Welcome to a unique collection of McMenamin family history gathered and recorded in four booklets and a 1985 diary by Joseph Patrick McMenamin (1912-2002).

Four Booklets
McMenamin originally self-published the booklets in the 1980s with support from his brother Robert J. McMenamin (1914-2008). Distribution was initially limited to family and friends in hard-copy format. Later, segments quoted from the booklets appeared on various Internet sites. The purpose of this site is to archive each page of the original four booklets and make McMenamin's "Master Copy" of each booklet and the diary of his 1985 summer visit to Ireland available on the Internet. McMenamin believed in sharing genealogical information in the spirit of opening and developing new connections to the biographies and history our ancestors.

Click on the "BOOKLETS" pull-down menu (see menu bar above) to select a specific booklet and allow several minutes for a multi-page PDF file of that booklet to appear on your screen.

Booklet 1 - McMENAMIN ROOTS IN TYRONE
Booklet 2 - TRUE SAGA OF JAMIE MCMENAMIN
Booklet 3 - ROGER MCMENAMIN STORY
Booklet 4 - FRANCIS A. MCMENAMIN - MEMOIRS OF MY EARLY YEARS


The Life of the Ancestor, Patrick Joseph McMenamin
In April, 1995, Joseph Patrick McMenamin (1912-2002) completed a life history of his grandfather, Patrick Joseph McMenamin (1854-1938). Several days later, he sent a copy to his son, Patrick Joseph McMenamin (1950 - ), and enclosed an Easter card with the following note:

"Dear Patrick, The French historian + philosopher, Voltaire, is credited with saying that history is a trick played by the living on the dead. I tried not to play any trick in writing the enclosed life history. JPMcM Easter, 1995"

A complete copy of the life history that McMenamin sent to his son in 1995 (and the Easter card) is archived as a PDF file. To access the PDF file, go to the main menu bar at the top of this page and click on: THE LIFE OF THE ANCESTOR, PATRICK JOSEPH MCMENAMIN.


McMenamin's Diary of His 1985 Summer Visit to Ireland
Joseph P. McMenamin kept a diary of his 1985 summer visit to Ireland with his son Patrick J. McMenamin (1950 - ). The diary is archived as a set of PDF files, and the diary page numbers are referenced in each of the respective PDF filenames/links below. Click on any of the links below to access a specific page-range of the 1985 diary.

Several excerpts from pages 10 through 11 of McMenamin's July 1985 Diary:

"The Full Circle Day, July 13, 1985 - Saturday ... We wakened to see sunshine and fluffy cumulus clouds that promised great shadow patterns on the Donegal & Tyrone landscapes we were soon to see ... After finishing breakfast late we left at 10:30 AM for Castlefin where Hugh and Aidan met us to escort us across the border into Northern Ireland and Tyrone ... If this was the "full circle day" it was that ... I had finished the ancestral route begun in 1965 -- Castlederg --> Aghyaran -- whereas today we added the home of my grandfather's parents, Edenreagh, and the ancient cemetery of their burial. So the "full circle" consisted now of Castlederg --> Killeter --> Edenreagh --> Aghyaran --> Mellon's Glen --> Magherakeel --> Montauch --> Castlederg. I never expected to find so much beauty and family history."


JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 000 - 004
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 005 - 010
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 010A - 015
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 016 - 020
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 021 - 025
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 026 - 030
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 031 - 035
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 036 - 040
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 041 - 045
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 046 - 050
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 051 - 055
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 056 - 060
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 061 - 064
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 065 - 070
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 071 - 076
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 077 - 080
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 081 - 087
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 088 - 090
JPM 1985 SUMMER VISIT TO IRELAND DIARY - Pages 091 - 096