Friends, I'm here to let you know that I have become something of an expert at genealogy hunting in Waterville Kerry, especially when it comes to DENNEHY or DANAHY. So if you have questions just let me know.. We have trooped the cemeteries there, inspected the parish registers, rented a house, eaten in restaurants for two weeks, changed cash, used debit and credit cards, rented a car, driven on the roads with Garman in the cockpit, etc. Soon I will post the mostly post 1940 gravestone transcriptions of DANAHY DENNEHY from St. Finian's cemetery. The ancient parish church and graveyard called DROMoD are hard to find and, as the local parish priest put it," derelict." Tis a striking word meaning gone to rack and ruin. Several miles from town, Dromod cemetery has a new section with primarily contemporary 20th cent graves that are marked. Church Island in Lough Currane has unmarked stones only except for the English lad. Debit cards in the new economy seem to be the best way to pay. Some places in the area take cash only. And it is possible to bargain prices with the locals if you want to rent one of the largely empty Holiday Homes. i recommend John and Mary Clifford's Brookhaven. For a beautiful spot to dine or stay on the water, check out Smugglers Inn Michael DANAHY http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/d/a/n/Michael-C-Danahy/index.html RESEARCHING IN MA (Hopkinton), IRE, ENG ALDRICH http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~aldrichnaa/ (one m SMITH, earlier ones m CASAVANT, COMEE, http://www.familyorigins.com/users/e/v/a/Jeanne-C-Evans LOVELL, PRAY, PRENTICE, RAWSON, SEALD, THAYER); http://members.xoom.com/jaldrich/Lines/Michael.htm Aldrich Family biographies, go to http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssociation/AldrichBios or go to http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~aldrich/ CASAVANT (who m MORAN); CURRAN (who m DANAHY) DANAHY (b. in Hopkinton and who m LENAN, siblings m. TOLAN, JOHNSON, O'CONNOR) LENAN (who m O"BRIEN); SMITH (who m CASEY); PRENTICE (who m ALDRICH) http://www.prenticenet.com/roots/prentice/robert/#R4 RAWSON (one m ALLEN, later one TORREY) http://www.rawsonfamilyassoc.org/ THAYER (Thomas m WHEELER, son Ferdinando m HAYWARD); http://members.aol.com/Sadie476/Thayer.html

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Corrected web address that didn't print out right. There are some old images of Clara at this website: http://www.oldirishimages.com/towns%20and%20villages/co%20offaly/clara/clara.html

Hi Ray - What surnames are you researching? For help in genealogical research in Cos. Laois (Queen's) and Offaly (King's). A fee for record search is involved, but there is a free query contact e-mail for them to assess whether they can be of help in your particular case.. http://www.irishmidlandsancestry.com/index.html The National Library of Ireland (Dublin city) apparently has the following: Clara Mills and Belmonts Mills, Co Offaly: account books 1843-88. Also http://homepage.eircom.net/~kilcormacgns/famine.htm This website has much about the famine in Co. Offaly and mentions Clara Mills. In part: Offaly society in 1845; Offaly had a number of small industries that had prospered in the pre-famine period. The Clara mills, distilleries in Tullamore and Birr and the grain trade from the south of the county generated prosperity for some and employment for others. It was the structure of rural society which created the impression of comfort. Five landowners had over 100,000 acres in the county while some of it might not be of great value, these were big estates with healthy rent-rolls. The big five were Lords Digby, Charleville, Rosse, Downshire and Colonel Bernard, Lord Rosse and Bernard were generally resident and took a keen interest in their lands. The others were infrequent visitors, Charleville' having built his extravagant castle outside Tullamore, was reputedly bankrupt, travelling abroad to avoid his creditors. The principal tenants were men of property. The poor generally were found on the peripheral land. This explains the distribution of class four houses, or one roomed cabins associated with poverty in the county. Only 19% of families in Geashill, owned completely by Lord Digby, lived in class four houses. In contrast in Ballyboy where the land was broken into smaller estates, the percentage of families in class four houses was 38% the highest in the county. In Ballyboy, the O' Connor Morris's later lost land to the court because of old debts, gamble of Killooly survived by remortagaging in 1847 and Molloy of Greatwood lost this estate. William O' Connor Morris was a barrister and later a county court judge in Roscommon.His brother later became the last postmaster-general of Jamica. It was mainly those with less than 10 acres who were in difficulty, during the crisis. Their struggle for survival involved emigration and resistance to high rents. Unlike the small holders in Donegal they were unaccustomed to leaving their holdings for seasonal labour and it was for that reason Lord Ross could write in 1847 that the farmers were unsuited to labour. The real poor and the famine casualties were the cottiers particularly those relying on potatoes sown on conacre plots. The poor cottier having no land of his own was forced to take land at rents varying from £6 to £9 per acre for a crop. The acreage of potatoes was down to a quarter of its 1844 level in 1847 but a poor yield in 1848 spelled ruin for not just the poor with conacre but the small farmers as well. The West of the county fared worst because of the high concentration of labourers and the poor land quality... Ray - If you conduct a Google search for "Clara Mills" as a phrase and with additional keywords Offaly and King's County. A detailed website: http://www.belmontmill.com/BelmontMill.pdf. There are some old images of Clara at this website: http://www.oldirishimages.com/towns%20and%20villages/co%20offaly/clara/clara.htmlYou might also want to check out the Offaly Historical Society websites.The older website (2003) lists many publications. At the 2009 website,there is a "contact me" e-mail address and you could inquire aboutpublications related to Clara. I think it is a subscription-type website,but you can check and see.You might try and find a copy, for background reading, of J. FEEHAN's "TheLandscape of Slieve Bloom: a study of the natural and human heritage,"(pub. 1979), a copy of which is in the National Library in Dublin. Anotherreference in the library is M. BYRNE's "Sources For Offaly History (1977).Directories with material regarding Co. Offaly include:1824 Pigot and Co., "City of Dublin and Hibernian Provincial Directory."1846 Slater's "National Commercial Directory of Ireland."1856 Slater's "Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland.1870 Slater's "Directory of Ireland."1881 Slater's "Roya! l National Commercial Directory of Ireland."1890 John Wright, "The King's Co. Directory" (reprinted as "Offaly 100 yearsAgo," Tullamore, 1989).1894 Slater's "Royal Commercial Directory of Ireland.Jean----- Original Message -----From: "ray" <rayfenwick@yahoo.com>To: <irelandgenweb@rootsweb.com>Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 3:15 AMSubject: [Irish Genealogy] Clara Mills (flour mill) - King's County/OffalyDoes anyone have any information about the mills and millers at Clara inKing's County (Offaly) - any period?Directory entries for Clara or anything else. I haven't been able to findout anything but they are mentioned on relevant marriage in 1866 and I a mtrying to piece things together.many thanks for any helpray

