Getting up and running again

It's been a very long time since I added anything on here - things have been rather busy around here, alongside some health issues - see below.

Last night I went to a family gathering, so I thought it was time to get the emails and the blog up and running again.

The gathering was a double birthday celebration: Peter Hannagan is forty, and his big sister, Denise, is fifty in about three weeks. All the Jack and Daphne Hannagan family were there, along with some of the teenage and older kids, and a bunch of friends. Great meal at the Etrusco (the former Savoy Restaurant, for those who might remember it). Instead of taking individual orders, they did it in the same way that Chinese restaurants do: bringing out platter after platter until everyone was well and truly full.

Peter doesn't at all look like a 40-year-old...mid-twenties, perhaps, but certainly not 40. And neither does Denise look her age. It's a strange world where people don't look old anymore when they should. It's the last week Peter and Rachel and their family will be in Dunedin. They've been back home for some six months, and believe it or not, this is the first time I've managed to catch up with them.

The first months of this year were unusual: I had a prostate op in late February after a very unpleasant time running up to it. Thankfully, I've come through this very well, and am feeling much more like my usual self. Right on top of this, almost, I began doing a paper at Varsity while (almost) simultaneously taking part in a play which, due to its short rehearsal period, required me to be out at least three nights a week and often one afternoon on the weekend. Juggling Varsity and the play proved to be a bit of an exercise, but turned out to be doable!

And, for those who haven't heard, Celia got knocked off her motor scooter about three weeks ago. It was a dark, rainy night; she was riding along fairly slowly because of the conditions, and a car came out of nowhere, it seemed, and apparently turned into her. She was somersaulted off her bike, and slid along the road some way. Thank God there were no broken bones, and she's healing up well (there were lots of bruises, of course, and her right knee is still very sore). She's more niggled that the demolition job she'd started on the kitchen the weekend before has had to be put on slow...

Strangely, I was driving to rehearsal that evening, and passed a police car, ambulance and tow truck. As you do, I wondered what had happened, and who might be the 'victim,' never guessing that it was Celia. It was only when I got further down the hill that I got a cellphone call from my son to say that Celia had had an accident...and of course, it all lined up.

Celia wasn't able to be at the dinner last night: my number three daughter is expecting her number three, and is at 32 weeks. However, the waters broke yesterday, and so she's in hospital while they play a wait and see game. The baby's okay, but obviously they have to be cautious about what happens next. Appreciate your prayers!

Mark Hannagan turns 50

His sister, Jane, has written:
We have just come back from Cambridge, having gathered all my siblings to celebrate Mark's 50th, or, as he says, Chris' 52nd. Great catch up with all.

Well, there you go. These people who were toddlers only a little while ago are now turning 50 and 52. Scary.

I've sent an email to all those on my address list to see if there's any interest in another family reunion. A small amount of response so far, but some response at least!

Ben Nicholas Allen

Well, it's been a bit of time since we last put any news on here, but at least the news that's just come is very exciting. Margaret Irvine wrote to me today:

Yesterday, August 27 , saw another addition to the family tree. Ben Nicholas Allen, son of Marie and Roy Allen and first great-grandchild in the Ryan family was born in Wellington, weight 6 lb 15 ounces, aspect simply beautiful. The photo was taken when he was eight minutes old. The wee boy is a special gift and we are thrilled he is safe and well. Named in part for his great granddad (dec.) Desmond Nicholas Ryan.
Michael, can you see that this wee chap takes his rightful (if,so far, very small place, on the family tree?
If his proud Dad has his way expect to see Ben playing for the Wellington Phoenix in 2028.

A New Hannagan

We've been a bit remiss in adding news on here recently, so it's great to have a good excuse for a post.

Yesterday, Bernadette Hannagan wrote and told us that:

Cael Jacob Hannagan was born at 8.00 pm on June 23 to Andrew and Sian Hannagan. All are well and Ray and I are relishing the grandparent role.

The name is Gaelic from Irish mythology.

(If any of you are unsure who Bernadette is, she's Raymond Hannagan's wife - Ray is one of Charlie Hannagan's two sons.)

This is a bit strange...

Still catching up on emails that have information in them that I haven't yet posted here.
Nola Marshall wrote to me back in March about this rather strange situation in the family.

I am fascinated by the thought that Francis Hannagan had two families at the same time. Do you know if Catherine was in Melbourne with him in the 1850s? I have found him on the 1856 Electoral Roll living in a house off Little Lonsdale Street. Occupation Tailor. As you are aware three children were born in Australia, the mother being Mary Ann Kearns (Cairns). Another daughter was born in NZ just prior to Catherine having her last child. It begs belief that the women did not know of each others existence. Do you have any family knowledge of how this arrangement worked?

