"My father never left the county he was born in until he was over 70 years of age when he visited Dublin." Uncle John's

The following (an extract) was written by my Uncle John Callery, (one of my father's three brothers) on 19th November 1959.  Uncle John's original notebook, with the full handwritten account, was given to his son, my first cousin, John Callery, who lives in Kilmainham, in Dublin.  Young John led a successful protest against planning permission for unsuitable development in the area of the historic Kilmainham gaol.

   
Uncle John wrote: "I was born on 19th August 1912, two years before the first Great War. I was the sixth child of Michael Callery (my grandfather) and Mary Anne McCabe. My parents were both reared on small farms as neighbours and could be accurately described as peasant stock. My father never left the county he was born in until he was over 70 years of age when he visited Dublin , his first trip to the city. He never rode a bicycle or travelled on a train and when 10 miles from his birthplace he considered himself a long way from home."

Uncle John describes his mother, Mary Anne McCabe's early life
"My mother, (my granny), a McCabe from Lehary Rocks, (where they were driven in times of persecution), learned her trade as a dress maker in Cavan town, as a girl, and went out to the USA for a few years. Whilst there she worked in Waterbury, Mass. following which she returned home to her birthplace."

Mary Anne's marriage to my grandfather, Mick Callery, led to the move from Lehary Rocks to the Lisdonish farm.

Elopement of the pop stars, Mary Anne & Mick. (Uncle John continues)
"My father and she eloped, which was a quite common thing to do then, and were married without parents consent. They were a very popular couple and were in great demand as singers at local parties - as radio or even gramophones were not heard of then. They were given a small farm at Lisdonish by my grandfather (a James Callery) and set about rearing a family. They both worked very hard and long but were blessed with good health and my mother died in her 80th year and my father in his 82nd (in 1952 and 1954 respectively).
My father was born in a place called Killatogher in Crosserlough (Co Cavan)".

Site of the Callery Home in
Killatogher.
My cousin Michael, son of my Uncle Harry Callery,  marks the spot.   Michael  inherited the nearby Callery farm at Listonish  from his father Harry, as well as the residue of the Callery land
At Killatogher.

Uncle John goes on to describe his paternal roots :

"There was quite a colony of the family name (Callery) here in Killytogher at one time as they owned nearly all of that townland, but even in my day the name has nearly gone from this part. His (Uncle John's father Mick Callery) father was a James Callery who was married to a woman called Leddy from halfway between the villages of Kilnaleck and Arva Co. Cavan.  My mother's mother came from the village of Finea on the Cavan Westmeath border near Lake Sheelin and her name was Rehill."
I often heard my father speak of his grandfather John Callery (my great great grandfather) who also lived in Killatoher. My father was very Irish in his outlook and was a prominent member of Sinn Fein - the freedom organisation at the time.  Most of his songs were Irish Nationalist ones.  As a boy he moved with his family from Killatoherer to Derrylurgan where the family finally settled. It was from here he married. I am very glad to say that I own this farm in Derrylurgan now - it was left to me by an uncle John Callery, as it was the house of my Father and Grandfather. I never intend letting it out of my possession and I trust that my sons will have the same sentiments also."

(My Uncle John left the farm to his son, John, my cousin, referred to above in the
Kilmainham connection)
Uncle John died at his home in Dublin on the 7th July 1992, aged 79