Jack O'Mara

Kathleen O'Mara
(who mar Dan McCormack).
Photo taken in Blackpool.
Courtesy of Enda MacMahon.
Jack O'Mara, bapt 26th Dec 1856,
listed as "John O'Meara", "merchant", living Limerick, at mar,
mar 1stly, 7th June 1880, Scarriff, E Co.Clare
[GROI]
to Anne Craven [Ann, Annie, "Nano",
"Anne" on grave, born 1856,
dau of Rody Craven, merchant, of Scarriff],
she is listed as "Nano Craven", living Scarriff, at mar,
her family were small merchants from Scarriff
(sometimes spelt Scariff)
where they had a hotel, stables and a farm,
the Cravens were agents for O'Mara's in Scarriff,
which is how they met,
Anne died 9th Jan 1887, age 31 yrs [grave],
story in O'Mara family is that she died of complications of childbirth
(this was a few months after giving birth to twins),
[Enda MacMahon]
says the story in the Craven family was that
"Nano died from TB
which she caught in the Bacon Factory where she helped with the books. Conditions were very damp. She was brought to Scariff to die by horse and cart from Limerick. On the way they passed through Bodyke during the evictions and died a few days after",
the problem with this story is the Bodyke evictions were June 1887,
death not found in
[GROI] 1885-89,
bur Mount St. Lawrence cemetery, Limerick,
had issue:
- Norah O'Mara,
bapt Norah Mary, 25 Apr 1881 [St.Michael's, Limerick],
poss. Nora,
educ Laurel Hill, Limerick,
boarding school,
worked as a secretary in the Irish Embassy
in Paris,
apparently NOT in
French Embassy,
53 Ailesbury Road, Dublin,
she was NOT the ghostwriter for
[Fingall, 1937],
apparently taught in Paris,
didn't marry,
years later died in Dublin.
- Tom O'Mara, bapt 4 Feb 1884 [St.Michael's, Limerick],
worked in the bacon factory,
developed
TB,
Tom and sisters Norah and Kathleen were sent to
Calgary, Alberta, W Canada,
with Jim Judge,
it was said they were sent for the fresh air (they had
TB,
and it was believed Canada was better for it),
Kathleen, Norah came home,
Tom stayed, went down to Santa Barbara,
California, where he married and settled down,
mar Molly Kenney
[Irish-American, sister of Hanora Kenney,
apparently NOT "Molly Rynton from Tipperary"],
no issue,
worked as accountant,
used to spend his summer holidays in Scarriff,
living Santa Barbara as at 1933,
died Santa Barbara, c.1960, age c.76 yrs.
- Kathleen O'Mara,
bapt Kathleen Josephine, 11 Apr 1885 [St.Michael's, Limerick],
NOT Katherine,
educ Laurel Hill, Limerick,
boarding school,
qualified as a domestic economy instructor,
mar Dr. Dan McCormack
[from Nenagh, Co.Tipperary, NOT MacCormack],
he was doctor in
Royal Navy,
he retired from Navy,
set up private practice, "King's Road", London
(prob.
Kings Road,
Chelsea),
he died of pneumonia, quite young, c.1925,
he was NOT "killed",
she moved back to Dublin and rented a house in Harcourt Terrace, off Adelaide Rd,
"Mrs. McCormack" is found at 18 Harcourt Terrace
in [Thom's, 1945],
she fl 1965,
died of a stroke c.1970, age c.85 yrs,
had issue:
- Dr. John McCormack, mar Bríd ---- and had issue:
- John McCormack.
- Ellen Mary O'Mara, twin,
bapt 2nd Aug 1886 [St.Michael's, Limerick],
she is NOT Ellen who died Scarriff, 1st qr 1887 [GROI].
- Anna Mary O'Mara, twin,
bapt 2nd Aug 1886 [St.Michael's, Limerick],
she is NOT Anne who died Limerick, 2nd qr 1887 [GROI].
O'Mara family story is that
one of the twins died soon after birth, with the mother,
and
the other twin died 1898, age 12 yrs.
