GREAT HUNGER

The destitution around the north Donegal area after the English stoked ‘Famine’ was dire. During the years 1847-55, many families were literally starving to death with little of no help from the so called English Government. While the native Irish were forced to survive on a foreign introduced food, the potato, the English authorities were taking shipload after shipload of the best food from Ireland to England. Beef, lamb, grain etc were taken out of our country to go to the English markets. All proceeds of course going to the English Exchequer. The English, fully aware of the terrible situation going on in one of their ‘dominions’ stubbornly refused to help, instead blaming the Irish for poor farm management. Very strange when you consider that the Irish were not allowed to have large farms and in many cases not allowed to have ‘free trade’ with the English, or anyone else. It is a fact that there was NO FAMINE in Ireland. Famine means NO food. We had plenty of food in this country, but it was not made available to the local populace. Famine therefore is not an appropriate word to use for the ‘situation’ in Ireland. Genocide would be better suited. In the Irish language we say An Gorta Mór meaning ‘the great hunger’, a more apt description. Around the year 1857 there was a group of people in the north west who organised a committee to help the poorest in the community. This organisation became known as The Committee into Destitution in Gweedore and Cloughaneely.

When the failure of that crop happened in mid 1840’s, very little help was given to the Irish. Records show that many ships left Ireland during that period FULL with the best Irish food, destined for England. It was a deliberate act by the English Government to starve the Irish. The only group to offer any real help were the Quakers. They set up ‘soup kitchens’ to give free food to the poor. Many letters asking for help were sent (on behalf of the people of Ireland) to the English Government and their monarch but to no avail. The English were more than happy to let the Irish, their neighbours, starve to death, while on the other hand showing the world that they were the pillar of Civility, Culture and Democracy! Among the many who had to fight or steal to feed their families we find record of a Patrick McGinley who was found guilty of stealing two heifers. He was transported and imprisoned in Australia for seven years (27.07.1847). Patrick was aged only 21 and sent on the ship Hyderbad. Another, a Bryan McGinley was found guilty of stealing twenty stone of oatmeal.

Another story tells of the hardship brought on by the Great Hunger of 1847. It relates to a Seán McGinley from Meenacross in the south west of Donegal. He found it tough to feed his family at this time. He had many mouths to feed. No work could be found for miles around. Even the local fishing ecomony had been 'controlled' by the English. Seán heard that Indian Meal was being distributed in Carrick by The Famine Relief Committee. He walked the distance of eight miles to Carrick from his home but the Indian Meal had run out. He could not go home empty handed. Determined to get food for his starving family, he headed for Tormore Rock, a bird sanctuary near the village of Port. The tide was out and he was able to walk out to the Rock and then he succeeded in climbing its steep cliffs. He was so tired by now that he fell asleep. As he slept, the weather changed and became very stormy. He was now marooned and these tough conditions lasted for three days. He was ill prepared for the situation. When friends eventually found him on the fourth day, all they found were his bones and decaying body. His body was nearly picked bare by the thousands of sea birds.

It was during the period of the ‘Great Hunger’, 1847-55 (and for the next few decades), that so many Irish left their ancient homeland to find peace and hope in far flung lands such as America, Canada, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand etc. Often it was the young and the strong who left, leaving the old and the frail behind. When the older generation died, very few were left at home. They found a welcome in their new lands, something unattainable on their own soil as long as England had a stranglehold on their country.

