Fitzgibbon Family History & Genealogy

THREE SPECIAL LADIES FROM BALLYHAUGHT

Several years ago, I began a journey to learn more about my Irish ancestors and along the way I met three very special ladies from Ballyhaught ,Effin Parish. This was not in person but rather through the warm letters and reflections of people who came in contact with Catherine, Mona and Ciss Fitzgibbon over the years. Their friends, neighbours and others who visited their public house at the crossroads in Ballyhaught known as Fitzgibbon’s Cross or as some referred to it as simply “J-Cross.”

My family and I will be forever grateful to those who took the time and effort to write to us. It was through their letters that we learned a great deal about their lives and most importantly how these ladies touched the lives of those who met them.

Catherine (O’Regan) and her siblings, Joseph and Mary, were born in New York City, the children of John O’Regan and Mary Grimes. In 1896, her mother Mary (nee Grimes) O’Regan died and their father John, being unable to properly care for the three young children, looked towards his family in Kilfinane for help. His family were coopers making firkins and butter boxes or churns for the local dairy farmers and creameries. John had 10 siblings living in the Kilfinane area at the time. His sister, Bridget (Cudmore) graciously brought the three young children into her home on High Street in Kilfinane and cared for them. Several years after John had remarried, Joseph and Mary returned to their father’s home in New York. Catherine, however, being very fond of her Aunt Bridget and her life in Kilfinane, chose to remain in Ireland. Although John and Bridget Cudmore did not have children of their own, Catherine was never at a loss for companionship. Her many aunts and uncles and their families all lived in the nearby communities.
Catherine’s grandmother Mary (nee O’Brien) O’Regan and her Uncle Michael lived in Ballyroe, Lower. Her Aunt Nora married John Fitzgibbon who owned a public house in Ballymacshaneboy, Ballyhaught. Her Aunt Catherine Flynn lived in Glenaree Townland in the parish of Glenbrohane. Her Uncle Joseph, his wife Margaret and their children lived in Kilfinane, as did her Aunt Alice and her husband, the local blacksmith, Patrick Halpin and their children. Her Aunt Johanna married William O’Donnell, a farmer from Sunville, Ardpatrick. Her Aunt Mary married Jack Hennessy. The Hennessy’s and their children also lived in Kilfinane. Her Aunt Maggie married a shopkeeper Thomas Roache from Kilfinane. Her Uncle Thomas was a publican who lived in Kilfinane with his wife Ellen and their nine children.

One of her cousins, Thomas O’Regan, became a priest and followed the path of many of his countryman to New Zealand. While there he founded St. Paul Dallington Parish in Christchurch, New Zealand. He later retired to Kilfinane and was buried on Kilfinane Church grounds. His sister, Teresa, operated a Public House for many years on Main Street, Kilfinane.

In addition to the O’Regan relatives, Catherine also had the companionship of her mother’s family. Her grandparents Edmond and Ellen (nee Dunsworth) Grimes were farmers in the Kilfinane area. They also had a large family with 13 children and a host of grandchildren.
Other than knowing she attended the Faithful Companions of Jesus School in Bruff much about Catherine’s childhood years in Kilfinane still remains to be uncovered. Her story picks up with her marriage to Jeremiah Fitzgibbon. Jerrry, as he was known to his friends and family, was the nephew of Johnny Fitzgibbon who opened Johnny’s Pub in 1884 on the Crossroads known as “J-Cross” in Ballyhaught. As the years passed, Jerry and Catherine took over the operation of the shop/pub and renamed it Jerry’s. When Jerry died in 1947, Catherine renamed it Fitzgibbon’s.

Catherine and Jerry had five children, Mona, Ciss, Creena, Mammie and John. When the children were young they spent their summer school holidays visiting their Aunt Nell (Ellen Fitzgibbon) Fox who had a farm in Ballyshane. Some 70 years later one of their childhood friends fondly remembered first meeting Ciss and Mona and related stories of playing with them during their visits to the farm.

One life long friend and neighbour recalls his father telling the story of his “being sent off in the horse and trap to bring the midwife” to Catherine’s home the night in 1923 that Ciss was born.

Catherine is remembered as a “very well kept lady” who always turned herself out impeccably and kept her dignity and her pride to the last. Her passing in 1978 was a great loss to the community, as well as to her loving family. Her daughters shared her love of life and warm, friendly demeanor.

Ciss and Mona have been described as “two of life’s most honest, lovely and gentle people”. It was noted they always insisted on adding all of their customers’ purchases by hand, even after they had an electronic cash register, so that they could be sure their customers were always charged correctly.

Ciss was described as a graceful, soft-spoken lady with a whimsical smile; her gray hair always tied back in a bun.

Mona was a trained hairdresser who returned from London in the 1960s to help her mother and sister operate the Public House and remained until her death in 1997. She is described as a fair-haired lady with an ever-smiling face and well -liked by all whom visited the shop/pub.

Many of the letters I received shared memories of visits to the Public House over the years. During the day it served as a shop and in the evenings a pub. Visits to the shop were not just shopping trips but described more as a social event. With Catherine, Ciss and Mona one could always discuss the comings and goings of life, it’s joys and sorrows. They always made sure they made the time to have a chat with their customers and made them feel welcome.

Others recall times as children when they would go to the shop and were given a packet of sweets or a bar of chocolate “on the house.” Since Ciss and Mona had no children of their own, it was said they welcomed visits from the neighbourhood children, for it was the children who kept them forever young at heart.
Prior to electricity being made available to the area, the shop maintained a small tank of paraffin oil to service the community’s needs for fueling oil lamps and stoves.
At night, their neighbours would not only stop at the Public House for a “drop of whiskey or a few pints” but more importantly to chat with friends and neighbors and share life’s experiences with Catherine, Ciss and Mona. The pub was well known for its musical sessions and that tradition still lives on at Norman’s Bar named after its current owner. One neighbour recalls the night that he stopped by for a pint and found Ciss and Mona sound asleep in their kitchen in the rear of the shop. Knowing the ladies had been working since the early morning hours he simply went behind the bar and poured himself a pint. When he finished, rather then waking them, he just left the money and went on his way.
In addition to running the shop/pub Catherine and her daughters were also very involved in the activities of Effin Parish often participating in the Parish’s feasts and festivals. One neighbour said that when Ciss passed away in 1999, her death marked the end of an era. The likes of these three special ladies will not pass by us again. While my family and I regret never meeting them in person, we did get to visit the Fitzgibbon family gravesite at Kilquane Cemetery in Effin Parish and thank each of these ladies for the joy they brought to so many lives