| Title: | Coogan, Michael (Brother Declan) to Coogan, William, 1879-80 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6351 |
| Collection | Carlow-Coogan Letters |
| File | coogan/39 |
| Year | 1879-80 |
| Sender | Coogan, Michael (Brother Declan) |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | monk/shoemaker |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Mt. St. Joseph, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary |
| Destination | Harlem, NYC, USA |
| Recipient | Coogan, William |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 941 |
| Genre | gratitude for money, his nephew's illness, concern about Mary Meany's hardship, building a church at the monastery, family, friends, quick thank you note for donations |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Michael to William & Ms O’Connor Winter 1879-80 Names Addresses written in top margin: Mrs. Mary Doyle & Mrs. Anastasia Walsh Both upper Shankill White Hall Post, Co. Kilkenny My Dear Brother, I have received your letter in due time, and feel much pleasure in replying to it, and acknowledging the receipt of a cheque for two pounds. Our Abbot is most thankful for your great kindness, & also for the kindness of Hugh & poor Mother, who have done more for us than I could expect. You'll see by the other portion of my letter all about the High Mass & the prayers of our brethren. I always pray for you myself, & I hope you will do so for me, who require them so much. I am glad to hear from poor Mathew. I hope he'll keep his word to write to me. I was sorry to hear the sad news about his child. I hope it has recovered. Of course I know a great deal about Knock, and I'm sending you by book post something about it, which I am sure you'll have no objection to receive but take care when writing to me next time to let me know if you received all safely. I am glad to hear from poor Mary Meany, and would be gladder still to have a letter from her. I regret to see her in hardship. I hope you'll always assist her in her distress; it's certainly what I'd do were it in my power. Tell her not to trouble herself about sending money to us until she'll be more independent. I promised her cousins in Co. Kilkenny that I'd tell her to write to them, and if she has not done so, I beg of you to look to the matter & don't neglect it, & send them from her some little pictures, or other presents, and let me know next time about it, for I could not refuse their request. Mrs. Nolan, also, wishes to be remembered to her brother Lawrence Meaney, whom I never heard from for a dozen years. Let me know if he is yet living. John Bryan's son of Coolnacuppoque wrote to me a few days ago and bid me tell Hugh to write to them, and let them know what sort of a place America is, that perhaps, as he said, some of them might go out there. Hugh sent them a newspaper some time ago, but did not send any address, so they bid me tell him write and of course to send his address also. he will send me some money in a few days. According to your wish, I'm writing a letter to Patrick this day, complying most exact with your suggestion. I am sorry you are still annoyed at the treatment you received at New Melleray when on the visitation there last summer, and indeed I'd say something about it to Abbot Ephraim when here if I thought of it. Don't you know that tailors are queer fellows, and that we are not to mind every thing they do, did you not often see old tailors whose walk would make a person laugh. So don't annoy yourself any longer about the whole matter. Make an act of resignation whenever you think of these things and let them pass away. They have three wings of their monastery built, that is, I think, the complete square [except] only the Church, which they did not as yet build. Fr. Mary Bernard, who I think was the Housekeeper, I believe, died last summer if I remember rightly. We are still working at our Church, but I fear we must soon stop as our funds are now almost at the last coin. We regret that it's so hard to collect in America, as we depended very much on our Celtic friends there. I hope you will pray that we may succeed in finishing it shortly. Ireland is indeed poor at present, at least some parts of it. There are some people I think not even well able to pay their rent. Edward Maher of Ballyloughan and family are well. John was ordained about three weeks ago. I don't know as yet where he is located. I sent a card to Jer Maher last summer, and after some weeks the letter returned, and I never heard anything about him since. Please let me know next time something about him and also about Lawrence Bryan Tailor, to whom I sent a card but received no reply. I sent also to T. McDonald and he returned an answer most kindly, accompanied with 5 pounds. Excuse this strange letter which I write in a hurry on a cold frosty morning. Next time I write, I will do it with more satisfaction. Farewell my dear William for the present. I remain yours &tc. M.D. Coogan Enclosed Note Dear Miss O'Connor, I have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of 10 Lb sent by you through the hands of my brother William, for which 4 Masses will be shortly celebrated for the repose of the souls of your Mother & Sister, for whom, as well as for yourself, I shall have the prayers of the community offered. I hope you'll do all in your power for my dear Mother as far as she will require you. By so doing you will merit a special claim to my prayers & my abiding gratitude. By admiring your praiseworthy charity towards your dear friends & your devotion to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I remain, dear Miss O' Connor, your sincere friend, M.D. Coogan |
