# Looking for mothers Grave.



## Ash 22 (2 Jul 2008)

There was a guy on Joe Duffy show today looking for his mothers grave in Ireland. He was adopted as a baby.  All he knows is that her body was brought back here from England through Knock airport in May 1988 for burial somewhere. Her name was Sarah Behan. Counties mentioned Clare, Dublin, midlands. Any Behans out there? Poor guy does'nt know any relation anywhere and he says this would mean the world to him.


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## Sue Ellen (2 Jul 2008)

In light of the fact that the body was brought back to Knock airport the 3 spots mentioned probably wouldn't come into the search.  The West would probably be the most obvious spot?

[broken link removed] in April obviously didn't produce anything either.


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## Ash 22 (2 Jul 2008)

Yes hopefully somebody will come up with some news for him. Seemingly he was adopted way back. She came to see him in some home when he was 7 years of age and he still has a vague memory of that. That was the last time he saw her. She never married. Interestingly an Irish nurse came on the programme today (a lady trying to do tracing for him came on yesterday with the story first)who nursed her in an English hospital when she was just 19 and doing her training. She is trying to get more info from other nurses she is contacting to see what they may be able to find out.  Its sad to think that his mam never married and he would have been the only child she had. Surely she would have loved to have met him too before she passed away. I suppose life back then was different but hopefully he'll be able to find her grave eventually.


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## sandrat (2 Jul 2008)

I'm assuming he has been in contact with county/town councils regarding the council graveyards? They keep burial records.


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## Ash 22 (2 Jul 2008)

Not sure, possibly has been. According to the lady helping him they've tried every avenue.


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## Ash 22 (4 Jul 2008)

Seemingly now they have found out that Sarah's parents are buried in a cemetary in Co. Kildare called Kilmeague (I may not have the spelling correct).  So it may be possible that she was buried with them, its hard to know. Hopefully somebody will remember something.


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## Deirdra (5 Jul 2008)

Has he checked the UK death records for the yearly quarter when she died? What UK airport did the plane fly from - possibly she lived or died within a certain radius of that airport?


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## Ash 22 (5 Jul 2008)

I reckon they have all records checked. For some reason he thought at first her body had been brought in through Knock but now he thinks it may have been Dublin. He's not sure. I think also he said that his late mam Sarah Behan's mothers maiden name was O'Brien.So thats another connection to go on. Considering its only going back 20 years since Sarah  died, there should be people that would have remembered her being buried, I suppose even moreso if it was a country area. There would have had to be the priest and the gravediggers, sacristan etc an its not everyday that people come back from afar to be buried.


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## Ash 22 (5 Jul 2008)

I've just listened again to some of the Liveline show that Sarahs son Michael spoke on during the week as I had'nt heard the full amount of his interview. Now Sarahs father was John Behan and her mother Marcella (nee O'Brien). John worked as a labourer. They were married St. Andrews Church, Cherryville. Co. Kildare in 1907 so obviously Sarah was born in Cherryville. He does'nt know exactly when she moved to England but he was born in England in 1948. She worked in a hospital in Epsom and I think he said she also died in that same hospital in April 1988. That hospital is not open any longer. She spoke a lot about Ireland and seemingly left a letter saying her wishes were to be buried here. She never spoke of Michael so nobody knew he existed. Maybe any of you Kildare people local to that area may be able to come up with something.


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## Ash 22 (8 Jul 2008)

Just giving another little reminder on this item. Wondering do any of you out there know Kilmeague cemetery or where its located? Is it still in use.


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## justsally (8 Jul 2008)

Is this of any help?


Ihttp://www.kildare.ie/library/ehistory/2006/06/allen_parish_of_comerfords_dio_1.asps 

_In case you have difficulty in opening same here's the passage from same which might be of interest to you:-_

KILMEAGUE.


_Cill Maedhoc, i.e.,_ “the Church of St. Maedhoc,” or Mogue. It has not been ascertained to which saint of that name the old Church of this place was dedicated. The present Protestant Church is built upon the site of the Catholic Church of the olden time.*  The adjoining burial-ground continued to be used by Catholics until very recently.* In building the range of houses opposite the Church, large quantities of human bones were found, proving either that the burial-ground extended formerly in that direction, or that this was the scene of a battle.
A few perches from the village of Kilmeague, to the east, a castle, erected and occupied by the Fitzgeralds of Allone, a branch of the Geraldines, formerly stood; some small portions of it still remain. This was a place of considerable strength and importance; in 1649 it made a stout and, for some time, a successful resistance to the Parliamentary forces. General Hewson, writing to Lenthall, Speaker of the House of Commons, under date the 3rd of March, 1649 (50), says:-“About the latter end of December I marched with a party of 1,000 men horse and foot, into the Island of Allan, and summoned Killmaog therein, but finding it not feazable to storm without guns, I marched to Rathbride and Ponsers Grange, and took them, and placed two strong garrisons there, which did give me good footing in the County of Kildare….I marched upon Tuesday, the 26th of February, with a party of 2,000 foot and 1,000 Horse towards the County of Kildare, and took with me one culverin, and one semi-culverin, and one mortar piece; the enemy fired their garrisons of Fort Lease, Blackreath, and the forementioned Castle of Killmaog, in the Island of Allan; but I shall easily make it tenable againe, it being very useful for your service”-_Contemp. Hist. of Affairs in Ireland-1641-52, Vol.3, p.369._


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## Ash 22 (8 Jul 2008)

Thank you very much for that justsally. Much appreciated. I was'nt able to open the link. I put a message on that forum too. Thats an interesting piece of history about Kilmeague. So its just a little village. Was wondering about that. Michael will be interested in that. I think he gives a check on this board also.


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## MandaC (9 Jul 2008)

I wish him good luck in his search.  Kilmeague is a very small village in Kildare.  Have driven through it a few times.  Kilmeague is covered under the Allen parish in Kildare, which may be a good place to start.

[broken link removed]

My father grew up in an orphanage/industrial school (born 1941) and about 12 years ago (could be slightly more) urged on by our family, decided to try to find his mother, whom he never knew.  All we had was her maiden name on the birth cert.  We were able to trace to a certain point (with the help of someone, cant remember but was based in Cherry Orchard hospital) and then the feedback was that she did not want to know anything about him/us.   He has never spoken a single word about it since and it was devastating for our family.


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## Ash 22 (9 Jul 2008)

Thanks MandaC for that link also. Yes I really hope he will find her grave. Thing is in a small country place like that there should be somebody able to remember of this ladies burial if she is buried there. 20 years is not too long ago. More than likely there may be some of his relatives in that area also.

Your dads story is really sad and he must have felt so rejected. It is hard to understand how somebody would not want to meet their own flesh and blood but maybe she was in a situation where she was married and obviously her husband or her family would not have known about him and she may have felt out of fear she could not now tell them. I suppose we can never tell what the situation is with other people. Either way that was no consolation to your family. Hopefully your dad and yourselves have been able to move on and cope as best you can.


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