O YOU AMONG WOMEN When pails empty the last brightness Of the well, at twilight-time, And you are there among women -- O mouth of silence, Will you come to me, when I sign, To the far green wood, that fences A lake inlaid with light? To be there, O, lost in each other, While day melts in airy water, And the drake-headed pike -- a shade In the waves' pale stir! For love is there, under the breath, As a coy star is there in the quiet Of the wood's blue eye. -- F. R. Higgins ( 1896-1941)

TEACHER'S DESK Made of teak or some other wood; Natural and without veneer - Except a patina of passing time Soft and Dark, laid down in layers for character. Squat; low set, and slung wide for comfort. Square cut and symmetrical, With all the appearance of an alter grown over. The corners have been rounded and you belong here amid the chalk, Where once you stood out with scrubbed austerity. You have no carved ornaments, but countless passing people have cut their names on you, in dinner break or after school. -- Nigel McLoughlin, contempory, "Leitrim Guardian"

SNIPPET: The Province of Leinster offers, uniquely in Ireland, the amenities of a capital city coupled with the quiet pleasures of the countryside, the one accessible to the other in minutes rather than in hours. The Republic is a very small country, and Dublin, by European standards, is no more than a medium-sized city. Dublin's pre-eminence has not only been in the area of increased population, however. In architecture, despite the ravages of time, it outshines all other urban areas; in music, the arts, medicine and science it has produced tremendous talent. In industry, Belfast left Dublin far behind, but the advent of computer technology has given Dublin a boost. But it has been in the field of literature that Dublin has made its greatest contribution, not only to Ireland but also to the world. What other city of its size has produced writers of the stature of Jonathan SWIFT, Sir Richard STEELE, Richard Brinsley SHERIDAN, Oscar WILDE, Bernard SHAW, William Butler YEATS, James JOYCE, Samuel BECKETT, Sean O'CASEY, Brendan BEHAN and, in the field of political letters, Edmund BURKE? Dublin, despite this, is not totally representative of Leinster. The great plains of Meath and Westmeath; the vast boglands of Offaly; the mountain fastnesses of Wicklow; the long stretch of the River Shannon to the west; the unique county of Wexford, the ancient town of Kilkenny, all have attractions of an entirely different nature from the Georgian streets and squares of Dublin. Leinster has what could be described as two coastlines, that of the Irish Sea to the east and of the Shannon to the west. The sea coast has long stretches of sandy shore from Clogherhead in County Louth all the way to the popular beaches of Wexford and Wicklow. The Shannon is by far the longest river in Ireland. Described by Edmund SPENSE as 'the spacious Shenan spreadeing like a sea,' it flows from north to south along the shores of Longford, Westmeath and Offaly, bursting forth at one point into the expanse of Lough Ree, where it takes little imagination to consider oneself out of touch with land. The remains of the ancient monastic settlement of Clonmacnois, founded by St. KIERAN, borders the river in County Offaly, rivalled only by St. KEVIN's foundation at Glendalough in County Wicklow. The Wicklow Mountains, clearly visible from Dublin, provide a stark contrast to the lush valleys and abundant woodlands that surround them. Despite quite extensive forestry plantations, this highland area remains wild and beautiful, much of it dotted with ancient clumps of Scots pine and covered with mile upon mile of rolling heather. There are other rivers of importance too. The Barrow and the Nore flow in a southeasterly direction and are navigable in parts. The Boyne runs from east to west reaching the Irish Sea at the ancient town of Drogheda, and few rivers in Ireland run by more historic sites. The significant Battle of the Boyne at Oldbridge, near Drogheda, where WILLIAM III defeated JAMES II, with the British monarchy at stake, changed the whole order of Ireland for centuries. Much earlier the banks of the Boyne were home to prehistoric man, as the burial grounds of Newgrange - older than the pyramids of Egypt - Knowth and Dowth, bear witness.

