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Largest Irish family loss in a war?

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  • 05-05-2013 3:46am
    #1
    Seanchai
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,401 ✭✭✭


    When five Sullivan brothers were lost on a single US ship in WWII they made a famous film about it. In WWI apparently two British families lost five sons each.

    In Ireland there is the often mentioned story of the Talbots of Malahide in Dublin, fourteen of whom are reputed to have been killed in the Battle of the Boyne. All sources recount the same story of all fourteen sitting down for breakfast in Malahide Castle on the morning of the battle and then dying. How accurate is this, though? It appears they were not all brothers and instead included other Talbot relatives. Does anybody have any more on the details of this family's loss in the war?

    According to John Lodge writing in 1789 here Margaret, daughter of David O'More of Portallen (Portarlington?) in Laois married Edward Tuite of Tuitestown in Westmeath: 'by her he had thirteen sons, eleven of whom fell in 1691; and the survivors were Richard and Robert'. Does anybody know any more about this family?

    Back in 1574 the family of Brian mac Féilim Ó Néill, along with about 200 of Ó Néill's supporters, was wiped out by Essex, after a three-day Christmas feast to which the Irish had invited the English. In July 1575 a similar fate befell the family of Somhairle Buí Mac Dónaill on Rathlin Island.

    What other Irish families, particularly immediate families, have suffered loss on this scale during war?


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    #2
    Snickers Man
    Registered Users Posts: 5,301 ✭✭✭Snickers Man


    The Garland family lost four sons in the Second World War. All were in the RAF and the first to die, Donald, won the Victoria Cross.

    The eldest two, Patrick and John, are recorded in the 1911 Irish Census as living in Dublin, where they were born. Donald, the youngest, was born in Wicklow in 1918. I don't know about Desmond.

    It seems the family moved to England at some stage as Donald was at school at Holland Park in London. He was killed in Belgium in 1940 flying what was effectively a suicide mission in antiquated Fairey Battle bombers to destroy a vital bridge that was facilitating the German advance. He was leading the mission and was only 21 at the time.

    The other brothers died in 1942 (Desmond), 1943 (John) with the eldest son Patrick dying in January 1945 at the age of 36.


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    #3
    An tAthair MacSuibhne
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8 ✭An tAthair MacSuibhne


    Five members of the MacMahon family were murdered in Belfast during the War of Independence by the Ulster Special Constabulary and RIC.


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    #4
    kabakuyu
    Registered Users Posts: 1,142 ✭✭✭kabakuyu


    An tAthair MacSuibhne wrote: »
    Five members of the MacMahon family were murdered in Belfast during the War of Independence by the Ulster Special Constabulary and RIC.

    Another more detailed article on it here http://issuu.com/glenravel/docs/mcmmurders


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