When Patrick Boyle married Katie Higgins on the 20th April 1921 in St Columkille, Aghnacliff, he was marrying into  a well integrated and extensive kinship network of cousins and in-laws. Unlike the  thin and delicate  Boyle family tree, the Higginses were numerous and flourishing. 

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There are no records of how the marriage was arranged, but it’s likely the families were acquainted and that they knew each other from childhood – their homes were only a few miles apart (despite being in different parishes), they would have attended the same school and church, and the families were of similar social standing as middling farming stock. 

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Though I haven't come across many stories or anecdotes about the family, official records allow us to construct a picture of their lives and times.

 

 

In Aghamore

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Patrick Higgins 1844-1918

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Patrick's family

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Thomas Higgins 1887-1918

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Patrick and local politics

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Higgins of Rathmore

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