One Sunday Morning
Picture the scene in 1914/1915 about the time this photo was taken.
After an early start and a bumpy ride across dusty dirt roads accompanied by the steady clip clop of the horses hooves, arrival at a small stone church provided a welcome reprieve. This trip was made each Sunday morning come rain, hail or shine. The cool candle-lit interior of the church was an oasis of calm. The weather may have been kind on this day as long shadows show. Rainy wet winter weather was not so forgiving for this weekly trip.
The Horgan family shown here were devout Catholics and in order to partake of Communion at weekly Mass on a Sunday morning, the adults would have fasted from midnight on Saturday. After the service, which could last for up to an hour, a welcome cup of tea was served from the back of the wagon most likely with some food to break their fast. It was an opportunity for the two families, one from the farm south of Tarlee and the other from the farm at Alma, to catch up with their kinsfolk.
The youngest boy with his back to us is my uncle Joe, Joseph Andrew Horgan born in April of 1910. He was a man of very small stature so while he may not look like 4 or 5-year-old he does appear to be wearing breeches.
The young boy whose face we see is my father Edward John Horgan born in May of 1908. He is sandwiched between his grandmother, Hanora Horgan and his father Andrew. Andrew, along with his wife Elizabeth and children Hanora Mary (known as Mary), Edward known as Eddie, and Joseph known as Joe, lived at Alma on the farm bequeathed to Elizabeth in her father's will.
Hanora (Hanorah) Horgan lived with her four unmarried adult children on the farm at Linwood.
Behind Hanora we can see the sleeve of another person's dress, possibly Elizabeth standing slightly behind her son.
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| Inscription on the back of the photo, in the handwriting of Joe Horgan |
Sunday Mass was an important event in the lives of the farming families, not just from the religious point of view but it also provided the opportunity to catch up with families, friends and relatives. Each Sunday these families made their way to either the Catholic church at Hamley Bridge or Sts John and Paul Catholic church at Tarlee.
This very faded photo has been enhanced and colorised using the MyHeritage photo tools.
This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin
