Michael Byrne was born on 12 August 1871 in the Faythe, Wexford Town. His parents were Miles Byrne, a sailor, and Joanna Hayes, a sailor’s daughter.

The Faythe, a street to the South of Wexford Town, was the seafaring quarter of the town. Also known as the “Valley of the Wooden Hams”, this nickname referred to the sailors’ wives’ custom of displaying a wooden ham in the house window to fool the neighbours into thinking that they were affluent enough to afford a whole ham. The wooden hams were on display especially when sailor husbands were away at sea, and their wages with them. If there was anything worse than being on hard times, it was when neighbours knew you were on hard times.

Michael must have been quite an unusual phenomenon for Catholic Wexford, as he was an only child. The reasons why this might have been are open to speculation. His parents did, however, marry late and his mother, Joanna, was 38 when she had Michael. Joanna’s younger sister, Margaret, stood as godparent for Michael on the day following his birth.

In March 1879, at the age of seven, Michael started at the Christian Brothers School in the Faythe. It seems that he was already advanced in reading at that stage, the Brothers assigning him a grade 2. In May, he was transferred to the 2nd Christian Brothers School.

In July 1882, when Michael was 10, he stood as godparent for his cousin, John Joseph Devereux. This cousin was the son of his maternal aunt, Margaret, by now married to Michael Devereux. Michael Byrne’s role in the baptism is significant as it marks the development of the relationship between Michael and his Devereux cousins, which would carry over to Liverpool in years to come.

In 1886 Michael passed his Intermediate Certificate, Junior Grade, obtaining honours in Euclid but failing French. Perhaps the fact that he was an only child afforded Michael more advantages than others – his sitting of the exam is relevant. Only 34 other boys in all of County Wexford sat that exam in 1886.

There follows a 15-year gap in records when Michael probably worked as a sailor on various ships. It is possible that he spent some of the time before 1901 in Greater London. The photo to the left was taken at the Curzon Studios (115 & 168 The Grove, Stratford & 656 Romford Road, Manot Park). However, by 1901 Michael had emigrated to Liverpool and was living as a boarder, while working as a mariner.

In 1903 Michael’s uncle, Michael Devereux, died when washed overboard, acting as look out on the SS Sutherland on the Mersey. Although not living in Liverpool, Michael’s uncle would have visited him on his stopover in Liverpool. This tragic event may have encouraged Michael to take a further interest in the welfare of his Devereux cousins.

Michael Byrne met Mary Ann O’Flaherty around this time and married her in 1904. One family story says that Michael Byrne knew Mary Ann in Wexford Town when they were children. In fact, they certainly had lived, if not actually in the same street at the same time, only a few streets away from each other.

At the time of the couple’s marriage, Michael’s father, Miles, was already dead and it does not appear that any family members travelled to Liverpool for the wedding. Michael and Mary Ann took up residence at what was to become the family home, 19 Tennyson Street.

In 1919 tragedy again struck when Michael’s 24-year-old cousin, Anastasia Devereux, died of tuberculosis. She had been living in Liverpool and Michael was with her at her death. Anastasia’s brother, Stephen Devereux, then moved to Liverpool where he, and his family, remained in close contact with the Byrnes until long after Michael’s death.

Michael Byrne and Mary Ann O’Flaherty had four children :

Joseph Byrne, born 1905
Mary Ann Byrne (May), born 1906
Johanna Byrne (Jinny), born 1908
Dora Teresa Byrne (Dolly), born 1909

Life as a sailor had some perks and one of them was a parrot. The Byrne family was pictured on several occasions, with their pet parrot, no doubt a trophy from some voyage Michael had made to more exotic climes!

Michael worked variously as a mariner, in the merchant service, and a dock labourer. As his listing at both of these occupations seems to follow no consecutive dates, I assume that Michael was not always able to find work as a sailor and had to sometimes work on the docks.

However, by 1929 when Mary Ann died, Michael had become a boatswain. Thought to have worked for the White Star Line, Michael Byrne was photographed on several occasions, wearing the lanyard and call whistle of his trade. A boatswain’s position was one of responsibility. On a merchant ship the boatswain was the foreman of the ship's deck crew and was sometimes also third or fourth mate.

Following Mary Ann’s death, the Byrne family moved to Chesnut Grove, Liverpool. The family was now composed of Michael and his three adult daughters, Dolly, Jinny and May. Being from a traditional background, Michael expected his eldest daughter, May, to undertake the housekeeping role after his wife’s death.

Michael retired from seafaring and took up employment as a Tally Clerk for a shipping company. Much to the dismay of his daughters, it is said that Michael became something of a semi-recluse in his later years, not liking to leave the house or for others to visit. In 1947 when his daughter, Jinny, eventually married he would not attend her wedding as she was marrying a Protestant. Whether religious conviction or anti-social tendencies were the culprit we cannot be sure.

On 22 April 1949, Michael was admitted to the hospital on Belmont Road, Liverpool. He died the next day from broncho pneumonia and is buried with his wife and daughters in Ford Cemetery, Liverpool.