Family tree - O'Meara - James O'Meara (later O'Mara) |
|
James O'Meara (later O'Mara),
|
as a young man, perhaps c.1835, he walked out of the village of Toomyvara
across Co.Tipperary to the town of
Clonmel, S Co.Tipperary,
where he met his wife
(probably through working in the woollen mills there
- her father owned woollen mills there),
it seems that he worked in the woollen mills on the Co.Tipperary / Co.Waterford border before he came to Limerick, the story is he met his wife there and they both moved to Limerick where he set up the bacon factory, but by the children's ages it is likely they married c.1841, AFTER he had moved to Limerick and set up the bacon company, settled in Mungret St, NE end of the new town, Limerick city, in Limerick we know he worked in wool trade for some years, poss. as an agent for his (future?) Foley father-in-law, interestingly, there is a "James Mara", woollen draper, 40 Main St, Clonmel,
in Kate O'Brien's epic of the rise of the
"Considine" family of Limerick,
Without My Cloak,
the Considines start out as horse thieves
and eventually rise to great prosperity,
|
he
got a job with Mattersons bacon factory
as a clerk,
went home one day (was already married?)
and said: "This is the last day I'm going to work for anyone",
he set up business on his own,
opened O'Meara's Bacon Company 1839,
originally sold for Mattersons, then started curing his own,
mar est c.1841, apparently back in Clonmel, Co.Tipperary,
to Hanora Foley
[or Honora, born 1822, or poss. 1818],
living Mungret St temp 1844-60 (their children baptised in nearby St.John's),
"It was in the basement of this house in Mungret St that bacon was first cured by them"
[Pat Lavelle],
slowly, over the years, he worked his way up to become one of the
prominent businessmen of the city,
Hanora worked with her husband in setting up O'Maras through the terrible years of
Famine after 1845
as "straggling, ragged groups of county people crowded into Limerick looking for work,
looking for food"
[Pat Lavelle],
a dedicated
O'Mara's Bacon Factory
was set up
on Roches St, Limerick,
he adopted the spelling "O'Mara",
the story is he
was putting up name on bacon factory, felt "O'Meara"
was too long commercially, took the "e" out,
all descendants since called "O'Mara",
since
then many other O'Mearas in the region have standardised to
O'Mara,
not connected with this family at all,
think he is "O'Mara" in all children's baptisms after 1844,
living Roches St as at 1862-66
[GROI],
children bapt in St.Michael's
a little to the N
on Denmark St,
listed as "James O'Mara", "provision merchant" at
children's birth's 1864-66
and son Stephen's mar 1867
[GROI],
some time after this, moved to
17 Thomas St
(just N of Roches St),
one of the old town houses,
"James O'Meara" sp bapt of Mary O'Mara 1868,
early supporter of
Isaac Butt's
Home Rule movement,
member (with his son Stephen)
of the famous Butt Committee,
which secured Butt's election for Limerick city, in by-election, 20 Sept 1871,
he is listed in contributors to
"The Butt Testimonial" in
Irish Times,
May 5, 1875,
there was a Christmas dinner custom in the O'Maras
that none of the many children or their husbands and wives or the grandchildren
were allowed to speak a word during dinner, no matter how old they were,
great opportunity for the parents to expound their views,
"James O'Mara", of St.Michael's par, Limerick,
is among those writing an open letter, 4 May 1877, to the
Bishop of Limerick,
expressing their wish to organise celebrations of the
Golden Jubilee
of
Pope Pius IX
(50th anniv of him becoming a
bishop),
see
Freemans Journal,
9 May 1877,
p.2,
Hanora died
Kilkee, Co.Clare,
30th [grave]
or 31st [GROI]
Aug 1878,
age 56 yrs [grave]
or 60 yrs [GROI],
[GROI] lists her as "Honor O'Mara",
bur Mount St. Lawrence cemetery, Limerick,
James erected grave, spelt name "O'Mara",
he is listed as "James O'Meara, merchant"
at Jack's mar 1880,
listed as Poor Law Guardian
at time of appointment as Sheriff 1887,
High Sheriff of Limerick city 1887,
see appointment reported in Irish Times,
December 10, 1886,
on Sat 26 Nov 1887,
while High Sheriff,
he received an Irish-American Fenian come to Limerick
to deliver an oration at the unveiling (Sun 27 Nov)
of
a memorial to the
Fenian
Manchester Martyrs
of Nov 1867 (20 years before),
see Irish Times,
Mon 28 Nov 1887,
his son
Stephen
(who was a Fenian in his younger years)
was also present,
poss. an Alderman,
known as "The Grand Old Man" in later life
[Pat Lavelle],
there is a letter Dec 1889:
"Give my best love to dear Mr. James O'Mara - our own Grand Old Man
- to see him jumping into the Pollock Holes last summer"
[deep pools off Kilkee]
"like a young boy.
I never saw anything like his vitality.",
in 1891 he bought the rights of the
Russian Bacon Company,
and until 1903 they leased and worked the slaughter and curing houses,
situated in or nr Gryazi,
on the railway line,
nr Lipetsk, Russia,
"A Russian manager carried on the business
and produced bacon which was shipped to Dad
in London"
[Pat Lavelle],
"James O'Mara"
listed as
T.C. (Town Councillor) for Dock Ward, Limerick,
in
[Thoms, 1893],
described as a Justice of the Peace at his son Jim's funeral 1893,
Limerick Corporation passed a Vote of Condolence, saying that the father
was "long connected and much associated with the Corporation",
listed as J.P. at son Jack's mar 1895,
died 20th Apr 1899,
17 Thomas St, Limerick, age 82 yrs
[grave],
[GROI],
NOT Feb,
bur Mount St. Lawrence cemetery, Limerick,
"James O'Mara", "bacon manufacturer",
probate of will granted to his sons Stephen
and Frank,
estate £5,000
[NAI],
this is about £2m in
today's money,
had issue:
Photos 2006.


LHS of above.
See full size.
See alternate shot
(courtesy of Richard Humphreys).

RHS of above.
See full size.
See alternate shot
(courtesy of Richard Humphreys).
Send me additions and corrections to this site |