I have added the names of my father and his siblings on the photo of the children at the school. In the middle front is uncle, Joseph Francis Grogan (b. 29 Jan 1908 - Achill R.R. Station); dad, John Francis Grogan (b. 30 Jan 1909 – Achill R.R. Station). In the back row, at the right end is uncle, Michael Joseph Grogan (b. 10 Jul 1904, Clifden). One of their teachers was ‘Pat Casey’.
My grandfather, Patrick Joseph Grogan (14 Jul 1880, Killucan, Westmeath), like so many in Clifden and environs, was employed during the time that the Marconi Wireless Station was used for trans-Atlantic communication. After the Station was destroyed during the Irish Civil War, many livelihoods were lost. Patrick J. Grogan found a job at the Clifden R.R. Station as the Stationmaster because of his prior experience at the Achill R.R. Station. Eventually, the entire family eventually emigrated to Canada landing at Quebec City May 03 1926. (The local Toronto papers just loved this huge Irish family and even though there was nothing special about them, they got a lot of coverage.)
I believe the school in this picture (that my ancesotors attended) is Ballinaboy. In 2000, I took a photo of a marker on the road to Errislannan. It was located at the road edge across and down slightly from the ‘official memorial’ to the Alcock and Brown landing and close to the entry to the Marconi Wireless Station. It refers to a school there from 1911-19?2. I believe that my father and siblings would have gone to this school because the entire family lived on the Marconi Station property.
