John (Jack) O’Brien, sometimes called Jackie, was born in Bandon in 1906. When he finished school, he went to work in Brennans in Bandon, where his older brother James (Bonny) had also worked. Jack worked in the office of the bakery and grocery story, eventually becoming manager of the office. He also had various outside interests, the main one of which was the Bandon Cinema which he managed and eventually owned and controlled for many years. He had a lease of the Town Hall for some years and had a Dance Hall and Cinema in Ballinspittle. He was actively involved in the civic life of Bandon and was a member of Bandon Town Commissioners, being Lord Mayor of Bandon at one stage. He married Peg (née MacMillan) and they had six children, one boy, John, and five girls – Marguerite, Pauline, Winifred, Celine and Therese. Jack O’Brien died on 13th September 1972, aged 66. Jack and Peg’s oldest daughter, Marguerite married Paddy Carroll and they had six children - Una, Aileen (RIP), Niall, Eithne, Deirdre and Niamh. Una married Kieran Gibson and they have two children – Cara and Emma. Aileen married Tony Nugent and they had two children – Amy and Carrie. Niall has two children, Aine and Patrick. Eithne married John Delahunty. Deirdre married Brian Keane and they have three children – Stephen, Laura, Rory. Niamh married Ronan Murphy and they have two children, Liadh and Ellie. Jack and Peg’s second child, John married Patricia Poland and they had two children – Glenn and Michelle. John died in the 1990s while still in his 50s. The third child, Pauline married Joe Long. They had two children – David and Brian. David married Antoinette and they have two children – Charlie and Ava. Pauline died in the late 1990s after a long battle with cancer. The fourth child, Celine, married Ted Corcoran. They have two children, Sinead and Claire. Sinead married Bjorn Albrigtsen and Claire married Ken Jackson. The fifth child, Winifred married Joe Dunphy. They have three children - Louise, Celine and Eva. Louise married Sean Lyons and they have three children – Jack, Kate and Joe. Eva married Adrian Johnson and they also have three children – Sam, Ada and Adam. The sixth child, Therese, married Michael O’Brien. They had six children - Michael (RIP), Irene, Clare, Paul, Karl, Michelle. They have four grandchildren - Michelle, Sean, Aoife and Jaxon.
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