Dad

Now my name is McKenna, a farmer am I,
Was caught by a lass and I felt rather shy.
She asked me to step in for a minute or two,
Well damn it says I, I don’t mind if I do.

I entered the kitchen it was cosy and bright,
A big hearty supper I put out a-sight.
Then I picked up my hat and bid her goodbye
Oh Jimmy me darlin, she started to cry
Would you kiss me goodnight like all true lovers do
Well damn it says I, I don’t mind if I do.

And now we are married in sweet unity
But we have no sweet children to bounce on our knee
But if we persevere we may still have a few
Well damn it says I, I don’t mind if I do.

http://sitebuilt.net/files/dads%20love%20song.mp3

geneology

James Frederick McKenna b 1923

father: John McKenna died ~1926

mother: Augusta Mukleh

His dad was a Catholic and his mom a Lutheran.

maybe from...County Monaghan, Ulster

At the end of the 16th century, Ireland was conquered by the English. Eventually Ulster became a plantation and was colonized by the English luring poor Scots and English to farm the land seized from the Irish. There is mention of McKenna cheiftans who worked to delay the takeover in county Monaghan

"In 1585, the English lord deputy of Ireland, Sir John Perrot, visited the area and met the Irish chieftains. They requested that Ulster be divided into counties and land in the kingdom of Airgíalla be apportioned to each of the McMahon chiefs. A commission was established to accomplish this and County Monaghan came into being. The county was subdivided into five baronies: Farney, Cremorne, Dartrey, Monaghan and Truagh, which was left under the control of the McKenna chieftains.

After the defeat of the rebellion of Hugh O'Neill, The O'Neill and the Ulster chieftains in 1603, the county was not planted like the other counties of Ulster. The lands were instead left in the hands of the native chieftains. In the Irish Rebellion of 1641 the McMahons and their allies joined the general rebellion of Irish Catholics. Following their defeat, some colonisation of the county took place with Scottish and English families."

The map of Northern Ireland today includes all of Ulster except Monaghan County.