SPECIAL REPORT: The Gathering that brought Waterford's Aylwards together in their Déise ancestral homeplace

Bringing the Aylwards together in their ancestral homeplace

After the dark days of the collapse of the banks and financial turmoil that ensued, the government settled upon ‘Gatherings’ as a way of bringing capital into the country and to revitalize the hospitality sector.

It was during this period that John Aylward, Chairperson of the Vintners Association, proprietor of The Wander Inn, and a prominent figure in Dunmore East, recognized the potential of such Gatherings.

Seizing the opportunity, he spearheaded the establishment of the inaugural Aylward Gathering in Waterford, which brought Aylward family members who had spread across the globe back to their ancestral roots in the Déise.

John says, “As one in my position, doing nothing was not an option, so the idea to set up the Aylward Gathering came about.”

The potential was first realized when John opened the function room in the Wander Inn, and invited renowned local historian Julian Aylward to give a lecture on the history of the Aylward family.

“I wrote to everyone in the Waterford area,” John says, “and we had quite a number of people attend.

“So the seed for the gatherings was there, and it turned out to be very successful.”

Using the local media, John then put out the word for help in establishing a fully realized family gathering. Two people initially answered the call, offering invaluable assistance in the establishment of the inaugural Aylward Gathering in 2013.

Maria Aylward, leveraging her background as an educator, demonstrated organizational skills, complemented by a strong understanding of the digital world. With a network of contacts within the design and graphic print industry, she played a pivotal role in shaping the event’s identity.

Joining her in the endeavour was Dick Nicholson, whose passion for genealogy proved instrumental in connecting family members from across the world.

John comments, “We three gelled from the outset, and we would work hand in hand with the local authorities, and attended the workshops organized by them.”

He continues, “The gatherings have since strengthened family bonds, and ties throughout the world. It built a great connection with America, Canada, South America, Australia, New Zealand and many more countries.”

The Gathering in motion

The first gathering ran across three days and consisted of five events - two lectures, a coach tour, a walking tour and a gala dinner.

The venue for the gathering was Dooley’s Hotel in Waterford, where Julian Walton lectured on the Aylward Irish History.

Speaking on his role in the gatherings, Julian says, “the Aylward families have played a major part in the history of Waterford, Passage East and County Kilkenny since their arrival with the Norman invasion in the 1170s.

“During the 1960s and 1970s, I was fortunate in being able to meet descendants of the Aylward families of Faithlegg and Shankill Castles and use their family papers when compiling a series of articles on the family for the ‘Irish Genealogist’.”

He added, “In more recent years, it has been a huge pleasure to be asked to speak at the Aylward Gatherings, to meet so many fascinating people from all over the world, and to help in bringing them together to share their common Aylward heritage.”

Following the lecture, the family embarked to Faithlegg, where they got to experience firsthand the history of the family that Julian had lectured about, before journeying to the townlands of Crooke and the village of Passage East, to see the remains of the Aylward Castle with the family coat of arms carved in stone above an ornate entrance doorway.

“What a festive feast it was,” John says, “having dined on the best of traditional Irish fare we were treated to wonderful Irish music by talented Waterford people.

“How delighted was I to see Aylward’s of many countries dance reels and hornpipes. The intrinsic ability to sing and tell a yarn is alive and well and truly fostered by the now international family of Aylward.”

Family bonds

The Gatherings have continued ever since, and John says the bonds, which were built during the first outing in 2013, continue to be strengthened.

“70 people attended the first gathering,” he said. “The beauty of that, was that they went back to their own countries, and told other people about it, so then in subsequent years, even more people came.

“So it has continued to grow, and we might have had about 700 people arrive for gatherings since 2013.

“We came as settlers but we saw the Irish culture and heritage, we saw the value in the Irish character, we adopted and fostered that value and became as Irish as the Irish themselves. Now this is our homeland, Erin go bragh. Ireland forever.”

Looking to the future John Aylward will be retiring from the gatherings this year, over a decade since he started the project. John says, however, that the gatherings will be passed down to the next generation who will continue to strengthen the family bond.

There are six people who are presently interested in taking on the role of gathering organizers, coming from Chicago, Kansas, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, England, and Australia.

Stories from Waterford’s Aylwards across the globe

Judy Aylward Monaco: Chicago, Illinois, US

My name is Judy Aylward Monaco and I am from Chicago, Illinois in the United States. I have been fortunate to attend two Aylward Gatherings. The Gatherings have been such a unique experience for me, and they have given me the opportunity to learn so much about my family roots and my surname. Above all, they afforded me the opportunity to meet other Aylward’s from around the globe, who have become lifelong friends.

I will forever be grateful to John Aylward for organizing all the gatherings; also for his endless knowledge to provide to me about the Aylward name. I am grateful that the Gatherings introduced me to the beautiful country of Ireland, especially Waterford and hopefully there will be more Aylward gatherings in the future. No matter what, I know I will be back to visit Waterford. Ireland feels like a home away from home to me.

Patrice Aylward: Prince Edward Island, Canada

Learning the history of the Aylward clan in Ireland was made so rich by seeing the actual places where our ancestors walked. We were off the beaten track taken by most other tourists, connecting with others also searching for authentic Ireland. We found it along the River Suir in Waterford, in tea and scones in Faithlegg, from the staff at Dooley’s Hotel and through the guidance of John Aylward, our host.