There are several photos of Martin John and Frank Hannagan and the tailoring business in Mt Gambier at the following sight.

Google Mt Gambier Library and Click on Photographic section. Type in Hannagan and the relevant photos should come up. [The first time I tried this I got two pages of photos; today I can only get four.]

My mother was Nola Rita Hannagan, youngest daughter of William Francis Hannagan, born 17th Feb 1883 and Aileen Todd.

William Francis Hannagan (1860) and Frances Hargreaves settled in Victoria.

William had a tailoring business in Brighton and his son William took over the business after his fathers' death in 1918.

I've been somewhat remiss

...though not today, when I'm finally catching up on all sorts of things.

Back in March I received the first of some emails from Anne Heafeild. Here's the substance of the first...

My name is Anne and I live in Melbourne, I am also related to the Hannagans who are in Melbourne, Mt Gambier and Sydney. Your Blog address was given to me by Marnie Hannagan who is a descendant of Martin John Hannagan. Martin married my great aunt Eliza Beggs, her youngest sister Isabella was my grandmother and she married James Fitzpatrick.

I have been in touch with John De Courcy via email and he has sent me his family tree. The Brian Hannagan mentioned as providing info was the grandson of Martin and Eliza his father being James, and very close to my father Edward James Fitzpatrick. I don't know if you are aware but there have been a number of Martin John Hannagan's and the latter have mostly been known as 'Jack'.
I know that I seem to be rambling but it is only in the last few years that I have reconnected with the Sydney Hannagans and got in touch with Marnie.

In the inputting of names I've been doing today, Martin John Hannagan and Eliza Beggs have been very much to the fore.

A couple of emails later, Anne wrote:

I cannot help too much with the Hannagans and what I do know about the ones in Victoria and South Australia comes from Marnie Hannagan who is a direct descendant of Martin Hannagan. It was Marnie who gave me your blog address and that had been passed on to her from someone else (isn't it wonderful to belong to such a large family?) My family are only related through marriage but in the past the ties have been strong and I am establishing them again (I hope).

I have attached a family tree you maybe interested in and that came originally from Marnie too. I also have the email address of Pat Maughan nee Hannagan granddaughter of Martin Hannagan who married my great aunt Eliza Beggs, I am sure that she would love to hear from you, she is a sprightly 87 year old who lives in Brisbane (I visited her last month) but at the moment she is in Sydney visiting her son.

I do though have many photos of the Hannagan girls in Sydney taken by may dad in the 1920's. If you are interested I could send them to you.

Of course I'm interested in the photos...!

Frank Hannagan & Passenger lists

Still trolling through the Web and found something else of interest. My great-uncle, Frank Hannagan, the brother of my grandfather, Charles, was killed in the First World War.

I've just found a reference to him (!) in a roll of honour of those killed on the 12th October, 1917. (I'm not entirely confident about this date; it may just be when these men were listed.)

He's shown as the son of John and Bridget Hannagan, of 97A, Harrow St., Dunedin, and he's buried in the Tyne Cot cemetery, Belgium. There are several abbreviations which I don't recognise; someone else may be able to help with these. He was Private 24433, and the letters OIR (Otago Infantry Regiment?) and KIA (Kiwi Infantry something?) are alongside his name.

The Roll of Honour takes up innumerable pages of the Web, and is part of someone's enormous genealogical site.

On a separate subject, this is an index to Unassisted Inward Passenger Lists for British, Foreign and New Zealand Ports 1852-1923
It would be interesting to know if any of these people were kin! (It comes from a search done on the public record office of Victoria.)

Family Name	First Name	Age	Month	Year	Ship	Port	Fiche	Page
HANNAGAN	---- MRS	49	NOV	1875	ALBION II	N	139	001
HANNAGAN	BESSIE	15	NOV	1875	ALBION II	N	139	001
HANNAGAN	F	24	SEP	1866	OTAGO	N	069	001
HANNAGAN	G MISS	11	JUL	1921	OMAR	B	946	002
HANNAGAN	MARY	18	NOV	1875	ALBION II	N	139	001
HANNAGAN	PAT	28	MAY	1857	POMONA	B	125	004
HANNAGAN	W	53	NOV	1875	ALBION II	N	139	001
HANNAGAN	WILLIE	8	NOV	1875	ALBION II	N	139	001