This picture was taken on May 25, 1995, when the family gathered to celebrate our grandparents 100 years marriage. They were Owen O´Brien and Rafaela Rebollo who married in Montevideo at 21 years old. They had a large family, 11 children and here you can see their descendants. Today, 2014, all those children sitting on the floor are married with children of their own.
I am Marcela Arocena O´Brien, daughter of Martha O´Brien Rebollo de Arocena, who is sitting in the middle, in black with a pearl necklace. She was very dear to all the family and died at 102 years old in 2006. You can see me behind the lady in a fur coat.
We were 9 cousins who planned in October to travel to Ireland to celebrate Brian Boru´s Millenium, but unfortunately, due to health problems in our families, one by one had to cancel the trip....
Our family story.
Owen O´Brien was born in 1873 in Atthlumney, Navan, Co.Meath. His parents were Thomas O´Brien and Katherine McGuiness and they lived in "The Mill´s Cottage", Athlumney and had many children of thrie own. He left Ireland when he was 14 years old, with two younger brothers, Willy and Johnny.
They came to Montevideo, Uruguay, where a cousin of Thomas, was willing to take care of them knowing the difficults her cousin had with a large family. She was Catherine O´Neill (married to Fernandez) the daughter of Mary O´Brien ((married to Bernard O´Neill in Navan and they travelled to Montevideo in 1826 probably because General John O´Brien was bringing Irish families to colonize Argentina, see below). Apparently Thomas´father helped them finnacially to travel to Uruguay.
Catherine O´Neill de Fernandez took care of these young boys, giving them a good education at the Jesuits school for boys in Montevideo,, and they grew up with good friends and aquired a good position. Willy decided to return to Ireland and after two years there he went to USA where he established in Ohio and was married. We know he had twin children.
Johnny never married. He worked in the farm Rafaela her sister in law received when her father died.
Owen married Rafaela. She was orphan since she was 13 years old. Catherine Fernandez O´Neil ( daughter of the Catherine O´Neill) was married to Mr Durá, and they had no children, so when Rafaela´s mother died, they took care of her. That is how Owen and Rafaela were connected since they were children and decided to marry when they had their age to be independent. She was very wealthy and they lived very happy together, with a large family, many friends, and were very generous to the Church and anyone who had difficulties. They were good Catholics.
Their descendants live mostly in Montevideo, but also they established in Buenos Aires and USA.
Until 1953 my mother had correspondence with her aunt Mary who died at that time in Navan. Since then some members of our family travelled to visit the family in Navan but at present we lost contact with them.

General John O´Brien is a known hero of Argentina and Chile Independence.
We pressume he was connected to our family and so it proves the coincidence of dates when Mary O´Brien and her husband travelled to the Rio de la Plata looking for a better life.