HEFFERNAN AND COMAN OR COMANS FAMILIES ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catherine Mary Ryan became a professional singer under the name Marie Narelle. Marie Narelle was born into a family prominent in pastoral activity in the Temora area in southern New South Wales. Marie Narelle`s maternal grandfather James Coman`s brother William of Moruya married one Mary Dwyer in Ireland. Mary was William`s second wife. She came to Moruya with him. The first wife was Catherine Rawley, mother of Moruya identities William and James Coman. Marie Narelle`s maternal grandmother was Catherine Heffernan, who had brothers at Moruya named Edmund and Patrick. Those people`s parents were Roger Heffernan and Margaret Brown. The Heffernans were from County Tipperary. It seems likely they were of the town or vicinity thereof of Golden. The Comans too were from County Tipperary. William Coman junior owned the grazing estate "Bumbo" a little to the south of Moruya and appears to have overlanded stock to Victoria. His brother James acquired the 890-acre Moruya farm "Glenduart" -- on the north side of the river -- originally owned by John McLean, head of the New South Wales convict administration for many years. McLean went into bankruptcy in 1845 and "Glenduart" was seized by creditors. James Coman married a widow named Margaret Brown in Sydney in 1851. Margaret`s maiden name was Fogarty. She was from Lloydsborough near Templemore in County Tipperary. James Coman acquired "Glenduart" in 1854. Two brothers of his wife became Moruya settlers. The Moruya identity Edmund Heffernan appears to have been born in about 1808. He married Honora Ryan. I have a biographical note on the brothers Edmund and Patrick Heffernan which says Patrick came to Australia in the early 1830s, was married at Goulburn in 1836, was at Braidwood in 1845 and came to Moruya in 1851. The note says Edmund came to Australia in 1850. Marie Narelle was born at "Combaning" sheep station near Temora in 1870. She was a second cousin via Heffernan to the professional singer Eva Mylott, the latter being paternal grandmother of the actor Mel Gibson. -- A.F. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------