Chapter Seven - ‘The early marriage years of Mr. and Mrs Fanning’
Mary Fanning (Nee Lanigan), had grown up being reminded every day by her mother, Lizzy Lanigan, how ‘special’ a child she was. When Mary Fanning’s turn came around to be a mother to the seven children she’d also been prophesised to give birth to, she was determined that she too would daily remind her firstborn about the ‘specialness’ that was her birth-right.
There had been many times since being obliged to leave school prematurely, when young Mary Lanigan’s life had seemed to hold no special meaning at all for her, and yet, despite such difficulties she had to face and overcome, she had continued to feel ‘special’ throughout.
How many brides were able to boast that they’d walked down the wedding aisle a virgin, or know that the man they’d married would be the best of husbands until the day he died and a fine father to their children?
Mary may not have had a job, but by God, she had a lifetime of happiness to look forward to. She planned to start a further course of evening classes to complete the education which had been abruptly curtailed at the age of thirteen. She would also look forward to becoming the parent of a ‘special’ firstborn daughter and the mother to seven children in total, as prophesised so long ago to her own mother by the Romany palm reader.
There had been many times since being obliged to leave school prematurely, when young Mary Lanigan’s life had seemed to hold no special meaning at all for her, and yet, despite such difficulties she had to face and overcome, she had continued to feel ‘special’ throughout.
How many brides were able to boast that they’d walked down the wedding aisle a virgin, or know that the man they’d married would be the best of husbands until the day he died and a fine father to their children?
Mary may not have had a job, but by God, she had a lifetime of happiness to look forward to. She planned to start a further course of evening classes to complete the education which had been abruptly curtailed at the age of thirteen. She would also look forward to becoming the parent of a ‘special’ firstborn daughter and the mother to seven children in total, as prophesised so long ago to her own mother by the Romany palm reader.
~~~~~
After six months of being married, Mary announced to her husband John that they were to be parents. John was over the moon and couldn’t wait to tell his mother the good news.
Four months after discovering she was pregnant, Mary Fanning was at home ironing when she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find a female traveller standing there.
Mary had heard her husband remark a few days earlier that a gypsy camp had set up in some nearby fields and they were reported to be creating a right mess as they piled up their rubbish at the edge of the field. Many locals were complaining and saying that rats could be seen roaming nearby in large numbers. The local consensus was to ‘move them on’ at the earliest opportunity.
Mary had grown up hearing favourable things from her mother about the travellers of the road. Her mother would never hear a bad word spoken about a travelling Romany. Mary had also been instilled with her mother’s warning never to turn a Romany away without risking being cursed.
Mary had always known about the foretelling of her birth by a travelling gypsy. Her mother had told her the Romany’s prophecy when she was 7-years-old and had sworn her to secrecy until the time came to tell her ‘special’ firstborn at the age of seven.
Looking at Mary, the traveller said, “Have you a few pennies to spare, Missus?”
Mary Fanning automatically opened her purse and gave her visitor a £1 coin.
The gypsy looked at Mary and could see the signs of pregnancy. She said, “Do you want your palm reading, Missus? Do you want to know about the child you are expecting?”
Politely, Mary replied, “I already know. My future and that of my firstborn was revealed to my mother before my birth by a Romany traveller, but I thank you for the offer.”
“I’ll bid you good day then and God bless you and all in this house,” the gypsy said.
“Hang on a minute!” Mary asked the gypsy and going to open her purse she extracted another pound coin and placed it in her hand.
The gypsy smiled broadly and repeated, “God bless you, Missus and all in this house”.
After the gypsy had left, Mary decided it would be better to say nothing to her husband, John, about the gypsy’s visit when he came home from work.
Four months after discovering she was pregnant, Mary Fanning was at home ironing when she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find a female traveller standing there.
Mary had heard her husband remark a few days earlier that a gypsy camp had set up in some nearby fields and they were reported to be creating a right mess as they piled up their rubbish at the edge of the field. Many locals were complaining and saying that rats could be seen roaming nearby in large numbers. The local consensus was to ‘move them on’ at the earliest opportunity.
Mary had grown up hearing favourable things from her mother about the travellers of the road. Her mother would never hear a bad word spoken about a travelling Romany. Mary had also been instilled with her mother’s warning never to turn a Romany away without risking being cursed.
Mary had always known about the foretelling of her birth by a travelling gypsy. Her mother had told her the Romany’s prophecy when she was 7-years-old and had sworn her to secrecy until the time came to tell her ‘special’ firstborn at the age of seven.
Looking at Mary, the traveller said, “Have you a few pennies to spare, Missus?”
Mary Fanning automatically opened her purse and gave her visitor a £1 coin.
The gypsy looked at Mary and could see the signs of pregnancy. She said, “Do you want your palm reading, Missus? Do you want to know about the child you are expecting?”
Politely, Mary replied, “I already know. My future and that of my firstborn was revealed to my mother before my birth by a Romany traveller, but I thank you for the offer.”
“I’ll bid you good day then and God bless you and all in this house,” the gypsy said.
