The Daylor's

Daylor, is not the most common of Irish names. The surname is only found in the Inchigeela area. Our Daylor ancestors spelled their name, Dealor, Dealer and later Daylor.

We can trace our Daylor's back to our ancestors Patrick Dealor and Hannah (Cotter) Dealor, of the townlands of Copse and Keemcorrivily, both in the parish of Inchigeela, commonly known as Iveleary Parish. Patrick and Hannah Dealor, would have been born in the 1790's.

Patrick and Hannah (Cotter) Dealor, had eight children born to them: Rider Dealor, who was born in the townland of Keemcorrivily, on August 4, 1819; David, who was born on November 30, 1820; Patrick, who was born on March 13, 1822; Marry, who was born on May 22, 1825; Mary, who was born on February 24, 1828; Juliana, who was born on October 30, 1830; William Dealor, our ancestor, who was born on February 22, 1833, in the townland of Copse; and, Ellen, who was born on October 11, 1835.

William Dealor, married Johanna Leary, of Ballingeary and had twin boys: Patrick and David. Johanna (Leary) Dealor, died and William Dealor, remarried. On March 1, 1870, in Inchigeela, widower William Dealor, married Hanora Ring, of the townland of Inchanussig, parish of Inchigeela. Hanora, was always known as 'Nora'.

Neither William nor Nora, could read or write. At some point after their marriage they changed the spelling of their last name to Daylor. The couple had six children born to them: Johanna Daylor, called Hanna, who was born on January 29, 1871; Ellen, who was born on March 30, 1873; Nora, who was born on July 18, 1875; our ancestor Mary Frances Daylor, who was born on December 24, 1877; David, who was born on October 3, 1880; and, Julia, who was born on December 30, 1883.

Mary F. Daylor is born on Christmas Eve in 1877

Our ancestor, Mary Frances Daylor, was born on Christmas Eve, 1877, in the townland of Kilmore, town of Ballingeary, parish of Inchigeela, Ireland. In 1898, at the age of 20, Mary Daylor, left Inchigeela and emigrated to America, never to return to Ireland. She settled in Brockton, Massachusetts. (There are photos of Mary Daylor, Ballingeary and Inchigeela in the accompanying 'Family History Photo' album.)

Mary (Daylor) O'Leary, never saw her parents again after she left Inchigeela in 1898 at the age of 20. William and Nora Daylor, never left the parish of Inchigeela. The 1901 Irish Census returns show them living alone within the townland of Kilmore, parish of Inchigeela. William, was listed as a 65 year old 'Agricultural Laborer' and Nora Daylor, the wife, was listed as a 52 year old 'Housekeeper'.

On St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1908, Mary (Daylor) O'Leary's father, 76 year old laborer, William Daylor, died in his then townland of Droumanallig, parish of Inchigeela. His wife of 38 years, Honora 'Nora' Daylor, was sitting next to him as he died. His death certificate listed his cause of death as "Senile Debility 6 months".

Mary Daylor, worked as a domestic worker and a waitress upon her arrival in America. A few years after her arrival, Mary met a mason/bricklayer who was 5 years younger than herself, Timothy O'Leary (Timothy O'Leary IV). Tim O'Leary, had Inchigeela roots as well. His father, Denis O'Leary, who taught him the masonry trade, came from Inchigeela.

Tim O'Leary, was residing at 16 Addison Avenue in Brockton at the time he met his future wife, Mary Daylor. She was living in a small apartment on Cottage Street in Brockton.

Timothy A. O'Leary IV, at the age of 22, married 27 year old Mary F. Daylor. Their wedding took place at St. Patrick's Church, located at 277 Main Street, Brockton, on November 26, 1908. The Rev. William E. Tierney performed the ceremony. Joseph O'Leary and Julia Daylor, were the witnesses.

Tragedy would visit the Daylor/O'Leary household less than 4 years later. On Wednesday, August 22, 1912, 58 year old Denis T. O'Leary, Mary (Daylor) O'Leary's father-in-law, who had taught her husband the masonry trade, was struck and killed by a freight train along with his horse at Commercial Yard in Brockton Massachusetts.

At the time of Denis O'Leary's tragic death in August of 1912, his oldest son, Timothy O'Leary and his wife Mary, were living at 44 West Park Street in Brockton. Timothy and Mary, already had two children. Joseph Francis O'Leary, our ancestor, who would one day be known as 'Snub' O'Leary, was born at 44 West Park Street, on November 13, 1910. Joseph Francis, wasn't quite 2 years of age at the time of his grandfather's death. Thomas Finbar O'Leary, who was born at 44 West Park Street, on July 31, 1912, was only 3 weeks old when his grandfather was killed.

On Thursday, August 23, 1912, in the front parlor at 44 West Park Street, 58 year old Denis O'Leary was waked. Two year old, Joseph Francis 'Snub' O'Leary and his baby brother, three week old, Thomas Finbar O'Leary, had to be cared for by others on the evening of their grandfather's wake to avoid the crush of those coming to pay their respects at 44 West Park Street.

After Denis' death, Mary (Daylor) O'Leary, would give birth to George O'Leary, who would die at age 9 months; Evelyn Marie O'Leary, who was born on West Park Street on March 31, 1914; John Vincent O'Leary, who was born on West Park Street on November 14, 1916; and, Timothy O'Leary V, who was born at 20 Winona Street, on December 28, 1918.

On February 1, 1917, Timothy IV and Mary (Daylor) O'Leary, purchased their first home at 20 Winona Street, in the Ward Two section of Brockton's West Side.

On October 6, 1931, fourteen years after purchasing his Winona Street home with his wife, Mary, bricklayer Timothy O'Leary IV died. He was only 44 years of age. His oldest child, 'Snub' O'Leary was 20 years old. His youngest child, Timothy V, was only 12 years of age. Mary (Daylor) O'Leary, would be a widow for the next 32 years. Mary died on February 25, 1964, at the age of 83.

