>From the Castlecomer Forum: MRS. K. O’KELLY. The death has taken place at her home in Barrack Street of Kathleen O’ Kelly. She went to her eternal reward just as she had lived ever so quietly and peacefully. Born in Ardra in 1929 she was a deeply patriotic person and had a great grá for the Irish Language. She took a keen interest in local and national politics which came second only to singing and during her time she was involved with no less than four choirs, some of whom participated in her Requiem Mass. A life long member of the PTAA, among her proudest possessions was the Gold Pin which was one of the Offertory gifts. The life and soul of many a party it was most appropriate to hear a rendition of “Danny Boy” at the graveside. She was laid to rest in the Parish Cemetery after Requiem Mass celebrated in the Church of the Immaculate Conception by her cousin Fr. Tim Kelly (USA), (Chief Celebrant) assisted by Fr. Larry Wallace P.P. Muckalee ; Fr. Tom Corcoran C.C. Castlecomer ; Fr. Liam Shore P.E. Castlecomer. She is survived by her daughters Marie (Lorra, Co. Offaly), Angela (Celbridge, Co. Kildare), Cathriona ; grandchildren ; other relatives and a large circle of friends. Date of this item added : 2011-06-22

The death has occurred of Mary Coogan, (née Keating) of Cloneen, Crettyard Carlow Crettyard, Kilkenny Coogan, Cloneen, Crettyard, Carlow Peacefully At St Luke's Hospital Kilkenny. Reposing at her residence Mary ( in her 91st year) Beloved wife of the late Tom and dear mother of Kitty, William, Tom, Anie, John, May, Joe, Bridget, Patricia, Lil, Theresa, Seamus, and the late Patsy. Grandclidren , Great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. R.I.P. Funeral prayers this Saturday evening in her residence at 6.00pm followed by removal to the Sacred Heart Church, Monenroe. Funeral mass on Sunday at 3.00pm followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.Vigil prayers this Friday night at 9.0pm at her residence. Ar dheis De go raibh a h-anam. Date published: Friday, June 03, 2011 Date of death: Friday, June 03, 2011

Pat Connors recently recommended a site listing 23,000 Irish-born mariners active in the British Merchant Marine from 1918 to 1921. It's an excellent site, easy to navigate, and has their exact birthdates and voyages. Many were born in Kilkenny, some as locally as Castlecomer. Go to: _http://www.irishmariners.ie/index.php_ (http://www.irishmariners.ie/index.php) Jack Langton

The death has occurred of Kathleen O'KELLY, (née Walker) of Barrack Street, Castlecomer, Kilkenny Peacefully at her residence. Relict of the late Michael. Loving Mother of Marie Wilson (Nenagh) Angie Newman (Celbridge) and Caitriona Evison (Loon). Sadly missed by her daughters, grand-children Darragh and Michael, sons-in-law Pete and Tim, her sister-in-law, niece and nephews, her close relatives, neighbours and friends. Reposing at Coady's Funeral Home Castlecomer from 5pm Monday (30th May) Funeral Prayers on Tuesday evening at 5.30pm, followed by removal to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Castlecomer. Requiem Mass on Wednesday morning at 11am followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. Ar dheis De go raibh a h-anam. Date published: Monday, May 30, 2011 Date of death: Sunday, May 29, 2011

>From the Castlecomer Forum: MR. D. BYRNE. The death has taken place at St. Lukes Hospital, Kilkenny of Denis Byrne, Clashduff. A hard working member of the farming community for all of his life he will be fondly remembered on Deenside as a kind, affable and sincere person. Never afraid to speak his mind he enjoyed a game of cards and was a regular at the local whist on Friday nights in the Community Hall. Denis was a member of the local PTAA for over fifty years. He was laid to rest in the Parish Cemetery after Requiem Mass celebrated in the Church of the Immaculate Conception by Fr. Tom Corcoran C.C. Castlecomer assisted by Msgr. Michael Ryan P.P. Castlecomer ; Fr. Liam Shore P.E. Castlecomer. He is survived by his brother Charlie ; sisters Nora, Mary-Jo (Manchester); nieces; nephews; other relatives and a large circle of friends. Date of this item added : 2011-05-24

