Contents:-

From poor migrant to police Inspector.

The Story of Roger (Rody) Byrne 1856 - 1935.

By Colonel John Hunter

Roger (Rody) was the third son of James Beirne (who is recorded as born Killummod, Co Roscommon) and Margaret Nerney (born Tubbermurray, Cloonboyoge, Shankill. Near Elphin. Co Roscommon). James parent's were Francis Beirne (sic) and Winifred Monaghan/Moraghan.

Roger's townland of origin is not known. He listed his place of birth as Killukin, Roscommon at marriage in 1884 and as Killucan, Co Roscommon when he registered the birth of his daughter Violet Irene (Rene). It is still to be determined if Killukin refers to the townland of Killukin, the Civil Parish of Killukin or the then combined Catholic Parish of Killuk-Killummod now re-named Croghan Catholic Parish.

He was baptised as Roger Beirne (sic) on 29 July 1856 in Killukin-Killummod Catholic Parish, now known as Croghan Catholic Parish, Co. Roscommon. Baptismal sponsors were John Collins and Catherine Glancy.He was known as Roderick or by the nickname of Rody,

Rody arrived in Australia with his parents and siblings on the first trip of the sailing ship, "Golden City" in 1863. The passenger list shows James Beirne (sic) 35, wife Margaret 33 years, Frank 11, Ellen 9, Patrick 7, Roger 6, and infant James less than 1 year. His two year old sister Margaret was left behind and joined the family in 1877. Margaret is listed on the passenger list of the "Southesk" as Margaret Beirne (sic).

Despite the fact that Rody was baptised as Beirne and travelled to Australia as Beirne, the family has always been recorded in Australia as Byrne. As his parents were not literate it is assumed that some clerk recorded the family as Byrne on arrival and that is the name to this day,

Roy was an early arrival in the State of Queensland. In 1860 there were only 20,000 non-aboriginal people living in Queensland, mainly in the southeast comer. In 1861 there were only 7000 Catholics and four Catholic Churches in the State.

Roger (Rody) was an exceptional horseman and on the 19 January 1874, at 18, he joined the Queensland Mounted Police and after six months training was drafted to the Maranoa and Mitchell districts. He served 49 years and became a legend in the force.

On marriage in 1884, he was listed as bachelor, senior constable, age 25 years, residence Isisford, born Killukin, Roscommon, Ireland; witnesses were Patrick Byrne and Kate Byrne. Marriage register at St Stephens Cathedral shows born Killucan, mother Margaret Nartney (sic).

In records at The Cattleman's Hall of Fame in Winton. Queensland, Constable Byrne is cited as being involved in the capture of murderers in 1902 called the "Kenniff family".

Essentially an officer of the outer reaches, he served South to Warwick and West to Thargomindah and Hungerford, North to Normanton and to the shores of Gulf of Carpentaria He specialised in prevention of! stock theft.

In an unnamed and undated paper, possibly 1927, there is the following report on Rody: " 'Pa'  Rody (Roderick) is the widely known ex-Sub Inspector Byrne, holding in retirement the unbroken record of 49 years service in the Queensland Police. In that period he has done duty at many widely separated stations in the State. His first move en route to Blackall was to take Cobb's (Cobb and Co) coach in 1874 to Ipswich, train to Dalby, coach to Roma, and horse through roadless and trackless miles, via Condamine, to his destination to serve under that whitest of white men, the late Chief Inspector, then Sergeant John (Jacky) Ahearne, whose son is the popular Wickham- terrace medico. "Rody'' in 1881 opened Stoney Point Station (now Windorah), having often gone there (250 miles) on horseback to keep his eye on the races. Isisford, (16 years), Tambo (twice), Toowoomba (1889), Dalby, Warwick, Chariers Towers (1907), "Sub" (sub-inspector) 1908, at Georgetown followed. At the last place, his startling experiences in the notable Kenniff case stood him in good service in that other big Queensland unsolved crime mystery, the Carpentaria Downs murder (September 1908). A period at Cloncurry was followed by a transfer to Roma, where he retired, 1923."

He retired from the Police Force on 1 January 1923 after serving 49 years. At retirement he was serving in Roma as Sub-Inspertor. He tried to extend his retirement for a year to clock up 50 years in the Police Force, without success.

