Horgans Are from Cork
My brother Matt Horgan with his son Jack and daughter Molly in Cork, Ireland, 1999. Photo: Laura Mosedale.
SCOTLAND, MAY 28, 2026. I just visited Ireland, where, taking a train from Dublin to Belfast, I fall into conversation with an Irish fellow. I mention my ancestry is Irish, he asks what county my people came from, I say I don’t know. He asks my name and says he’s pretty sure Horgans hail from Cork.
I email my brother Matt and his wife Laura and my three sisters: Siblings, where are Horgans from originally? I should know this but forgot. A guy I met here thinks Horgans are from Cork. Is that right? Cork?
My sister Martha replies immediately: Cork!
My sister-in-law Laura responds: As you’ve heard, County Cork is where the Horgans or at least some of them hail from. Our Irish elevator man in NYC used to tell us that there were people who looked just like Matt all over County Cork. When we went there for a few days in the spring of 1999, I took this photo of an electrical contractor's van in the city of Cork.
My brother Matt elaborates:
My first apartment, the co-op at 73d and Amsterdam, had an Irish elevator man named John Reynolds, and he eyed me up when I got in the elevator (it was one of those elevators where each floor was represented by a number etched on tin that loudly clacked down to indicate someone from that floor wanted to get on), and finally, getting to the point, John asks me, “You’re from Ireland, aren’t you? Your ancestors I mean.” And I say yes.
And he says, “Do you know where you’re from, because I think I know. You’re from Cork, and I think I know exactly where in Cork, it's [I actually forget the name, maybe it was Ringaskiddy, but I’m only saying that because what a name, saying your ancestors hailed from Ringaskiddy!],” and I ask, “Why do you think that John?” And he says, “Because I’ve been to [Ringaskiddy] and they’re all of these Hair-e-gans [remember John’s Irish and has a very thick Irish accent] running about and they’re the spitting’ image uvya.” And I say hm. And he says, “Can you check?” And I say, “What?” And he says, “Can you check? Confirm that you’re from Cork?” And I say, “I suppose I could ask my dad. He’d know.” And John says, "That’s good then.” But I forget of course. And each time I get on that elevator, John asks, “Well?” And I say, “Oh John I forgot to ask.”
But then one time, it’s the afternoon, and I ride up in the elevator with him, and he says, “Well?” And I say, “John, do you want to wait here? I’ll run to my apartment and ask my dad right now, and if he’s there I’ll have the answer for you.” And he says, “That’s good.” And I remember running from the elevator and hearing all those clacking sounds of elevator calls, but there’s no way John is going to answer them. He’s going to wait. And I rush to my apartment, open the door, call dad on the phone, and I ask, “Dad, do you know where in Ireland we’re from? Can’t talk, just need to know this one thing.”
And Dad says, “Our family is from Cork.” And I say thanks and rush back to the elevator. I swear if every single floor’s number hadn’t clacked. And I said to John, “It’s Cork.” And he says, “I knew it.”
On that vacation [in 1999] Laura spoke about, we went to the beaches around Cork. Not good beaches. Sand kind of muddy and dark. But there were ALL of these Irish kids running about. Happy and playful. They liked the beach. And do you my siblings all remember that black and white photograph of our family that was around forever? Just the kids. We were young. Martha [our younger sister] and I like around 5 or 6 years old, give or take. Taken by that tree, with the large horizontal branch? That picture came back to me in full force when I was on that beach with all those Irish kids running about. The Cork beach. Because they all looked just like littles Marthas, that’s what I thought. In the picture, Martha had freckles, like all these kids. And they also looked like little me’s. Less like the older siblings, but they were older, and these were little Irish kids frolicking about. And I thought this is where we’re from. Wow,
If you ever forget where the Horgans are from, look at a map of Cork, the city. The famous River Lee runs through Cork, and if you look at the patch of River Lee running into Cork from the east, you will note that the road running along the northern bank is called Horgan Quay.
I was going to mention seeing that truck with John H on it. But Laura beat me to it.
Further Reading: