Hello.  My name is Anne Kendrick and my mother’s father while in New Zealand called himself Thomas O’Hara (Tom). My mother is Lucy Kendrick (nee O’Hara)

 

Tom came to NZ sometime before his marriage in Wellington, NZ in September 1925. He married Hannah O’Connor from Tralee, Co Kerry who we believe came to NZ 1924/1925.

Hannah died in 1941 and Tom died in 1943 leaving behind a young family of 6.  Sadly no-one knows too much of Tom and an various trips to Ireland by his children to find out more about him, nothing was uncovered.

 

His marriage certificate state he was born in Wexford circa 1892/1893.  He declared his mother was Lucy White and his father Thomas O’Hara.  We are not sure if any of this is true and we have bee unable to find any birth, death marriage certificates that can validate this information.

 

I have been to many websites about the men and volunteers who took part in the Easter Rising and fought 1916-1921. One story that is remembered by his children (because his elbow was twisted inward and unusual) was that he said he had been shot in the elbow while fighting on the streets of Dublin and having to spend many nights lying newspapers under Dublin Bridges.

 

I have attached the only known photo of Tom that we have.  He is the man in the middle role, one arm showing with his sleeve rolled up and eyes closed.

 

 

The other photo is of his 4 grown up sons taken circa 1955, Thomas, Patrick Pearse, Martin & Jack.

 

My question is I guess, of all the men who fought is there any record of those men who fled Ireland because they were wanted by the English?

 

I am not sure where to go or who to ask and hope that you can help me and put me in the right direction. I am travelling to Ireland in July with 2 of my sisters and spending some time in Tralee, Wexford and Dublin to mark our respects to our grandparents.  If there is someplace I can visit on my trip that would be useful to further research our very mysterious grandfather I would be most pleased/keen to learn of it.

 

With kindest regards

Anne Kendrick   mikann@orcon.net.nz

PS

 

I recently found a 1926 photo of my Irish grandfather that I strongly suspect was not named Thomas O’Hara while he lived in Ireland.

I am sharing it on a very long shot that he may have been high enough up in the IRA to have a photo taken of him in uniform and the attached pic might be able to be connected to that person…and therefore tell us who he really was. Fingers crossed, but I live in hope and the motto ‘don’t try, can’t succeed’ rings true.

 

Any help you might be able to provide to direct me to a photo gallery would be most helpful.

 

Kindest regards

 

Anne

mikann@orcon.net.nz