Because today is St. Patrick’s Day, and many in the village will be celebrating their Irish heritage, I thought it would be fitting to put in an excerpt from The Book of Westport.

“Irish-Catholic roots run very strong in Westport. In the 1850’s, a great number of weddings recorded in the St. Edward’s parish register by Rev. Foley had origins in Ireland. Henry Bennett & Mary Ryan (both of County Armagh), John Donnelly & Margaret Byrns (both from Ireland), Felix Bennett & Bridget McCoy (both from County Armagh), Michael McCoy & Martha O’Here (County Armagh), Patrick Fegan & Alice O’Here (both from Ireland) were all united in marriage in 1852 in Westport.

This class photo from 1899 shows some of the descendants of those early Westport marriages. Back Row (Left to Right) Tom Quinn, James Kearney, Don Bennett, James Garvin, Frank Quinn, John McCaffrey, ____, Edward Ryan, John Quinn, Frank White, James Hoban, Leonard White, Augustine Charbonneau, Clifford White, Roy Lilly. Fourth Row: Marcella Bennett, Teresa McCann, Katherine Quinn, Mamie Garvin, Nellie Bennett, Annie Boulger, Teresa Whellan. 3rd Row: Mary Burns, Jennie Hazelton, Mary Martin, Florence Fraser, Josephine Hickey, Ann Ryan, Lilly Bennett, Anastasia McCann, Ida May McCann, Mary McCann. 2nd Row: Mazie McCann, Minnie Flynn, Florence Coburn, Julia McCann, Mary Hoban, Sadie Hazelton, Mary Hearley, Beatrice Fraser, Della McCann, Birdie Mulville, Frances Coburn, Josephine Burns, Maggie Charbonneau,, Mazie Renauld, Marguerite McCann. Front Row: Ambrose Biird, Arthur White, Edward Bennett, Ambrose Bennett, George Coburn, Augustine McNally, Wallter Whelan, John Coburn, Herbert Martin, Roy McCann, James Hazelton, Leo Bennett, Sylvester Renauld, Joseph Bennett, Louis McCann, Lambert Garvin, Edward Martin, John White, Michael Ryan, Francis Kearney.

Many of the Irish that came to The Mountain during the Potato Famine have remained in the area for generations, as the names of these students (below) at Mountainview School in 1914 indicate. Members of the Dier, McCann, and Murphy families immigrated to North Crosby in the mid-1800”s.

Back Row: Mary Beden, Hilda Dier, Mac McCann, Tana Dier, Babe Perkins, G. McCann Second Row: John McCann, Joseph McCann, N. Dier, Jim Dandy, E. Dier, M. McCann, N. McCann Third Row: D. McCann, E. Perkins, B. Donnelly, A. McCann, Mary Donnelly, M. Murphy and Francis McCann Photo Source: From the pages of The Review-Mirror, Bedford Street, Westport. 

 Descendants of the early Lennon families that immigrated to the Westport area from Ireland. Back Row: Ethel, Nicholas, Stacia, Alice, Walter Front Row: Rob, Mary, Maggie-Ann Photo Source: From the Early Westport Photo Album ~ Donor: Anonymous”