“Hang on a minute!” Mary asked the gypsy and going to open her purse she extracted another pound coin and placed it in her hand.
The gypsy smiled broadly and repeated, “God bless you, Missus and all in this house”.
After the gypsy had left, Mary decided it would be better to say nothing to her husband, John, about the gypsy’s visit when he came home from work.
~~~~~
In August 1978, Mary, and John Fanning’s first child was born. John’s wife said she wanted to call her daughter ‘Mary’, as she’d always loved this name herself and would like her first daughter to be called Mary also.
John Fanning was so overjoyed to hold his firstborn that he readily agreed. In truth, he was so happy to be a father that he would have cheerfully called the child ‘Dinky Dory’ had his wife wished it so!
As foretold by the Romany traveller to Lizzy Lanigan in 1955, Mary Fanning was destined to give birth to seven children in total, and although the marriage would not last longer than twenty-three years, it was the happiest of unions between man and wife and their seven children as anyone could possibly hope for.
Mary was to have her firstborn, Mary, followed by twin sons, another daughter and concluding with female triplets!
After the birth of their first child, and the infinite joy that the firstborn had brought to their marriage, the primary aim of Mary Fanning over the immediate years ahead was to give life to the other six children whose births had been prophesised.
Mary Fanning never forgot the impoverished circumstances she’d to endure as a child and swore that her seven children would know an easier existence than she’d had. She was determined that each would be fully educated and would receive as good a start in life that any child could hope for.
But even she, although aware of the twins that had previously been born in the Lanigan line, hadn’t imagined for one moment that she would trump her ancestor’s twin sons with female triplets!
The only thing that Mary Fanning didn’t foresee changing in her relationship with her husband, John Fanning, was how ‘Catholic’ he would prove to be in his strict beliefs, religious practices, and undertakings, and how reliant on the alignment of the stars and the pursuit of her own destiny she would become during her own lifetime.
Mary and her parents viewed John Fanning’s Catholic beliefs as being ‘commendable’ during their courtship period, but after their marriage, Mary gradually witnessed how strict a Catholic her husband John was. John’s Catholicism that was initially viewed as being ‘commendable’ was now seen as being nothing less than ‘unwavering’, particularly when he became a father and baby Mary was born.
John’s mother started to worsen again rapidly when the cancer returned with a vengeance to strike at the heart of the Fanning family once more. John Fanning’s mother died within the space of two months. Her end was mostly one spent in agony. Unlike many other bereaved sons however, who might have used such a sad episode in their life to doubt and deny the existence of a God who could possibly allow a good person to die in so much pain, John used the experience to strengthen his fate instead of weakening it.
Following the death of his mother, the Catholic doctrine seemed to become more rigidly applied to John Fanning’s life, along with the expectations he placed upon his wife and children.
John Fanning was so overjoyed to hold his firstborn that he readily agreed. In truth, he was so happy to be a father that he would have cheerfully called the child ‘Dinky Dory’ had his wife wished it so!
As foretold by the Romany traveller to Lizzy Lanigan in 1955, Mary Fanning was destined to give birth to seven children in total, and although the marriage would not last longer than twenty-three years, it was the happiest of unions between man and wife and their seven children as anyone could possibly hope for.
Mary was to have her firstborn, Mary, followed by twin sons, another daughter and concluding with female triplets!
After the birth of their first child, and the infinite joy that the firstborn had brought to their marriage, the primary aim of Mary Fanning over the immediate years ahead was to give life to the other six children whose births had been prophesised.
Mary Fanning never forgot the impoverished circumstances she’d to endure as a child and swore that her seven children would know an easier existence than she’d had. She was determined that each would be fully educated and would receive as good a start in life that any child could hope for.
But even she, although aware of the twins that had previously been born in the Lanigan line, hadn’t imagined for one moment that she would trump her ancestor’s twin sons with female triplets!
The only thing that Mary Fanning didn’t foresee changing in her relationship with her husband, John Fanning, was how ‘Catholic’ he would prove to be in his strict beliefs, religious practices, and undertakings, and how reliant on the alignment of the stars and the pursuit of her own destiny she would become during her own lifetime.
Mary and her parents viewed John Fanning’s Catholic beliefs as being ‘commendable’ during their courtship period, but after their marriage, Mary gradually witnessed how strict a Catholic her husband John was. John’s Catholicism that was initially viewed as being ‘commendable’ was now seen as being nothing less than ‘unwavering’, particularly when he became a father and baby Mary was born.
John’s mother started to worsen again rapidly when the cancer returned with a vengeance to strike at the heart of the Fanning family once more. John Fanning’s mother died within the space of two months. Her end was mostly one spent in agony. Unlike many other bereaved sons however, who might have used such a sad episode in their life to doubt and deny the existence of a God who could possibly allow a good person to die in so much pain, John used the experience to strengthen his fate instead of weakening it.
Following the death of his mother, the Catholic doctrine seemed to become more rigidly applied to John Fanning’s life, along with the expectations he placed upon his wife and children.
