Alan's Ashes

Century of Endeavour

Family Group on the Occasion of the Scattering of Alan Johnston's Ashes

(c) Roy Johnston 2002

Family Group at the Scattering of Alan's Ashes

(I have to apologise for the poor quality of the photo; if anyone took a photo of the same group which came out with better definition, I would like to hear from them.) The names of the family group, here assembled on the occasion of the scattering of Alan Johnston's ashes, are as follows; it is a representative sample of the descendants of Mary and Elizabeth Geddes, mostly Johnstons and Achesons. From left to right:

Virginia Moorehead, Abby Nolan, Binkie Moorehead, Sophie Acheson and Beth Nolan (Douglas Acheson grandchildren); Con Nolan, Tricia Acheson, Fraser Nolan, Charlotte Moorehead, Douglas Johnston, Kathryn Acheson, Maurice, Claire (in white), Winnie, Michael, Harry, Aileen (all Achesons); behind her Ian Johnston (son of Douglas and Vera) in blue; then Joy, Faya, Roddy, Jennifer (in pink), all Achesons; Maureen Carmody (my sister), Vera Johnston (m Douglas), Una Johnston (my eldest daughter), Monica Acheson, Beth Acheson (behind), Fergus Johnston (my son), then in ascending order Katie, Ellen and Simon Acheson; then 'Paddy' Acheson (Sandy's widow); behind her is (another) Jennifer Acheson (m David); Nessa Johnston (my youngest), Harry Acheson (jr), David Acheson, Janice Williams Johnston (my wife).

To complete the background information:

Mary Geddes married my grandfather John Johnston; their family was James, Sam, Harry, John, William, Joe and Anne. Alan was James's eldest son. Sam was *Douglas's grandfather; he died of TB and his family, Alec (Douglas's father), Tommy and Geddes was reared by my parents as contemporaries of my sister *Maureen, before I was born. Most of John Johnston's family was scattered throughout the British Empire.

Elizabeth Geddes married Joe Loughrin; they had a daughter Sophie who ran the farm at Killygarvan; Alan helped her during her declining years. Another daughter Mina married James Acheson, whence all the Achesons, who mostly stayed local; their family was Douglas, *Winnie, *Maurice, Sandy, *Harry and Walter.

NB *(name) implies that the person is in the photo.

My father Joe kept in touch with Sophie and used the experience of the Killygarvan farm (of which the farmhouse is shown above), along with Alan's farm in Laois during the 1950s, to illustrate comparative agricultural conditions north and south, when he was in the Senate.

The 'Johnston homes' pilgrimage

Those of us who travelled from the South for the occasion on our way back took the opportunity to visit two of the three houses where John Johnston and his family had lived. The first was on the hilltop at Tomagh, between Kilnaslee and Castlecaulfield. It is now an outhouse in the yard of the Kelly farmhouse, a more modern building, called Johnstonville; the family must to some extent have had local legendary status!.

Left to right, the present writer Roy Johnston, Ian, Douglas (Ian's father), Maureen Carmody (my sister), Mairin Johnston (my ex-wife), Nessa (my youngest daughter by Janice), Janice (my current wife), Vera (Douglas's wife). Una my eldest by Mairin alas in not in the picture as she took the photo. Behind can be seen the old house at Tomagh in which my father and all his family were born.

We then went on to Dunamoney Wood, which is further along in the direction of Castlecaulfield. The house is now a ruin, but one can see that it was more substantial than the house at Tomagh, reflecting the fact that by 1906 when the move took place, my father's elder brothers were prospering and sending money home.

Douglas in the foreground, the present writer hidden behind, and Nessa. One can see that it had been a substantial brick-built house, with wide windows.

We had hoped to take in the third and final house, at Ranaghan just outside Dungannon, but time did not allow is to. I had however taken a picture of it earlier, and here it is:

We think probably old John Johnston's widow had a care-taking tenancy in a mews flat, associated with Bessmount, a substantial house in its own grounds in the townland of Ranaghan, close to the Dungannon hospital. It was occupied by soldiers during the 1939-45 war, and wrecked beyond redemption. This photo shows the stables; the house proper is out of view to the left. The location was identified by my aunt Annie in the 1960s, who had lived there when at school in Dungannon; she walked the ground with Winnie Acheson, who subsequently passed information about the location to me.

This was in effect the last family social occasion participated in by my sister Dr Maureen Carmody, seen below seated outside Killygarvan. Shortly after this, she attended a concert in the RDS with me, which she enjoyed, but then that night she had a stroke, and at the time of writing (August 2002) she remains immobilised and in decline.

My sister, Dr Maureen Carmody, at Killygarvan, September 2001.

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