Remembering Kitty Horgan

By Sunny Crowley

Kitty was the first person I met at my first Crowley reunion in 2005. She sparkled at me and I called her cousin. We seemed to talk and talk. I felt an immediate connection to this lovely, bright and interesting woman. Her husband and life partner Tim Horgan was as interesting as she. I sat with them at JJ's bar one night and then gave them a ride back to where they were staying. We talked about many things, my love of Ireland and their love of horses. I love horses, and they love Ireland too, of course, but you get the idea. During that Clan Gathering one of the horses they had bred won an event in the Olympics. Kitty was very excited about that.

On a later trip I met with Kitty at a Crowley Clan Council meeting. She was wonderful to me once again. It was as if we had known each other a long while. She invited me over to an early dinner before I went back to Hawaii and I was delighted to accept her offer. When I arrived, Tim, Kitty and I talked about their land, their family, their life together, and how they had traded horses their entire lives. Kitty told of hauling a huge trailer full of horses across the Irish Sea on the Ferry to grazing land they had in England. She and Tim did this many times. Kitty would stay with the horses for the season or until the sale. She told me stories about slinging hay, and feed bags, and much more. I could just imagine that spry and so full of life woman doing all those things.

While we were talking over dinner Tim offered to show me their country place on the ocean in Clan Cool Beg, Bandon, near Liam and Martin Crowley homes. So off we went and oh what an adventure. Kitty was quite the driver! I would be happy to share with you the beautiful photos I took of Kitty at sunset opening and closing the gate locks and trudging through the fields with me. Email me at sunnyc8@gmail.net and I will email them to you.

I felt honored that they asked if I was interested in buying this family land. I regret not being able to buy that land as it was a life's dream to me. I will always cherish my memories of Kitty Horgan and am grateful for the time I was able know her and she me. I will miss her and pray that Tim stay well and with us for a bit longer. I know he and his family miss her a lot more than I.
 

This appeared in the Crowley Clan Newsletter, November 2006