From rural Cavan to the City That Never Sleeps via Dublin, Liverpool and Buenos Aires sounds like an interesting journey. Add in the Tan War, internment in Kilmainham and Civil War service and you have a quick summary of the life of Bernard McGrath – before he settled in the USA. After all that, he sadly died only seven months after receiving his Service Medal in the early 1950s. But at least we now have a few more details about him to share.
Origins
Bernard was born on 4 June 1891 (see note at end) at Derrynananta Upper, Glangevlin, in the ‘neck’ of Co Cavan between neighbouring Leitrim and Fermanagh.

His father Patrick was a Farmer who had 9 surviving children with his wife Celia Corrigan between 1882 and 1896. Bernard was the sixth of the seven McGrath boys, with just one sister.
Like most of his siblings, he left home for work in his teens. In 1911 he was a Farm Servant with the McManus family in Derrylester, Co Fermanagh not too far from his birthplace. His father Patrick died in 1917.
With Dublin Brigade
Following his subsequent move to Dublin he became a member of C Coy, 2nd Battalion. His Medal application summary shows his O/Cs as J. Burke, Andy Doyle and Oscar Traynor. Beyond that, no further details of his IRA service are available – with one exception. He was arrested at the Custom House on 25 May 1921.

At the time he was living at 9 O’Sullivan Avenue, off Ballybough Road. McGrath was among the main body of IRA captured that day and interned in Kilmainham Gaol.
A photo of him survives in Cyril Daly’s autograph book kept in the Gaol Museum.

There is also a hopeful romantic verse written by him in one of Dan Rooney’s autograph books. It’s not known who he meant – nor is the identity of the writer of the sarcastic remark addressed to “Barney”…

Civil War National Army
McGrath enlisted with the new Irish military forces on 28 February 1922 at Beggar’s Bush and became a member of Tom Ennis’ 2nd Eastern Division. He was posted to Portobello (now Cathal Brugha) Barracks as a Private in the Military Police (Army Census). Bernard was demobilised or resigned from the Army in the early part of 1924 and soon took a major decision and a new direction in life.
Off to the Americas

On 3 May 1924 he boarded a ship at Liverpool bound for the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires. His last address was 9 O’Sullivan Avenue, occupation Labourer. There were two other men from northside Dublin listed as passengers with him but it is not clear if they knew each other. Although Bernard stated his intention was to live permanently in Argentina, that did not come to pass. Passenger records imply he returned to Ireland and then sailed from Southampton to the USA in October 1926 on the SS Zeeland.

His said his occupation was Seaman and he was going to his brother John in New York City where other siblings also lived. The 1930 census shows Bernard working as a Subway Conductor and living in Brooklyn with his older brother Martin ‘Murty’ (who had arrived in 1929).
The following year Bernard became a naturalised US citizen. A poor quality, very unflattering ID photo from his petition paperwork is shown below.

Personal Life
Three years later Bernard married Grace Marie McDonough on 21 October in Brooklyn, NYC. She was the New York-born daughter of Irish immigrants who had landed in America during the early 1880s. His address was 199 Amsterdam Avenue and he moved in with his new wife at 417 64th Street in Brooklyn. By the 1940 census he had become an Agent for the GRT (Board of Transportation, City of New York). The McGraths did not have any children of their own. They did foster one young lad with Irish roots between 1943 and 1952 (see Reader Bob Glennon’s comment at end) and stayed living on 64th Street, the address for Bernard’s Tan War Medal awarded on 20 August 1952.

Bernard McGrath passed away at the age of 61 on 12 March the following year. Four days later he was laid to rest in Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn, Sadly, his wife was to join him before 1954 was out.
Family Tribute

