Sarah Callaghan

Sarah Callaghan when she was Sarah Hill in Dublin.

This weekend falls between the anniversary of my mum's death, Jan 31, 2000 and her birthday, Feb 7. At the time it seemed unspeakably cruel to have the two events so close together but having lost both parents, and seen friends go through the same, you realise that there's a whole list of firsts that will break your heart: the first birthday, the first weekend, the first day without them is almost too much to bear. But then you find you can.

 My Mum, Sarah Callaghan.

Wonderfully glamorous on an unknown park.

Getting that Lynda to do anything she doesn't want to wasn't easy!

With her brother-in-law Tommy Holt on Humberstone  Park.

If you'd like to be involved contact us on 0116 276 9186 or pop in to:

The Emerald Centre, Gipsy Lane, Leicester. LE5 OTB

We're now also on Twitter: follow me on  @irishleicester or join The Irish in Leicester group on Facebook.

Click here to view a map of The Irish in Leicester. 

Callaghan: No. 43 most popular Irish surname

Finally my name has appeared in the 100 most popular Irish names. No. 43: at least it's in the top 50!

www.youririshfamily.com says Callaghan...

" .. was traditionally taken to mean 'frequenter of churches', but is now thought to be a much older word meaning 'bright-headed'."

I'll take the older meaning thank you. Do we really just hear what we want to hear?

Of the many Callaghan images available I've chosen this one because it doesn't have all the heraldic symbolism, suits of armour etc. Despite the historic bloody battles and feuds I''ll just take a wolf passing through the trees.

Thanks to www.youririshfamily.com for their continuing information.

If you'd like to tell your family's story ontact us on 0116 276 9186 or pop in to:
The Emerald Centre, Gipsy Lane, Leicester. LE5 OTB

We're now also on Twitter: follow me on  @irishleicester

Click here to view a map of The Irish in Leicester.

Moran

After a summer away from blogging I'm encouraged back by a tweet today from Your Irish Family ‏@YourIrishFamily. 

I love their regular posts about the 100 most popular Irish surnames and always retweet them, hoping that someone out there sees their own family name. I've seen names that remind me of primary school: Cunningham, Cullen, Barry, Foley, Kenny, O'Keefe and names of those that I've been lucky enough to meet in their later years through The Emerald Centre here in Leicester: Higgins, Brady. Of course what I'm waiting for is my name and today I got a little closer.

When my parents came over, Paddy Callaghan/Sarah Hill, they came to Leicester because my Dad's sister was here, Greta Callaghan/Tommy Holt. Tommy Holt had an aunty here Annie King/John Moran and today MORAN showed up as the 56th most popular Irish surname!

My sister and I have very English names, Lynda and Sandra. I understand, now, that giving us those names was part of assimilating into a new country and culture but as I child I desperately wanted to be called something like Bernadette: something that would seal my identity as Irish. (By my confirmation though, I was clearly developing my "where do I belong" internal crisis and chose Lucy as my confirmation name!). 

Callaghan, however, could not be mistaken for anything else but Irish and I loved it. My Dad's full name was Patrick Joseph Callaghan and I couldn't have been more proud.

Grandma Callaghan, left, and my Dad, Patrick Joseph Callaghan.

In those days it was assumed that all us girls would dutifully marry and change our names and I can remember trying out other surnames and worrying that if I married an Englishman all traces of my Irishness would be lost: Lynda Jones? Lynda Smith? I couldn't bear the thought. 

Of course, for a while we had Jim Callaghan as Prime Minister so thankfully, everyone could spell my name.  (Dirty Harry Callahan just confused things).These days it's back to spelling it out every time and correcting the various versions that come in by post and email.

So I'll continue to look forward to the next post from the 100 most popular Irish surnames, thrilled that a name within my family circle has appeared but secretly pleased that my own will appear higher up the scale  (I hope!)


Find out more about the name MORAN and look through for your own at Your Irish Family 
Read more here about Greta Callaghan/Tommy Holt and Annie King/John Moran  and their early lives in Leicester.

If you'd like to be involved contact us on 0116 276 9186 or pop in to:
The Emerald Centre, Gipsy Lane, Leicester. LE5 OTB

We're now also on Twitter: follow me on  @irishleicester

Click here to view a map of The Irish in Leicester.