Here is a fantastic adventure through one of Ireland’s old railways! https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/05/24/the-cavan-and-leitrim-railway-mohill-to-ballinamore/ I am in love with this blog; my great grandfather was a railway carpenter in Ballinamore before he emigrated to the United States in 1925.
This photo from the blog is especially intriguing to me:
I wonder if one of the men shown in the photo is my great-grandfather. At any rate, the photo does represent my family history.
I spent all morning looking at geneology, photos, “driving” through Ballinamore and Fenagh to see the land of my family. What happened to cause the emigration in 1925? My g-g-grandfather, a landowner and farmer, passed away in 1916.
I wondered if it was the War of Independence in Ireland, which was immediately followed by the Irish Civil War. I imagine to push to move to America was high on the list at that time. Rudimentary searches have not provided very much information about Leitrim county and the civil war. This is something else to look into.
Ida Mitchell 