Aughagower; County of Mayo; Archdiocese of Tuam. Baptisms, Sep. 1855 to Jan. 1856, Microfilm 04210 / 05, page 8.
“30th [December 1855] Ruchane, Thos illegitimate of Thomas Heraghty a married man & Sally Gannon spon[sor] Bridget Gannon.”
It’s easy to forget, as you’re trawling through the remnants of others’ lives, that these were people with their own complicated stories. Little Thomas was born illegitimate in a country that was deeply Catholic, and at a time when people all around him were dying of starvation. I wonder what became of him and Sally?
red paper boat 