Something will always turn up

Over the years I am never surprised to make contact with a fellow researcher who happens to be connected.

This time a 3rd cousin of mine contacted me from the States following something that he spotted on line.

His Great Grandmother and my Great Grandfather were brother and sister and we have exchanged valuable records and photographs.

This side of my ancestry needed a kick start and I'm sure we can help each other out.

Pictured below are Bridget and Roseanne, sisters to my Thomas Wade of North Co Dublin.

Best news I've had all week.

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Local History Books - Updated

I would advise anyone researching their ancestry in Ireland to acquaint themselves with the county,town and parish where their ancestors came from. If you do not know where they came from I would suggest you read the history of Ireland. The reading will certainly give you some insight into the times of your ancestors and why they left.

Many parishes have a book dedicated to the history of the parish and it's people. They probably will not be found on commercial sites but for many parishes they certainly would exist.

Some parishes have an incredible amount of detail written on the history and it's people. I will give an example of some details from a local history book written in the 1990's for Mid-Cork and I think it's extremely well written and researched. It's in relation to the famine and parts of it make a  tough  but  fascinating read.

I strongly believe  research is much more than names and dates and of course that extra reading can give us all clues.

1.From the baptismal register of 1847 Donoughmore, Co Cork....... "This was the famine year.There died of famine and fever,from Nov.1846 to Sept.1847 over fourteen hundred of the people and one priest, The Revd. Dan Horgan requiescat in pace. Numbers remained unburied for over a fortnight, many were buried in ditches near their houses, many without coffins, tho' there were four men employed to bury the dead and make graves and two and sometimes four carpenters to make coffins. All this year also we were visited by the cholera. 5 only died of it in this parish.

2. Dr Godfrey the dispensary doctor in Donoughmore gave details of visiting the Riordan family in Goulane, with 6 children and the parents dying of fever and another child in the Poor House in Macroom.The Kiely man of Coolacca, recently released from the Fever hospital, was dying and, in the Buckly household, the wife  was lying on a few sods of turf, nearly exhausted from hunger. At her head lay a boy, dead for a week past, at her foot were two boys, the remains of a family of five sons. In another corner was a boy, 15 years of age, who died from the dysentry. A fifth was buried three weeks previously and the father said no one would enter his house either to bury his dead boys or to remove the living. Email me! click here

Griffith's Valuation and beyond.

I'm willing to check out your ancestors property that you have seen in the Griffiths valuation. I can establish how long it remained in the family and under what names.

I would also be able to get a photocopy too.

It can be a bit pricey but worth it all the same.

The potential is to show who were in the house right up to 1977. Email me! click here

Cork, Ireland - Baptisms

Here are more examples of baptisms from 1870 Cork City.

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Great Grand Uncle - GAA

This article is once again linked to my great grandmother's brother Michael McKenna.

The meeting that led to the formation of the GAA took place in Thurles. (1st Nov. 1884)

Three years later Michael McKenna attended the GAA convention in Thurles 1887.

Newspaper reports are a great source of information.

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Great Grand Uncle meets Charles S Parnell

The following was published in an Irish newspaper 1885 and a brother to my Great Grandmother was part of a delegation that met Charles S Parnell at Dunleer, Co Louth.

As Charles S. Parnell was returning from Dundalk, by train, he was met at the Dunleer Railway Station by members of Dunleer Branch of the Irish National League and presented with an address.

“We, the members of Dunleer Branch, Irish National League, beg to tender our heartfelt congratulations on the signal victory you have gained over the concentrated forces of our enemies, namely the castle, represented by Philip Callan and supported by the Tory and Whig Catholics of North Louth. We beg you to take back to Dublin the assurance that you had always Dunleer with you, to a man and that, in the victory now achieved, no truer sons of our glorious land exist than those that are represented by this address.”

Signed: James Butterly, Treasurer, Patrick Byrne, Hon. Sec., PW McKeon, James McKenna, Michael McKenna, Michael Lynch, Thomas Rafferty, Patrick Stock (Stokes?)

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Church of Ireland

I was asked to provide some Anglican records from Ireland.

You will notice a good number of the entries are what appear to be converts. (gap between birth & baptism and multiple baptism from one family)

These entries are from Dublin in the 1880's.

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