I have had the pleasure of knowing some amazing women who have had a big influence on my life. The usual suspects include my mum – without whom my grandfather wouldn’t be here today, my aunt who always finds a solution to every problem and most importantly the partner in crime of nearly 20 years that is my younger sister who I couldn’t be without. I can’t believe she’ll be 20, for me she stopped aging when she was about 15.
Throughout the course of my genealogy research I have come across some remarkable women whose perseverance and determination is something to admire. The circumstances in which they lived have made me incredibly thankful for the society (although not entirely perfect) that I live in today. I cannot talk about all of the women on my tree - otherwise I will be here all night – but I will mention one or two notable individuals. The tale of my great-great grandmother Sarah Boyle will always stand out in my mind. I cannot imagine what it must have been like losing your husband and daughter in the space of three months, being stranded in a foreign country and on top of that being five months pregnant as well. Just to add insult to injury your brothers go out and pick your next husband simply because he’s got money.
My great-grandmother Mary Bonner, Sarah’s daughter, came to what was now Northern Ireland aged 11 looking for work despite only being able to speak Irish. I’m happy to say that she was able to gain employment with a family who were very good to her. I’m not exactly sure as to when she met my great-grandfather Isaac Mowbray but I know she had her first child at the age of 19. They did want to get married but the problem was that Isaac was Protestant and Mary was Catholic. That didn’t seem to deter them and they simply lived together for a number of years before finally getting married in the mid-1940s. As a result of her romance with Isaac, Mary’s family cut off all contact with her and only starting speaking to her again after she had lost two children – a 10 month old daughter and a 2 year old son - in the space of three months. It seems so ridiculous that religion could have such an influence over your everyday life.
A mention must go to the woman I’m called after, my great-grandmother Mary Shannon. We are talking about a woman who didn’t take any nonsense; essentially if you fell down you picked yourself up again. Such was the determination of this woman that she sold the contents of her council house, gave all her money away to family members and walked into the estate agents saying “I’ve no money, I’ve no home, can I have a house?” The initial problem was that she owned her council house and this was making it difficult for her to get a pensioners bungalow. As a result of her rather drastic actions she did get her bungalow. There was another tale in which two social workers, who questioned as to whether she could look after two young children at the age of 70, found her up a ladder cleaning the drains when they decided to pay her a visit. I think the social workers were sorry they ever doubted her by the time she was finished with them.
So I think it's safe to say that I come from a long line of strong women wo did live some hard lives but it certainly makes me grateful for what I have today!
