To Our Dearest Papa - Margaret O'Brien

The following poem was written to commemorate the life and exploits of my great-great grandfather, Daniel Duggan. The poem was written by his granddaughter, Margaret O’Brien, who wrote and published many poems.

To Our Dearest Papa

I’ll tell you of a gallant man
Whose time was never wasted
Our gracious, cheerful, lively, Dan
Who left no sport untasted

His forge was known the country o’er
All clients took a seat
For if they left the smithy’s door
Their horse was at the meet

If rodeo was then the mode
He’d ride without a spill
For I have heard he even rode
A pig at Shandy Hill

For like the great John Peel, his heart
Was on the hunting grounds
He’d "bone" a horse and take a part
In chasing with the hounds

He plied his gaff in sweet Clonmeen
Beside the old Shannow
With thrilling heart he poached the stream
When the seasons would allow

Like Shakespeare with Sir Thomas
Were Papa’s escapades
Tho ‘twas Grehan that gave promise
Of thwarting all his ways

The football team in Quartertown
While captained by young Dan
Was never known to be "let down"
But a course of glory ran

Even in the field of cricket
He took a part, what’s more
‘twas he who knocked the wicket
When they made the winning score

His creative genius was made like
To Stevenson’s renown
He made a "tallywagtail" byke
The pride of all the town

His feats and exploits were well known
Through Mallow and Glountaune
So popular, the people’s own
Was Donal O’Duggan

With Tadg he shot in Colthurst’s wood
Which was a strict preserve
Three keepers pinned him where he stood
‘twas then he showed his nerve

With well feigned ease he bided time
Suspicions to allay
Then with a spring - a jump sublime
He broke free - and away

Through the bracken like a flash
O’er ditches like the wind
Taking hedges at a dash
His captors far behind

And Tadg was off another way
His heart as light as air
His mind fixed on another day
Of sport in Colthurst’s lair

So here’s to Dan, all life’s his fort
Who’se never known a fear
Our dearly loved, and rare old sport
Our hearty pioneer

Since February he’s gone to rest
And oh, we miss him sure
But he’s at peace and this is best,
With God forever more

In Castlemagner, quiet he lies
Mid scenes of youth and joy
Where oftimes under sunny skies
He wandered when a boy

The sad Blackwater gliding past
A mournful dirge must wail
To Ruskeen Bridge it’s song is cast
In passing through the vale

The little graveyard on the hill
Which now so homely seems
So peaceful, so quiet and still
Just everlasting dream

His happiness we’ll grudge him not
For he is with his own
Waiting in that sheltered spot
To guide us to God’s throne

The poem was originally sent to my grandfather in 1930. The attached post script states that Daniel Duggan and his father-in-law Con Buckley both built Ruskeen Bridge, which could be seen from Daniel’s grave. There are several things I just don't understand within the poem's lines. I have no idea what a Tallywagtail bike is, for instance. Still, it is very cool to have a published poem memorializing the exploits of a Daley ancestor, expecially once as interesting as Daniel Duggan.

Daniel Duggan 1855 - 1963



Daniel Duggan and Ellen Buckley around 1907
Children are Anthony Duggan and either Connie Singleton or Nan Cahill
The dog was named Rock

Daniel Duggan is my paternal great-great grandfather. He is the father of Cornelius Timothy Duggan and the grandfather of Elizabeth M Duggan. I have grown up hearing tales of Daniel Duggan and his adventures. From what I know, he seemed like quite the rouge and a really interesting guy.

Daniel was born in Banteer, County Cork on September 29, 1855. His parents were Daniel Duggan and Mary Ellen O’Hanlon. According to information from relatives, the family owned a small forge and a farm. His father died when Daniel was only 13, leaving Mary Ellen to raise three young sons. Daniel, who was the oldest; followed by Con, who ran the family forge. The youngest brother was Nicholas, who died around the age of 15.

Daniel Duggan married Ellen Buckley in the parish of Clonmeen on August 25, 1878. It seems like this might have been a controversial pairing, because I find the baptismal record for their first child as early as 1875. In addition, family stories indicate that as soon as Daniel and Ellen were married, Daniel’s mother threw him out of the family home and never spoke to him again.

