Dear Brothers

I take the present opportunity of writing ye those few lines hoping that they may find ye and families in as good a state of health as the departure of this leaves Father and Mother Brothers and Sisters in at present thanks be to the Providence of the Lord. We read your letter on the 17th inst, which gave us great consolation of ye being in such good health. We expected an account from ye this long time past, ye very nearly forgot the Old Country and moreover ye almost forgot your parents. You should write more often as ye are aware that they are advanced in age presently although they need not complain, they are enjoying good health, and they desire to be remembered to Mearia and Michl. Also Dear Brothers I mean to inform you that none of us got Married as yet nor no great appearance presently. We do not mean to forsake the old couple yet, we are living quite comfortable, we can meet our calls James and Patsy are gone to England and I am left in care of home.

All of whom you enquired for are well Michl. Phillips and family are well and they have a young Catherine, also they have three handsome children, two girls and a boy, the boy is the oldest, he is going to National School. Patt O'Donnell and Mrs. are well, but I am sorry I cannot mention the family, Thomas wife and family are in good health, Dominick is gone to England along with his Father, he is a big boy for his age and so is Michl. They had another boy named Bernard; he expired at the age of 18 months. Bidy Hunt and Daughters are in good health, but I cannot give any account about Dennis he did not come home from England those four years.

Uncle Dominick and family are in good health and desire to be remembered to ye in the kindest manner, Uncle Patsy and family and desire to be remembered to ye in the kindest manner also Uncle John and family desire to be remembered in the kindest manner. Also Patrick McNamara and family his Mother is buried since January last, Patt is married to a girl of the name of Catherine Finen from a near Loughglun. Thady Glavy and one of the Sons Michael is dead, and also young Thady has the shop to himself now he is Married to young Bidy since last August. The papers did not give a true account about Redmond Costello's Death, he was agency to Doctor O'Grady and he was returning home from Tavrane on Good Friday evening. There was a great fall of rain on that Day, which raised the rivers, swept away bridges, and gullets in the vicinity of Shraheens. We had floods in torrents he was found drowned, between Patt McDermotts and James Wiggins. James and I was present at the time, we were returning from the Market of Ballaughaderrine on that day, and could not make our way home the flood was so high, we had to remain in Patt McDermott's until the following morning. We all join in sending our love to Mearia and Michl's Mrs. and we are most happy to hear that ye were enjoying good health. Catherine and Mary desire to be remembered to you all and Catherine is most happy of ye having a girl of her name.

Dear Brothers, I hope that ye will excuse us for not writing sooner, but I hope the arrival of this will find you all in Perfect health, as we are at home, I thank God, Father and Mother desire to be remembered to you all in the kindest manner and the expect ye wont be so long without writing for the future. We have desperate wet weather in this country the crops are doing remarkably well up to this.

We will soon have good accommodation in this country there is a branch of Railway nearly finished off from Boyle to Ballaughaderine.

Dear Brother, I expect you will send me a newspaper if it would not be troublesome to you. I have nothing of any importance to communicate to you. But we all join in sending ye our love and best respects, excuse the haste for I am going to the fair in Kilkelly. I very near forgot Mrs. Stanford and are in good health and she desire to be remembered to ye all.

Next Letter - 6th July 1872