Does anyone have any information about the mills and millers at Clara in King's County (Offaly) - any period?   Directory entries fro Clara or anything else. I haven't been able to find out anything but they are mentioned on relevant marriage in 1866 and I a m trying to piece things together.   many thanks for any help   ray

SNIPPET: "An important but forgotten chapter in the lives of the people of Limerick is to be found in a few lines of Maurice LENIHAN's "History of Limerick." The years 1771 and 1772 were a bleak period in the city. Unemployment, poverty and famine were widespread among the working classes. In 1771 the Pery Charitable Loan Fund was established for the relief of tradesmen through loans of three guineas to each, to be paid in instalments of 1s. 4d. per week. Though this fund helped to alleviate the distress of a large number of tradesmen, it did not prevent the hardship and misery from biting deep into the poor. A number of schemes were started to provide work for the unemployed, but by May 1772 work, money and food were still as scarce as ever. Matters came to a head on 12 May 1772, when a starving crowd gathered outside the Lock Mills seeking food. The people believed that a quantity of corn was hoarded in the building. The Mayor, Christopher CARR, called out the soldiers, and the mill was occupied by a sergeant's guard. The hunger-maddened crowd refused to disperse and were fired on by the guard. Three men on the opposite side of the canal were killed. The killing of the three men did nothing to asuage the anger or hunger of the people. On the following day another large crowd assembled in the Irishtown to again seek out bread or corn at the mill. The military was once again sent for and the 24th regiment was marched against the starving men and women. Three more people were killed, including a poor woman who was selling milk in Broad Street at the time. No further attempts were made to seek food at the mill. Charity, the ancient stand-by for all the social ills of the world, was again called into service. The Honourable Dean CROSBIE revived a neglected charity in the same year of 1772. This charity, known as the Widow Virgin Charity, was provided from a fund left by a widow named Mrs. VIRGIN in her will dated 30 August 1732. She bequeathed to the Dean of Limerick, in trust to the poor of St. Mary's parish a sum of 40 shillings per annum to purchase bread, to be distributed on every Christmas Day and Whit Sunday. Forty shilllings' worth of bread hardly went far among the famished poor but the widow's dying thought was a generous one. Apart from the fact that the Widow VIRGIN left a house in Quay Lane, held by Simon HOLLAND at forty shillings a year, little else is known about this woman. More is the pity. One would like to know much more about this charitable woman." -- From the Labour Party Conference Magazine" (1995), and republished in "The Limerick Anthology", ed. the late Jim KEMMY (1996).

Mary and all, Yes to all of your questions. if you can imagine it, it has happened in the records of human behavior. Babies who died at birth or young went unnamed. People sometimes were unaware of their real ages and guess timated OR they had a reason to fudge the age both younger or older, depending ion the case. Michael DANAHY http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/d/a/n/Michael-C-Danahy/index.html RESEARCHING IN MA (Hopkinton), IRE, ENG ALDRICH http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~aldrichnaa/ (one m SMITH, earlier ones m CASAVANT, COMEE, http://www.familyorigins.com/users/e/v/a/Jeanne-C-Evans LOVELL, PRAY, PRENTICE, RAWSON, SEALD, THAYER); http://members.xoom.com/jaldrich/Lines/Michael.htm Aldrich Family biographies, go to http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssociation/AldrichBios or go to http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~aldrich/ CASAVANT (who m MORAN); CURRAN (who m DANAHY) DANAHY (b. in Hopkinton and who m LENAN, siblings m. TOLAN, JOHNSON, O'CONNOR) LENAN (who m O"BRIEN); SMITH (who m CASEY); PRENTICE (who m ALDRICH) http://www.prenticenet.com/roots/prentice/robert/#R4 RAWSON (one m ALLEN, later one TORREY) http://www.rawsonfamilyassoc.org/ THAYER (Thomas m WHEELER, son Ferdinando m HAYWARD); http://members.aol.com/Sadie476/Thayer.html

> I've just returned from the Dromod in Kerry and am wondering how > Sister would pronounce the name Cannaboe Would the last syllable, hoe, rime with Kennedy or with our word for the gardening hoe? > Cannaboe in sight of the railway > station, that played such a vital role in our young lives. The > "buzzer" at > the station awakened us with its booming sound at 7:30 every > morning. It was > steam operated and I presume it was a signal to the workers to be > on the > job. The shunting of the train at the 'White Gates' as it go ready > for its > morning journey to Dromod, always fascinated me. The steam engine > puffed and > blew, spluttered and steamed, as its big wheels tur Michael DANAHY http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/d/a/n/Michael-C-Danahy/index.html RESEARCHING IN MA (Hopkinton), IRE, ENG ALDRICH http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~aldrichnaa/ (one m SMITH, earlier ones m CASAVANT, COMEE, http://www.familyorigins.com/users/e/v/a/Jeanne-C-Evans LOVELL, PRAY, PRENTICE, RAWSON, SEALD, THAYER); http://members.xoom.com/jaldrich/Lines/Michael.htm Aldrich Family biographies, go to http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssociation/AldrichBios or go to http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~aldrich/ CASAVANT (who m MORAN); CURRAN (who m DANAHY) DANAHY (b. in Hopkinton and who m LENAN, siblings m. TOLAN, JOHNSON, O'CONNOR) LENAN (who m O"BRIEN); SMITH (who m CASEY); PRENTICE (who m ALDRICH) http://www.prenticenet.com/roots/prentice/robert/#R4 RAWSON (one m ALLEN, later one TORREY) http://www.rawsonfamilyassoc.org/ THAYER (Thomas m WHEELER, son Ferdinando m HAYWARD); http://members.aol.com/Sadie476/Thayer.html