In the summer of 1958, nine year-old Mark Lawton, moved into the O'Leary neighborhood with his family. The Lawton's lived at 398 Ash Street. Young Mark, shoveled Mrs. O'Leary's snow during the winters and ran errands for her to the Belmont Cash Market on the corner of Ash and Belmont Streets for items like bread and milk.

On April 19, 1975, Mark would marry Mary (Daylor) O'Leary's granddaughter, Patricia Ann O'Leary, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Three children were born to Mark and Patricia Lawton -- the great grandchildren of Mary (Daylor) O'Leary. Patrick O'Leary Lawton, was born at the Brockton Hospital, on October 6, 1979. Timothy Clifford Lawton, was born at the Brockton Hospital on July 30, 1981 and Molly Burke Lawton, was born at the Brockton Hospital, on May 17, 1984.

The Irish revolutionary, David Daylor

Mary Daylor's only brother, David Daylor, was born on October 3, 1880, in the townland of Kilmore, Inchigeela. Mary never saw her brother David again after she left Ireland for America in 1898. Mary, never returned to Ireland. David, never left Ireland. He stayed and fought for Irish independence.

Oral history within the O'Leary/Daylor family has always held that David Daylor, of Inchigeela, Mary (Daylor) O'Leary's only brother, was an active participant in the Irish republican movement. It has also long been believed that he was associated with Michael Collins, in the struggle for Irish independence.

David Daylor, was born on October 3, 1880, in Inchigeela, County Cork, Ireland. Michael Collins, was born on October 16,1890, in the small village of Sam's Cross, just east of Skibbereen, in West Cork. They were both born in the very heartland of the Fenian movement.

Michael Collins' work on behalf of Irish independence has been heavily documented. The documentation for his soldiers like David Daylor, never existed and couldn't have existed. Without guaranteeing some level of anonymity to his soldiers, Collins never would have been able to create the type of grass-roots support that was necessary for the fight against British rule.

Michael Collins, took part in the historic Easter Uprising in 1916 in Dublin. He was briefly held in a Wales internment camp only to return to Ireland where he was elected to the executive committee of the Sinn Fein. The Sinn Fein is a left wing Irish republican party founded in 1905 and dedicated to the reunification of Ireland and to the end of British rule.

Upon his return to Ireland, Michael Collins, along with soldiers like David Daylor, led a violent campaign against anything that represented British authority in Ireland -- primarily the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and the British Army.

The Irish Republican Army (IRA), led by Collins, engaged in violent combat with the RIC. It is within this civil war that Collins and Daylor became associated.

The British Army sent the notorious 'Black and Tans' through the Irish countryside to spread fear to keep poor papist tenant-farmers like David Daylor, from joining and participating in the republican movement. The IRA killed British army officers in response. A political settlement was needed to stop the killing.

Malachy McCourt, in his book 'History of Ireland', New York, MJF Books 2004, noted of the 'Black and Tans', that they got their name from the dearth of uniforms to go around. Some of them had dark police uniforms and some had khaki soldier uniforms. "They were a brutal bunch of ex-soldiers more suited to warfare than civil policing, and their brutality was met head-on by Michael Collins and his troops." David Daylor, counted himself as one member of Collins' troops.

Eamon de Valera, considered the leading politician in Ireland, chose Michael Collins, to go to London in 1921 to negotiate a peace treaty. The treaty, signed by Collins in December of 1921, allowed Ireland to govern itself but had to remain within the British Empire. Also, the six northern counties were allowed out of the treaty and completely under the control of the British.

The assassination of Michael Collins

There were many in the south of Ireland who believed that Michael Collins had betrayed the republican movement. Collins' belief that he had signed his own death warrant in December of 1921 proved prophetic.

Those who did not support the treaty resorted to more violence. A civil war broke out from April 1922 to May of 1923. The IRA split into the 'Regulars' (those who supported the treaty) and the 'Irregulars' (those who did not).

It is unknown what side David Daylor chose during the split within the republican movement. It has been part of the O'Leary/Daylor oral family history, however, that he was present during the assassination of Michael Collins, who was the Chairman of the Provisional Government as well as Commander-in Chief of the new National Army.

If we were to look at a map of County Cork and trace the road eastward from the Daylor home parish of Inchigeela to the small village of Beal na Blath ("the mouth of flowers") (anglicizeed as Bealnablath), one only has to travel a few miles. It was in Beal na Blath on August 22, 1922, that Collins was ambushed and killed by anti-treaty IRA forces while travelling in a convoy. Michael Collins, the revolutionary from County Cork was only 32 years of age. Mary (Daylor) O'Leary's only brother, David Daylor, the revolutionary from County Cork, was 41 years of age.

The body of the "Big Fella", or Mick, as Collins was known, was shipped to Dublin. There Michael Collin's body lay in state for three days. Tens of thousands of people filed past the casket, and all of Dublin seemed to line the streets as his funeral procession wound through the city towards the cemetery in Glasevin. Michael Collins was dead, and Ireland had to go on without him.

After the assassination of Collins, David Daylor, married and moved to the townland of Connagh, in the small village of Ballyneen (also spelled Ballineen), County Cork. Ballyneen, located ten miles west of Bandon on the old mail coach road from Bandon to Dunmanway, is where David and his wife raised their two daughters -- Nora and Mary.

The obscurity of Connagh (Irish: Cnoc, meaning "hill"), in the village of Ballyneen, served the Daylor's well. Although the locals knew of David Daylor's Fenian background, the side that he chose and his actual involvement in the Collins assassination, has been lost to history.