It was not until the so called ‘Famine’ of the 1840’s and early 1850’s that we see a noticeable influx of the surname McGinley into Australia. It was apparently less hassle for the English to send the starved Irish to Australia rather than feed them their own food! During these times of depression and famine, many men tried to feed their families any way they could. The price for stealing a loaf of bread or a sack of wheat to feed his children was often transportation to the other side of the world, never to see his family again. There are many such recorded cases, showing the lack of civility and sympathy of the English state. These actions of inhumanity were of course supported by the established church in that country, the Church of England. It has been estimated that at least 30,000 convicts, rebels, freedom fighters etc arrived in Australia between the years 1791 and 1867. Most of their names have been forgotten. The Donegal Relief Fund, as we have mentioned earlier, was set up in 1858 to help specifically families from the Cloughaneely and Gweedore areas of north Donegal to start a fresh life in Australia. This fund ran until 1864. The dire situation caused by lack of interest or care by the English Government left the local people close to starvation, in fact many did. The lucky ones were able to go far away and start a new life. The Donegal Relief Fund helped to transport many families who then settled in the New South Wales area. The travelling conditions were rough and the journeys long. These people, through no fault of there own, would NEVER see their families back home in Cloughaneely and Tullaghobegly ever again. The Ships Records record mostly Donegal surnames with many of the name McGinley on board. Today there is still a large amount of Donegal surnames among the Irish in New South Wales.

For example, the ship ‘Sapphire’ arrived in Sydney on 24th May, 1859 with nine young men (ages 19 to 25) called McGinley, most of them described as labourers. Eight were from Cloughaneely and one from neighbouring Gweedore. Also on board was one lonely young McGinley girl aged seventeen.

The ship ‘Caribou’ which reached Sydney on 4th October 1859 had on board four single men called McGinley ages from 19 to 23 (one from Dunfanaghy and three from Tullaghobegly) This ship also included a family of McGinleys consisting of a father, a wife and a young son, Jack, aged only one and a half. Poor Jack died before reaching Australia!.

The ship called the ‘Lady Elma Bruce’ arrived in Sydney on 14th July 1859. The list of passengers included one family of McGinleys, Charles McGinley (father) aged 35 described as a Labourer, his wife was Catherine aged 27 and their daughter was Annie aged 6. They were from Gweedore. The list included three single females Margaret McGinley aged 21 from Letterkenny, Úna McGinley aged 19 from Tory Island and Bridget McGinley aged 20 also from Tory Island.

The ship called ‘The Nile’ arrived in Sydney on the 16th May 1861 and there were two McGinleys on board. Peter McGinley aged 18 was described as a Farm Labourer from Kildrum, while Paddy McGinley also was 18 and a Farm Labourer. He was from Drumnatinny.

On the ‘Montrose’ ship which arrived at Sydney on the 27th March 1864 we find among the passenger list a young girl aged only 18, travelling by herself. She was called Bridget McGinley from the village of Falcarragh.

It is clear that McGinleys arrived in Australia later than other places like America, Scotland and England. Nevertheless, McGinleys have made their home there before the Donegal Relief Fund of 1858. Nearly all McGinleys are to be found in their original place of settlement, in Sydney and nearby areas. But, the first recorded McGinley in Australia was a Daniel McGinley. He is recorded as a worker on the property of a Daniel Brady in 1822. Brady was an earlier criminal who made good. He arrived in Australia in 1793. By 1822, when Daniel McGinley was working for him, Brady owned 342 acres! Daniel McGinley arrived in Australia aboard the 'Daphne' in 1819. Another early settler was a Hugh McGinley, born in Derry in the year 1793. He arrived in New South Wales in 1825 aboard the ship ‘Henry Porcher’. Another, John McGinley who was born also in 1793, but from Co Donegal was aboard the ship ‘Sophia’ that arrived in New South Wales in 1829.

Years later, a Francis McGinley, born in about 1813 in Co Donegal was sent to Australia in 1853 aboard the ship ‘Robert Small’. This ship had on board 300, mostly Irish, convicts. Previously in 1849, Francis was jailed for seven years for violent assault. Half way through his sentence, aged 40, he was transported to Australia. In 1851, a young girl called Winifred McGinley went to Australia from Bedlam, Tullaghobegly.

In 1879, the first Franciscan Community in New South Wales began thanks to three Irish Friars, Peter Hanrahan, Augustine Holohan and Paschal McGinley. They worked tirelessly among the many poor Irish settlers in the slums, especially around the eastern suburbs of Sydney. They perservered through many difficult times, often with little or no funds. They nearly gave up ona number of occasions, both from lack of money and a lack of interest among the poor Irish they encountered. Paschal McGinley is remembered as one of the pioneering religious figures in early Australian history.

