The first I heard of Dan Ryan was when he called to Drumlease N. S., Dromahair about the year 1948. He told us he had attended our humble school many years before. He asked us to look for his initials ‘D R’ which he hoped might be etched on some of our wooden desks. Gladly we were able to show him a few such. He spoke with an American accent and offered to throw a party for us the following Saturday outside McCarrick’s Public House. The party included bottles of lemonade and orange and biscuits and sweets. We thought it was great. Later each class sent a ‘thank you’ letter to Mr Ryan in the U.S. It was the mothers of course who did the composing. My mother, I remember, put in one memorable sentiment which went something like “with our bottles of lemonade we drank your health.” This from a nine year old. What Dan thought of the letters is not known.
Later I would find out that Daniel Joseph Ryan had been born in Dromahair R.I.C. Barrack in the year 1899. (Exactly 40 years later I myself was born in the same place.) While still a teenager he had been given a bravery award for pulling a man called Carty out of the Milldam. He was one of 10 children living in the Barrack, but as they moved into their later teenage years they emigrated to the U.S. It would appear they had a near relation living there in the city of Providence, Rhode Island. The first to go was Mary Josephine who left aged 17 in the year 1912. Nora Ryan arrived from Liverpool on the ‘St. Louis’ on the 5th of November 1916 aged 14. (It seems that Nora returned to Ireland as she is again recorded arriving in New York in 1920.) Dan left in 1917 when he was 18. The next year he was drafted into the U.S. Army. The month was September, so he would hardly have seen active service in WW1 which ended the following November. How long he remained in the Forces we do not know as yet.
Meanwhile back in Ireland political violence was growing apace. April/May 1916 saw 14 R.I.C. men killed. 1918 had one casualty; 1919 had 16; 1920 had 204. It was obvious things were getting worse for the Police. (The year 1921 would be worst with 283 deaths.) Sergt. Ryan, 46427 was pensioned off on August 4th 1920 at 62 years of age. One way or another it was an opportune time to depart the now hated R.I.C. The members had entered in good faith so many years ago had now become a symbol of British oppression – indeed the eyes and ears of that establishment. They would be opposed by a very determined new kind of freedom fighters, the Irish Republican Army. A similar fate befell those men returning from the trenches of WW1, many disabled in body but, more awful, distracted in mind. They had left Ireland to cheering and playing of bands only to sneak back to their homes with their heads down.
On August 15th 1920 the Coronia arrived at Ellis Island from Liverpool. On board was ex-Sgt. Ryan who had ended his service a mere 11 days previously. With him were his wife Annie and five children, Norah aged 18, John aged 15, Marcella aged 13, Angela aged 11 and Edward aged 10. Passage had been paid by Daniel Ryan with an address at 30 Harvest Street, Providence.
It was certainly a dramatic and emotional time for the Ryans. The children had to leave school and friends and forego much of their personal things. On the other hand they looked forward to meeting their family members already in the U.S. and becoming citizens of a great new country with unlimited opportunity.
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