The surname Meighan was first found in County Leitrim (Irish: Liatroim) anciently the western half of the kingdom of Breifne, located in Northeastern Ireland, in Leinster province, Originally, “Ó Miadhacháin, this is the name of at least two distinct septs; it is now equally distributed throughout the four provinces.”

Among the many spelling variations of the surname Meighan that are preserved in archival documents are Meighan, Meehan, Meegin, Meeghen, Meegan, Meakin, Meakins, Mekins, Mehan, Mehen, Mehigan, Mehegan, O’Meighan, O’Meehan and many more…

Thank you to my 2nd cousin, Ann Scully, for restoring this photo and sharing with the family via Facebook.  The old photograph was faded and blurry. Ann preformed a miracle!!

My great grandmother, Mary (Meehan) Phillips with her grandson, my father, Bernard P. Phillips.

Passenger ID: 102902013028
Line Number: 398
Ship Name: Teutonic
Arrival Date: June 9, 1897
Port of Departure: Queenstown

Featured Image – Ship of Travel: Teutonic
Photo courtesy of: Peabody Essex Museum
(The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.)

About the Ship
Build by Harland and Wolff Limited, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1889. 9,686 gross tons; 582 (bp) feet long; 57 feet wide. Steam Triple Expansion engines, single crew. Service speed 20 knots. 1,490 passengers (300 first class, 190 second class, 1000 third class). Two funnels, three masts.

Ship History
Build for White Star and Dominion Lines in 1889 and named Teutonic. Liverpool and New York service. Captured Blue Ribbon in 1891.

Scrapped in 1921.

1906 — Mary Phillips and her daughter, Annie, returning to Chicago from Wilkinstown, Ireland.

Passenger ID: 102324080103 / 102324080104
Line Number: 12
Ship Name: Carmania
Arrival Date: November 10, 1906
Port of Departure: Queenstown

Navan, the county town, is in pleasant undulating country at the meeting of the Boyne and Black-water Rivers, with a recently developed industry deriving from mineral deposits. Navan is now one of the major centres for furniture manufacture in the country.

Boyne Valley in County Meath, Ireland The fertile Boyne Valley in County Meath first attracted settlers during the Stone Age. Remains of this ancient civilization are plentiful in the area and include Newgrange, the finest Neolithic tomb in Ireland.

In Celtic times, the hill of Tara became the seat of the High Kings of Ireland and was the Celts’ spiritual and political capital. Tara retained its importance up until the Norman invasion in the 1100s.

Meath’s rich soil has sustained hunters and farmers from ancient times up to the present day and has permitted artisans and craftsmen to create complex structures such as Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth and the passage graves of Lough Crew.

The breathtaking beauty of the Boyne Valley still retains its capacity to attract visitors today just as it attracted the Celts and Normans centuries ago.

Apart from historical sites and beautiful views, the Royal County, as Meath is known, boasts a wide range of activities. Angling, shooting and horse-riding are all readily available. Cycling is an ideal way to explore the treasures of this County.

Featured Image:  Navan, Co. Meath, circa 1900.