 

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Workhouse! Exile! Death of hunger!, which of these shall be your choice?

Ah, you answer, "Tis the latter", with a sorrow in your voice.

Mothers will not part their children, husbands will not part their wives,

In the hateful pauper prison, we'll together end our lives.

Bridget McGinley. Poet

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During the dates 12th January 1846 to 31st December 1851, unofficially referred to by shipping lines as the Irish Famine Period, a total of 604,596 people of Irish origin are named as travelling to the port of New York alone! This is a remarkable number in only five years. Included in that figure are 116 persons named McGinley (and variants). We have not included those named McKinlay as it is difficult with the scant information available to tell if they are really McGinleys or of Scottish origin. The breakdown by spelling was as follows:

McGinley - 77 Families

McGinley - 11 Families

McGinly - 9 Families

McGuinley - 5 Families

McGinlay - 3 Families

Ginley - 3 Families

McGenley - 2 Families

Gumley - 2 Families

Genley - 1 Family

Ginly - 1 Family

Ginneley - 1 Family

McGumley - 1 Family

(Information supplied by The National Archives at Thenationalarchives.gov)

 

THE WORKHOUSE 1844

During the terrible times of the mid 1800's, Ireland saw a growth in the building of so called Workhouses. These were large buildings that took in very needy cases, those who were homeless, starving or had lost most of their family due to hunger and disease. The conditions in these Workhouses were often not much better than the 'outside world', the 'inmates' as they were termed, had to clean the floor and walls almost every day and do menial tasks for their food, but at least they were fed and had somewhere to sleep.

Letterkenny Poor Law Union was formed on 26th June 1841. Its operations were overseen by an elected Board of Guardians who numbered twenty one (with some additional part time members/helpers). Although they concentrated on their immediate area, poor families and individuals poured in from all over the west and north Donegal areas. Very few came up from the south of the county. The Letterkenny Workhouse was built in 1844, designed by George Wilkinson. It occupied around six acres of a site on the Kilmaccrennan Road and could hold up to 500 inmates. It often held more than that number. It was declared fit 'for the admission of paupers' on December 16th 1844. Letterkenny Workhouse contained seperate male and female sections plus a special large living quarter for the 'Master'. It also housed the Guardians Boardroom. Other facilities included a bakehouse, washhouse and a chapel. During the height of the Great Hunger in 1847 and 1848, temporary sheds were erected to accomodate the large increase of the dying and the needy.

Dunfanaghy Workhouse opened its door in the year 1845 and was immediately inundated with people needing help. Many McGinleys called at the large doors of this building looking for scraps of food or shelter and many were turned away due to the large numbers needing assistance. This proud nation of Ireland was now at its lowest point. The people starving, the people near naked and homeless. At the same time, the world 'Super Power' England stood by doing almost nothing except the odd token gesture. Most of the worst of the horrors were hidden from the world.

There was also a Workhouse in the Milford area. Here the number of 'inmates' was lower than in either Letterkenny or Dunfanaghy. During the worst years of the Great Hunger, Milford Workhouse had a strong punishment regeme for those that stood out of line. The Workhouse here had a large garden for growing their own food. Inmates who were caught stealing and eating raw vegetables straight out of the ground were given punishment of 20 lashes on their bare backs.

 

FEMALE ORPHANS BOUND FOR AUSTRALIA 1848

Between the dark years of 1848 and 1850 over 4,000 female Irish orphans arrived in Australia. They arrived from various Workhouses throughout Ireland. This was part of the so called 'Pauper Immigration Scheme' that was devised by Earl Grey, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. There was deemed a shortage of labour in Australia and the idea of shipping thousands of poor, weak, often unhealthy and starving female Irish halfway around the world was thought of as a good idea. From the start, this scheme was hated in Australia and was considered inhumane by the Australian people. The Australian anger soon changed and their feelings turned on the poor unfortunate girls. The Australian media did not help matters by portraying these young girls as thieves, vagabonds, barefoot beggers and even prostitutes. The disdain of the Colonists and their newspaper editors was shocking. Newspapers twisted the story to suggest that these young girls were really prostitutes who pretended to be poor simply to get a free ticket to Australia! Even when one of the girls tried to explain what the situation was like back in Ireland, one newspaper could not accept that such condition could happen under a civilised (English) government.

