We were so sad to hear that Rosaline had passed away and wanted to recall memories of her Irish family. My dad, Michael Hope, was born and grew up in Ballina, in county Mayo, in the West of Ireland. He was a cousin (a few times removed) of Rosaline’s and much younger. Growing up, he was aware of a branch of the family who were now in England but hadn’t met any of them. That all changed in the mid 1950s fifties, when Rosaline had decided to do some research into her family in Ireland, and having done that, decided to pay them a visit in Ballina.
Rosaline must have been in her late thirties then. My dad, at that time, was about 17 and his mother had died a few years before, so meeting Rosaline who was bright, attractive and lots of fun was a very happy time for him. The two became firm friends and stayed in touch, initially by letter (I can still remember the air mail letters arriving from Canada). My dad moved to England in the late fifties where he married my mum, Bridget, and they had me and my 3 siblings, Michael, Valerie and Jerry. Growing up in Leeds, which is very close to Bingley, we all referred to Rosaline as Auntie Rosaline and to Joe as Uncle Joe.
Rosaline visited us on quite a few occasions throughout our growing up. We thought she was hugely glamorous, having come all the way from Canada, and she was really great fun. Wonderful to talk to and a great story-teller. Rosaline and Joe came to my wedding in York in 1989. At the wedding, they met my dad’s favourite first cousin, Mary, who, with her husband Gerry ,had travelled from their home in Mayo, Ireland, for the wedding. Mary and Gerry got on brilliantly with Rosaiine and Jo and visited them in Canada subsequently. I know they were in touch frequently with Rosaline until the dementia took hold. Rosaline was very proud of and happy about her family connections with Ireland (and there is a much bigger family than I have mentioned here) and we all loved her. My dad died suddenly in August 2020 but I know he would have wanted us to share these memories …I’m hoping they are together somewhere now sharing a glass of Guinness!
