Hold the Mayo

By Jim Hagarty
2015

My Morrison ancestors on my mother’s side came to Canada from County Mayo in Ireland 160 years ago. And it appears as though the parties celebrating our departure have just gone on and on ever since.

Last week, for example, three Mayo sisters all gave birth at the same hospital in Castlebar ON THE SAME DAY and a fourth sister is due any day now. Here’s me, a former Mayoan, making an uneducated guess: That was one hell of New Year’s Eve party! Either that or the Irish are a lot more organized and precise than I thought.

So, three first cousins will all share the same birthdays henceforth. A sure savings on balloons and birthday cake at future birthday parties. But, oh no! When they grow up, there’ll be family New Year’s Eve parties. Extra shifts at the Castlebar hospital coming up in a couple of decades or so.

Author: Jim Hagarty

I am a 72-year-old retired journalist, busy recovering from a lifelong career as an unretired journalist. This year marks a half century of my scratching out little fables about life. My interests include genealogy, humour and music. I live in a little blue shack in Canada and spend most of my time trying to stay out of trouble. I am not that good at it. I also spent years teaching journalism. Poor state of journalism today: My fault. I have a family I don't deserve, a dog that adores me, and two cars the junk yard refuses to accept. My prized possessions include my old guitar and a razor my Dad gave me when I was 14 and which I still use when I bother to shave. Oh, and my great-great-grandfather's blackthorn stick he brought from Ireland in the 1850s. I have only one opinion but it is a good one: People take too many showers.