These many slurs on the young girls did nothing to help them settle into a new life. These were girls aged between 14 and 18 years of age. Most of them had lost one or both parents during the Great Hunger. Of the registered 4,000 girls, over one hundred came from Donegal, mostly from the workhouses at Dunfanaghy and Letterkenny. During the life of the scheme, eleven ships sailed to Australia. The Donegal girls usually travelled on the Lady Kennaway, the Derwent and the Eliza Caroline. Rumour has it that many more ships left for Australia and the real figures could be nearly double. Another scheme running between the years 1845 to 1852 called the 'Female Ophans Emigration Scheme' sent an estimated 2253 girls, against their will in most cases to Australia!

 

In Donegal, many were not fortunate enough to find peace and freedom immediately after the famine period. The situation in the following decades did not improve much. There were repeated failures of the potato crop (though not to the same degree). Englands treatment or understanding of the Irish after the famine years improved little. Here is an account of the situation found among the Irish of north Donegal….

THE GWEEDORE and CLOUGHANEELY RELIEF FUND 1858.

“It was truly a sight to make angels weep”

A meeting was held in Dunfanaghy on the 18th January 1858, in the depths of winter. The purpose of this meeting was to find ways of helping the poor and the destitute of the north Donegal area. The condition of the people was getting worse every year. We had homeless families (kicked out by their English landlords) during the time of the potato harvest collapse, families with next to no clothes, families dying from colds and flue, dysentery etc, families starving by the roadside. This was in sharp contrast to the ‘civilised’ English living in much better and happier conditions enjoying the ‘fruits’ of the Industrial Revolution. Below is a brief summary, or extract of the ‘Appeal’ for help: "Countrymen and fellow Christians,— in the wilds of Donegal, down in the bogs of Gweedore and Cloughaneely, thousands upon thousands of human beings, made after the image and likeness of God, are perishing, or next to perishing, amidst squalidness and in misery, for want of food and clothing, far away from human aid and pity. On behalf of these famishing victims of oppression and persecution, we venture to appeal to your kind sympathies and religious feelings………. All the landlords of these districts, save one, simultaneously deprived the people of their mountains, giving them to Scotch and English graziers for sheep, and at the same time doubled, trebled, and in many cases quadrupled the rents on the miserable patches of land left for them…… The poor, shivering, and famishing peasants, under the terror of an armed force (English soldiers and Police), wielded by officials without feeling or humanity, were obliged to sell their little scanty supplies of potatoes and small sacks of rye and corn to meet this merciless demand (to pay rent)….. It was truly a sight to make angels weep, to see the poor helpless fathers, amidst the tears and wailings of their more helpless wives and hungry children, parting with the last stone of their potatoes and other necessities of life to pay this iniquitous tax. The stalwart and robust peasantry could do nothing but weep, the womanly hearts of the mothers were wrung with agony, and the ragged children – poor innocent things – bewailed, in loud cries and convulsive sobs……. And we, who witnessed these scenes of woe, are not ashamed to confess that we too, shed tears – unavailing tears – of pity and sympathy for them. But there was no remedy! Like Herods savage massacre of the Innocents, the warrant was unfeelingly executed. The foul and dastardly deed was perpetrated (on the Irish people). And thus the food of some thousand families has been swept away, and their only means of supporting and clothing themselves cruelly pressed from them…… Whether the object of the landlords harsh and tyrannical treatment to these poor peasants is to crush them out, or wring from them a large revenue, we will not stop to inquire; but we have no hesitation in saying, that, unless they are assisted in their present distress, they must sink under the weight of their misery – must be blotted out of existence".