JOHN PATRICK ROACHE 1905- 2011. >From the Castlecomer Forum: The death has taken place on April 4th in New Zealand of John Roache formerly of Crettenclough in his 107th year. Born in Crettenclough on 30th march 1905, his parents were Paul and Mary (nee Somers). His father lived to be 94 years old and his mother 97 years old. He was the second oldest of nine children, sadly one of his sisters Lizzie died young. His other siblings were Peter, Bridget, Philip (Phil), Edward (Ned), Kathleen (O’Meara), Ellen (Nellie Healy), Mary (Malone), all lived to reach good ages, and actually three of his siblings collected their weekly old age pension accompanied by their mother. He left school at 14 years of age and worked on the farm of an uncle nearby. In 1928 he went to Australia with his sister Nellie by boat. The journey took one month and Jack gained a stone in weight during the journey. It was snowing when he left Ireland, but when he arrived in Freemantle, Perth, it was 100 degrees. In Ireland he had heard of the long green grass in Australia, but when he stepped out of the taxi on his arrival in Freeemantle he went to the knees in sand. His first job was with his aunts milking cows on a dairy farm. He liked the cows but the hours were long and there was little sleep, also Jack said that his aunts treated him like a child and were too bossy, so he moved up the coast to the wheat fields. He spent a couple of years operating an eight horse team, ploughing ten acres a day, six days a week, all year round. He then moved to a smaller farm for one year doing the same type of work but operating a six horse team. He then began work in the gold fields panning for gold. The money he earned here was only enough to pay for his food and to keep him in tobacco. He later gave up smoking when he was 75 years old. He never made his fortune here, his crock of gold remained at the end of the rainbow. He decided to move to New Zealand in 1938. He arrived in Foxton, in the north island; His first job was on the buildings. The first night he arrived he met Dorothy Brown whom he later married. When the war broke out he began working in the flax factory in Foxton, where he stayed for ten years. Next he took up carpentry. He soon set up a sawmills business with another man, after some time this man’s brother became a partner also, things weren’t really the same after that so eventually Jack sold his share of the business to these two brothers. He then started his concrete business. He first started making concrete posts, which led to concrete blocks and then on to cow sheds and milking parlours. He stayed at his concrete business until his retirement when his son David took over the business, which he still operates very successfully. Along with David, Jack and Dorothy had five other children, Ruth, Paul, (who died suddenly in 1999 aged 59) Dorothy, Elizabeth and Frances. His wife Dorothy died in 1990. He once had a dream about a horse whose name was Bad Mac, he decided to put a bet on it the next day, but the guy working in the betting office put him off saying that the horse was no use and gave Jack the name of another horse to bet on which he did, but this horse didn’t do any good and guess what, Bad Mac won at 100 to 1. Jack never backed a horse after that. Jack loved his garden, sowing all types of vegetables. At ninety nine years of age he decided to halve the amount of gardening he was doing. In his 101st year he was still cutting his lawns on a ride on lawn mower. He was a great man with his hands, at one time along with three other men he built a wooden extension to the local catholic church. This project took a month to complete. He was a great family man and enjoyed nothing better than the family gathering when his children, grand children, great grand children and great great grand children would all gather at his home. He had time for everybody. He saw many changed in his 106 years. But he took all these changes in his stride, and there was no age barrier when he was conversing with anyone. He never forgot Ireland and Crettenclough and made some journeys home during his lifetime. His last visit was in 1991. His wife had died the previous year and understandably Jack was feeling down. His family thought a trip to Ireland would help raise his spirits. So his family came with him. He was eighty six at that time and it was to be his last visit. Some of his family have been to Kilkenny since then, actually in 2008 a cousin of Jack’s bought a dvd of the Castlecomer Wellie Race to New Zealand, so impressed was Jack’s son David with the amount of money raised by the event that himself and twelve of his own immediate family came to Moneenroe to participate in the Wellie race of 2009. Jack reached his 106th birthday on 30th March 2011. Sadly he passed away on 4th April 2011. Helping at his funeral was his dear friend of many years Fr. Kieran Rice who is also a Kilkenny man, originally from Jenkinstown.. On the occasion of his 100th birthday, President Mary McAleese sent him a medallion and a letter of her good wishes, which he was very proud of. Actually on her visit to meeting with Irish people in Wellington, New Zealand, a few years ago she sent an invitation to Jack and a friend to attend, which he duly did, and Fr. Rice went as his friend. Jack’s photograph appeared on the Irish Independent the following day with the President and her husband. He was laid to rest with his wife in Foxton Lawn Cemetery, New Zealand. Ar dheis dé go raibh a h-anam dílis. Date of this item added : 2011-05-24

