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It would be unusual for a family to name a child Ellen Ann whilst having living sister Ellen
and Anne. So we believe that Annie Mulrooney was an adopted child. Quote from Thomas (Hugh) Gallagher Annie Mulrooney (Grandma of Terence John Gallagher) was the personality of the family, a great wit, actress, soft and tender hearted, spoke a strong irish 'arhh and begorrah' in the strongest of Lancashire accents. She smoked a clay pipe and drank beer every Saturday afternoon and invited her cronies, Rosie Farmer and a gang of 'irishers' to play domino's. They would send me to the back door of the Parkers Arm for 3d of beer, into the beer would go the red hot poker and they would get drunk quicker. I would have to sing Annie Laurie and Ava Maria, which never failed to bring out Irish sentimentality and mawkishness. It ended in everyone crying. Gran would start smoking and ask for the coal shovel into which she would spit and the routine would start all over again. I would be asked to go for a 1d of twist tobbacco, it was a little piece of tobbacco like liqorice. When the shop keeper only gave me a small piece, I remonstrated telling him he was cheating me. I expected it to wrap around my fist. I can see him now, he wore a come to God collar and black tie, he was a local preacher, having weighed it again I refused it and went home to Gran who said it was correct and to go back and fetch it again. This time he would not serve me, so Grandma and cronies waddled up drunk and told him not to bully a small boy. I was a big head 8 years old. Aunt Kate meanwhile had gone to clean the Church having screamed before she left, 'I don't want that Rosie Farmer here and gang when I get back' whosh in like a wounded bull came Rosie who was awfully frightened of Aunt Kate, and then a row about leading me astray, finally peace and tea. I believe the tobbacco caused the stomach cancer of which Gran died, but the good soul saved us all, else we would have starved. I remember seeing mam collapse from no food for three days, she had given all the bread to the babies. Grandma was the most wonderful person in my life. Grandma always maintained that she was Irish arriving in Burnley at 10 months old but this may not have been the case. Tom visited Sligo but could find no trace of her birth certificate but the census of 1881 supports her story by recording her birth as Sligo. |
| It has been impossible to trace links in Ireland for the Mulrooney family. |
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Description: Michael Flemming and Kate Walsh were witnesses Volume 8e page 321 of the civil regristration index |
| of Stomach Cancer |