Following this letter of Appeal was a more exact description of the situation (details given in FULL below):

1. There are at this moment 800 families subsisting on seaweed, crabs, cockles, or any other edible matter they can pick up along the sea-shore, or scrape off the rocks.
2. There are about 600 adults, of both sexes, who, through sheer poverty, are now going barefooted, amidst the inclemency of the season, on this bleak Northern coast.
3. There are about 700 families that have neither bed nor bed-clothes, but are forced to lie on the cold damp earth in rags worn by them during the day.
4. There are about 800 families without a second bed, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, being huddled together as best they can.
5. Thousands of the male population have only one cotton shirt, and wear none whilst it is being washed, while thousands have not even one. The females are still in a worse condition.
6. There are about 400 families, in which there may be half a dozen full grown females, who have only one dress among them, in which they can appear in public; mothers and daughters alternatively using this common wardrobe when they go out of doors.
7. There are about 600 families who have neither cow, sheep, or goat; and who, from the beginning of the year to its close, hardly ever knew the taste of milk or butter.
8. There are thousands of youths, of both sexes, verging on the age of puberty, who are so partially and scantily clothed that modesty forbids one to look at them – they are only objects for the eye of charity.

"We will not, though we could, go further into particulars, but, on behalf of those, appeal for funds to enable us to assist them in their respective wants. And we appeal in the name of Jesus who said….”clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, sell what you possess and give alms to the poor”.

Following this we had the setting up of the Donegal Relief Fund. It was a special fund initiated to help relieve the suffering in north Donegal by ‘resettling’ many families and individuals in Australia. The records show that many McGinleys went to Australia aboard these ships from 1859 until 1864. The Irish had been sent to Australia well before this date ofcourse. It is a plain fact that the English had been sending Irish rebels and freedom fighters over to Australia as ‘bonded workers’ or ‘slaves’ a century before. Many were sent to Australia after the failed 1798 Rebellion. It has been estimated that as much as 40,000 convicts, rebels and prisoners of war were sent to Australia from 1791 to 1867.

Like many native Irish families, it is clear that the McGinleys suffered great hardships during the ‘Great Hunger’ period. Donegal suffered worst than most during the years 1845 to 1850. Among the many who had to steal to feed his family was a Patrick McGinley who was found quilty of stealing two cows. He was transported to Australia to serve a term of seven years!. Another, called Bryan McGinley was found quilty of stealing 20 stones of Oatmeal for distribution among his family and neighbours.

One interesting note relates to the records of Trinity College Dublin. In the “Alumni Dublinenses” edited by George Dames Burtchaell and Thomas Ulick Sadleir (this was a record of graduates of Trinity between the years 1593 and 1861), we find note of one student called Neal Francis McGinley, a Roman Catholic. We must remember that up until the twentieth century, Trinity was a bastion of education for ‘men and Protestants’. It was unusual to see a Roman Catholic attend. He was born in the year 1820 and entered Trinity in December 1841 aged twenty one. This was during an age of real poverty in the country especially in the north west. He paid an annual fixed fee for his education. He was born in Co Derry, the son of a James McGinley who was listed as a ‘sartor mercator’ which translates as a merchant tailor. His father almost certainly paid for his education. Neal does not seem to have proceeded to a degree level at Trinity.

It is fair to say that there was little or no work available to the native Irish of north Donegal during the 1800's. Those who needed work in most cases had to travel to Derry or further away. Many decided to join the Royal Irish Constabulary, better known as the RIC. This was the police force of Ireland, but it was a British controlled and operated police force. Most Irish did not respect this form of English control in Ireland. The RIC was disbanded in 1922 when the Irish Free State came into existance. In the south, the new police force became the Garda Síochána while the counterparts in the north became the RUC. When individuals joined the RIC, they gave alot of personal details about themselves which has proven priceless to family researchers. Their application forms give details about their parents, the persons age (when joining), their native county, marital status, some general comments, their height, native county of wife (if married) and previous trades (the vast majority of RIC men were farmers or labourers before they enlisted). Often additional information can be found such as promotions, dischages, rewards, marks of distinction and injuries got while working etc. The Serial Numbers of individuals (as shown below) can be checked against the records of The Royal Irish Constabulary Microfiche Index or the RIC Records in the Family History Library of the Church Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. Here below is a list of the McGinleys who joined the RIC (1816-1922):

John McGinley.....No 4742.....joined circa 1840-1844.

John McGinley.....No 5464.....joined circa 1840-1844.

George McGinley.....No 6836.....joined circa 1844-1846.

Robert McGinly.....No 16059.....joined circa 1852-1853.

Daniel McGinley.....No 18692.....joined circa 1853-1855.

John McGinley.....No 18619.....joined circa 1853-1855.

Maurice McGinley.....No 18899.....joined circa 1853-1855.

Thomas McGinley.....No 18616.....joined circa 1853-1855.

Michael McGinley.....No 21323.....joined circa 1855-1857.

William McGinley.....No 22227.....joined circa 1857-1858.

Hugh McGinly.....No 23381.....joined circa 1858-1859.

George McGinley.....No 25310.....joined circa 1859-1861.

Edward McGinly.....No 26259.....joined circa 1859-1861.

Patrick Ginelly.....No 32578.....joined circa 1865-1867.

Daniel Ginly.....No 34784.....joined circa 1867-1868.

John McGinley.....No 34696.....joined circa 1867-1868.

Arthur McGinley.....No 36676.....joined circa 1868-1871.

Patrick McGinley.....No 37830.....joined circa 1871-1872.

James McGinley.....No 44582.....joined circa 1877-1879.

William J. McGinley.....No 44323.....joined circa 1877-1879.

Francis McGinly.....No 43554.....joined circa 1877-1879.

James McGinley.....No 46037.....joined circa 1879-1881.

John McGinley.....No 58257.....joined circa 1895-1899.

Michael McGinley.....No 61019.....joined circa 1902-1907.

James F. McGinley.....No 64661.....joined circa 1907-1909.

John McGinley.....No 64877.....joined circa 1907-1909.

Andrew McGinley.....No 68837.....joined circa 1912-1917.

Thomas McGinlay.....No 75891.....joined 1920.

 

 

SCOTLAND

Since the beginning of the Great Hunger, Scotland proved to be a popular place for many Irish to settle, especially those from Donegal and Derry. It is safe to say that the vast majority of the Irish in Scotland hailed from Donegal. There was plenty of work in Scotland at the time for the Irish and they were happy to accept lesser wages than the Scots. This eventually caused discontent among the Scots. Although the Scots and Irish are generally of the same Gaelic/Celtic blood and culture, since the Protestant Revolution, the old relations have been badly severed, both by religious differences and English 'seperational policies'. The Irish arrived in large numbers by the mid 1850's and soon religion was seen to be a dividing issue. Probably because of the 'religious divide', the Irish community in Scotland (often three or four generations later) are the most strongly 'Irish'.

Prior to the Great Hunger, there are very few references to the surname McGinley in Scotland. The earliest would seem to have been the priest Donnchadh Mag Fhionnghail (from Donegal) who was in Glasgow around the year 1606 AD. We also have note of a reknowned breeder of pedigree dogs called Richard McGinley. He lived at Kirkgurgeon in Dumfries. He was born around the early 1840's. There is an interesting letter (in the Hull Archives, England, dated October 10th 1893) from Richard to a Mister Henry J. R. Pease (a member of the locally influential Pease family) regarding the sale of a bitch pup. He must have been good if he was selling dogs as far away as Hull!