The death has occurred of Denis Byrne of Clashduff, Castlecomer, Kilkenny Deeply regretted by his loving brother Charlie, sisters Mary Jo and Nora, brother-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends. Reposing at Coady's Funeral Home, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny. Funeral Prayers in Coady's Funeral Home on Monday evening at 7pm followed by removal to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Castlecomer. Requiem Mass on Tuesday morning at 11am followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. Rosary will be recited in Coady's Funeral Home on Sunday evening at 8pm. Date published: Sunday, May 01, 2011 Date of death: Saturday, April 30, 2011

_MADDEN : Death_ (http://www.announcement.ie/9289683) Published in the Irish Independent on 19th April 2011 (Distributed in Republic of Ireland) This notice has had 39 visitors. MADDEN, (San Martin, Kilkenny Road, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny) - April 18, 2011, (peacefully), in the loving care of the staff of Drakelands Nursing Home, Kilkenny, Peadar, deeply beloved husband of Violet and much loved father of Karl, Gerard, Janice, Enda and Adrian; very sadly missed by his wife, family, brother, sister, daughters-in-law, son-in-law, grandchildren, sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. R.I.P. Funeral Prayers today (Tuesday) at 7 o'c. at his residence, followed by Removal to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Castlecomer. Requim Mass tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11 o'c. followed by Burial in the adjoining cemetery.

Hi Deb, Olive Tree Genealogy has a post today (Friday) about a maternal DNA kit, I didn't know they made them. She seems to think it will be very useful. _http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/_ (http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/) Jack Langton

I got the DNA test done because I hit a "half price" sale. I have no male LARGE relative that is willing to take the test, which is too bad because testing the male line would reveal my "Comer genes" more fully. The Family Finder test that I had done is in its Beta stage. It is an autosomal test (it compares the chromosomes of people in the databases). The success of the results of this particular test improve as more people use the test and the database expands. Jack asked if I am satisfied with the results. I would say intrigued rather than satisfied. I received a list of 26 people who were matches for distant (3rd or 4th) cousins. I have not yet contacted them to see if we share a tree branch. My personal opinion of the test? Well, I was going to say read my blog LOL but I won't--I think that as more people take these Family Finder and autosomal type tests, and the databases get much much larger than they are now, the test has huge potential as a genealogical tool. I do think DNA testing has huge potential for a group such as Castlecomer area descendants. I found that Prince Edward Island has its own DNA study group, I am going to inquire about its success, it might be a model for a Castlecomer area, or other Irish area, projects. Deb Deborah Large Fox Help! The Faerie Folk Hid My Ancestors! http://irishfamilyresearch.blogspot.com

No, Deb, I've never had my DNA tested, there were just too many cons among the pros (and I'm not referring to my ancestors, though my dad and at least one of his brothers was a guest in Kilmainham, or so family lore would have it.) Were you satisfied with your results, in the sense of feeling that they got it right? Jack Langton

Opps! Forgot to add to my post asking about DNA tests: my results for the Family Finder test were two thirds French, one-third Russian/Finnish. The margin for error for my results was miniscule. All of genealogy research places my Irish and Polish lines back to Ireland and Poland into the 1700’s. So, my reason for posting is wondering if most Irish get the “French” result, and whether this result is appearing on tests of Castlecomer descendants? Could it be the Norman genetic influence, or do my results point to one of my theories that my Comer Large family was at one time French Huguenot? Deb (p.s. I have NO idea why the Polish side tested Russian/ Finnish!) Deborah Large Fox Help! The Faerie Folk Hid My Ancestors! http://irishfamilyresearch.blogspot.com Journey to Recite the Kaddish in Uzlyany http://uzlyanykaddish.blogspot.com/