Bernard was the first of his generation to die, survived by his 8 siblings, all listed in the notice. Most of them were living in the USA at that point along with their widowed mother Celia. Late in life she had left Derrynananta with her eldest son Charles back in 1927 after he became a widower within a year of marriage. Mrs Celia McGrath died in New York in 1929.
The other US-based McGraths, including Murty, did have children and his granddaughter Pat Fox-Butler was recently in touch. She had been aware of her granduncle Bernard’s IRA past and mentioned that family lore also connected her Grandad, who died in 1978, with the movement.
We are glad to be be able to give some acknowledgement to another largely forgotten Custom House Man and his family who rest in graves far away from home.
Des White
Note: Most US records show Bernard’s date of birth as 15 December 1890. This may well be correct, but his official Irish birth record states the one used above.
Comment by Robert Glennon — March 23, 2022 @ 7:57 am
This is the first time I ever saw something like this. I was a foster child with the Angel Guardian Home and was raised by Bernard and Grace McGrath. I lived with them on 64th St. from 1943 thru 1952. I would visit him at the train station, where he operated a coin exchange booth for the IRT subway line. I attended his wake at age 11, andI was very aware that he was associated somehow with the IRA because of conversations with others that I had overheard. In fact, his brother James, came from Ireland to live with us for almost a year. He lived in the basement and I vividly remember he kept all of his clothing in a gigantic “Steamer Trunk” that he brought with him. I learned that James was an officer in the IRA and he came to New York to raise funds for the IRA, and he had a job as an elevator operator in an office building in Manhattan. Please acknowledge my comments by responding to my comments
Comment by chcadmin — March 23, 2022 @ 2:49 pm
Hi Robert.
Thank you for your fascinating input. Great to learn more about the McGraths from somebody who knew them.
Hope the article brought back good memories from your childhood.
All the best.
Des
Comment by Bob Glennon — March 24, 2022 @ 6:09 am
Hi Des,
I find this web site to be fascinating, and I’m very curious as to who, or what organization, went to the trouble of putting this thing together. It’s obvious that a lot of work was put into assimilating all of Bernard’s information, from a multitude of resources. Ever since I was very young, I was drawn to my Irish heritage and absorbed everything Irish that i could; from movies (The Quiet Man), sports (everything Notre Dame) and Irish history. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel throughout the country by automobile and my wife and I stay with Irish families during our one and only visit to the Irish Republic. Those memories will last for a lifetime.
A lot of questions come to mind, but I gather from what I’ve read, Bernard was very involved with the Irish fight for independence. Since he would probably have been 25 at the time of the Easter Rising, it conceivable that he was involved, in some fashion, with that event. What criteria was used to select those individuals who were profiled, like Bernard? Is the other mentions of him elsewhere on the site?
Thanks for responding to my original inquiry so quickly.
Bob
Comment by chcadmin — March 25, 2022 @ 9:08 pm
Hi Bob,
Will drop you an email, OK?
Des
Comment by Patricia Fox-Butler — September 17, 2023 @ 5:32 pm
Hi Des. You may recall we spoke a couple of years ago. I am the granddaughter of Murty McGrath. My mom (Bernadette Fox) was named after Bernard McGrath. I am headed to Dublin next weekend (actually going with various McGrath cousins) am will be visiting the Gael to see the autograph book. I would also try to connect with Pat Cullen Wilson and Robert Glennon and was hoping you could help me as it would be interesting to talk to both of them. Look forward to hearing from you
Comment by chcadmin — September 17, 2023 @ 6:12 pm
Hi Patricia, nice to hear from you again.
Will drop you an email.
All the best
Des
Comment by Bob Glennon — November 30, 2023 @ 9:21 pm
Hi Des,
Per Pat’s request, I was putting together the research information that I had accumulated on Bernard, to send to her; and I discovered something that I hadn’t sent to you when we were communicating earlier.
There’s a credible listing in the 1915 New York State Census showing a Bernard McGrath , aged 25, living as a boarder with Catherine Maloney 53, and her three children Edward T. Maloney 30, William E Maloney 28 and Adelaide K. Maloney, 22. (Source: 1915 New York State Census)
There’s also a credible listing in the September 8, 1917 Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper, showing a Bernard McGrath whose address was 417- 64th St ; registering for the draft. (Source: Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
The 1915 N.Y. census and the 1917 Brooklyn Daily Eagle article seems to support the theory that Bernard McGrath was in the United States long before his involvement in the War of Independence in Ireland. He most likely had some connection with the Maloney family, and for certain, the McDonough family. It also explains how he was able to meet Grace McDonough; his future wife.. This information seems to indicate that Bernard McGrath was in the U.S. long before we originally believed; and adds some mystery to his earlier years.
My hypothesis is that he emigrated to the U.S. much earlier than first thought. It’s just impossible to explain any other reason for his name to appear on the documents that I’ve discovered. He could have been seeking a better future; or he might have been doing work for the IRA, which I believe is the most likely scenario for him being in the U.S. during that time frame. If that’s true, then his involvement with the IRA was much earlier than we thought. In any event, he obviously must have returned to Ireland, where we pick up information about his active involvement in the War of Independence.
Perhaps this information will inspire you to research your sources of English steamship passenger manifests during that era, to see if we can document his earlier travels to the U.S. and his return to Ireland.
Regards,
Bob
Comment by chcadmin — December 1, 2023 @ 1:40 am
Hi Bob,
That’s really intriguing info alright. Great finds, thanks very much for sharing.
I’ll definitely have a look at the travel records for any sign of Bernard.
Will let you know any results.
All the best and please pass our regards to Pat as well.
Des
Comment by Adam Guerin — May 1, 2024 @ 11:42 am
Hi, my grandfather’s name was Bernard McGrath of Derrynananta also. I believe this man may be a great uncle of my grandfathers. If anyone is still alive related to this man, I’d absolutely love to hear from them! Adam Guerin, from County Kerry Ireland.
Comment by chcadmin — May 1, 2024 @ 5:19 pm
Hi Adam,
Good to hear from you – small world as they say.
I’ll drop you an email.
Des