These are just some of the photos taken by Archie MacLellan for the 200th anniversary of the landing at Town Point of the founder of Antigonish, Colonel Timothy Hierlihy. If you find yourself in these photos, please identify yourself by responding in the comment box. You will see Mayor Colin Chisholm, Bishop William Power, Eileen Cameron Henry, Rev. Ralph Weber, J. K. MacDonald, Ray MacLean, Angus MacQuarrie.
The first Heritage Walk for Health took place at the Church of England memorial site for Timothy Hierlihy and his company of Loyalist soldiers and their families over the summer of 2014. It took the form of a theatrical pilgrimage, and in the spirit of popular theatre, as its title 1784: (Un)Settling Antigonish suggests, we drew our performers from the cultural groups of the characters they represented. The performers took ownership of the script, speaking truth to history and challenging the Eurocentric written history of the founding of Antigonish. In so doing, they challenged the very concept of historical re-enactment, which in the 1984 version leaves Mi’kmaq and Black Loyalists out of Antigonish’s founding story.
Descendents of Colonel Timothy Hierlihy responded to these photos, noting that in the 1984 re-enactment, Colonel Timothy Hierlihy was played by John Douglas O’Hara. We are not sure what daughter Kathleen O’Hara means when she says her Dad was the last living descendant of Col. Hierlihy. Granddaughter Bernadine MacLean adds that his mother, her great-grandmother, was Anna Mae Hierlihy.
The 4th picture down…is that not Angus Kell on the right?
My grandfather John Douglas O’Hara appears as Col Timothy Hierlihy. His Mother was Anna Mae Hierlihy.
John Douglas O’Hara (my dad) was the last living descendant of Col. Timothy Hierlihy. It would be nice to see his name listed.
You and your children and grandchildren are descendants of Colonel Timothy Hierlihy. So did you mean your Dad John Douglas O’Hara was the last descendant of Colonel Hierlihy still living in Antigonish i 1984? I understand that a Hierlihy descendant with the Hierlihy name moved to Antigonish a couple years ago.
Earlier this evening I met a young man named John Hierlihy who mentioned that he is a descendant of Timothy Hierlihy. John, who is now living in Halifax, was brought up in New Brunswick,. He studied engineering at STFX before continuing at Dal. He would have been at STFX a few years ago.
Yes that is what I meant to say. My apologies for the error.
Where can I find this monument?
Timothy’s Brother Phillip is my 6 x Great Grandfather. So this would make Timothy my 6 x Great Uncle.
Timothy’s Brother Phillip was my 6 x great grandfather making Timothy my 6 x great uncle.
Out past the hospital on Seabright Rd in Antigonish
My Dad was told at the time he was the last living descendant of the hierlihy clan living in Antigonish. And now I think there is a Hierlihy family that has moved here. Timothy Hierlihy would have been our 8th great grandfather from what I can trace back.
There is still Herlihys My Dad is in mostly all these pictures John Douglas O’Hara He has since passed in 2006.
I was lead to believe Timothy was born in Ireland. Correct?
Yes, the Hierlihy family hail from County Cork, Ireland. Ballyvourney. Timothy Hielihy baptized 1734
at St. Gobnait’s Church. The Hierlihy family were the ecclesiastical stewards of St. Gobnait’s relic. This is taken up in the DVD of our 2015 Pilgrimage 1784: Unsettling Antigonish, which Denise Davies created.
Thank you Dorothy Lander for this information. Timothy’s brother Phillip is my 5th great grandfather.
I was planning to visit Ballyvourny and St Gobnait’s prepandemic.
Hopefully we will be there soon.
Is the DVD you are mentioning still available?
So we are related. Hello Cousin
Our family has been Herlihy now for several generations. I am from Western Massachusetts.
Lovely to hear from you Carla – a fifth generation Hierlihy – wow!. More Irish in your part of the world than in Antigonish now. Yes, the DVD is available online on the website of HARP Publishing The People’s Press. more details here: https://www.harppublishing.ca/books/1784-unsettling-antigonish-film/
Dorothy Lander