Craven family story is that
one of the twins
died "after a seizure after playing the piano at about 6 or 7 years of age",
and the other twin also died "at about 6 or 7 years of age".
Jack was
instrumental in building up O'Mara's bacon factory
with his brother Stephen,
they expanded into connections with US, Canada, Russia,
Romania, France, and acquired Donnellys bacon factory, Dublin,
at invitation of Tsar Alexander III,
Jack went to Russia after 1st wife died to show them how to cure bacon, build factory,
the socialist Jim Kemmy's
grandfather was one of the pork butchers who went with Jack on this expedition to Russia,
they
went to St.Petersburg,
Jack stayed there to supervise building of bacon factory, ran it for them,
Russian Bacon Company founded May 1891,
"has been officially recognised by the Russian Government and received the supreme assent
of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor
on 2nd Jan 1891"
[The Munster News and Limerick and Clare Advocate, Sat 9th May 1891],
he stayed in Russia for years (where were his children?),
his relatives wanted him back in Limerick,
home on holiday, no intention of staying in Ireland, loved Russia,
holiday in Kilkee,
the setting for so many O'Mara romances,
met Minnie Whelan age 18 yrs and married her, never went back to Russia,
his address listed as Limerick at mar,
Jack mar 2ndly, 5 Feb 1895 [him age 38, her age 18],
Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Cork
[GROI]
to Minnie Whelan [Mary, Min, born c.1877,
from old Limerick family,
dau of Thomas Whelan, who died young],
her father was meant to be a sea captain,
though
[GROI]
lists him as a shopkeeper,
the Whelans owned undertakers, and later a pub,
she is listed as living Limerick at mar,
Jack and Minnie
lived "Noraville" (or "Norahville"), Ennis Rd, Limerick,
he is listed as "merchant" at "Norahville" at Eileen's birth 1915,
she is actually listed as "Minnie",
listed as "manager of a bacon factory" at death,
he died 24th July 1919, Noraville, age 62 yrs
[grave],
[GROI],
bur Mount St. Lawrence cemetery, Limerick,
no settlement found in [NAI] 1919-25,
Minnie died c.1948/9, age c.71/2 yrs,
had issue:
- Jim O'Mara,
bapt James, 7 Nov 1895 [St.Michael's, Limerick],
can't find birth in [GROI],
mar Mary McMahon
[of Ennis, Co.Clare,
sister of Brian McMahon below], no issue,
he worked for O'Mara's bacon factory, Limerick,
travelled for them,
he was agent for Co.Clare,
lived Ennis,
he died 1948, age 53 yrs,
can't find death in [GROI],
he is NOT James O'Meara, Thurles, 1948, 4th qr.
- Jack O'Mara,
bapt John, 10th Apr 1897 [St.Michael's, Limerick],
registered father's death 1919, living Noraville at time
[GROI],
mar May Costello
[born c.1903,
descendant of O'Rahillys],
in 1938 the family business went public,
Bacon Company of Ireland formed
with Jack as Managing Director
he died 2nd Nov 1970, age 73 yrs,
bur
Mount St. Lawrence cemetery, Limerick,
she died 20th Nov 1976, age c.73 yrs,
bur Mount St. Lawrence cemetery, Limerick,
had issue:
- Betty O'Mara, mar Denis McMahon and had issue:
- Liz McMahon, mar Joe Wilson and had issue:
- Anna Wilson.
- Lindy Wilson.
- Lindy McMahon, mar Mick Shinkwin and had issue:
- Kate Shinkwin.
- Conor Shinkwin.
- Tighe Shinkwin.
- Mickey O'Mara, mar Angela Dow and had issue:
- Nicholas O'Mara, mar Margaret Clohessy
and had issue:
- Aimee O'Mara.
- Nicola O'Mara.
- Catherine O'Mara, mar Gary O'Donoghue and had issue:
- Conor O'Donoghue.
- Julie O'Mara, mar Richard Parker.
- Michael O'Mara.
