Welcome to BARRY MCGLOIN' S WEBBO!

Delve into the McGloin webpage and take a keyhole peek at this particular branch of the family. You may well be mildly amused, bored as a lobster, feel a warm glow, or perhaps even fascinated - God bless you, er....have you considered treatment?

 The page came about because I'd written a bio piece for my radio show here in Canberra, Oz. The bio was far too long and the station manager suggested setting up my own website so that the radio station would link to it. So, here we are. 

I have updated my Desert Island discs in mid 2009, located under 'Music' of course - the additions are mainly towards the end of the list.

THE MCGLOIN FAMILY

History, mostly a mystery. My mother was a Kirk, "good Yorkshire farming stock". Our McGloins appear to have come from Ireland - then certain circumstances involving a Catholic father who attended an Enniskillen university, a Protestant mother who just happened to be the daughter of a university college dean and a child out of wedlock sent us over the waters to Glasgow. Later descendants' support of industrial action in Scotland sent us down the road to Kent in Sassenach country. My father, whose aspirations to the Catholic priesthood ended when he enlisted in 1939 to fight the good fight in the RAF, subsequently  put in a good few years digging coal one mile below the garden of England. In 1962 we took a ten pound trip on an immigrant ship to the shores of Botany Bay.

Of the current family Denise and I live in Canberra, our daughter Cara lives in Melbourne with her husband Greg Lloyd and our grand daughters the lovely Safia and now Eloise, and our eldest son Dan now lives in Sydney  with his partner Jools and our (also lovely) grandchildren, Kaya and  Oliver, the happiest wee chappie on the planet. Jamie The  Boy who turned 20 in July 2009 lives with us, mostly, when appetite demands. My mother Drene, who has out maneuvered three partners including Dad, and still retains in her 80s a wonderful memory and sense of humour  together with some feistiness , fussiness and cantankerousness, lives in Nowra, NSW as does sister Michelle. Sister Imogene lives in Wollongong as does Brother Anthony (aka Tony). Brother Stuart lives on a property he built in the Blue Mountains, NSW. 

If you put McGloin into a Google search you will find them mostly in the US and  Ireland, notwithstanding recent contacts from McGloins in Canada and another Barry McGloin who works in Luxembourg!! Over here in OZ we are a rarer species. In the US the family seems to have done quite well, with all professions covered. There's even a university house - oh and a street in Canada, Rue de McGloin, as in Rudi McGloin, Rastafari...  In the early 1800s when they carved up Texas, McGloin was one of the 12 to receive a chunk. Probably a very close relative I reckon. I've written some potted references to famille histoire, including the Kirk side at the intro to the McGloin Kirk CokBok, and also in Cara's letter No. [to be inserted] The family's Scottish/Irish  connections are with Tobin, Lennon, Bradley, Kilmurray.

BARTLETT FAMILY

On Denise's side the Bartletts, Browns, Marriotts and Hearns are better organised with a family tree going back to a Malachy Muldoon from Cork, Ireland. Incidentally I found a Malachy McGloin in Google !! The late great Jack Bartlett, my father in law, traced his family back to early fleet days.

If Geoff Bartlett, Denise's brother, gets his Bartlett website up and running I'll link to that .

MUSIC

Most of our family has been involved in music of varied genres over the years.

The term music is a loose one almost without exception. Well almost. Brother Anthony, known to all of us as Tony, is adept on guitar, mandolin and banjo and issued the CD, "Nightflight" in 2006 which received excellent reviews both here and overseas and is currently working on a second. Cousin Chris McGloin self published a Cd recently (mid 2009) called Wet Neck Jubilee, a mix of various styles, suited to his rich and ragged baritone and plucky string work - Eno, Bono and The Edge provide evocative backing vocals on Singing In The Bathtub. Cousin Andrew McGloin had professional success accompanying and producing Scottish Australian folkie Eric Bogle (writer of The Band Played Waltzing Matilda etc). Check out http://ericbogle.net/bogleband/index.htm   In 2007 he collaborated with top songwriter Ted Byrnes on the excellent 'Best Laid Plans'.  The rest of us have just splashed about in a discordant pond, now and again.

My radio bio goes into some detail. 

Also, "Music and Food Part 1" was added in Jan 2006. Musical influences, excursions,  concerts and biographical rissoles were initially intended for inclusion in the CokBok, and so the food bits were really a sideways entry with music being the main subject. But as it progressed and memory kicked in, the food references gained momentum. I recalled Gus Thurgate's Uncle's hamburger, Bill Moore's blues sandwich and coffee, the slices of roo which Chris McGloin, in his Great White Hunter persona shot at Major's Creek, still jumping over the fire. Such epicurean delights litter Part 1 of this biographical bonanza, Part 2 to follow. 

Bon Appetite !!  

RADIO BIO

I presented a program on community radio Valley FM 89.5 here in Canberra called Mystery Train from October 2003 to July 2007. A program of roots music, it allowed me to delve into blues, R 'n B, world, rock, punk, folk, jazz, psychedelia, garage, lounge, soul, gospel and a smattering of country. Unfortunately the radio station has very limited range, having the licence to service the Tuggeranong Valley - potential audience 100,000,  actual audience?  I wrote a Bio which was unfortunately too large for VFM's website. You can view if you wish by clicking on the link above to the Radio Bio. 

THE MCGLOIN KIRK FAMILY COK BOKE

A gathering of recipes handed down through the generations of these two families, renowned for their culinary traditions, and culminating in this epicurean bible initially presented to daughter Cara when she departed home and hearth for the big smoke in 1994. I've put a few on this website, mainly the later material which has more family biographical interest eg. Dad and the Dalai Lama's Scollops and Shark in Spicy Sauce and Uncle Ned's Siamese Seafood Salad.

Adam & Eve's Lamb, Pork or Goat With Coriander can be found on my BLOG.

THE BUSHFIRE THAT ATE OUR HOME

On January 18 2003 a convergence of three bushfires blasted out of ancient Namadjii into the south western suburbs of Canberra taking approximately 500 houses, four human lives and extensive fauna and flora.  One of the houses was ours. Photos I took on the day can be found at  Barry McGloin's WEBSHOTS link.  All photos since 22 November 2006 can be viewed on my Picasa account               

CARA LETTERS

When daughter Cara traveled with then partner, now husband Greg Lloyd on their "round the world" trip in 2003/2004 she kept us updated by the fabulously immediate e-mail, an immense improvement over donkey travel. Her e-mails, perceptive, amusing and funky are contained within.

Also, when Cara made the Oz pilgrimage in 1994 to UK and Eire to suss out the antecedents and flavour of  the old countries where New Australians hark from, I wrote her a series of letters containing family information  to sustain her and keep her on track as it were in foreign parts, so that she wouldn't step into the metaphorical dogshite. "You have to step into foreign parts to find your foot in foreign shite" - old McGloin saying. A couple are included now, with more to be added, once I locate the docos.

PHOTOGRAPHS

All photos since 22 November 2006 can be viewed on my Picasa account  http://picasaweb.google.com/barry.mcgloin Have a geek !!!! Family photographs, photographs of Cara's wedding, plus some taken on the day and in the aftermath of the bushfire etc etc

CONTACT

E-mail bmcgloin@homemail.com.au