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| Mary Kyne, Geraldine Mills & Mary Hernon |
On Saturday last Oct 5th 2019 in the Ionad Cuimhneacháin na nImirceach,Carna, Co. Galway, I had the wonderful privilege of hearing Galway poet Geraldine Mills read from her most recent poetry collection “Bone Road”, which was launched in the Centre the previous evening, the first evening of a two day conference entitled,"Remembering James Hack Tuke and his Assisted Emigration Schemes from the West of Ireland".
On the second day of the conference Geraldine was one of two speakers who gave a talk entitled "The Tuke Family stories". Geraldine's tale was of her great grandparents, Philip and Mary Heveron and their six children who emigrated from Belmullet in North Mayo on board the SS Waldensian on June 22nd 1883 arriving in Boston Harbour on July 4th. They had availed of a voluntary scheme known as the "Tuke Fund" to facilitate their emigration.
Mr. Tuke was a Quaker who had visited Ireland during the Great Famine. Wanting to offer assistance to the plight of the Irish in their poverty and hunger he set up an Assisted Emigration scheme and it afforded whole families to emigrate to America, with their passage paid, a set of new clothes and landing money when they arrived. Nearly 10,000 people emigrated from Connemara and County Mayo between 1882 and 1884.
It was Mary Kyne, former secretary of Galway R.T.A, who was in attendance on both days of the Conference, who first told Geraldine of the Tuke Fund and hence opened up the story for Geraldine of her maternal great-grandparents who emigrated to the US in the 1880s under the scheme.
During her talk Geraldine told of her great grandfather Philip being given work in the cotton mill in Warren, Rhode Island. However they couldn't settle and now with seven children, in November 1884 they made the journey back. Philip Heveron went directly to Mayo. The rest of the family were admitted to the Cork Workhouse.
In April 1885 the family were reunited in Belmullet. Through her verse memoir "Bone Road",Geraldine weaves the story of their leaving Elly Bay in North Mayo to arrive in Boston Harbour. In her reading of a selection of her poems from “Bone Road” she set the scene for us, brought us right back there, where the many experiences of her forefathers were told with grace and poignancy. We the listeners became enthralled, hanging on every word as several pictures were drawn for us through exquisite verse and haunting imagery.
Geraldine Mills has been the tutor to our R.T.A. Creative Writers group for the last three years. She has provided us with wonderful inspiration and instruction, while gently fostering and encouraging our creativity. In Carna on Saturday it was our turn to listen to this talented poet read her excellent work with emotion humility and grace which are some of the many attributes of this extraordinary poet.
Mary Hernon
October 2019