Daniel Duggan went to work for his father-in-law, Con Buckley, also known as Papa Clonmeen. It was at this time that Daniel earned the nickname Boss Duggan, or The Boss. It was also at this time that Daniel got into some serious trouble.

Like his son would be, Daniel was a very talented trainer of animals. I have even heard him described as a horse-whisperer. Daniel was also very fond of poaching, which was very illegal in Ireland. According to family lore, he had an Irish water spaniel named Drake who he had trained to catch salmon as they went over the shallows in the Blackwater River. Unfortunately, Daniel was caught poaching on the lands of a Magistrate by the name of Grehan, who lived on the estate at Clonmeen House.

Clonmeen House

At this time one of the consequences for poaching was forced transportation to Australia. According to relatives, Daniel was not willing to accept the punishment. He is said to have stated, "It would be like going to law with the Devil when the court was in Hell." Instead of accepting his sentence, Daniel decided to move his entire family to the town of Mallow (only about 20 miles). However, before he left, he made sure to go back and get his dog.

There is a very cool poem written by Margaret O’Brien, one of Daniel’s grandchildren. It details his capture and escape during the poaching incident. It’s interesting looking at the picture of Daniel with his family and his dog above, the dog does not appear to be an Irish water spaniel. Although I am not the expert my grandparents were, I would guess that the dog in the photo is an early Irish setter. Of course, the back of the photo indicates that the pictured dog was named Rock, so it is possible Daniel owned and trained many types of hunting dogs during his life.

About half of Daniel and Ellen’s children were born in Mallow, including my great grandfather Cornelius Timothy. According to information given to me by relatives and additional records, Daniel had at least 12 children.

- Ellen Duggan b. 1875
- Christina Duggan b. 1879
- Hannah Duggan b. 1880
- Honora Duggan b. 1880
- Daniel Duggan b. 1884
- Cornelius Timothy Duggan - 1885 – 1943
- Molly Duggan b. abt. 1889
- Judy Duggan b. 1891
- Kathleen Duggan b. 1893
- Esther M. Duggan b. 1894
- Anthony Duggan b. 1899
- Maeve Duggan b. abt. 1900


Top row, left to right - Dan Duggan, Hannah Duggan, Kathleen Duggan, Molly Duggan, Cornelius Timothy Duggan
Middle row, left to right - Jesse Reese, Lily ?, Daniel Duggam, Ellen Buckley, Christin Duggan, Judy Duggan
Bottom row- Rock (the dog) and Anthony Duggan

From Mallow, the family moved to Cork City in 1884. They lived on a 15 acre patch of land in a suburb called Gurranabraher, which was owned by the local distillery. Daniel worked as a smith for the distillery. The second half of the family was born at this location. In 1911, the family moved to the suburb of Blackpool.

Daniel and Ellen lived in the house in Blackpool in Cork City for the remainder of their lives. Ellen seems to have passed first, but I don’t have the exact date. Daniel was the last Duggan to live in this house. He died in 1963.

Daniel Duggan seemed like such an interesting person, and certainly someone I wish I knew. As of now, the story of his poaching incident is just family lore. Certainly salmon poaching was a problem in Ireland both then and now, however I would love to have some sort of record to back up the legend. Until then, I look foreword to the time when my family and I can visit Ireland and walk in the footsteps of our ancestors. Especially Daniel Duggan, potentially one of the more mischievous members of the Daley Clan of yore.

Peter Daley and Elizabeth Duggan - 60 Years together!

Peter Francis Daley and Elizabeth Duggan
May 2 1943 Waltham, Ma

This is a picture of my grandparents, Peter Francis Daley (1920 – 2004) and his wife Elizabeth Mary Duggan (1920 – 2010). They were married May 2, 1943 at St. Mary’s Church in Waltham.

Peter Francis Daley and Elizabeth M Duggan
May 2003 Falmouth, Ma

The second newspaper clipping describes their 60 year wedding anniversary. All of their children and grandchildren gathered at the Coonamessett Inn in Falmouth, Ma in May of 2003. Although I have a thousand memories of my grandparents, the above picture is how I generally remember them still. In retrospect, this would have been a great time to speak to my grandfather about his family.

