Archibald McIlroy was born at ‘Fluther Loanin’ Mill Road, Ballyclare, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the 22nd September 1859, the son of Ezekiel and Margaret Sarah McIlroy (née McMurthy). He was one of four children, but two, a brother and a sister died of tuberculosis in early life, leaving Archibald McIlroy with just one brother, named James. James later moved to Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, where he developed a prosperous business.
After education in Ballyclare itself, at the age of sixteen, Archibald McIlroy moved to Belfast, where he continued to study at The Mercantile Academy and then The Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He had originally intended to enter the Ministry, but instead passed an examination for a clerkship for The Ulster Bank for whom he worked for many years. Work in the coal trade then followed, before he became a successful stock broker.
On the 2nd September 1890, he had married Anna Caroline Montgomery, the daughter of The Reverend and Mrs. Adam Montgomery of Ballycairn. The couple set up home
at Glenvale, Drumbo, County Down where they had one son, whom they named James.
Mr. McIlroy took an active interest in local affairs and was for some time a member of the Down Town Council and a Justice of the Peace. He was also an active Liberal, believing in the cause of Home Rule, and intended standing for Parliament for an Ulster constituency until ill-health necessitated a lengthy period of recuperation in Switzerland.
It was not until middle life, however, that he developed the talent for which he later became justifiably famous. This was described in the Irish newspaper The Northern Whig, after his death and stated: -
He had a marked literary gift, and in "When Lint Was In The Bell," and "Auld Meetinghouse Green," and various sketches, he did for Ulster what Ian Maclaron did for Scotland in delineating the life and character of Ulster especially in connection with its Presbyterianism. His books were extensively read, and were very popular."
He began writing about his local community - usually hiding its identity and those of his characters, with different names - Ballyclare became Craig Linnie, for instance - when his son James was five years old and pressing his father for a new story. His first success, in 1897, was The Sound Of A Voice That Is Still, which was based on his first schoolmistress. He followed this with When Lint Was In The Bell, which became his most popular book, and his own personal favourite, and told of village life in the area, many years before.
He followed this with The Auld Meetin' Hoose Green in 1898 and By Lone Craig Linney Burn in 1900. Others included Burnside, The Snow Wreath, The Humour of Druid's Island and The Banker's Love Story, which was published as a successful serial in a national newspaper. Not only did he achieve success in his native land but also amongst ex-patriates in America, Australia, and many other parts of the colonies. He also wrote many articles for popular magazines and journals of the day and successfully lectured on his subjects with the aid of lantern slides!
In 1912, he and his family immigrated to Canada and settled in Edmonton, Alberta, where, apart from pursuing his professional skills, Archibald McIlroy was particularly active in missionary work for the Presbyterian Church. The family home there was at 9022, 105th Street, South Side.
In the spring of 1915, he decided to return home to Belfast, via Liverpool, and at the end of April, leaving his wife and son in Canada, he set out by rail for New York. There, he boarded the Lusitania at Pier 54 as a second cabin passenger, before she left for her last ever trans-Atlantic crossing, just after mid-day on 1st May. She should have left at 10.00a.m., but a delayed departure was brought about because she had to take on board passengers, cargo and some of the crew from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which the British Admiralty requisitioned as a troop ship at the end of April
Six days later he was dead - killed on the afternoon of 7th May, after the liner was torpedoed and sunk, by the German submarine U-20, off the southern Irish coast and within hours of her destination. As his body was never recovered from the sea and identified, he has no known grave. He was aged 55 years.
The Northern Whig said of him in its edition of 11th May 1915: -
He was a man of genial and kindly disposition, and modest and unassuming in character, and was held in high esteem.
The Ollar View - the journal of The Ballyclare and District Historical Society gave a more full account of his talents and accomplishments, in its third issue in 1999, when it stated: -
In appearance he was a tall man with erect figure, dark expressive eyes, a black moustache and slightly greying hair. He was a man of staunch religious convictions and a strong supporter of the church of his fathers. Because he had a keen eye, a retentive memory and a flair for writing, he became the successful author of quite a number of books. All these portrayed the characteristics of the people among whom he had spent his youth. Indeed his books show us in a remarkable way the brilliance with which he captured the spirit of the age in which he lived and the quiet peaceful countryside that was typical of East Antrim in the latter half of the 19th Century.
After his death, his son, James, had a memorial tablet placed on the wall of Ballyclare Presbyterian Church, beside the old family pew, but the author of the article in Ollar View, perhaps ended it in the best possible way when he stated: -
..... but what better memorial can a person leave than `written words of yesteryear' that will always keep Archibald McIlroy's name alive?
Anna McIlroy and her son, James, returned to Great Britain on board the St. Louis shortly after the loss of the Lusitania, and while living with friends in London, Anna wrote to the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, claiming £1,300 compensation for the loss of her husband and possessions. She stated that the family had intended returning to Ireland permanently and that her husband was in possession of £200 cash, £50 worth of jewellery, and personal effects and household furniture to the value of £50. The balance of her claim, for £1,000, was for the loss of her husband. It is not known if her claim was successful, but it would not have been decided upon until the ending of the War.
Mrs. McIlroy also submitted a claim to the Canadian Commission; however, she later withdrew it.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1911 Census of Ireland, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, Cunard Records, Canadian Claims Case No. 884, Edmonton Journal, Irish News, Northern Whig, Ollar View, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/51, UniLiv D92/2/292, Graham Maddocks, Bob Armstrong, Ronnie Hazzard, Archie Reid, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.