His memoirs were published each month from 16 October 1923 to 16 December 1926 in the "Graziers Review." A copy is held in the John Oxley Library Brisbane. The memoirs report that at the time of the notorious unsolved ''Carpentaria Murder" involving the Wilsons, Roderick (Rody) was sent to the Gulf country where he spent some time. His own definite view on who the culprit was; "the Wilson spouse."

According to Irene Quilty, his niece, he was 6 foot tall, broad shouldered, beautiful silvery hair, lovely, gentle, kind but firm nature. Nice, lovely, always gentle and kind. Example: Grandma Charlotte had a Bowen mango tree in her garden and while weeding Irene Quilty pulled it out. Rody said ''O my girl -that’s Grandma’s pride and joy'' and he put it into the ground again. Grandma watered it assiduously but alas and alack - it turned its face to the wall and died, "Who did it?" she wanted to know. "I pulled it out by mistake," said Rody. According to Con Byrne of Coorparoo, with the passing years Rody became more handsome even than in his prime, as his photographs testify.

Rody died in 1935, aged 78 and was buried at Nudgee, Brisbane, Queensland, with wife and daughter Lily. The design of the shamrocks on his tomb is preserved on the O'Beirne coat of arms drawn by Con Byrne of Coorparoo, Brisbane, in 1990. They ornament the Irish harp.

Roger married Charlotte (Lottie) Owens on 3 Jan 1884 in St Stephens Cathedral, Brisbane. Rody and Charlotte celebrated their Golden Wedding at a family function at Lennons Hotel, Brisbane, in 1934. According to Charlotte's descendants, she used to tell them long into her widowhood, "I used to talk everything over with my dear husband and then go ahead and please myself". (Author's note: this sounds familiar). Husband Rody, was strong, soft spoken and gentle. When Charlotte would indulge her temperament, he'd quietly "tut tut" and depart.

Charlotte had a nephew named Major Wilcocks. Major was his given name; in World War 1 he was Private Major Wilcocks.

John Hunter   Is a retired Australian Army officer who served in Vietnam where he was liaison to American forces. His wife Betty is descended from James Byrne (O'Beirne) of Killummod, Co. Roscommon.

(PO Box 14, Maleny, Queensland 4552)                                          Email   ohaylock@bigpond.com

O’Beirnes in Nevada

Raymond J. O'Beirne has become one of the very few O'Beirnes to settle in Nevada – telephone directories list only two others, both in Las Vegas, one of them a direct descendant of 1812 Virginia immigrant Patrick Beirne. Ray writes that he has bought and is refurbishing an old house on a couple of acres at an altitude of 5200 feet at Genoa, near Carson City. Genoa, population 250, is the oldest town in Nevada and has the oldest bar in the State. Up to last year he was living in oceanfront retirement at Westport on the foggy coast of northern California. This was after more than 30 years on the San Jose Police force when he was involved in all facets of police work. He won the California Police Heavyweight Championship in 1976. Earlier he served in the U S. Army and Marine Corps.

Ray's grandfather, Patrick, emigrated from somewhere in County Roscommon to become a railroad engineer in the western United States. He died of pneumonia following a trip to Ireland and Ray's father, also Patrick, then had to leave school in second grade to help take care of his brother and two sisters. He was never able to have further formal education and at age 15 was working in the coalmines. After service in World War I he went to live in Chicago where now descendants of the family include three attorneys. He died when Ray was aged six.

More about David Beirne

David Beirne (page 125 in The Family 0’Beirne), chairman of Beirne/Ramsay Associates, the renowned firm of executive headhunters which he co-founded on the day of the 1987 stockmarket crash, was described in the October, 1997, issue of Vanity Fair magazine as a key figure of and a large force among the 50 most powerful players of the information age: the ."New Establishment." Bill Gates of Microsoft was no. 1. The account gave an illustration of how David operates by relentless lobbying: to find a top executive for Microsoft he made 400 telephone calls, put 79 candidates on his long list, conducted 29 face-to-face interviews, and showed five people to Gates - all in eleven weeks. He is regarded from activities such as this as almost single-handedly turning head hunting into as quasi-glamorous a field as Hollywood agenting. David has now moved from New York State - though remaining chairman of his headhunting firm there - to Silicon Valley, California. There he is a partner in Benchmark, a venture capital firm, and hopes to "build the Netscape’s of the future." His father was a top executive in General Motors.