Contributed by Hannah Pender
The Gavaghan family history can be traced back to
great-great-grandparents who lived as farmers on land
just outside Swinford, County Mayo. On the maternal
side, the McDonnell family worked tirelessly on their
small plot of land, churning milk, growing vegetables,
and selling eggs in town. Maureen’s mother Catherine
McDonnell was born into a large family as the second
youngest of 11. A number of her brothers and sisters
emigrated to Chicago. They used to send parcels and
money home - most of their clothes came from America.
The money they sent home enabled Catherine to stay
longer in Ireland and attend the new local secretarial
college. Eventually she left with a neighbour to join her
sister Margaret, who was already working in London.
Arriving in Euston she initially found the large city
intimidating and unfamiliar. Catherine soon found work
in the office of Gallagher’s factory in Camden. While she
did encounter some prejudice in England (for example,
encountering signs that read “No Blacks, No Irish, No
Dogs”), she did find great support and solace within the
strong, tight-knit and supportive London Irish community.
Catherine remembers seeing the reddest apple she’d
ever seen. Only on biting into it, did she realise it wasn’t
an apple - it was a tomato – she’d never seen one before.
Maureen’s father Tom Gavaghan was born in 1927, in
Killasser, Swinford, one of six children. He emigrated
to England at the age of 15, although his work permit
claimed he was 19. The early years of his life in England
were spent working seasonally before he settled
permanently in the 1940s. His proudest moment
came when he returned to Ireland with £100, which
his mother used to clear all her outstanding bills.
Maureen’s parents, Tom and Catherine, enjoyed the lively
London Irish social life centred around the ballrooms.
They met at the Buffalo Ballroom in Camden - theirs was
a veritable ballroom romance. After a short engagement,
they married in 1954. Tom arranged all of the wedding
reception. As money was tight, Catherine’s family in
Ireland couldn’t come over for the wedding. The young
couple moved into a rented flat near Camden. Tom worked
as a labourer in construction for Sir Robert McAlpine’s,
for a long period living in a caravan with Catherine
and their first child whilst working on Bradwell Power
Station. He continued to work for McAlpine’s until his
retirement. While his work was hard, he never complained,
enjoying his job and the strong sense of community.
Eventually, the family moved out of the flat in 1961, when
they bought their first house in Upper Tollington Park,
Finsbury Park for around £400. It was a spacious threestorey
Victorian house, cheaper because it had sitting
tenants. Maureen fondly remembers Sundays filled with
music from the record-player, their father Tom singing
ballads, and dancing with their mother Catherine. There
were plenty of lodgers over the years, mostly single Irish
lads. Many Irish moved to this area at this time as their
families grew, attracted by the larger family homes and
the close knit church community of St Mellitus. Despite
their new life in England, the pull of Ireland was strong.
Maureen’s parents missed Ireland more than their family
realised. Catherine left a memoir where she recorded
her life growing up. Tom particularly dreamt of one day
returning to his home place to build a home. He even
had plans drawn up for the house - it was never built.
The family returned home most summers, maintaining
their strong connection to the land in Swinford. Today,
Maureen and her sister still visit regularly, as do their
adult children, keeping the ties with their Irish roots
alive. The wider family stay in close contact even after
years in London. The Irish identity remains central
to their sense of self. Maureen, her daughter Hannah
and the Pender family all identify as London-Irish.