Welcome to the Cleary Family Website   

Cleary Crest copy
 
This website is about two generations of the Cleary family starting with an eviction from their home at the Pollack Estate in east Galway in the 1880's. They lived through a period in the country, shortly after the 'Great Famine', of extreme poverty, misery and hardship. Committed to a United Ireland all members of the family were involved in the Easter Rising and War of Independence resulting at one stage in five of them, a father and his four sons, being imprisoned in British jails.  


Using letters, statements and documents, some recently discovered, it is now possible to piece together the story of their lives full of adventure, tragedy, love and war. They include the remarkable account in a letter written by a British soldier to his Grandchildren about how, while stationed at Athenry, he met and later married Ciss Cleary a member of Cumann na mBan and from a strong republican family.

Many members of the family went on to be successful in business some as builders at home and abroad. But tragedy struck when Tommy fell from the roof during the construction of Gurteen Church and passed away a few days later from his injuries.

 

Cleary Family Members

001 Thomas Cleary 12 copy

Thomas B. Cleary

Thomas B. Cleary was born in Laurencetown, south of Ballinasloe, in the townland of Crows Nest in 1859. The Pollok Estate was built into a Model Farm by the owners over a period of years starting about 1853. However the family (Thomas B's father) were evicted, with other tenants, from their homes by the then East Galway landlord Allan Pollok probably in the mid1850's. At a time of extreme poverty Thomas and his wife Mary, with four children, had no resources or work. They had survived a series of extremely cold winters including the night of the 'Big Wind' in 1839, Ireland's worst ever natural disaster, and the 'Great Famine of 1845-1852.

 

001 Johnny H7S 001 Jimmy HS 001 Joe HS
 Johnny Cleary  Jimmy Cleary  Joe Cleary
Tom Mary Front P Dontknow2Front P DontknowFront P
Tom Cleary Joe & Jimmy Cleary Ena Cleary

 

 

 

Cleary 24 Proof

Can you help identify any member of Cumann na mBan in this photograph?  
Call : Sean on 083 002 1286

 




 

Family Archive

Handover of Barracks


Family of Builders

O Ceeirigh

Abbey Row Athenry

Funraising in the USA


Raid on Cleary Home