It would be wrong to simply assume that the 'great unrecorded' in Ireland are the Roman Catholics. In rural areas, the lives of ordinary joe soaps (no matter what their religion) is largely unrecorded before the 19th century. Those who didn't possess riches or commit crimes, these are the folk, the majority, that simply slip through the net of recorded history. Cheers, Steven Smyrl MAPGI "Mike" <bakerdivert@lava.net> wrote in message news:11dvs0jjhi02u92@corp.supernews.com... > "Details of the lives of the unrecorded Roman Catholic majority in rural > Ireland can be glimpsed only from ephemeral literature in English and from > the Gaelic poetry of the four provinces." > > - Britannica article on Ireland, 18c history > > What do you do when confronted with the lack of genealogical records of > this > group? Anyone to confirm and/or suggest specific writers for Munster pre > 19c? > > Btw, I learned that Desmond means DE South MUNster. > >

Steven Smyrl wrote: > It would be wrong to simply assume that the 'great unrecorded' in Ireland > are the Roman Catholics. In rural areas, the lives of ordinary joe soaps (no > matter what their religion) is largely unrecorded before the 19th century. > Those who didn't possess riches or commit crimes, these are the folk, the > majority, that simply slip through the net of recorded history. Dear Steven And rightly so, bloody nuisances. After all it is only proper that the spawn of these wretches should gaze in wonder and delight upon such ancient and noble pedigrees as my own. Yours, etc Sir Crispin Gaylord, Bt

Hi Cur: The same old b.s. as ever.

"Steven Smyrl" <smyrl@indigo.ie> wrote in message news:h7fEe.2830$R5.472@news.indigo.ie... > It would be wrong to simply assume that the 'great unrecorded' in Ireland > are the Roman Catholics. In rural areas, the lives of ordinary joe soaps (no > matter what their religion) is largely unrecorded before the 19th century. > Those who didn't possess riches or commit crimes, these are the folk, the > majority, that simply slip through the net of recorded history. While I'm sure there were conformists on the island who went unrecorded, I was thinking about the British law mandating Catholics marry in Protestant churches, thus leading to underground or, all-but-secret marriages for over a hundred years, iirc. So, conformist marriage records in rural parts still exist. So tuad means north? That was going to be my next question. When I think of early Irish literature, I think of Yeats, Swift and Heany; but have no idea how they might give insight to my particular genealogical interest, that of rural Catholics.