on Bridge Street. Charlie, though had a little too much liking for alcohol! Eventually Jim walked away from the partnership and openend his own bar on the Strabane side of the bridge in the town.

Charlie married Mary Molloy from Newry, who taught Home Economics in the Technical College in Strabane.

(c) Kenneth Allen

Mary turned Charlie's life around - he quit drinking and went on to be quite a respectable citizen even becoming a member of Strabane Town Council.

Rumour has it that Mary took all the Mc Grane money when Charlie died in 1963. Mary moved to Dublin where she met and married a Garda Mc Dermott. This marriage did not last long.

When Mary died in 1996 she was buried with Charlie in St Mary's graveyard, Melmount, Strabane. She bequeathed £1000 to Sean Mc Grane, Jim's son, in her will. Sean is at odds to understand why, perhaps, he thinks, it was to make up for the way Jim had been treated all those years ago?

Above as told to Noeleen by Sean Mc Grane and Hugh Behan.

Patrick Doran and Annie Mc Grane

The following information contributed by Desmond Doran....

Annabella Mc Grane was born in 1894 in Ballinacarrick, Ballintra, Co Donegal (daughter of Charles + Mary Anne Mc Grane)

Patrick Doran born January 17^th 1880 died November 12^th 1957 aged 77

Master baker and proprietor of Doran’s Bakery, Meetinghouse Street, Strabane

Patrick Doran married Annabella Mc Grane, at St Mary’s RC Church, Melmount, Strabane on July 31^st 1922. 

Patrick was 42 when he married, Annie was 27. They went on honeymoon to the Isle of Man where several formal portraits of the occasion were taken. Desmond and Patricia Doran have the individual portraits hanging in their dining room. These will one day pass to their son, Brendan Patrick Doran to hang in his dining room.

Source: Desmond Doran

Annie’s father was Charles Mc Grane and her mother was Mary Ann Travers. Charles was a farmer by profession, and as noted on Annie’s birth certificate, could not write. He registered her birth with a witnessed “x”

Patrick and Annie had seven children: Peter Joseph 1923, Patrick Gerald Harley 1925, Mary Monica 1926, John James Charles 1929, Daniel Brendan 1931, Bridget Patricia 1934, Hugh Desmond Joseph 1938.

Patrick’s sister, Bridget never married and lived with Patrick + Annie all her life until she died in 1961. Like her brother, Aunty Bee was well educated and well travelled. They both had travelled extensively in Europe prior to Patrick’s marriage to Annie. Bridget had a twin sister, Margaret Mary Doran. They were born on April 26^th 1882. Margaret  married Edward O Hagan in Murlog, Januray 8^th 1912.

Patrick’s father was Peter Doran and he was born in 1845 in Upper Alt, Castlefin, Co Donegal. He died July 7^th 1909 aged 64. 

Peter was married to Mary Mc Gillian September 27^th 1867 in Strabane. Mary could not write and her “x” is witnessed as are the “x’s” of the two witnesses Joseph Cassidy and Anne Doherty. On the marriage certificate Peter’s father is listed as Peter, “a dealer” and Mary’s father is listed as Daniel Mc Gillian, also a “dealer”. Both Peter and Mary were 23 when they married. Peter’s occupation is listed as baker and Mary as a dressmaker.

Peter and Mary had seven children, Patrick being one of them.

Sarah Mc Grane and Jim Behan

The following information is contributed by Fr Hugh Behan.......

SARAH BEHAN, (daughter of Charles + Mary Anne Mc Grane) born October 31, 1906. Her birth was never registered so it was guessed from her baptismal record!. Married Garda  JAMES FRANCIS BEHAN of TINAHELY, Co Wicklow who was stationed in Raphoe, Co Donegal. 

Sarah took care of her mother, in Bridge End, Strabane when the family moved from the home farm in BALLINACARRICK, BALLINTRA Co Donegal when she was a teenager (1922 I am guessing). She was also the housekeeper and cook and worked in the bar.

Jim Behan was helping his own mother out financially as she was on her own physically. 

