Mayo memories: Are you right there Michael - am I right?

From the Archives - By Tom Gillespie

IN July 1975 the late singer, comedian and guitarist, Mick Cuffe, from Belcarra, was a postman by day while he entertained the punters at night.

However, he encountered a postal delivery quandary in the tiny village of Drumganagh, five miles from Castlebar.

For all the residents in the four-house village, 150-feet above sea level on Cnocspulladhan, had the same surname. Not only that, but three of the families had the same Christian name.

Postman Michael arrived in the village the first day on his rounds. The first letter for the area was addressed to Michael Tonra so he went to the first house in the village to check where Michael Tonra lived.

“He lives here,” he was told. “But he also lives next door, and he lives three doors away.”

This left Michael scratching his head - until he was told there were, in fact, three Michael Tonras in the village!

Following that Michael discovered that each Michael Tonra had a nickname - Michael Tonra (John), Michael Tonra (Ginger), and Michael Tonra (Junior) - and this helped relieve most of the postal problems until letters arrived simply addressed to ‘Michael Tonra’.

At this point it was agreed that no more Michaels were added to the 1975 list in the village.

Mrs. Mary Tonra, wife of John, the fourth family in the village, told The Connaught Telegraph: “There has been so much confusion with the name Michael in the area that I ruled out the name ‘Michael’ when we were having our sons christened. We christened them Patrick, Vincent, John and James - names that were not in any other family in the village.”

Michael Tonra (Ginger) addd: “The postman certainly had a problem when he had to deliver a letter simply addressed to Michael Tonra.

“When this happens the letter is taken round to all the Michael Tonras as one of us might recognise the handwriting. Likewise if the name and address of the sender is on the envelope we would then know who the letter is for.”

But a similar problem arose if a letter was simply addressed to ‘Mrs. Tonra’.

Mrs. May Tonra said: “The same procedure is adopted in finding out who the letter is for. If we fail to establish who the letter is for we ask the postman to open the letter in front of us all.”

Postman Michael told The Connaught Telegraph: “My first day on the postal run was utter chaos. I spent half the day in Drumganagh sorting out the Tonra letters.

“But now that I know of their nicknames it has made delivery much easier. Even the ESB bills have the nicknames.

“The most difficult task is sorting out those letters without the nicknames. I just go round to each house to see if they recognise the handwriting.”