Hi Tom, Thanks for the reply, but I doubt there is a connection. My BYRNE family came to the NY, US area pre-1844. To my knowledge, none of my ancestors ever went to Australia. Though I did as a much younger and adventurous man, and I loved it. Still do. Joe -----Original Message----- From: Tom Duckworth [mailto:tom.duck@bigpond.com] Sent: Friday, February 02, 2007 7:11 PM To: joeowens@charter.net Cc: ROSCOMMON-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [joe] Byrne ancestors Hi Joe, I saw your entry in the Roscommon list web-site. I have two BYRNE families from Ireland: 1. Patrick TOOLAN married Catherine BYRNE. They were living in Tully/Roscommon in 1865. Their daughter Mary (b. 1844) (my Great-Grandmother) migrated to Sydney, NSW, Australia in 1865 on a ship called Wallsea. 2. James BYRNE was married to Winifred ? They were both dead by 1855. Their son James BYRNE (b. about 1816 in Creeve, Roscommon) married Mary KEARNEY (b. about 1817 in Elphin, Roscommon) in about 1837. The family migrated to Sydney, NSW, Australia in 1855 on a ship called Mangerton. Their children and their respective ages in 1855 were: Michael (18), Bridget (16), John (13) (my Great-Grandfather), Catherine (11), Winifred (9) and Mary (7). I assume that Tully, Creeve and Elphin are all located close to each other. This is all of the information I have concerning the BYRNE, TOOLAN and KEARNEY families back to the point when they left Ireland. Maybe there is some connection with your BYRNE family? I hope so. I am a member of the Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society and The Wyong Family History Group. Regards, Tom Duckworth