The Journey

For Heritage Week 2025 Skehana & District Heritage group will be having a book launch on 23rd August 2025 in Thompsons pub Menlough. The book is a story told by Mike Laffey aged 94 from Mahwah New Jersey whose father emigrated from his home on Windfield Road Menlough. Mike thankfully gave me an interview when he was home visiting family relations in June 2024 which has not only led to the story written and now published but also a short video where you can listen to Mike tell the story in his own words. Mike’s father, David Laffey, left Windfield Road Menlough in 1915 alongside his neighbours, brothers Martin and James Ward and Pat Hansberry. They boarded SS Cymric from Liverpool to New York with the journey taking them eleven days. On arrival they took lodgings in New York with an Aunt of the Warde men, Kitty Warde, who sponsored them like she did many other young  men and women until they got themselves sorted with work and more permanent lodgings. Mike tells of a remarkable story of his father through his rise and falls of an emigrant in early 20th century New York, during what were very difficult times there with ‘The Great Depression’. I have also included in this piece a diary of Mary Ellen Higgins from 1927 where she gives a great insight on the journey from Athenry train station to getting the boat in Cork, the comings and goings aboard the ship where she too mentions many of local names who were emigrating along with her. There is some footage of King, Scanlon and White families in Philadelphia during 1950s celebrating graduations and Noreen heading into a convent, in their basement of their home with traditional song and music. Some family members travelled over from Ireland to be with them. The film was traditional cine film, filmed by Jim Ireland who was Margaret Scanlon’s (Ballaghnagrosheen, Menlough) husband. It has no sound but you can still feel their traditions and importance of family in the footage. Names of children in this footage Jerry Scanlon aged 8, Marie, Noreen, Marty and Kathleen White (Katherine Scanlon daughter). Pat Scanlon playing music while Margaret Scanlon sings in his ear. Bridie Laffey Windfield Road also there and Bob McKeown who was married to a Kennedy. Lastly there is footage of David Laffey Windfield Road (nephew of David Laffey) describing the tree his uncle planted before he emigrated to New York. David planted many trees before he left so his mother would remember him. There is just one of those tree’s left. Michael Fortune from folklore.ie took this footage as part of Flowers, Plants and Trees project in October 2019.