Kiltoom US diaspora due to retrace roots with local visit

The forthcoming visit of a group of American family members to the Kiltoom area of Athlone will represent a deeply moving and historic homecoming.

The visitors, descendants of local emigrants, will be in Ireland from April 25 to May 5, and will be in Athlone from Saturday, May 2.

Leading the group is Michelle Ratigan Webb, accompanied by six of her first cousins.

The journey is being undertaken in honour of Michelle’s father, Mike Ratigan of Ephrata, in Washington State, a respected rancher, developer, building contractor, businessman, and dedicated community figure, who sadly did not live to make this journey himself having passed away in 2024.

The visitors are planning to walk once more upon the land of their ancestors - many for the first time since their great-great-grandfather and his siblings departed Kiltoom between the 1830s and the years of the Great Famine, including the tragic period remembered as Black ’47.

At the heart of this story is Patrick Rattigan of Lisbaun, one of a large family born to Bernard (known locally as Byran) Rattigan and Margaret Kelly of Lisbaun/Feamore in Kiltoom.

Patrick emigrated at approximately 15 years of age, part of the early waves of emigration from Kiltoom and Roscommon in the years preceding the Great Famine, during a time of profound hardship in Ireland and in the aftermath of the rebellion of 1798.

His journey was arduous. Like many of his contemporaries, Patrick likely made his way to Dublin - whether by coach or on foot - before boarding a vessel to Liverpool, and from there crossing the Atlantic to New York, eventually settling in Boston.

There, he married Mary Curley, believed to have been from Kiltoom. Following her untimely death, he remarried Mary Cunniffe, also thought to share Kiltoom roots. From these uncertain beginnings, Patrick’s family endured, prospered, and flourished.

His descendants became educated, industrious, and resilient, ultimately spreading across the United States, with many settling in Seattle and throughout Washington State.

This journey back to Ireland is a powerful testament to the endurance and determination of the sons and daughters of the Kiltoom and South Roscommon diaspora - those who, driven by necessity, left their homeland during dark and challenging times, yet carried its spirit with them across generations. Their return stands as a poignant and a full-circle testimony: from exile to homecoming.

One of the most meaningful aspects of this visit is the dedication of these families to tracing their lineage and preserving their heritage. Their efforts have led them back to the beloved Kiltoom of Bernard and Margaret Rattigan (née Kelly), who are laid to rest in the old Kiltoom graveyard on the Strevans Estate.

Margaret is believed to have been buried around 1840, with Bernard following circa 1860. Remarkably, their headstone still stands—a silent witness to history and a focal point for remembrance.

During their visit, the group will undertake a historical tour of what might be described as the 'Kiltoom Triangle', encompassing Curramore, Feamore, Lisbaun, and the surrounding townlands - places deeply interwoven with their family story.

Patrick Rattigan’s siblings also formed part of this wider emigrant story. His younger brother John remained in Ireland, living in Curramore with his wife, Anne Heavey of Corraclough, where they raised their family.

Other siblings, including Michael and Bridget Connolly of Lisbaun, emigrated to Boston, as did Ellen Rattigan and her husband Thomas Killian (or Killion) of Curraclough.

Further connections extend to Sarah (also Boston), and possibly to Thomas - believed to have links to Sligo or California. The whereabouts of their sister Margaret and her journey has remained a mystery but it is believed that she also emigrated.

John Rattigan of Curramore represents the only branch of the family that remained rooted in Kiltoom. He was a granduncle of Michelle Ratigan Webb's grandfather, John Rattigan, who later became a rancher in Washington State.

Another descendant, Thomas, pursued a distinguished career as a doctor, establishing a medical practice in Seattle, while Austin Heath of New Jersey the great great grandson of Michael and Bridget Connolly both of Lisbaun currently holds lectureships at Princetown and John Hopkins universities. Austin visited Kiltoom recently and was met with a warm welcome from his great great grandmother Bridget Connolly’s people of Lisbaun.

For those who emigrated, life in Boston presented immense challenges. Navigating the realities of a rapidly-expanding city - and at times its harsher undercurrents - required resilience, courage, and determination. By all accounts, the Rattigans, the Connollys, and the Killions, the Farrells, the Mees and the Melias, all of Kiltoom family origins, who emigrated at that time, met these challenges with integrity and strength, building lives of purpose and success.

This return to Kiltoom is more than a visit - it is a reconnection with identity, heritage, and place.

The visitors are looking forward to chatting and meeting with any of their distanced relatives and friends from Kiltoom and Athlone during their short visit, and are all invited to a welcoming night out of traditional and Irish folk music which is planned for Saturday night, May 2, in St Brigid's GAA centre, where a 'Cead Mile Fáilte' in true Kiltoom style will be extended.

The visitors will be staying in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel for the May bank holiday weekend prior to their departure back to Seattle.