 

CANADA

The earliest European settlers in Canada consisted of a high percentage of Gaels from Ireland and Scotland. Canada has so many place names containing Irish and Scottish elements, especially Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. This occurs much more so than in America, although they too have numerous Irish and Scottish place references. It is not known for sure when the first McGinleys settled in Canada but the place name McGinleys Corner in Dorchester Parish, Westmoreland County, P.O. recalls some early McGinley settler. The place has been so called since before 1860. The earliest definate record we can find for a McGinley in Canada is a Charles McGenley who was born around 1814. Another of the earliest McGinley settler was Robert McGinley who is known to have settled in Fitzroy Township, West Carleton County, Ontario in the year 1831. He came from Mohill in Co Leitrim. But prior to that we have record of settlers around Lochaber, Antigonish County who were mostly Presbyterians from Ireland and Scotland. They arrived around 1808. By 1816, it is noted that several Catholic families from Ireland had also settled here. Surnames include the following: Duggan, Hannifan, Murphy, Carroll and McGinley. Only the surnames are recorded in this instance, but it shows our early involvement in this area. Records also show a Mary McGinley registered as a witness/sponsor at a baptism in December 1838, Prince Edward Island, Canada. When she arrived in Canada is not known but obviously before 1838. Most McGinley settlers belonged to the New Brunswick area. According to "Passengers to New Brunswick", a few McGinleys arrived in the year 1833. These included Ann (aged 2), Ann (aged 36), mother and daughter, David (aged 30), Eleanor (aged 27), Elenor (aged 1), Eliza Jane (aged 4) and John (aged 9) all possibly of the one family. They are all recorded as arriving at St John, New Brunswick.

We have record of the ship The Halifax which on January 2nd 1817 arrived in Canada with “about 500 fine young men chiefly Irish, totally destitute of bread or means of subsistence”. They were no doubt prisoners of war. Further we read “they were an overflow of an immense emigration to Newfoundland last summer” (Comments from Dalhousie to Bathurst). Other records show the settlement of 47 Irishmen on Cape Breton in the year 1818. Details published in the Acadian Recorder in 1817 record “since the first of July 1817, nine Vessals have arrived from Europe, 4 Irish, 4 Scots, 1 English, having on board 1254 passengers. The last ship to arrive reported 4 more coming from Londonderry (Ireland) and 4 from Belfast (Ireland)!

We should here take note of the rebellious Catholic Priest of the Mission of Schomberg called William Joseph McGinley. He was born on July 17th, 1846 and was ordained on September 8th 1875. He was educated at Villnova College in Delaware, PA and St Josephs College, Bardstown, KY. On September 9th, 1875 (one day after his ordination) he gave his first mass at House of Providence in Toronto. His parish appointments included The Holy Rosary Parish in Thorold (1875), St Lukes Parish in Thornhill (1876), St Patricks Parish in Schomberg (1881) St Marys of the Assumption Parish at St Catherines (1885) and St Columbkilles Parish in Orillia (1886-1891). This priest had a reputation as a hard taskmaster and often very stubborn. One incident happened when he was asked to say a Requiem Mass for a John Kane upon his death in 1884. Father McGinley refused on the grounds that John Kane had not kept up his 'church fees'!. In another famous incident, Father McGinley was visiting the Parish of Orillia. He rebuked the daughter of Thomas Mulcahy, a very prominent layman, for laughing in church. She claimed that she had a cold and only coughed! Thomas Mulcahy complained straight away to the Bishop who eventually gave out an apology to the Mulcahy family. It was read out in church, but Father William McGinley refused to back down!. Father William died on January 7th 1891.

Today in Canada, the Irish population (those fully or partly Irish) represent 14% of the total population. They are the 4th largest ethnic group. In Newfoundland as much as 60% are said to have some Irish ancestry!

 

NEW ZEALAND

The Irish emigration to New Zealand was essentially post-famine. The first Irish left from eastern parts of Australia (Victoria and New South Wales) during the gold rushes of 1861-68, but the most important phase of Irish settlement in the country occurred between 1871 and 1885. By 1881 the Irish represented 5% of the population of New Zealand. Most of the Irish settlers came from the northern counties of Antrim, Derry, Donegal and Down. In the Otara Opotiki District we find a McGinley Road, named after an early settler there.

It is not hard to see the reasons for the world wide movement of McGinleys, especially in the mid 1800's. From Englands first involvment in Ireland in the 1100's, Ireland has suffered constant poverty, destruction of her rights, of her culture and of her ancient language. McGinleys have, however, been able to find new freedoms around the world far from Englands tyranny!