Recently had my DNA tested, have gotten partial results back. I was wondering if any other Comer list members have gotten their DNA tested? Would be interested in comparing results with others in the area, especially since it is a small geographic area, although, being female, my results are limited. Deb Deborah Large Fox Help! The Faerie Folk Hid My Ancestors! http://irishfamilyresearch.blogspot.com

Seeking contact with any researcher with any knowledge of the Scarf/Scarfe/Scariff and Rice families in the border area of County Carlow and Co. Kilkenny. These families were located at Bawnree (Baunreagh), Seskin, Johnduffswood on the RIDGE above Old Leighlin in Co. Carlow. Some also had connections with Bergin, Kelly, Booth families in Coolcullen, Co. Kilkenny and with Power, Butler, Walsh and Lyons at Tullobrin, Baurnafea , Castlewarren, Johnswell, Castlecomer, Smithstown and Muckalee in Co. Kilkenny. Many of these families emigrated to Ontario, Canada circa 1820 and some of the next generation emigrated to Australia circa 1850 after the famine. Darryl Scarff Point Lonsdale Australia

Jim, Agree with Jack that the Castlecomer library is a "must." They have a shelf of local history books, including some locally published booklets about churches and books about the mining. The librarian there also helped me locate some of the smaller townlands on some maps. The collection is limited enough that you can peruse it in a morning if you locate pages that you want and copy them to read later (that is a good job to assign to any non-researching travel companion). If you will be doing research at the National Library in Dublin, you might want to consider looking at the Wandesforde estate papers in the library archives. However, that is a very time consuming project, email me if you are considering it and I can give you some time saving tips. Please post to the list when you return and let us know of any discoveries, or any advice you have for the rest of us. Deb Deborah Large Fox Help! The Faerie Folk Hid My Ancestors! http://irishfamilyresearch.blogspot.com

Hi Deb and all, You're right on both counts, the Avalon Inn was the mining office, and it has been put up for auction, but what the outcome was I don't know. I do know I had a delicious meal there some years ago, though not staying overnight. Maybe one of the listers knows it's fate. Jack Langton

Thanks for the Duffy's Cut article, Jack. I had not seen that one before. Latest news from the Cut is that a Univ of Penn professor identified at least one skull had a gunshot hole in it. Been talking with a few people who are going to Ireland this spring. Set me to thinking, what has become of the building in the center of town on the road to Kilkenny that a few years ago was a small hotel known as Avalon House? I think it was a mining office at one time? Then I seem to remember that it was in danger of being torn down? Is it still there? Deb Deborah Large Fox Help! The Faerie Folk Hid My Ancestors! http://irishfamilyresearch.blogspot.com Journey to Recite the Kaddish in Uzlyany http://uzlyanykaddish.blogspot.com/

Hi Jim, Congratulations on your coming trip, i'm sure you'll have a great time. There were Deevy or Devy families in the area in 1911 and 1901. so I wouldn't be surprised if there still are. A good place to start would be the Castlecomer library, they invite E-mails and are very responsive. Just Google "Castlecomer library" Also Google "Castlecomer Discovery Park", it has historical and touristy things. The 1901 & 1901 census are on line at _http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/_ (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/) They are free to search. Jack Langton

I am planning a visit to Castlecomer in a few weeks. I'd like to find out if there are any sites there to do some research. Can anyone advise me how to find out what is possible? I am pretty certain that my great, great grandfather emigrated from there to Canada. His name was Patrick Bernard Devy, born about 1810, & was married to Mary Callahan. Unfortunately, I believe he changed the spelling of his last name after he arrived in North America. Jim Moore

Deb, Off list but couldn't find your addy. The latest article i've seen on Duffy's Cut, this one from a Philadelphia paper.. A lot of it is not new, but does contain this-and-that I hadn't seen before. _http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/cover-story/Murder-in-the-Time-of-Cholera.html_ (http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/cover-story/Murder-in-the-Time-of-Cholera.html) Jack Langton