My ancestors - O'Mara - Contents

Eithne O'Mara

Eithne and Eoige, 1931.
This is [P106/599(5)].
See full size.
See other scan.

Eithne O'Mara,
born 14 Oct 1908, London.
Descendant through Blennerhassett of Edward III.
The family went back to Ireland 1914.
She was educ Loreto Abbey, Rathfarnham, Co.Dublin, there temp 1922.
She remembered a girl in school in Ireland, a unionist type, who got the class to gang up on her because her family were Sinn Feiners. She was "sent to Coventry".
She was later sent to school back in England. She was educ St.Mary's Catholic school, Bateman St, Cambridge (see street view), there as at 1922-26.
Then back to Ireland. Left school May 1926, age 17.
She was educ college, Paris 1926-28 (apparently the Sorbonne, though one photo says "1927 Alliance", i.e. the Alliance Francaise).

She married Dick Humphreys, who had known the O'Maras all his life:

James O'Mara was friendly with Dick's uncle The O'Rahilly since 1890-91, and with Dick's father Dr. David Humphreys since the early 1890s.
There is a photo of Dick at Barfield 1917.
Eithne first remembered meeting Dick in summer 1919, when Dick and Sighle came down to stay at Barfield, Dick age 23, Eithne age 10.
(todo) See [P106/571] for telegram of 14 Apr 1920 from Strand House to Dick, congratulating him for his stand on hunger strike.
Eithne remembered Dick down in Cashel House after hunger strike, would be summer 1920.
See photo of members of the 3 families 1920.
There is a photo of Dick on holiday in Cashel 1921.
See photo of Dick with the O'Mara girls (stuck in album) 1922.
James O'Mara helped Dick start his business 1922.
Dick and Anno were at Joseph O'Mara's funeral 1927.

Dick was friendly with all O'Mara girls. Family was wondering who he'd go out with.
He was most friendly with Eileen [born 7th Aug 1903] at first. Tommy O'Brien thought they went to a few functions together. Then she went out with Alec Spain [they mar 30th July 1929].
Dick started going out with Eithne (think summer 1928).
They got engaged while Eithne still in college 1928.
She was living Killiney at marriage.
Dick was living Ailesbury Rd.

She mar 24 Sept 1929 [him age 33, her age 20] to Dick Humphreys [born 23rd Apr 1896] and had issue.
They mar at St.Alphonsus and Columba's church, Ballybrack, Co.Dublin (near Killiney)
They were married by her uncle Fr. Paddy O'Mara and his relation Fr. Dominic Mangan.
See "Limerick Families United", Irish Independent, Wednesday, September 25, 1929.
Photo in Evening Herald, 25 Sept 1929.
Also reported in The Irish Sketch, Nov 1929.
Honeymoon on Continent late 1929.

Think this is a portrait of Eithne as a child.
See full size.
See wider. See signature.

Eithne in hockey match.
Photos by "Independent Newspapers Ltd, Dublin".
(Left) See full size.
(Right) See full size.

Dick with the O'Mara girls, years before he went out with Eithne.
think Background (Left to Right): Maureen, Eileen, Sheila,
and Middle: Eithne.
Foreground: "Dick Humphreys".
The Twelve Pins mountains, Connemara.
"Stuck 1922" (i.e. stuck in album 1922).

Eithne and Sheila, 1925. See full size.

St.Mary's school, Cambridge

Eithne at school in St.Mary's, Cambridge, 1925 or 1926.
She is back row, 2nd from LHS.
The road in the background is Bateman Street.

Photo of the same location at St.Mary's, Cambridge, in 2010.
See larger and full size.

Old photos of St.Mary's school, Cambridge.
(Left) The Elms.
(Right) Paston House.
Think The Elms is the building above.
From here.

Close-up of Eithne from above.

1927-28

Eithne, passport photo, 1927.

Cashel Bay, 1928.
(Left to Right): Una, (friend), (friend), Eithne (age 19).

Wedding, 1929

Dick and Eithne's wedding, 1929.
On Dick's side: Emmet, Sighle, Nell. Child in front: Would be Ruaire Lavelle (age 4).
Behind the couple: Fr. Paddy O'Mara.
On Eithne's side: Pat, James O'Mara, Agnes Cashel, Una O'Mara. Behind them: Steen, Alec Spain.
See full size.

The story of Granny's photo and Wikipedia

I have long been scanning family photos and putting them on this site. Something amazing happened to one of them. Granny's 1929 wedding photo was taken in 2007 from my site for use on Wikipedia. (Which is fine with me, by the way.) For whatever reason, the consensus view of the editors on Wikipedia liked to use this picture to illustrate wedding-related articles. (Against what must be millions of alternative pictures.)

It was used as a core illustration of the "Wedding dress" entry for 15 years in a row! From 2007 to 2022. Then someone decided to replace it with an 1891 dress.
But, and this is amazing, it has also been going strong for years, and is still going strong, on other major Wikipedia articles!
For instance, as at 2023, here it is on "Bride" and "Tailcoat" and "Morning dress".

Life is very strange. Starting 12 years after she died of old age, Granny's wedding photo started being viewed by millions of people all over the globe, and became one of the most-viewed wedding photos in history. I'm sure she would be pleased!

The photo of Dick and Eithne's wedding, 1929, that got used for Wikipedia.
Best man: Percy Mc Grath (a friend).
Bridesmaids: Sighle Humphreys (left) and Una O'Mara (right).
See full size.

An almost identical photo of same group appeared in Irish Independent, Wednesday, September 25, 1929. Copy in [P106/579(6)].
See other photo of same group.
See other photo of same group in [P106/599(14)].
See Dick and Eithne in [P106/595(2)].
See Dick and Eithne in [P106/595(4)].
See Dick and Eithne in [P106/599(13)].

The "Wedding dress" entry on Wikipedia as at 2018.
Granny's photo was a core illustration of this Wikipedia page from 2007 to 2022.
Many, many millions of people will have seen it. Perhaps more than have seen any other Irish wedding picture in history.

After marriage

Eithne on honeymoon on the Continent.

Eithne, Eoige, and think Nell, 1931.
This is [P106/599(6)].
See full size.
See other scan.