Relatives of Carrickmore emigrant make a poignant trip ‘home’

TERMONMAGUIRC Historical Society (THS) recently welcomed Sarah McGarrity, great-granddaughter of Carrickmore native Joseph McGarrity, to Dean Maguirc College for a special evening marking her first visit to her ancestral home.

Sarah and her son Cedric stayed in the original McGarrity home-stead in Creggnadovesky, now operating as an Airbnb. The visit offered a poignant reconnection with their family’s rich local heritage.

Joseph McGarrity was born in 1874 in humble surroundings, the second youngest of eight children to John and Catherine McGarrity (née Begley).

At 16, he emigrated to the United States via Dublin and Liverpool. Through hard work and business acumen, he became a success in the wholesale liquor trade and later in the stock market.

McGarrity’s legacy, however, lies in his tireless support for Irish independence.

As a leading member of Clann na Gael, he spent large portions of his wealth backing the cause.

In 1901, he helped his friend and fellow Carrickmore man, Pat McCartan, return to Ireland to study medicine. McGarrity was also a key financial supporter of Padraig Pearse’s fundraising trip to America in 1914 and funded the Howth gunrunning operation.

Sean Cronin, author of ‘The McGarrity Papers’, wrote that the 1916 Rising ‘would not have happened without Joe McGarrity and Clann na Gael’.

McGarrity hosted Eamon de Valera as President of the Provisional Government in 1919. De Valera arrived in the USA on the run and in a dishevelled state. McGarrity clothed him and put him up in his own home

He launched the Friends of the Irish Republic bond drive that same year. McGarrity’s commitment to Irish Republicanism lasted until his death in 1940. Sean Cronin reminds us that McGarrity was ‘The most important man in the Irish Revolutionary movement in America’’.

Despite his activism, McGarrity remained a devoted husband to his wife Catherine (née Hynes) and their nine children. He returned to Carrickmore several times and recorded one visit in verse: “Green grows the valley of the West,Bright bounds the streams of dark Tyrone,There are my father’s bones at rest,Where I shall never lay my own.”

Event organiser Gavan McElroy welcomed Sarah and her son Cedric to the parish expressing the delight of the group in rekindling the McGarrity connection. They were able to view the permanent displays on Joe M Garrity in Dean Maguirc College.

The welcome event included a captivating talk by Damien Woods, while THS chairperson Cormac McAleer presented Sarah and Cedric with information and documents relating to their ancestor. Peadar Montague gifted a copy of his book on Creggnadovesky, and Claire Nugent and Diarmuid McGurk displayed a silver pocket watch Joseph had once gifted their grandmother, Minnie McGurk.

Sarah also reunited with cousins Mary and Brian Begley and thanked the society for the emotional and memorable experience. She presented a copy of Joseph McGarrity’s memoirs, which will soon be republished on the new THS website.

THS extended thanks to Denise Hempenstall for making initial contact with Sarah, and also the Begley family, Dean Maguirc College, and Ursula McElroy for their support.