As we endure the effects of COVID-19, I am prompted to think of my great grandparents. They were Andrew James Folan and Mary A. Griffin. Andrew was born on 15 March 1861 in Knocknagreana, Furbo, Galway to John Folan and Margaret Flaherty. Mary was born in July 1862 to Thomas Griffin and Mary Curran in Lettergunnet, Galway and was raised in Barna. 'I am from the town and Andrew is from the country", Mary was purportedly fond of saying. They married on 20 April 1884 at the Chapel of the Presentation Convent in Galway City. One day later they emigrated to America, settling in South Boston, Massachusetts. There, Andrew was employed as a machinist, bought a house and became a naturalized U.S. citizen on 6 October 1894. Andrew and Mary were both victims of the Spanish Flu pandemic and died within weeks of each other in 1918. Mary passed away on 17 September and Andrew on 12 October. They had nine children. Back in Ireland, Andrew's brother, Murtagh, had maintained the family's meager farm In Knocknagreana until his death in 1917. Mary left behind her brothers William, Thomas and Daniel.
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jul 1862 | |
| Date of Death | 1st Sep 1918 | |
