Big Kildare Interview: Long-lost relatives reunited in Naas

An Irish-Australian woman has managed to trace her roots on her father’s side back to a cottage in the heart of Naas.

Catherine Quinn-Tyrrell was born on February 12, 1964, and said she grew up in a country town called Somerville until she was 10, before moving to a suburb of Melbourne called Frankston.

She lived there until she was 15 before moving to Sydney, New South Wales, with her boyfriend, who later became her first husband.

Catherine, who now lives in the town of Nagambie with her second husband Paul and her children, said that although she never knew her father Thomas 'Bernard' Quinn, as her parents separated when she was only a baby: the only thing she knew was that he emigrated to Australia from Ireland, where he later met her mother.

Speaking about her childhood, she said: "My childhood was quite poor and a bit sad without a dad.

Catherine Quinn-Tyrrell standing in front of her father's family's old cottage at New Row in Naas

"However, my mother always made sure I knew the names of my grandparents (Thomas and Elizabeth). My mother also told me my dad came from a very big family.

She added: "I tried to find my dad when I was about 20, but didn’t have any luck.

"I knew my dad came from County Kildare but not the (exact) town, so I didn’t think I would have much chance of finding (any) family members."

'AN EPIPHANY'

Still, Catherine did not let this get her down; she told the Leader that it was always a dream of hers to come to Ireland.

She said: "I have always embraced my Irish heritage. My husband and I booked this trip pre-Covid and since then my youngest son took out Irish citizenship.

"When he was doing that, he tracked down my dad’s birth certificate. That gave me the town name, and it was then I found out my dad had passed away in 1986.

"I put the documents away and then for some reason a couple of weeks ago I Googled my grandparents’ names, the town and the number of children they had.

"An article came up about my uncle Paddy and I couldn’t believe it, but when I looked at the date it was 22 years ago, so I wasn’t sure he would still be alive."

She continued: "I went to bed and then I had an epiphany and thought of Facebook. I searched for a community page, the Naas Ball forum, and sent them a post."

Around 2,500 Ukrainian refugees will have to move accommodation by the end of this month

BREAKTHROUGH

Eventually, Catherine managed to get in touch with her relatives over Facebook, and organised to meet up with her father’s side of the family, the Quinns, in Naas.

She eventually managed to meet with them for lunch in Lawlor’s Hotel, followed by a trip over to McCormack’s Pub, on Sunday, August 14.

Explaining about her first time meeting her family, the Quinns, in Naas, Catherine said: "At first it felt very surreal and I was very nervous about how or if I would be accepted. I had no idea if people knew whether I existed or not, or if they would be interested in meeting me.

"However, the relatives I have met have been so welcoming and truly wonderful to me. We had a wonderful day with everyone."

Catherine with cousins Cora Marum, Teresa Timmins and Seán Fennessy.

At the gathering, Catherine learned that her late father initially left Ireland for London as a teenager without telling anyone on October 20, 1956.

For years, his family, especially one of his brothers, Peter, had tried to search for him, but with no luck.

The tale of his disappearance deeply affected Bernard’s family back home.

Catherine also found out that her late uncle Peter had named one of his sons, Bernard, after his missing brother.

Sarsfields and Clane share the points in Kildare SFC cracker

STRANGE COINCIDENCES

At the meeting, Catherine and her family discovered a number of unusual coincidences.

Both her father and the younger Bernard had died the same year, with the latter passing away in a construction accident at just 21 years of age.

The younger Bernard also died on the same date that Thomas Quinn (his grandfather, and Peter and the older Bernard’s father) died: February 6.

Catherine also said that one of her late brothers had Peter as a middle name.

In another unusual coincidence, whilst visiting a whiskey distillery in Dublin, she found the surnames of her grandparents engraved on a counter: Quinn and McCann.

The boarding pass showing Bernard Quinn's trip to Australia in October of 1956. His name is at the very top of the photograph.

Lastly, one of Catherine’s granddaughters back in Australia is named Cora: the same name as one of her long-lost first cousins!

While in Naas, Catherine visited a cottage at New Row that used to belong to her father’s family… which at one point hosted at least 14 children!

She said: "It was very emotional for me to stand where I knew my father and all my aunts and uncles were born and grew up.

"I didn’t know my uncle owned the cottage, as the article I had read (online) was about the council trying to move him out of it, but it was a very emotional experience for me and something very special that I will hold dear to me for the rest of my life."

Iarnród Éireann and Tidy Towns group unveil new street art at Sallins & Naas, Kildare, train station

A TOUCHING REUNION

Catherine also got to meet the last surviving relative from her father’s family, her uncle Paddy, who now resides in a nursing home: "I was worried about meeting my uncle Paddy, I remember saying to my relatives that I didn’t want to cause him any stress or grief.

"But when he hugged me it just felt so right. We had a wonderful visit and he gave me a lot of information about my grandparents. He has an amazing memory. It was very special to me."

In addition, she visited the graves of her paternal grandparents to pay her respects before she met up with her newfound relatives.

Reflecting on her trip, Catherine said that she will officially be changing her surname from Tyrrell to Quinn-Tyrrell to honour her Irish heritage.

She said: "It was a very moving and emotional day for me…

"I feel very blessed that so many people came to meet me that Sunday."

She added: "I would definitely move to Ireland, I found a sense of peace here… it’s hard to explain, but it was like I found a part of myself that was missing."