Humphrey Bogart's Donegal connections

Did you know, film star Humphrey Bogart had a connection to Inishowen?

In 1955, the film, The Left Hand of God, was released by 20th Century Fox.

Set in a small American mission in China in 1947 at the time of the Chinese Civil War, The Left Hand of God, starred Bogart as a hunted man masquerading as a Catholic priest and Gene Tierney in the role of a nurse.

The supporting cast included Lee J Cobb, Agnes Moorehead, EG Marshall and Carl Benton Reid.

Noleen Galbraith's uncle Tony, a Columban Father, once stationed in China, was an adviser on the film.

Noleen's father was Willie O' Doherty and her mother was Brigid 'Miller' Doherty.

Willie had three brothers, Tony, James and Packy. His family was from Ballyliffin originally, where his father, John O'Doherty, owned the Temperance Hotel, opposite the Strand Hotel.

Noleen (nee Doherty) takes up the story: “My granny was Annie O'Doherty, from Culmore in Derry. My father, who was known as Willie the Yank, was the commandant of the old IRA for South Inishowen during the War of Independence. His brothers, Tony, Packy and James were also active volunteers.

“Tony went to school in St Columb's College in Derry and worked afterwards in what is now McDaid's Cottage Bar in Buncrana. However, he felt a vocation to the priesthood and joined the Columban Fathers and was ordained .

“In the early 1930's, Tony joined a mission to China, where he lived for nearly 15 years. Unfortunately for the priests and nuns involved in the mission, with the declaration of the People's Republic of China, the Communist Party declared war on religion and persecuted many of the Irish missionaries. Tony, like many others, had to leave China but his adventure was not over yet.

The Columban's had a presence in America and Tony, with his knowledge of China and his ability to speak the language, was asked to minister to the people of China Town in Los Angeles.

“His fame spread and in the early 1950s, he was asked to help with the production of The Left Hand of God. The cast included: Humphrey Bogart, Gene Tierney, Lee J Cobb and Agnes Moorehead, all big names in Hollywood in the 1950s.

“Uncle Tony and his brother James, who by now was also a priest, in California, spent a lot of time in the 20th Century Fox studios mingling with the stars, many of whom kept in touch afterwards.”

Noleen's uncle Tony eventually moved to Omaha in Nebraska, where the Columban's had a base. He lived into his 80s.

When he died, his brother James arranged for him to be buried in Leemore, in central California, with his mother Annie, who had left Buncrana to live with her son James, in her final years. Their grave is marked by a large Celtic cross.

Noleen said: “Uncle James was a Monsignor in California. He took my granny (Annie) to live with him and she was 80 something, in 1948. My father (Willie) had lived with her up the street, where you turn down to Ardaravan Square. It used to be the offices of Connolly Doyle Solicitors. That's the house in which I was born.

“My father developed TB and he couldn't live in the house with us here in the Millbrae. He died of TB in 1945 at the age of 46.

My uncle Packy also died of TB. They said they got it lying out on IRA activities.

“When granny died, James erected this big Celtic cross and all of her details were on it. Uncle Tony, who was in China, is buried on one side of her and uncle James is buried on the other.

“Apparently, uncle James had all of the details on the cross and the only thing missing was the date of his own death.

“ In the 1970s, some big rock band of the time, saw this and wanted it is as their album cover.

“However, they were not allowed to take photographs in the cemetery. It was said, they had never seen anything like this before. Uncle James died in 1992 but all of his details were on the cross a good 20 years beforehand. Mollie, my sister, and I went to James's funeral in California.”

Noleen recalled her uncle Tony coming home to Buncrana on holidays.

“He knew I was very interested in the film stars at that time. We were all delighted when The Left Hand of God came out because we had the family connection with it. Gene Tierney was in it, she was a very famous actress of the time and she was beautiful.

“Uncle Tony was a very modest man. The film makers contacted him because they wanted somebody to give them advice on what way a priest would have acted in China.

“He was also fluent in the Chinese language. He had a great time during the making of The Left Hand of God and kept in touch with some of the actors afterwards. Agnes Moorehead kept in touch with him for a long time.

“He said it was a great experience. Everyone on set was lovely. He hadn't a bad word to say about any of them.”
Amazingly, Noleen also had one of her uncle Tony's original letters home from China.

On February 6, 1935, he wrote: “Two days after we arrived in China, we found the Bishop waiting for us in Shanghai and we were aboard ship again and making our way up the muddy Yangsi Kiang River.

“For three days we sailed merrily along, and enjoyed the trip not too bad.

“We were going further inland all the time passing hundreds of little villages on our way up, and as for little sailing ships and fishing smacks, they were just as thick as flies on all parts of the river.”

Chatting about the food in China, the warm and very interesting letter said: “I have gotten used to the food by this time and find it quite palatable.

“There is no bullock's meat to be gotten out here or lamb chops, but we get plenty of pork. We don't have potatoes but we never miss them, rice mixed with vegetables make a very good Irish stew.”

Tony spent that Christmas at one of the out-missions. He wrote: “(I was with) an old classmate of James's, a Fr Kerr, whose father came from Fanad, so it was a bit like two Donegal men spending the Christmas together.

“I said one of my Masses on Christmas day for the family and that helped me to be close to you all, even though far away.”