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rosdavies/PHOTOSwords/KillinchyAll.htm Ethel - Have you checked out Ros Davies excellent Co. Down website? It is located with records and access is free. She has a "contact me" e-mail address on the home page which should be viable. She may be able to help you. Jean. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> To: <irelandgenweb@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 4:13 PM Subject: Re: [Irish Genealogy] Professional Genealogists (APGI) -- CivilRecords, Offshoot of Poor Law/Workhouses > Hi Ethel in Portland, OR - Check out the APGI website for professional > genealogists.

Hi Ethel in Portland, OR - Check out the APGI website for professional genealogists. John Grenham may be currently unavailable, but I recognize Paul Gorry's name; he is a very respected genealogist. The website states that they have one or two who specialize in Northern Ireland records, as well. Do you have any specific details such as place and date of birth, marriage or death on either one? Any middle names? Children's names and where born? Did any of them emigrate? Jean, Spokane, WA, who grew up in Eugene, OR in the 1930s/40s/50s, with relatives in Portland area. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ethel Davis" <etvio@hevanet.com> To: <irelandgenweb@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 1:11 PM Subject: Re: [Irish Genealogy] Civil Records, Offshoot of Poor Law/Workhouses >I am doing research on my family who lived in County Down, Newtownards >area, > They attented the Killinchy Church which I am having trouble obtaining > access to. > You mention a Mr. Grenham, how do I get in touch with him? The name Of > my > GGrandfather is James Ledgerwood, wife Elizabeth Wallace. I have no names > for siblings or parents. > Thanking hyou in advance, I am, > > Sincerly, > Ethel V./\(Ledgerood) Davis > Portland, Oregon USA > EMAIL; ETVio@hevanet.com > >

May I try and trawl other's collective experience / and / or knowledge? Has anyone out there, when researching parish registers, whether on-line or in the archives, had experience of a child not having been named on an entry? Rather being entered as " son or daughter - or child - of xxxx ( usually father's name only ) " ?? I have come across this with Scottish parish registers but don't know whether or not it happens with Irish registers also. It sometimes makes confirmation of a particular person that you are looking for difficult if they are registered without a first name. Also, whilst I do know that we are instructed to view all given ages with a lot of scepticism, and the normal thing to do is to assume that the people concerned were older - sometimes a lot older - than we had believed, has anyone any experience of somebody actually being younger? And in the Irish marriage registers - especially for the early to mid 1800s, were the couple youngsters, say in the 18 - 24 age group, or did they marry later in age? I know that by the end of the 1800s and into the early 1900s, people seemed to be a bit older - especially the men ( what with waiting for the farm etc., ) but I am wondering if it was more normal that they were youngsters. Mary

