Family Lairs of the Donlan–Flaherty–McHale Lineage

My cousin James Donlan and his wife Donna co-authored this article. James and Donna discovered four interconnected family lairs. The lairs are positioned just a few yards apart within the Ballingry Cemetery in Fife, Scotland. This finding has deepened our understanding of the Donlan, Flaherty, and McHale lineage. These lairs represent 175 years of intertwined history. One family lair contains six burials, an uncommon feature in modern Scottish cemeteries, where the legal maximum is usually three.

What Is a Lair?

In Scottish tradition, a lair is a family burial plot purchased for permanent use, often handed down through generations. Each lair functions much like a small parcel of land deeded to a family. Historic lairs, especially those dating before the 20th century, were typically dug nine to twelve feet deep. This depth allowed several burials to be placed one above another with layers of earth between them.

Modern burial regulations are overseen by local councils in Fife and other regions. These generally limit new lairs to three burials. This restriction is based on soil stability, groundwater protection, and the use of mechanical digging equipment. Older lairs, however, often exceed that number because they were originally excavated by hand to considerable depths. Some were reopened over time as family members passed away, a practice known as reusing the lair.

Owning a family lair is distinct from owning cemetery land. Families purchase the right of burial, not the ground itself. These rights are recorded in local council registers and may remain in effect for many decades. The proximity of several Donlan and Flaherty lairs shows that families in tight-knit mining communities often bought neighboring plots. This ensured that kin remained close even in death.

The Flaherty-Murray Lair

This lair marks the resting place of Cecilia Murray (1876–1921) and her husband Michael Flaherty (1869–1938). Their grandson, John Donlan (1930–2016), also rests here, connecting three generations in one plot. The Flaherty-Murray line represents the earliest maternal branch, linking Irish ancestry to Scottish life through marriage and migration. This lair complies with modern burial limits.

The family pictured below includes Michael Flaherty and Cecilia Murray. They are with their children, Annie and Owen Flaherty. This was taken in the early 1900s. According to family historian James Donlan, the Flahertys owned a grocer’s shop in the Houston Building, South Glencraig. During the Great Strike, they provided credit and free food to local miners’ families who could not pay.

Annie helped run the shop as a teenager. When debts mounted, her father instructed her to stop supplying tobacco. He told her to focus only on essentials. He knew repayment would never come. After the strike, many miners’ families, ashamed of their debts, never returned, and the business struggled.

Owen later emigrated to New York, intending to bring his sister and parents across. However, Annie had fallen in love with James Donlan and chose to remain in Scotland. Owen went alone. He missed his sister deeply. After a short stay, he returned to Fife. Their sister Mary Flaherty remained in New York. Mary’s descendants include designer Victoria Hagan and actress Marianne Hagan.

John Donlan (1930-2016) fought in the Korean war. He received a letter from the president of the republic of Korea dated June 1, 2010. The letter thanked him for his service.

The Donlan–Flaherty Lair

Here lie James Donlan (1895–1934), his wife Annie Flaherty (1902–1992), and infant Cecilia Donlan (1932). Their shared lair bridges two family generations. James’s early death at 39 and the loss of baby Cecilia show the hardships of early 20th-century family life. Annie’s long lifespan, reaching 90 years, reflects endurance through the turn of the century. This lair also meets current burial depth standards.

The McHale–Donlan Lair

This headstone belongs to Michael McHale (1898–1988) and his wife Mary Ellen Donlan (1899–1996). Mary Ellen was sister to James Donlan, linking this lair to the others through blood and marriage. Their long lives spanned nearly the entire 20th century, embodying family resilience and longevity. This lair holds two burials, both within modern regulation.

The McHale–Donlan Lair also reflects the enduring closeness between the Scottish and American branches of the family. Mary Ellen Donlan and her husband, Michael McHale, maintained warm connections across the Atlantic. They were especially close with Mary Ellen’s nephew, Hugh Donlan of Scranton, Pennsylvania. A 1972 newspaper notice records Hugh and his wife, Margaret Holmes Donlan, and their daughter Peggy, visiting the McHales in Ballingry, Fife. They are described affectionately as “Mr. and Mrs. Donlan’s uncle and aunt.”

The McHales visited the Donlans in Scranton, Pennsylvania later in the 1970s. They met with many of their Donlan relatives during their visit.

In 1980, local Fife papers celebrated Michael and Mary Ellen’s diamond wedding. The celebration took place at the Junction Bar Lounge in Cowdenbeath. Relatives from both sides of the ocean attended. This included Mary Ellen’s niece, Sarah Douglas (later Fife), who traveled from America.

The McHales lived in Ballingry. They had a long marriage. Their enduring kinship with the Donlans in Scranton showed the strength of their family bonds. They remained close despite the distance between Fife and Pennsylvania.

The Six-Burial Lair

One family lair stands apart, with six interments in a single plot. This exceeds the standard three-burial limit and likely predates those restrictions. Historical practice in Fife and Angus often used deep family plots, vertically stacked with layers of earth between each coffin. This lair follows that pattern, six relatives buried successively and separated by compacted soil. It is both an engineering rarity and a powerful symbol of continuity.

Here’s what we know about the six family members in this extra large lair:

John Donlan (1845-1920)

We are lucky to have John’s baptismal record. It tells us who his parents were and where he was baptized (Diocese of Elphin in Ireland).

James McHale (1922-1926)

James was the son of Michael McHale (1898–1988) and Mary Ellen Donlan (1899–1996). The first of two children Michael and Mary Ellen lost at an early age.

Honor Donlan (1864-1930)

I believe this is “Honor Kelly Donlan”. She was baptized in the church of Knockmore, Parish of Backs, Diocese of Killela, County Mayo, Ireland. We have her baptismal information and her picture.

Terence McHale (1939-1941)

Terence was the son of Michael McHale (1898–1988) and Mary Ellen Donlan (1899–1996). The second of two children Michael and Mary Ellen lost at an early age.

Baby McHale (1958)

At this time, we have no information on a baby McHale who died shortly after being born in 1958.

Michael Donlan (1884-1972)

James Donlan sent me this note about Michael Donlan:

“I’ve being doing some research on the grave of Michael Donlan and can see the below family members are interred in Ballingry Cemetery along with him.

Michael never married and had no children of his own; he lived with Mary Ellen and Mick McHale.

Michael’s funeral was the first funeral I attended as a child and I remember his coffin being carried from St Bernard’s Church to Ballingry cemetery.

I believe he was a humorous man because I remember Mary Ellen laughing as she told us some of the things he would say. One day she told us that Michael had said to her that he’s had enough of her husband Mick and he told her you’ll have to get rid of him, which she found hilarious.”

Genealogical Context

Together, these four lairs trace the family’s journey:

• The Flahertys form the Irish maternal line.
• The Donlans represent the Scottish–Irish mining branch.
• The McHales enter through marriage into the Donlan line.
• The Murrays connect back to early Irish ancestry through Cecilia Murray.

Within a few square yards, four generations converge. It is an intimate map of heritage preserved in stone.

Reflection

Each lair tells more than names and dates. Together, they narrate migration, hardship, and endurance. These graves show how closely families once lived, and how they remain bound by faith and geography. As time erodes inscriptions, preserving their stories ensures that memory outlasts marble.

Call to Action: Record the inscriptions of your own family lairs and share their stories. Every name represents a chapter of history waiting to be retold.

Interested in coal mining stories? Try these:

• Two Coal Fields, One Life: My Father the Miner
• Discovering Family Ties Through James Slimming’s Photography
• Life and Loss at the Big Mary Mine