The historians who presented and lectured in the evenings helped us to understand the complicated journey of the first Aylward’s in Ireland, mirroring the complex history of Waterford and the southeast of the country. Things that were initially cloudy in our minds, ‘who was Strongbow?’, ‘how did we get to Ireland?’, were all made clear.

My greatest takeaways were meeting other Aylward’s from Ireland, Canada and the United States and experiencing the warm and open culture of people in Waterford. Memories for a lifetime.

Karen Aylward: Prince Edward Island, Canada

The family links were all around us as we grew up in Prince Edward Island, Canada, so it was no surprise that we felt so connected to a place we had never visited. One of our early experiences was arriving in Tipperary and meeting with Joe O’Meara, a family name common in Prince Edward Island. He opened his store after hours to give us cheese, milk and eggs for the morning, as well as a few good laughs.

Visiting Waterford and the many Aylward-connected people and places was of course why we visited Ireland and was so very special. We were instantly welcomed to the historic area by John Aylward, charming and so witty. We have since visited Ireland many times and kept in close contact with John. He is a dear friend to all of us.

Leta Atkinson: Saskatchewan, Canada

In late august 2023, John Aylward of Waterford, once again gathered Aylward’s from all over the world to come home to Ireland and celebrate our ancestors and meet and get to know our many scattered cousins from all over the world.

Our family’s connections to John was established when my sister Pat and I travelled to Ireland with our parents, who were in their late 80s at the time. It was kismet that we met John.

We rented a cottage in Dunmore East. John picked us up and we toured the area, showing us important places to my mother’s side of the family, prior to Richard Aylward’s immigration to Prince Edward Island in Canada in the mid-1800s.

Six generations later Edward Aylward, my grandfather, came west with his wife Bertha Ready, to settle and farm in the bread basket of the world, the Canadian prairies in Saskatchewan.

Attending the Aylward Gathering in Waterford has been meaningful to me. I have been surprised, truly delighted, and astounded to have met many unknown relatives with so much in common, Aylward’s from all over the world, Canada, the USA, Britain, Australia and South Africa.

The 2023 Aylward Gathering in Waterford was attended by four of my mother’s five children, Patricia, Leta, Bob and Mike. The fifth and youngest sister attended the first gathering with her nephew Shane and niece Michelle in 2013. My mom would have been so happy that we all made it back to home in Ireland.

My granddaughter, Allie, was born on St. Patrick’s Day. I have said since her birth, we are going to Ireland for her 18th birthday. All my relations are welcome to join us and as the Irish say, ‘May the road rise up and meet you.’

Piers Michael Aylward Smith, Australia

My interest in these places started to take hold during my first visit, especially as they were associated with my Irish Aylward ancestors. However, during the visit in 2023, I experienced a whole new awakening. I had been armed with relevant documented dates and places. With my increased knowledge of the fact that we were the progenitors of the first Aylward’s to land in Ireland, this visit to Passage East had suddenly taken on a whole new meaning.

My knowledge of family history has been expanded by walking in the footsteps of my Aylward ancestors, increasing my understanding and pride in my Aylward ancestry, and reflecting on just how finite human endeavours can be.

I enjoyed renewing Aylward acquaintances from previous visits and meeting new ones.

Thank you John, for years of work on these ‘Family Gatherings’ and for your very informing and entertaining commentary throughout the tour. It made the excursions so very memorable and enjoyable.

The Aylward name has long been linked with Waterford, since the arrival of the Normans in Waterford in 1171.

History of the Aylwards since the arrival of the Normans

From their origins in East Waterford the Aylward name has since taken root in south Kilkenny, as far as the west of Ireland, and Dublin.

The name has also found its way onto the Waterford Mayoral listing quite a few times, with one such example being James Aylward, who holds the honour of being the longest serving mayor over successive years in Waterford, from 1935 to 1940.

Notable Aylwards

Other notable Aylward’s include, Gladys Aylward, who was played by Ingrid Bergman in the 1958 film, ‘Inn of the Sixth Happiness’.

Margaret Aylward, who has a plaque to her memory erected in Waterford City, became a pioneer of the boarding-out system in the nineteenth century, where poor children were fostered to wealthier country families away from the city, a radical new idea at the time.

Meanwhile, Alfred Aylward fought in the First Boer War, and took part in arguably the greatest British Army defeat until the Fall of Singapore in 1942.

Castle at Faithlegg and Cromwell Ejection

Speaking on the vast history of the family, Julian Walton explains, “They held their castle and lands at Faithlegg against all comers until they were ejected by Cromwell, providing several mayors and sheriffs to the city.

“In later times, they have made their mark in many different ways. In 1781, Captain Peter Aylward of the British army (born at Shankill Castle near Paulstown) successfully defended Elizabeth Castle in Jersey when the island was overrun by the French.

“Alfred Aylward from New Ross had an adventurous career as a Fenian and then as a miner, soldier and journalist in South Africa.

“Margaret Aylward of Waterford City organised the care of the poor orphaned children of Dublin, was a pioneer of the boarding-out system, and founded the Sisters of the Holy Faith.”