Stack Family History by Peter Stack

The Stacks of Churchtown, Cork, Republic of Ireland
By Peter Stack

In the heart of County Cork, where ancient Viking settlements grew into a thriving maritime hub, the story of the Stack family unfolds like a tapestry woven through time. The narrative begins against the backdrop of 19th-century Cork, a period of remarkable transformation when the city experienced a population explosion and established itself as Ireland's leading commercial port. The city's bustling docks, alive with the export of butter, bacon, and spirits, set the stage for the remarkable saga of one family whose branches would eventually extend across continents.

Peter Stack's meticulous chronicle begins with the marriage of William Stack and Nanno Duggan in 1865, but it's their son William's union with Margaret Fitzpatrick in 1896 that forms the heart of this extraordinary family history. Their story of raising 18 children in Churchtown reads like an Irish epic, encompassing triumph and tragedy, migration and perseverance, all against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world.

The Stack family story is deeply intertwined with one of Ireland's most devastating periods. William Stack was born in 1840, just five years before the Great Famine would forever alter the landscape of Ireland. The winter and spring of 1846-47 brought unprecedented distress to Cork and its surroundings. Between 1841 and 1851, death and emigration caused an astounding 27% population drop in County Cork alone. Seventy cent of families in Cork were living in slum conditions, a stark statistic that would remain unchanged for decades to come.

Against this backdrop of immense suffering, the Stack family showed remarkable resilience. While many Irish families were forced to subsist on potatoes alone, with other crops being exported to England to pay exorbitant rents, the Stacks managed to maintain their foothold in Churchtown. Their survival through these years, when in just one week of February 1847, 49 residents of Cork Workhouse died of hunger and dysentery, speaks to their strength and resourcefulness.

By the time William Stack and Nanno Duggan married in 1865, Ireland was slowly emerging from the shadow of the famine. The country had developed one of the most commercially advanced agricultures in the world, though this modernisation came at a great social cost. Their marriage coincided with a period of growing resistance to British rule, as Irish Catholics who had suffered most severely during the famine years began to organise and demand change.

Among these stories, one stands out for its connection to sporting history. Matthew Stack, born on June 27, 1900, in Churchtown, married Mollie Hogan in Kilmallock in 1923. The couple moved to Jersey before settling in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, where they raised eight children. Their daughter Mary would become part of one of boxing's most intriguing narratives when she married British boxing legend Randolph Turpin in 1947.

Randolph Turpin, born on June 7, 1928, in a basement flat at 6 Willes Road in Leamington Spa, would become one of Britain's most celebrated boxers. The son of a Black Guyanese father who came to England to fight in World War I and a white British mother, Turpin was one of Britain's first mixed-race boxing champions.

His marriage to Mary Stack was a union of two worlds – the rural Irish heritage of the Stacks and the urban sporting culture of post-war Britain. However, their marriage was troubled and ended in divorce. Despite this, Turpin's connection to the Stack family remains a significant chapter in both families' histories.

On July 10, 1951, Turpin achieved what would become his defining moment in boxing history. He defeated the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson to become World Middleweight Champion, producing what many consider the greatest victory ever by a boxer in Britain. His reign was brief – just 64 days – as Robinson reclaimed the title in a rematch.

The Stack-Turpin connection exemplifies how family histories often intersect with significant historical events. While Turpin's life ended tragically in 1966, found in his flat above his transport cafe with fatal gunshot wounds, his legacy lives on both in boxing history and in the annals of the Stack family chronicle.

The sporting legacy continued through other branches of the Stack family as well. Matthew and Mollie's son William Stack carried on the boxing tradition, representing Great Britain at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Their son Michael also became a professional boxer, demonstrating how the fighting spirit ran through both the Stack and Turpin bloodlines.

This interweaving of family lines – from the farmlands of Churchtown to the boxing rings of Britain – demonstrates how the Stack family history encompasses not just local Cork history but reaches into the broader narrative of 20th-century British and Irish social history. Through marriages, migrations, and individual achievements, the Stacks of Churchtown became connected to some of the most significant sporting moments of their era, while maintaining their deep roots in County Cork. 

The author masterfully weaves together the diverse threads of each family member's journey. We follow Michael Stack, the eldest, to the battlefields of Flanders, where he made the ultimate sacrifice in 1916. We trace Matthew's path to Jersey and eventually Leamington Spa, where his son William would go on to represent Great Britain in boxing at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The marriage of Matthew's daughter Mary to boxing legend Randolph Turpin adds another fascinating dimension to the family's sporting legacy.

What makes this family history particularly compelling is how it mirrors the broader patterns of Irish emigration and adaptation. The Stack children scattered across England, the Channel Islands, and as far as Australia, yet maintained their connections to their Cork roots. Through their stories, we see how one Irish family navigated the challenges of the 20th century, establishing new lives while preserving their heritage.

The book is not just a genealogical record but a deeply human story of survival, adaptation, and triumph. It documents both the heartbreaking losses – like the five Stack children who died in infancy – and the remarkable achievements of those who lived to build their own families and careers. The recent addition of Michael Norris's note, connecting yet another generation to this rich family tapestry, demonstrates how the Stack legacy continues to resonate and evolve.

Peter Stack has created more than a family history; he has crafted a testament to the resilience of the Irish spirit and the enduring bonds of family across time and distance. "The Stacks of Churchtown" stands as both a valuable historical document and a moving tribute to the power of family ties that stretch from the streets of Cork to the far corners of the world.

This meticulously researched work will resonate not only with those interested in Irish genealogy but with anyone who appreciates the complex ways in which family histories intersect with the larger currents of history. It's a reminder that every family tree has stories worth telling, and in the case of the Stacks, those stories are particularly rich with historical significance and human drama.