Jim and Sarah married JUNE 21, 1938 in Melmount, the family parish in Strabane. They moved to Culdaff, co Donegal where Jim was the local Garda. 

Culdaff beach - Source

Hugh Francis was born OCTOBER 3, 1939, James Patrick ( Seamus)  was born MARCH 6, 1941. Jim was promoted to Sergeant and they moved to Cappawhite, Co Tipperary on  JANUARY 8, 1952. Hugh Francis and Seamus went to school in Rockwell College that September.

Jim  took early retirement when Sarah's brother, Hugh, had a heart attack and they moved back to Lifford in 1963. They lived over the shop (The Tyrconnell Stores) but built a home beside the shop in 1969 as it was not healthy for them living in such cramped space.The shop today acts as the Ulster Bank.

(c) Kenneth Allen

Hugh Francis was ordained on June 6, 1964 for the diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri. Seamus became an accountant ( Articled Clerk) after graduating from UCD with a BA in Business. 

SARAH died October 4, 1994. JIM died  February 9, 1995. 

Jim's Garda reg no was 7171 and he wore a cap size 7 and 1/8th

Robert James Millar + Bridget Mc Grane

The following information contributed by Alan + Tina Bennet.......

Robert James Millar (born 1886, Strabane) was married to Bridget McGrane (daughter of Charles + Mary Anne Mc Grane, born c 1888 in Ballinacarrick, Ballintra, Co Donegal).

Bridget was from Ballintra in Co Donegal. She had moved to Strabane to work in her brother's, Jim and Charles, shop. Family lore says that Bridget went to America where she met a man. On a visit back home to tell her parents, she met Robert Millar.

Robert married Bridget McGrane at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Melmount, Strabane in 1915. Robert James Millar was a Presbyterian but became a Roman Catholic to marry Bridget.

They lived at 16 Bridge St Strabane, the house that his father Joseph and mother Maria had moved to between 1901 and 1911.

In 1938 a fire destroyed the First Presbyterian church in Townsend Street. Robert volunteered himself to help fight the fire. The Presbyterians told him he was not needed!

The act of marrying a Catholic meant Robert's relationsip with the rest of his family would be strained for years to come.

Mary Catherine Mc Grane + Hugh Shine, Boston

The following information via Fr Hugh Behan........

Mary Catherine Mc Grane was a daughter of Charles + Mary Anne Mc Grane, born 1886. As a young woman she went to America and married Hugh Shine. They had eight children (Charles,Hugh,John / Jack,Francis William (Bill), Mary, Dorothy, Eileen, and Virginia) and lived in the Boston area.

Sarah Mc Grane (Behan) stayed in touch with Mary Catherine Shine. Sarah never told her mother that Mary died, so they kept up a pretense about that. Her mother, Mary (Travers) had pined for her as she had a sense of loss and found it very difficult to see Mary Catherine head off to America.

Many years later in 1964, Sarah had the same difficulties as she saw her son Hugh (Behan) head off to his ministry in America.

Charles Mc Grane and Mary Ann Travers, Ballinacarrick

The following information via Desmond Doran and Elizabeth Mc Grane.....

Charles Mc Grane, b1865, married Mary Ann Travers, b1869,  from Laghey Barr, Co Donegal.

Grandad Mc Grane Source: Desmond Doran

Granny Mc Grane Source: Desmond Doran

They built a two roomed thatched cottage at Ballinacarrick, Ballintra, Co Donegal. The cottage cost £4 and 10 shillings to build. The cottage had one room, a kitchen, and a loft. The children all slept in the loft, accessed via a ladder.

The 1911 census returns that the farm had four outbuildings - one stable, one cow house, onefowl house and a barn.

The roof was slated about 1960 and a small scullery added. Electricity was installed in 1964 retiring the oil lamps and candles.

Potatoes, onion, carrot, cabbage and lettuce along with dairy cows were the mainstay of the farm.

Charles' great grandson, Edward Mc Grane still farms the land at Ballinacarrick. Edward's mother Eilish, still lives at Ballinacarrick.

There are still many Mc Granes and Travers in Ballintra.

Ballinacarrick means Rock Town. Laghey Barr is a mountain (?)