This website contains the genealogy for certain branches of the McAuliffe and Mahar families.
The McAuliffes are descendants of those who came from the townland of Coolowen, Whitechurch Civil Parish, County Cork, Ireland (about 3 km north of Blarney) and eventually settled in Norwood,
Massachusetts (Cork City) in the early 1900's. The Mahars are descendants of those who came from the townland of Outragh, Cahir Civil Parish, County Tipperary,
Ireland and eventually settled in Webster Massachusetts in the late 1840's. Branches related to the McAuliffes are the Bayers, Baldufs, Drummeys, Eckharts,
Hurleys, Kellehers, et. al. who lived in Massachusetts. Branches related to the Mahars are the Carneys, Canavans, Curtises, Hamills, Kings, Mahers, Meaghers,
McCaugheys, Prendergasts, et. al. who lived in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The photographs contained on this website are part of a private family
collection and are not intended for public viewing, unauthorized or illegal use, or copyright infringement. Therefore, depending on who you are (relative, friend or
stranger) your access to this website may be intentionally limited or denied.
Think we may be related? Please use the contact form to get started.
The Project
The Mahar Children - circa. 1929
"What we've got here is failure to communicate" - a famous line uttered with a thick southern twang by a prison guard to an unruly
prisoner played by Paul Newman in the 1967 movie classic Cool Hand Luke. It's one of those memorable moments in film history. And for those who've seen
it, you no doubt remember what I'm talking about. A failure to communicate, in genealogical terms, is what this Irish Immigrant Project was created to address
- the failure of our distant McAuliffe and Mahar ancestors, not due to any fault of their own, to communicate to us the story of their lives and with it a better
understanding of both who they were and our connection to the past. In retrospect, its been a very interesting journey pursuing family histories since the initial
interviews in 1998; a surprisng revelation of what was not passed down from great grandfather, to grandfather, to father, to son and the reality of a slow eroding
loss of not just family history but of Irish culture, customs and traditions. So even though we may still be Irish genetically we are now a different kind of Irish,
an American Irish with a somewhat diluted degree of Irishness. Yet, fortunately for most of us, there still remains an Irish uniqueness that we still carry forward
and its certainly by no choice of our own. It seems that the passage of time since the emigrations, some nearly two centuries ago, has yet to change many of our
inherited Irish characteristics. And as the British found out much to their chagrin after centuries of conflict, Irishness will not be simply erased. So as the old saying goes:
"If you're lucky enough to be Irish, then you're lucky enough." The project on this website, for those of you who've seen the PBS show Finding Your Roots with
host Henry Louis Gates Jr., is in some ways very much like the show and allows us to view our ancestral histories, learn about familial connections and discover
secrets about the past we never knew existed. While its not possible to present it here with all the drama, suspense and fancy presentation of a PBS show, The Irish
Immigrant Project does accomplish much of the same in the end - a discovery of our ancestral past, a discovery littered with multitudes of forgottens brought back
from the dead. And there are some very surprising and fascinating discoveries indeed! At one point it was considered calling this website The Forgottens which would
be rather fitting given all that's been uncovered during the research. However, The Irish Immigrant is the more appropriate choice not just based on content but,
more importantly, reflective of who we owe a great debt of gratitude to. What we've got here, to a measureable degree, is no longer a failure to communicate!
Access
Sheamus Costigan*
Password access is required to enter this website. Please fill out and submit the contact form provided below to obtain access.
Access to this website may be limited or denied depending on your intended use. If you've been provided with a password but for some reason
still can't obtain access, please contact us so we may resolve the issue. For security purposes, the password will be changed on a periodic
basis. For those that need the latest password after initial access, please use the contact form below to obtain the new password.
* A fictitious character of no known relation
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