peteconnolly.co.uk » Ireland

Finally, I’ve uploaded my Grandad’s Recollections.

pete — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:32:37 +0000

This took way too long.� I’ve uploaded a scanned and OCRed version of a document that my Grandad, Jim Harpur, dictated to someone from the National Archives in Ireland back in 1950.� Since I’ve done some of the Connolly side of the family, I thought it would be great to get some Harpur notes on here as well.� I know I can’t find my paper copy of these notes, so my Ma was good enough to send them over again, as well as some other documents that I need to get scanned.� Hopefully, the good folks at Google will index this mine of information for the future.

You can read the Jim Harpur’s recollections starting here

Jim Harpur’s Active Service Unit Certificate

pete — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:16:10 +0000

Prompted by some comments on this entry, I took a photo of the certificate we have in the study, showing that my maternal grandfather Jim Harpur played his part in the HQ Active Service Unit during the Irish War of Independence.

Jim Harpur's ASU Certificate

There’s a high resolution version available here (opens a new window).

I believe the little crosses next to some of the names indicate that that person died in service, but I’m not 100% sure about that.� I hope it’s useful or interesting� to somebody

“Rusty old fence at the Conor Pass” in situ

pete — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:24:17 +0000

“Rusty old fence at the Conor Pass” in situ, originally uploaded by Pete Connolly.

I bought a printout of Donncha’s picture� - Rusty Old Fence at the Conor Pass� -� for various reasons – mainly family memories of travelling down there as a youngster with Ma and Da in a borrowed estate car walled Walter. Here it is in place in the shed (sorry ‘garden office’) calming me down when I get too wrapped up in work.

Walter was a weird beast – a huge car to me at the age of 7 or 8, but a bit basic in some respects. I nearly fell into the valley below the Conor pass that you see in the picture when the handbrake failed and the car started to roll towards the edge, with me asleep in the back. This fence is probably the only thing that would have come between me and my maker if Da hadn’t jumped in and hit the brakes in time.

Cheers Donncha, a lovely print of a lovely shot.

My Dad’s recollections of the Connolly Family role in the Irish War of Independence

pete — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:50:55 +0000

Phew – short, snappy title that. My brother Paul sent me an electronic version of a document that our Dad wrote a few years ago regarding the role his Dad, also called Richard Connolly, played in the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War. I’ve put this on a separate page here.