I am doing research on my family who lived in County Down, Newtownards area, They attented the Killinchy Church which I am having trouble obtaining access to. You mention a Mr. Grenham, how do I get in touch with him? The name Of my GGrandfather is James Ledgerwood, wife Elizabeth Wallace. I have no names for siblings or parents. Thanking hyou in advance, I am, Sincerly, Ethel V./\(Ledgerood) Davis Portland, Oregon USA EMAIL; ETVio@hevanet.com Subject: [Irish Genealogy] Civil Records, Offshoot of Poor Law/Workhouses > SNIPPET: State registration of non-Catholic marriages began in Ireland in > 1845. All births, deaths and marriages have been registered in Ireland > since > 1864. Registration was an offshoot of the Victorian public health system, > in > turn based on the Poor Law, an attempt to provide some measure of relief > for > the most destitute. Between 1838 and 1852, one hundred and sixty three > workhouses were built throughout the country, each at the centre of an > area > known as a Poor Law Union. The work houses were normally situated in a > large > market town, and the Poor Law Union comprised the town and its catchment > area, with the result that the Unions in many cases ignored the existing > boundaries of parishes and counties. In the 1850s a large-scale public > health system was created, > based on the areas covered by the Poor Law Unions. Each Union was divided > into Dispensary Districts, with an average of 6-7 Districts per Union, and > a > Medical Officer (normally a doctor) was given responsibility for public > health in each District. When the registration of all births, deaths and > marriage then began in 1864, these Dispensary Districts also became > Registrars' Districts, with a Registrar responsible for collecting the > registration within each district. In most cases the Medical Officer for > the > Dispensary District now also acted as the Registrar for the same area, but > not in every case. The superior to this local Registrar was the > Superintendent Registrar responsible for all the Registers within the old > Poor Law Union. The return for the entire Poor Law Union (also known as > both > Superintendent Registrar's District and simply, the registration District) > were indexed and collated centrally, and master indexes for the > entire country were produced at the General Register Office in Dublin. > These > are the indexes which are now used for public research. > > Because of the history of the system, responsibility for registration > still > rests with the Department of Health. The arrangement at present (1993) is > that the local Health Boards hold the original registers, with the General > Register Office in Dublin city holding the master indexes to all 32 > counties > up to 1921, and to the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland after that > date. For Northern Ireland, from 1921, the indexes and registers are held > at > Oxford House, Chichester St. Belfast. > > The General Register Office also contains microfilmed copies of all > original > registers. The LDS (Mormon) Family History Centers have also microfilmed > much data. > > Per John Grenham, author of "Tracing Your Irish Ancestors," a certain > portion of civil registration simply went unregistered. The thoroughness > of > local registration depended very much on local conditions and on the > individuals responsible, but experience in cross-checking from other > sources > such as parish and census records suggest that as much as 10 to 15 percent > of marriages and births simply do not appear in the registers. > > Grenham warns that the ages given in early records should be treated with > caution and may be off by several years and the true day is most often > well > before the one reported. It would appear that early on very few people > actually knew their precise date of birth or knew exactly how to spell > their > name and emphasis was not placed on exactness as is seen today. He feels > that of the three categories, the most useful is probably the marriage > entry. Birth records are difficult to identify correctly from the indexes > due to the high concentration of people of the same surname (and given > names) within particular localities of the country. Unlike many other > countries, older death records in Ireland are not very useful as there was > no obligation to record other family information, and the age at death is > often imprecise. This much said, these death records can sometimes be of > great value in that the person present at death (informant) was often a > family > member and their relationship to the deceased is sometimes given. > > One of the peculiarities of the system of registration is that, although > the > local Registrars were responsible for the Registers (books) themselves, > the > legal obligation to register events actually rested with the public, and > was > enforced with hefty fines. > > The classes of people required to carry out registration in a Birth, for > example fell to the parent or parents -- or in the case of death or > inability of same the occupier of the house or tenement in which the child > was born or the Nurse or any person present at the birth of the child. > Note > to the Registrar of the birth was to be given within 21 days, and full > details within three months. It should be noted that it was not obligatory > to register a first name for the child. In those cases they appear as > "Kelly > male" or "Murphy female." > > If the location of a family farm is known, the approximate death of date > can > often be worked out from the changes in occupier recorded in the Valuation > Books of the Land Valuation Office. Check their website for more details. > > Similarly, if the family possessed property, the Will Calendars of the > National Archives after 1858 can be the easiest way to pinpoint the > precise > date of death. > > Of note is Late Registration. In some cases where events were not > registered > and an individual or relative later needed a certificate for official > purposes, it became necessary to register the event after the fact. > The index references for these late registrations are included in the > volume > for the year in which the event took place. Thus, the index reference for > someone born in 1880, but whose birth was not registered until 1900, is to > be found in the index for 1880. In the case of births and deaths, these > references are indexed separately from the main body of the index, appear > at > the back of the volume. For marriages, late registrations are written in > by > hand at the relevant point in the main body of the index. Although the > chances of finding a missing registration among these are quite slim, it > is > still necessary to include them in any thorough search of the indexes. > > Per Mr. Grenham, (who is Irish and a reputable genealogist), other > resources > include: > 1. Maritime records and Army Records. > 2. Occupational Records. > 3. The Foreign Register from 1864 of Irish subjects abroad where such > births > were notified to the relevant British cousul (although there apparently is > no index) but check with the staff at the GRO to see the > register. > 4. The Schulze Register (General Index to Baptisms and Marriages purported > to have been celebrated by Rev. J. G. F. Schulze, 1806-1837). There are 55 > baptisms and approx. 8,000 marriages celebrated in Dublin by this > clergyman > without a license. When some of the marriages were later challenged in > court, they were held to be legal, and the volume was acquired by the > Register's Office. The bulk of the marriages, celebrated at the German > Lutheran Church in Poolbeg St. Dublin, are for the years 1825 to 1837, and > record only the name of the contracting parties. > 5. Census Records - particularly valuable & comprehensive are those for > 1901 > and 1911 (check with your local LDS FHC and/or on the web. > 6. Land Records to include 32,614 owners of one acre or more of land in > Ireland in 1876. See "Landowners in Ireland: Return of owners of land of > one acre and upwards" - orig. published London 1876; a second publication > published by the Genealogical Publishing Company (LDS) USA in the 1980s. > 7. Census Substitutes (on LDS microfilm and transcribed in part or whole > on > the web) including Freeholders, Voter's Lists, Poll Books, Electoral > Records, Valuations (particular Griffith's mid 1850s and Primary > Valuation > of 1848-64). > 8. Newspapers, books, old trade directories, journals at National Library > Dublin (some on LDS microfilm). > 9. Local parish records. Many on microfilm although a few parishes denied > photocopying of their records. > > > Check out the Ireland GenWeb website at: http://www.irelandgenweb.com/ > > Great place to get help with your family research. > > County Clare has been adopted! > > Help wanted: County Coordinators > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IRELANDGENWEB-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: 270.12.54/2159 - Release Date: 06/06/09 18:04:00

