Alex hopes to contact his long lost relative
A MEATH man is looking for help to trace a relative he believes lives in Bray, as part of his study of his family history.
Alex Lanigan (23) from Ratoath would like to make contact with Dermot Murphy, a man he believes to be in his 70s.
‘His mother was Eileen Hennessy and she was my granddad’s first cousin,’ said Alex.
Alex had been speaking to Dermot’s sister Geraldine Shea, who sadly passed away three weeks ago.
She had told him that Dermot lives in Bray.
‘I’m not sure if it’s in the town centre or just outside,’ said Alex.
‘Dermot visited my family in Kilkenny in 1962 on a visit with his siblings.
He’d be in his early 70s by now I reckon. His siblings are Marian, Geraldine, Declan and Deirdre.’
Alex has a photograph of Dermot, with Alex’s grandfather Nicholas Lanigan and grand-uncle Paul Lanigan, which was taken in Kilkenny in 1962.
The Ratoath man, whose grandparents are from Kilkenny, has been looking into his family history for four years, ever since his grandmother died.
‘I wanted to find out who the people were in photographs we had, and find out more about my ancestry.’
Alex graduated from college in 2018 and had been doing video and audio work for sales clients up until the onset of the Covid-19 crisis.
He has been getting in touch with as many people as possible over the years as part of his research.
‘I have an uncle who lives in Florida who remembers visiting Dermot in the 50s,’ he said.
He said that it is a good thing that he has an interest in genealogy at such a young age, as many of the people who can give him information are still alive.
‘ The youngest person I’ve been talking to is 74, and the oldest person I’ve written to is 104,’ said Alex.
‘I must have spoken to or written to 60 or 70 people over the last four years.
‘I’d like to talk to Dermot and see if maybe he has any photos, or does he remember my uncle or being in Kilkenny.’
Most people are happy to give whatever information they can, he said.
He also hopes that at the moment with people having more than the usual amount of spare time, they will be able to provide even more information.
To contact Alex, send an email to alanigan41@gmail.com or call 086 1686452.