My name is Tony McMahon – born Anthony Ross McMahon in 1963 in London. You may have seen me on Discovery, History, Smithsonian or other TV documentaries channels talking history – which is something of a lifelong obsession. Let’s face it – history is something the Irish love to talk about.

My parents are now sadly both deceased – Peter McMahon (1937-2021) and Alice McMahon (1932-2016). Peter was born and grew up in Ireland while Alice was born and grew up in Portugal. I have an Ancestry.com account so look up my family tree and expand your McMahon connections!

The two Irish families that dominate the closest part of my family tree are the McMahon and McEnhill clans. Both families are from what is now Northern Ireland. The McMahons are the Monaghan branch, not the Limerick branch. The town of Killybracky in county Tyrone pops up a great deal among the McMahons closest to me and the town of Tattykeel with the McEnhills.

Many members of the family migrated to the United States and Scotland. My great grandfather’s brother Francis McEnhill was a lieutenant in the US cavalry and fought in the Spanish American War – in Cuba and the Philippines. Another of my relatives, Mary McMahon – born in 1879 – ended up in a convent in Oklahoma from where she wrote mournful letters back home to Ireland asking for shamrocks and leaves from her parents’ grave to be mailed over.

Charles McMahon has a fascinating life story. He took part as a boy in the 1916 Easter Uprising in Dublin against British rule and then the burning down of the Custom House in 1921. During that incident, he was shot in the head. After surgery a few years later, he then went on to become a national hurling champion and renowned sportsman in Ireland. Quite incredible!

Information sharing makes it easier for all of us to find out more about our family history so your comments are very welcome and I hope we can make many interesting discoveries together in the months ahead!