MEMORY LANE: "I sat, enjoying the Indian summer sun, in my brother's garden in Ballinamore recently, and was told by my young nephew, Brian, that I was sitting on part of what was the old narrow gauge railway track. This to me was holy ground and brought back many pleasant and lasting memories of the '30's, when I was a youngster living in Cannaboe in sight of the railway station, that played such a vital role in our young lives. The "buzzer" at the station awakened us with its booming sound at 7:30 every morning. It was steam operated and I presume it was a signal to the workers to be on the job. The shunting of the train at the 'White Gates' as it go ready for its morning journey to Dromod, always fascinated me. The steam engine puffed and blew, spluttered and steamed, as its big wheels turned round and round getting the carriages ready for take-off. On Sunday afternoons we often went to the station and had great fun running up and down the carriages and sitting on the plush seats of the 1st class compartments. It was our only chance to sample that luxury. On a visit to the Transport Museum in Belfast, I was delighted to see one of those carriages in a very well preserved condition. I remember, too, when we went for our Sunday walks on the railway tracks, it was a quite tiring feat for our short legs stepping from sleeper to sleeper, but we enjoyed it. Sometimes, I was sent to the goods store to enquire from Jimmy McTIERNAN, if there was 'anything for us,' like boxes of boots or shoes from DWYERs of Cork, bales of leather, beds, mattresses, bicycles, machinery from PIERCEs of Wexford, etc. To look around that store and examine its contents and smells was an experience in itself. All human life seemed to be there. In those days we had to provide for our own entertainment and we were experts at that. We had the occasional visit of DUFFY's Circus, Anew McMASTER, a play or a concert in the town hall, but that was not sufficient to satisfy our appetites for creative activities. We were a very inventive bunch of youngsters and we frequently set up our own circus and plays in McTIERNAN's quarry. We erected our tents with poles and canvas bags, composed our own scripts, designed our own costumes, got our own make-up, auditioned our own cast. Admission was one old penny or near enough to half of a 'new' penny, paid at 'the opening,' as we had no door. We really did entertain our audience as well as thoroughly enjoying our own performances. A favourite Sunday haunt of ours was the courthouse. We went into the courtroom there and many a good case was fought and lost or won by us in that room. The judge presided from his seat of honour, the jury took its place, the poor unfortunate prisoner was in the dock and the audience in the gallery. We were real experts in the law and I'm sure that noble profession lost a few good barristers in some of us! Fair days were very special to us. As the fairs were held on the streets, we had a free day from school and we certainly made the most of it. From early morning, the jobbers and the farmers converged on the town from all directions - some farmers driving cattle, others sitting smugly on carts or walking beside them, with little squealing bonhams under canvas wondering where they were going, or why they were subjected to such treatment. We enjoyed listening to and watching the farmers and jobbers making bargains and hearing: 'come down another few pounds' and 'split the difference,' 'what luck penny you give me' and then clinching the bargain by spitting on their hands and clapping palms. We loved to move through the fair - in and out between the mooing cows, avoiding the whish of their not too clean tails, fearing a kick from a cross bullock, and keeping far away from grunting pigs and sows. We loved to peep into the carts at the squealing, wriggling, pink piggies. We pitied those little captive creatures. Meat stalls were taken out of the market yard for the day. GREENANs, LOGANs, and HARVEYs sold the best Leitrim beef, mutton, pig's crubeens and spare ribs. Many a happy farmer went home with his parcel of meat under his arm to enjoy a fine meal - a well earned treat for his long, arduous, but rewarding day at the fair. The meat stalls were returned to the market yard after the fair. Many times we played on those stalls - jumping up and down. Alas! our fun came to a sudden end one day when Maureen McDONNELL was killed, as she fell off one of them. That was a sad day for us and for the town and put an end to our visits to the market yard. We were educated by the Sisters of Mercy and the convent was very special to us. In the primary school we were taught the 3 R's, the rudiments of English and Irish grammar, history, geography, knitting, sewing, music and singing and above all we learned the Penny Catechism 'by heart.' During our school-days, we did not appreciate the hard work of the good Sisters, but in retrospect, we were very grateful to them for their dedicated work in trying to make scholars out of us. Indeed, they can be justly proud of some of the now famous pupils who passed through their schools. I must mention two of the many lovely memories I have of those convent days. At lunch time, one of the sisters brought big slices of lovely fresh white bread, covered with plenty of homemade rhubarb jam, to the school yard. I always envied the children who qualified for this treat and on many occasions came to school without my lunch, in order to get the convent bread and jam. It was simply delicious! On closing day in summer we were brought out on a picnic to 'The Hill' in the convent field on the banks of the canal. I remember, especially, the big tin of canned sweets and how much we enjoyed them and the other goodies. Mother Catherine was a legendary figure in those days - everyone knew her. She operated from the 'back parlour' in the convent. On Saturdays, she brought a group of boys and girls to the parlour to teach us Latin, French, spelling, music and singing. To us this was an ordeal we dreaded, but she, being a true Sister of Mercy, was giving of her time and talents in order to help us to foster potential vocations to the priesthood and religious life. She succeeded very well. Very many of her pupils have ministered and are still ministering in convents and in parishes in Ireland, England and even abroad. We would need her around today! On our way home from school, we loved to visit Tom RODDY in his forge and to watch the great skill with which he plied his trade. It was great to see Tom shoeing a horse. We winced as he cut the horse's hooves, fearing the horse was hurt. Tom shaped the shoe on the anvil, with sparks flying all around, made the holes for the nails in the shoes and completed his job by nailing the shoes on to the horse's freshly pared hooves. The horse and farmer then made a proud exit from the forge, the owner thanking Tom for a job well done and the horse a little bit awkward in his new shoes. Ballinamore was unique, in having a town crier - Paddy DOONER. All heads popped out of doors when Paddy's bell was heard clanging out. Everyone was eager to know what was coming to town. His loud, sonorous voice, announced the coming of a circus, Anew McMASTER, a play or a concert in the hall, an auction, or any other important event. We loved to run after Paddy, or walk with him, hoping to get a turn with the bell. Paddy did a good job and did it with style and conviction. The day before I entered the convent, Carmel CONLON and myself paid a visit to O'NEILL's pub. We went into the snug - a small apartment reserved for ladies who wanted a quiet quick one. We ordered our minerals and enjoyed our first and last drink in the privacy of a snug. We just wanted the experience and the feel of the snug, before we turned our backs on it all. Carmel entered a few months after me as Sr. Isidore and has since gone on to her reward, may she rest in peace. As I release these memories, the past blends with the present. The old railway station and its buildings have been replaced by St. Phelim's fine secondary school for boys; the old cruciform church with its ancient galleries is gone and a new church dominates the centre of the town; the old sluggish canal has been transformed into an active, vibrant canal, bringing cabin cruisers on its deep waters from the Erne to the Shannon. Incidentally, it was my brother, Colm MARTIN, an engineer with the O. P. W. who drew up the original plans and costing for this Ballinamore/Ballyconnell Canal. Everything changes but all is still the same in 'the town I love so well.'" -- Sr. Finbarr MARTIN, "Leitrim Guardian" 1998 yearly magazine.

