I just recently found out that the Kenny's of Greagh, Drumlish were related to the Rev. Malachy Reynolds. My great grandfather was Malachy Kenny and his spouse was Anne Hughes. Their children that I know of were John, Michael, Thomas, Bridget who married a Kellegher and my grandmother Anne who emmigrated to N.Y. in 1896. The Rev. Reynolds named Michael & John of Greagh and John & Peter Kenny of Drumacron in his will. If you know how the Kenny's are connected to the Rev. Reynoldds I would appreciate knowing. Thank you, Carol A. Campbell Boca Raton, Fl. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, December 24, 2004 2:00 PM Subject: Re: [LONGFORD] Bishop Higgins > Dear Claire, > > I think I may be able to help you quite a lot. I am descended from > Catherine > Higgins, sister to your great-great-grandmother. In the course of the > past > ten years of trial-and-error, seat-of-the-pants genealogical research, I > have > located over a thousand of your cousins--although some of them are pretty > distant, given that the connection stems from the turn of the 19th > century. > Through our common ancestral line, you are also related by blood or by > marriage to the Reynolds (McRannall) family of Longford, once the local > chieftains in the Drumlish area--probably several times over, as I am--the > Kanes (probably originally refugees from the sectarian disturbances in > County > Armagh in 1793), and the Conefreys of Leitrim/Longford. Here is are some > of > the highlights of what I have found. > > Bishop Higgins (and your great-great-grandmother) probably also had > another > sister who married someone named Nicolls. The bishop officiated at > another > marriage in 1830 in Longford Town for which I have found a record, rather > unusual for a sitting bishop of the time to do unless one of the bridal > company was a relative, especially since his residence was still in > Ballymahon > at the time. > > Your great-great-grandmother had a brother (whose baptismal name I have > not > yet been able to find out) who fathered another William Higgins who > volunteered as a missionary priest in Diocese of Demerara, essentially the > present country of Guiana. He went to the mission field knowing that he > probably would not survive his service there; recruiters who came to > Maynooth > to seek volunteers were quite frank in saying that almost all of the > priests > previously active in the diocese had died of malaria or yellow fever and > that > replacements were urgently needed. As it happened, he did not die--he was > one > of only two survivors of that volunteer group--and came to the United > States, > where he served in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and as a military > chaplain in > the Civil War until his death. > > Bishop Higgins received his early education in hedge schools, although > tradition has it that his mother taught him to read--which is absolutely > amazing if true, because illiteracy among female Catholic Irish of the > time > was well over 90%. The bishop himself left Ireland to study for the > priesthood in about 1800. Although the national Catholic seminary at > Maynooth > had been established in 1795 as a concession by the British to Catholics > to > keep them from joining the Protestant minority in the latter's drive for > greater political rights, Irish clerical preparation was not yet > considered to > be on a par with that which was available on the continent. > > William Higgins went first to the Irish College in Paris where he > witnessed > the final stages of the French Revolutionary period. This experience > seems to > have had a lasting effect on his attitudes. Until the end of his life, he > remained adamant that the Irish should use parliamentary means--rather > than > foreign intervention and violence like that which culminated in the Battle > of > Ballinamuck in 1798--to secure civil equity. > > Ordained for the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise in France, he went on > to > the Irish College in Rome, where he received his doctorate, and then to > Vienna. He returned to Ireland in 1824 and taught theology at Maynooth > College, which was then in the process of upgrading its educational > quality. > > In 1828, with Catholic Emancipation imminent, he was consecrated bishop in > Ballymahon (in the South of County Longford), which was at the time the > episcopal seat. Once Catholic Emancipation was a reality, Bishop Higgins > began a lifetime of work of providing the diocese with permanent, > impressive > (the only word for it) church buildings to replace those that had been > confiscated during the Reformation, with the goal of raising the profile > of > the now fully legal Church among a people who had until fairly recently > had to > attend Mass (which was legally prohibited under the Penal Laws until the > Catholic Relief Acts of the 1770's) in secluded spots in the great > outdoors. > He raised the money for the building of St. Mel's Cathedral in Longford > Town > and laid the foundation stone in 1840. (Unfortunately, the cathedral was > not > completed during his lifetime because work ground to a halt during the > Famine > period of 1845-52.) > > Another of his preoccupations was to provide the diocese with an adequate > number of well educated clergy and to found schools for the Catholic > population in general. He had the original idea for St. Mel's College, > which > he intended as a seminary--a purpose that it did serve during its early > years. > St. Mel's College still exists today opposite the cathedral, but it has > long > since become an elite private school offering both lay and clerical > education > for young men. The College was not completed during Bishop Higgins' > lifetime > because of the Famine either. > > A third passion of the bishop was the Repeal of the Act of Union of 1800, > enacted in response to the Irish rebellion and French intervention of > 1798, > that dissolved the Irish Parliament and brought Ireland under the direct > rule > of Westminster. A lifelong friend of the great Daniel O'Connell, he spoke > at > one of O'Connell's pro-repeal "monster meetings" in Mullingar (County West > Meath). > > This past summer, with the gracious permission of the incumbant Bishop of > Ardagh, I was able to spend several days examining the papers of Bishop > Higgins that have survived. I am still working my way through a thick > sheaf > of copies. However, I am already in a position to draw some conclusions > from > them. However he acquired it, Bishop Higgins was phenominally well > educated > for the times or, for that matter, for any time. He wrote English, > French, > Italian, and Latin flawlessly. (Presumably his Irish was flawless also, > but > I am not qualified to pass judgment on that.) He presented his arguments > logically, displaying a comprehensive grasp of the learning of his time. > His > letters display a finely tuned knack for Church and secular politics. He > was > fearless and persistent in defending the interests of the downtrodden > Catholic > population against potentially detrimental measures by the great > Protestant > landlords, particularly the Earls of Granard and Leitrim. Sadly, in the! > end, the Famine destroyed him psychologically several years before he > died > in the physical sense, but he made a valiant effort to hold on until the > end > and to provide such succor as he could to the population committed to his > care. > > I have masses of documentary material that you might find interesting. > Please > contact me off list and let us see how I can get it to you. Some of the > files > are very large because they contain numerous family-related photographs > and > might strain the limits of what you can receive via email. > > Welcome to the family. What a nice Christmas present it is for me to > receive > this wholly unexpected opportunity to open up another collateral line in > the > genealogical table I have been working on for so long. > > Nancy Gray > > Original message from "White, Claire - SOL" <[email protected]>: > -------------- > > >> >> I have just learned that my great great grandfather, John Brady, of > Clonbroney >> parish, married Margaret Higgins in Drumlish RC Parish on May 4, 1831. >> They >> were married by William Higgins, Bishop of Ardagh, who was Margaret's >> brother. Can someone suggest to me where I might find more information on >> that Higgins family? Thanks. Claire Brady White >> >> >> >> >> >> ==== IRL-LONGFORD Mailing List ==== >> To contact the listowner send an email to: >> [email protected] >> > > > __________ NOD32 1.957 (20041222) Information __________ > > This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. > http://www.nod32.com > > > > > > > ==== IRL-LONGFORD Mailing List ==== > ~God is good, but never dance in a small boat.~ >