- Joe O'Mara,
bapt Joseph Francis, 1 Mar 1899 [St.Michael's, Limerick],
died c.1900, age c.1 yr.
- Lena O'Mara,
bapt Helen, 6 Aug 1900 [St.Michael's, Limerick],
born Limerick,
can't find birth in [GROI],
mar Eoin Clarke [Eugene], no issue,
he worked in
Guinness brewery,
Dublin,
they lived Shankhill, Co.Dublin,
he died pre-1952,
she is listed as "Helen Clarke", widow, of 24 Greenfield Rd,
Mount Merrion, Co.Dublin, at death 1952
(NOT found at that address in
[Thom's, 1945]),
she died at St.Laurence's Hospital, N Brunswick St, Dublin,
[poss. 30th] Apr 1952, age 51 yrs
[GROI].
- Maureen O'Mara,
born think 1903, or poss. 1900-01,
she is NOT Mary Josephine, Limerick, 1901,
didn't marry, stayed home to look after mother,
died 22nd Feb (think 1959), age 56 yrs [grave], poss. 1957,
death not found in
[GROI]
1957-58,
bur Mount St. Lawrence cemetery, Limerick.
- (think another child) O'Mara, died very young.
- Patricia O'Mara
[Trixie], born est c.1905,
engaged to be married to a man called Percy Devlin
[despite the fact that he was in
British Army,
and she was a strong Irish republican],
he was out in India, building roads,
the others were fiddling the money,
he was the only honest one,
he was out big game hunting,
in November, he was shot in suspicious circumstances, died,
Trixie never married after,
she died 1984, age est c.79 yrs.
- Peggy O'Mara [Margaret],
mar 1stly to Archibald Dwight Lindsay-Trowbridge
[from England, went to America,
place in England called after his family],
big Society wedding,
had issue:
- Sean Lindsay-Trowbridge, mar ----.
mar 2ndly to Stewart Fraser,
they lived Grosse Pointe,
wealthy suburb of Detroit,
she died 1966,
had issue:
- Mary Margaret Fraser, mar --- Morrin and had issue.
- Betty O'Mara, born 1910,
mar Owen Hayes and had issue:
- Maurice Hayes, mar Kathleen Kavanagh and had issue:
- Maria Hayes.
- Michael Hayes.
- Gary Hayes.
- John Hayes, mar Joan Igoe and had issue:
- Johnny Hayes.
- Owen Hayes, mar Nadine Carey.
- Marcus Hayes.
- Stephen O'Mara, died age c. 1 yr.
- (child) O'Mara, died very young.
- Eileen O'Mara,
born 15 July 1915, "Norahville", Ennis Rd, Limerick
[GROI],
34 years younger than her eldest half-sister,
42 years younger than her 1st cousin James,
younger even than all his children,
mar Brian McMahon [or Bryan, of Ennis, Co.Clare,
brother of Mary McMahon above],
"Bryan McMahon", of 3
Lr Merrion St, Dublin,
and of Ennis,
qualified as solicitor
Trinity term
1932
[Thom's, 1945],
he was solicitor
at F.F. Cullinan and Co,
Bindon Street, Ennis, Co.Clare,
this is
Francis Faris Cullinan
[Frank],
same family as Sir Thomas Cullinan,
who gave name to the
Cullinan Diamond,
McMahon took over firm after Frank Cullinan died 1944,
see notice of estate in
The Times, April 28, 1944,
"Brian McMahon" is
the only solicitor listed in Ennis in
[Thom's, 1945],
firm later called McMahon and Brogan,
he died Aug 1985,
she died c.1992, age c.77 yrs,
had issue:
- Brian McMahon, mar Josephine Travers and had issue:
- Brian McMahon.
- Mark McMahon.
- Hilary McMahon.
- (dau) McMahon.
- John McMahon,
mar 1stly to Jean ----,
mar 2ndly to Teresa ---- and had issue:
- James McMahon.
- Stephen McMahon.
- Nicholas McMahon, mar Mary Travers
and had issue:
- Jack McMahon.
- Nicholas McMahon.
- Suzanne McMahon.
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