SNIPPET: State registration of non-Catholic marriages began in Ireland in 1845. All births, deaths and marriages have been registered in Ireland since 1864. Registration was an offshoot of the Victorian public health system, in turn based on the Poor Law, an attempt to provide some measure of relief for the most destitute. Between 1838 and 1852, one hundred and sixty three workhouses were built throughout the country, each at the centre of an area known as a Poor Law Union. The work houses were normally situated in a large market town, and the Poor Law Union comprised the town and its catchment area, with the result that the Unions in many cases ignored the existing boundaries of parishes and counties. In the 1850s a large-scale public health system was created, based on the areas covered by the Poor Law Unions. Each Union was divided into Dispensary Districts, with an average of 6-7 Districts per Union, and a Medical Officer (normally a doctor) was given responsibility for public health in each District. When the registration of all births, deaths and marriage then began in 1864, these Dispensary Districts also became Registrars' Districts, with a Registrar responsible for collecting the registration within each district. In most cases the Medical Officer for the Dispensary District now also acted as the Registrar for the same area, but not in every case. The superior to this local Registrar was the Superintendent Registrar responsible for all the Registers within the old Poor Law Union. The return for the entire Poor Law Union (also known as both Superintendent Registrar's District and simply, the registration District) were indexed and collated centrally, and master indexes for the entire country were produced at the General Register Office in Dublin. These are the indexes which are now used for public research. Because of the history of the system, responsibility for registration still rests with the Department of Health. The arrangement at present (1993) is that the local Health Boards hold the original registers, with the General Register Office in Dublin city holding the master indexes to all 32 counties up to 1921, and to the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland after that date. For Northern Ireland, from 1921, the indexes and registers are held at Oxford House, Chichester St. Belfast. The General Register Office also contains microfilmed copies of all original registers. The LDS (Mormon) Family History Centers have also microfilmed much data. Per John Grenham, author of "Tracing Your Irish Ancestors," a certain portion of civil registration simply went unregistered. The thoroughness of local registration depended very much on local conditions and on the individuals responsible, but experience in cross-checking from other sources such as parish and census records suggest that as much as 10 to 15 percent of marriages and births simply do not appear in the registers. Grenham warns that the ages given in early records should be treated with caution and may be off by several years and the true day is most often well before the one reported. It would appear that early on very few people actually knew their precise date of birth or knew exactly how to spell their name and emphasis was not placed on exactness as is seen today. He feels that of the three categories, the most useful is probably the marriage entry. Birth records are difficult to identify correctly from the indexes due to the high concentration of people of the same surname (and given names) within particular localities of the country. Unlike many other countries, older death records in Ireland are not very useful as there was no obligation to record other family information, and the age at death is often imprecise. This much said, these death records can sometimes be of great value in that the person present at death (informant) was often a family member and their relationship to the deceased is sometimes given. One of the peculiarities of the system of registration is that, although the local Registrars were responsible for the Registers (books) themselves, the legal obligation to register events actually rested with the public, and was enforced with hefty fines. The classes of people required to carry out registration in a Birth, for example fell to the parent or parents -- or in the case of death or inability of same the occupier of the house or tenement in which the child was born or the Nurse or any person present at the birth of the child. Note to the Registrar of the birth was to be given within 21 days, and full details within three months. It should be noted that it was not obligatory to register a first name for the child. In those cases they appear as "Kelly male" or "Murphy female." If the location of a family farm is known, the approximate death of date can often be worked out from the changes in occupier recorded in the Valuation Books of the Land Valuation Office. Check their website for more details. Similarly, if the family possessed property, the Will Calendars of the National Archives after 1858 can be the easiest way to pinpoint the precise date of death. Of note is Late Registration. In some cases where events were not registered and an individual or relative later needed a certificate for official purposes, it became necessary to register the event after the fact. The index references for these late registrations are included in the volume for the year in which the event took place. Thus, the index reference for someone born in 1880, but whose birth was not registered until 1900, is to be found in the index for 1880. In the case of births and deaths, these references are indexed separately from the main body of the index, appear at the back of the volume. For marriages, late registrations are written in by hand at the relevant point in the main body of the index. Although the chances of finding a missing registration among these are quite slim, it is still necessary to include them in any thorough search of the indexes. Per Mr. Grenham, (who is Irish and a reputable genealogist), other resources include: 1. Maritime records and Army Records. 2. Occupational Records. 3. The Foreign Register from 1864 of Irish subjects abroad where such births were notified to the relevant British cousul (although there apparently is no index) but check with the staff at the GRO to see the register. 4. The Schulze Register (General Index to Baptisms and Marriages purported to have been celebrated by Rev. J. G. F. Schulze, 1806-1837). There are 55 baptisms and approx. 8,000 marriages celebrated in Dublin by this clergyman without a license. When some of the marriages were later challenged in court, they were held to be legal, and the volume was acquired by the Register's Office. The bulk of the marriages, celebrated at the German Lutheran Church in Poolbeg St. Dublin, are for the years 1825 to 1837, and record only the name of the contracting parties. 5. Census Records - particularly valuable & comprehensive are those for 1901 and 1911 (check with your local LDS FHC and/or on the web. 6. Land Records to include 32,614 owners of one acre or more of land in Ireland in 1876. See "Landowners in Ireland: Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards" - orig. published London 1876; a second publication published by the Genealogical Publishing Company (LDS) USA in the 1980s. 7. Census Substitutes (on LDS microfilm and transcribed in part or whole on the web) including Freeholders, Voter's Lists, Poll Books, Electoral Records, Valuations (particular Griffith's mid 1850s and Primary Valuation of 1848-64). 8. Newspapers, books, old trade directories, journals at National Library Dublin (some on LDS microfilm). 9. Local parish records. Many on microfilm although a few parishes denied photocopying of their records.

