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. He 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 31 January 1959 in Drogheda, County 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.