John Draddy

John Draddy was the brother of Patrick Draddy and Mary Draddy Mansfield. He was from Meenoughter (Binn Uachtair) Mount Uniacke County Cork.

John was married to Anastatia Ahern, circa 1814 in County Cork, and according to RC Irish parish records and his brother Patrick's 1856 will, he and Anastatia had seven known children; sons David (1815-1857), William (1818-1846), Patrick (c. 1820-1868), John (1833-1881), and daughters, Elizabeth Draddy O'Keefe (1832-1915), Bridget Draddy McKenna 1833-1881) though not proven, it's believed Bridget and John were twins - and they died within days of each other,  and Mary Draddy (1834-1909). All but his daughter Mary and son Patrick, immigrated to the United States.

He was also the uncle of Michael Mansfield, Mary Draddy Mansfield's son.

He may have been the poet/scribe/stone carver known also as Seán Ó Dreada -

From 2009 Roinn an Bhéaloidis:

"Department of Folklore awards a prize to the best first year essay presented to it in Folklore. The prize will be a €50.00 voucher.
It is named after John Draddy or Seán Ó Dreada as he always signed himself."

Excerpt from Past Times 2010-2011):
"The scribe's name was Seán or Eon Ó Dreada (John Draddy) 1771–1840. He was born in the townland of Meenoughter (Binn Uachtair) in the parish of Ardagh East Cork and came from a family of stone cutters/carvers. The Draddy's were one of the longest established families in that parish. The tithe returns of October 3rd 1827 show that a John Draddy in partnership with William Mansfield (Mary Draddy's husband) held 48 acres of land in the townland of Meenoughter.
This article is dedicated to the stone carver, scribe, copyist and poet, who wrote the Grave Lay or Epitaph (Feartlaoi) which we are fortunate to have in our parish. The Irish language verses carved by this scribe are a rarity and number only a handful among the thousands found in all the cemeteries of County Cork. Richard Henchion, the noted local historian, who has examined in excess of 6,500 monuments in over 100 burial grounds in the county estimates that there are not more than 10-15 headstones inscribed over the signature of this scribe.
Three additional examples of Ó Dreada's work, two from St. Joseph's cemetery, Cork and a third inscription from Dún Bolg cemetery. We will also examine one of his manuscripts and some of the material contained within its pages."

According to a published book written approximately 1926);
"John Draddy or Seán Ó Dreada was born, estimated (no proven dates ever given - just estimates), around 1770 in Meenoughter, Killeagh in East Cork. he lived, like many students, in different areas of the city from Little Island to Blarney Road and Evergreen. He was a stonecutter by trade and a scholar by night."

Also:
"An obituary describes him as 'zealous, correct and indefatigable' and 'rescuing from ruin and oblivion, by beautiful and correct transcripts, the various Irish manuscripts, prose and verse, that he could possibly collect, or in instructing through the medium of their own language his poorer brethren in the principles of religion and morality'. He died, again estimated, in 1840 on Evergreen Road" (again,they had no records, just estimates). This obituary is apparently not on line and has never been found.

I would like to thank Anne O'Neill of County Cork; for all her help and assistance in providing not only the headstone photo and the inscription, but also for all her help with the Draddy family genealogy.