Hello Catherine - Thank you for your message of 23 January regarding James Tevlin, the poet, and your interesting remark that a lot of the 'famine' poets may have been teachers as so much of the population could not read or write at the time. However, it was my gt.gt. grandfather, Thomas Farrelly, who was noted as a teacher in the early 1800s in the Moynalty area. When I was in Moynalty in late 2012 I was shown around the Moynalty museum by a very nice lady, whose name now eludes me! She opened up the museum especially for us as it was closed so late in the year. It was so kind of her to show us around the place on what was a cold and wet day and we found it extremely interesting.
My gt.grandfather, Peter Farrelly, (born abt. 1822) (son of Thomas Farrelly) in Co. Meath, married Margaret Tevlin, daughter of Michael Tevlin and Anne Tuite, on 11 January 1850 in Moynalty RC Church. She was born about 1832 in Moynalty. Peter Farrelly and Margaret then moved to Clane in Co. Kildare, where he became the National Schoolteacher for that town.
It would be great to find out more about the early Farrelly family, together with the Tevlins and Tuites.
Regards, Maggie
Friday 24th Jan 2014, 03:22PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi Maggie,
I'm tied up til Sunday. Next week I'll concentrate on your search. I'm hoping I'll meet some of the Gaynor family decendants of poet James Tevlin this Friday at a function in Moynalty. My contact that gave me the info on them, couldn't place the Farrelly family either, so we look at whatever threads we have, hence mentions poets and teachers, all be it not the Farrelly line. A Tevlin Farrelly may have been seen as a suitable family match if there were teachers in both families. Marriages back then had to be suitable family matches, could have been a matchmaker match, economic reasons, etc rather than a love match.
Sound like it was Betty Smith who showed you around the museum. Slowly they are getting the museum together. The big field day is always the 2nd Sunday in August. It is one of the largest vintage/agricultural field days in Ireland and is going since 1976. The museum is a work in progress since maybe about 2005. I'll be talking to Betty on Friday. I'll ask more about the poet Tevlins work.
Regards
Catherine
cathm43, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