Cornelius Timothy Duggan 1885 - 1943

Cornelius Timothy Duggan
My Great-Grandfather

Cornelius Timothy Duggan is my great Grandfather. He is the father of my paternal grandmother, Elizabeth M. Duggan. He is my namesake, although I am not named Cornelius. The male side of my family inherited some of their looks (good or bad) from Cornelius Duggan. If you lined us up, you'd see a resemblance. Even as a child I had often heard stories about the Duggan side of my family. Unlike the Daley side of my family, I knew almost all of, and consistently saw, my grandmother’s siblings. In fact, all of my father’s cousins are still involved in major events like weddings, where they earn a deserved reputation as a group that likes to have a good time. Although I was always more familiar with this side of the family, it was not until I was an adult that I actually began to research and to understand Cornelius Timothy and the family that originated from him. 

 I had always known that Cornelius was born in County Cork, but recent records have given me more details. According to his naturalization records, and draft registrations, Cornelius Duggan was born 8 June 1885 in Co. Cork to Daniel Duggan (1855 – 1963) and Ellen Buckley (b. 1858). Daniel and Ellen had a large Irish Catholic family. Through family sources, passenger indexes, and Irish Baptismal records, I have recorded the following siblings for Cornelius:


- Ellen Duggan b. 1875
- Christina Duggan b. 1879
- Hannah Duggan b. 1880
- Honora Duggan b. 1880
- Daniel Duggan b. 1884
- Molly Duggan b. abt. 1889
- Judy Duggan b. 1891
- Kathleen Duggan b. 1893
- Esther M. Duggan b. 1894
- Anthony Duggan b. 1899
- Maeve Duggan b. abt. 1900

 Although, it seems like Daniel was from Banteer Co. Cork in the parish of Clonmeen, family stories indicate that he was a frequent poacher (more on this later) and had been caught in the act by a local magistrate. To avoid punishment and deportation, he moved to a town called Mallow. It was in this town that Cornelius was born.

Through his naturalization records, I have been able to find the passenger lists showing that Cornelius immigrated to Boston in October of 1912 aboard the ship Franconia. According to these records he arrived unmarried, with only $24. He also lists William Thompson as a friend. Because he listed Mr. Thompson, I have been able to find most of the immigration records for his siblings as well, as most of his brothers and sisters referenced William Thompson too. William was the husband of Mary F. Duggan (Molly). In the US, he also acted as a witness for my great grandfather's naturalization. 

Cornelius Timothy Duggan - Petition For Naturalization

Cornelius Duggan Declaration of Intention



Sometime between petitioning for naturalization in 1918 and his appearance in the US city directories in 1923, Cornelius Duggan married my great Grandmother, Elizabeth M. Donohue (1886 – 1984). I have not been able to find a record for this marriage yet. The couple moved to Waltham and created another pretty large Irish Catholic family. According to census records and information provided by relatives, this family included:

- Elizabeth M. Duggan (my Grandmother)- 1920 – 2010
- Cornelius Timothy (Buddy) Duggan 1922 - 1983
- Joseph Duggan b.1923
- Eleanor Duggan b. 1925
- John R. Duggan b. 1926
- Patricia A. Duggan b. 1928
- Mortimer P. Duggan 1930 – 2010

 I had always heard that Cornelius Timothy was a blacksmith who had worked on the construction of several bridges in Ireland and Massachusetts. From my father, I also knew that Cornelius was able to provide for his family throughout the depression by smithing horseshoes for the horses that pulled the Hoods milk delivery trucks. Like his father, I have been told that Cornelius was also a talented dog trainer. In fact, in many of his pictures, he is posing with a dog. However, I don’t have much more personal information about him. I truly need to interview his remaining children to learn more.

Cornelius spent the remainder of his life in Waltham. Although there are draft records for both WWI and WWII, I don’t know if he fought in either war. I do know that he died in Waltham, Massachusetts 23 December 1943, at the age of 58. Unlike my great Grandmother, I never met my namesake Cornelius Timothy. Having now learned about him, I think I would have liked him.