Contributed by Éamonn Kirke
Éamonn Kirke’s paternal grandmother was Elizabeth
(Winnie) McCrave (1909–1977). The McCrave family
were tenants of the local landlord, Lord Roden, and
cultivated a modest farm in Dowdallshill, on the periphery
of Dundalk, County Louth. Winifred’s brother, James
McCrave, born in 1900 near Dundalk, participated in the
Irish War of Independence and subsequently supported
the pro-Treaty faction in the Irish Civil War. Following the
capture of Dundalk by Frank Aiken’s Anti-Treaty forces,
he relocated to Liverpool. In 1930, James married Rose
Lavery, and they established their residence in Wallasey,
Merseyside, Liverpool, where they raised four children:
Elizabeth (Lil), John, Richard, and James (Jim). James
served with the Liverpool Fire Brigade and was involved
in operations during the Blitz, which severely damaged
the port area of Liverpool. James passed away in 1973.
Winifred, a seamstress, married Owen Lambe, a
factory foreman, and together they had four children:
Edward, Owen, Julia (Éamonn’s mother), and Mary
Olivia (Olive). The family resided on Market Street in
the central area of Dundalk. The three eldest children
settled in Dundalk and its environs, with the exception
of Olive, who emigrated with her husband, John Bolton,
to reside near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Éamonn’s mother, Julia, married Michael Kirke in 1958,
and they had six children: Edward (Éamonn), Owen,
Winifred (Úna), Margaret, Stephen, and Michael.
On his paternal side, the Woods and Kirke families also
hailed from Dundalk, County Louth. A prominent trading
family in the bustling market town, they operated a fruit
and vegetable retail and delivery service. Éamonn’s
grandfather, Edward, was employed for a period at the
local printing firm, Tempest’s, before enlisting in the British
Army to serve in the First World War. Upon his return, he
worked briefly for the Post Office before joining the family
business. He married Catherine Woods (1899–1987) in
Dundalk in 1923. Her father, James Woods, was originally
from Keady, Co. Armagh. Edward and Catherine had
two children: Michael (Éamonn’s father) and Mary.
Edward (Éamonn) Kirke was born on January 31, 1959,
in Drogheda, Louth, Ireland. After graduating from
college in Dublin, he moved to Liverpool, where he
pursued a career in academia. He married Rosena M.
Reavey, and they had three children. He subsequently
married Angela O’Connor on 2 April 2013 in Birkenhead,
Cheshire, England, where he currently resides.