I am mostly a lurker on here as I am at a brick wall with my Beara line with nothing much to offer to the group but thoroughly enjoyed Riobard's reminiscing and it brought to mind my great grandfather's oft told story of his father's run in with the local priest in Ardgroom!! Wondering if anyone knows if there are any surviving pictures of the Protestant Church in Ardgroom...and/or is there a different protestant church that would have served Ardgroom Inward? My great grandfather was James Alyosius Sullivan and he was baptized in the Protestant church in September of 1851 along with the younger half of his many brother's and sisters...but the older few were baptized Catholic!! While the church records from the time of their baptisms and the marriage of their parents Patrick Sullivan and Honora Shea seem to have been lost to us I know this from an account in the family bible by the eldest of the siblings named Daniel Sullivan [born in 1835 baptized Catholic], and emigrated to Chicago where he was a stonemason by trade. His youngest brother William Sullivan [born 1858 and baptized Protestant] also emigrated to Chicago, where he worked at the landmark Water Tower as an engineer, backed up the family legend as follows: The family patriarch, Patrick Sullivan was the local school teacher in Ardgroom Inward. Sometime between 1835 and 1841 the local parish priest had a brother in need of a teaching position and as the priests controlled the schools my great great grandfather was put out of the job in favor of the priest's brother....and from that day forward the Patrick Sullivan family never set foot in the Catholic Church in Ardgroom Inward! [Though they must have secretly kept the faith because all but the very youngest William practiced Catholicism once they emigrated to the States!!] Griffith's valuations show too many Patrick Sullivan's for me to guess which one is "my" Patrick Sullivan and there is ironically more than one Sullivan family in the area listed as Protestant in the census of 1901 so I am now at by brick wall sadly. Any chance any one has another clue for me to follow I would welcome suggestions! Especially with James Alyosious Sullivan's in-laws Cornelius Shea and Katherine Sheehan who came to Connecticut in 1852 where his wife Mary Francis Shea was born in 1853. Sadly I have nothing to tell me where on Beara those two originated.... Suzanne Mahoney

hello Suzanne, I hate to reply to the whole list but -where in CT are your Sheas from. I have Shea ancestors from New Haven. also Mahoney! Sue ([email protected] ) On Jan 26, 2013, at 3:48 PM, Patrick Mahoney <[email protected]> wrote: > I am mostly a lurker on here as I am at a brick wall with my Beara line with > nothing much to offer to the group but thoroughly enjoyed Riobard's reminiscing > and it brought to mind my great grandfather's oft told story of his father's run > in with the local priest in Ardgroom!! Wondering if anyone knows if there are > any surviving pictures of the Protestant Church in Ardgroom...and/or is there a > different protestant church that would have served Ardgroom Inward? > > > My great grandfather was James Alyosius Sullivan and he was baptized in the > Protestant church in September of 1851 along with the younger half of his many > brother's and sisters...but the older few were baptized Catholic!! While the > church records from the time of their baptisms and the marriage of their parents > Patrick Sullivan and Honora Shea seem to have been lost to us I know this from > an account in the family bible by the eldest of the siblings named Daniel > Sullivan [born in 1835 baptized Catholic], and emigrated to Chicago where he was > a stonemason by trade. His youngest brother William Sullivan [born 1858 and > baptized Protestant] also emigrated to Chicago, where he worked at the landmark > Water Tower as an engineer, backed up the family legend as follows: > > The family patriarch, Patrick Sullivan was the local school teacher in Ardgroom > Inward. Sometime between 1835 and 1841 the local parish priest had a brother in > need of a teaching position and as the priests controlled the schools my great > great grandfather was put out of the job in favor of the priest's brother....and > from that day forward the Patrick Sullivan family never set foot in the Catholic > Church in Ardgroom Inward! [Though they must have secretly kept the faith > because all but the very youngest William practiced Catholicism once they > emigrated to the States!!] > > > Griffith's valuations show too many Patrick Sullivan's for me to guess which one > is "my" Patrick Sullivan and there is ironically more than one Sullivan family > in the area listed as Protestant in the census of 1901 so I am now at by brick > wall sadly. Any chance any one has another clue for me to follow I would welcome > suggestions! Especially with James Alyosious Sullivan's in-laws Cornelius Shea > and Katherine Sheehan who came to Connecticut in 1852 where his wife Mary > Francis Shea was born in 1853. Sadly I have nothing to tell me where on Beara > those two originated.... > > Suzanne Mahoney > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message