Need to know if there was a Blackwell/Backwell Ireland and if so what County in Ireland was this town located? Thanks so much

SNIPPET: You may be familiar with the fine Irish tenor voice of Ronan TYNAN from Co. Kilkenny as one of the "three tenors" (he is the one with the glasses and big smile, whose interpretation of lyrics is so marvelous) - but did you know that TYNAN was also a sports medicine physician who trained in medicine at Trinity College, Dublin? I did not -- nor did I suspect that he was a double amputee following an accident at the age of 20 that affected his legs. Despite this "bump in the road," Ronan has won 20 world records and many gold medals in international track and field events. In 1992 TYNAN won the John McCormack Cup for Tenor Voice. In 2002, he authored a book, "Halfway Home: My Life 'Til Now." Ronan TYNAN was recently honored by the United Hospital Fund for his public service to the city of New York. Along with 96 other hospital volunteers, TYNAN was recognized for his tireless volunteer work. He was commended especially for his contributions to NYC after September 11, 2001, including the many memorial services and funerals at which he volunteered to sing. His volunteer activities include for the NY Fire Dept., the Garden City Community and Family Relief Fund, and the Children's Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children in NJ. TYNAN has been named honorary ambassador to the Special Olympics by Tourism Ireland. He composed and recorded the song "Ireland -- This is the Hour" for the Summer Games in Dublin. My favorite song that Ronan has recorded: "Scorn Not His Simplicity." Scorn Not His Simplicity (Phil Coulter) See the child With the golden hair Yet eyes that show the emptiness inside Do we know Can we understand just how he feels Or have we really tried See him now As he stands alone And watches children play a children's game Simple child He looks almost like the others Yet they know he's not the same Scorn not his simplicity But rather try to love him all the more Scorn not his simplicity Oh no Oh no See him stare Not recognizing the kind face That only yesterday he loved The loving face Of a mother who can't understand what she's been guilty of How she cried, tears of happiness the day the doctor told her it's a boy Now she cries tears of helplessness and thinks of all the things he can't enjoy Scorn not his simplicity But rather try to love him all the more Scorn not his simplicity Oh no Oh no Only he knows how to face the future hopefully Surrounded by despair He won't ask for your pity or your sympathy But surely you should care Scorn not his simplicity But rather try to love him all the more Scorn not his simplicity Oh no Oh no Oh no

OK Maisie it was a silly point - I'll give you that the Scots in their wisdom call the harebell the bluebell, but most people this side of the pond if you said the name bluebell would think of the woodland carpeter, and Day Lewis is definitely not referring to that plant. The harebell is found more often in the west of Ireland, which agrees with the poem. But some lovely poetry for us to mull over..... Mary