were big strong men and were great workers on the farm. The three siblings that survived lived together all their lives and none of the three married. Thomas Higgins remembers that when they were young on their way home from Carnaun school to Castlelambert they would often call to get a drink of water at Joyces as they would have been thirsty all day at school! His father Richard Higgins also used to visit the Joyces regularly – Richie his son used to go with him visiting the two Joyce brothers and their sister Mary. It is thought that the Joyces and Higgins families may have been related in some way according to Micheál Higgins, William Higgins’s son. The Joyce family died out in the area. Coens now own the land that they farmed. Martin Joyce died in 1970 aged 81. His brother Michael died in 1973 aged 91 according to the death register in Athenry Church Records. However, if we look back on the date of his birth he would have been 87. Martin Kennedy from Carnaun. Martin Kennedy lived in Carnaun in 1911. His father was Pat Kennedy and was aged 67 years in 1911. He was a Farmer. By 1911 his wife Julia Hynes had – she was present on the 1901 Census, aged 36. They were married between April and June 1885 so they would have been married 26 years in 1911. Pat and Julia had eleven children – Patrick, Martin, Ellen, Michael, John, Thomas, Bridget, Julia Mary, William, Mary and Margaret, according to the Athenry Church Records. There is also another son Denis in the 1901 Census. Martin was the second eldest in the family. In 1911 the neighbours of the Kennedy family included Rabbits, Williams, Coens, Kileens, Cusacks, Gills, Faheys, Fordes, and Joyces, as documented in the Census of that year. Martin and Mike Joyce were neighbours of Martin Kennedy. Martin was born on 8/11/1888 in Athenry. He was aged 23 in 1911. Martin emigrated to America but was in England prior to that according to his family. The emigration manifest stated that he left Queenstown on the 02/07/1913 and arrived into the Port of Boston on the S.S. Cymric Ship on the 10/07/1913. He was aged 22, a Labourer, from Athenry, Galway. His next of kin was given as his father Patrick Kennedy, Carnane, Athenry, Co. Galway. His final destination was South Framingham in New England, Massachusetts. His uncle paid his passage but it does not give a name. He was going to join his sister Ellie Kennedy, 67 Arlington Street, South Framingham. According to his nieces he later married and had at least one son Edwin, who now lives in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Chelmsford is a suburban town in the Greater Boston area. Taking this information the first port of call was to locate his son by researching the US Federal Census for 1930 a record was found for Edwin Kennedy who was son of Martin Kennedy. The 1930 Census stated Martin Kennedy was 41 then which would imply he was born in 1889 which is mostly likely the correct one as ages were never completely accurate when recorded in that time as people had no reason to remember their age and therefore often could be out a few years when 35
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