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Aussie looking for Irish ancestors - John O'Reilly of House 24 Knockbride at 1901 Census

CavanKnockbride (Cavan)

Hi there

Well, this seems a great time to dig deeper to find my Irish roots. My beloved late grandmother was Margaret Ann O'Reilly (later married John Collins and Edward Atkinson). Nanna was a beautiful Irish lady who loved to sing the old songs, cooked great Irish stews and restored my faith.

According to the 31 March Irish Census, Margaret's father, John O'Reilly lived with his wife Mary at House 24 in Knockbride, Skeagh, Cavan. John (50) was a farmer and they had several children. They later emigrated to Australia.

I would love to find out more about the local community, culture, politics etcat that time, as well of course as any best leads given I'm a complete newbie at ancestral research. I studied Irish history at uni and visited Ireland many years ago, but unfortunately did not get to Co Cavan. When we return, I will be sure to do so and can't wait to introduce my husband to the wonderful Irish people :-)

Anyway, any leads and advice would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Sharon Barba

Perth, Western Australia

sharon.barba@me.com

7 replies

There is a parish in Cavan called Knockbride (in Irish, Cnoc Bhríde, meaning "Bridget's Hill"), and I think that must be the right place, because there is a townland in Knockbride called Skeagh.  The added "g" probably appeared in the name as you were given it, Knockbridge, because of the pronunciation of the name Bríd, which sounds to English-speakers as something like "Breej".  If it shows as Knockbridge in the census itself, that probably means that the census taker was not an Irish speaker, or it may be that Knockbridge is a local variation on how the name was anglicized.

Here's a link to more info about the parish:  https://www.townlands.ie/cavan/knockbride/ ; and here's a link to more info about Skeagh (in Irish, Sceitheach, which might mean something like "place with hawthorn bushes"):  https://www.townlands.ie/cavan/clankee/knockbride/skeagh/skeagh/   At that link, you can also access records from Griffith's Valuation (1850's) and the 1901 and 1911 censuses.  I glanced at the Griffith's Valuation records, and there is only one Reilly listed (Bernard Reilly), so he may be your ancestor.

There are parish records for Knockbride available free online, going back to 1835, and you can find them here:  https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0846 ; They cover baptisms, marriages, and even deaths (which is not common), so you should be able to find lots of information there.

 

kevin45sf@yahoo.com

I should add that the house number you have is probably not an actual street number, but instead just an arbitrary number assigned by the census taker, who would have numbered the houses in order as he visited them.

kevin45sf@yahoo.com

Thanks so much Kevin, much appreciated :-)

Kind regards

Sharon

 

sharon.barba@me.com

Sharon,

John O’ Reilly married Mary Cassidy on 29.5.1890. The civil marriage certificate tells us that his father was Bernard O’Reilly deceased.  John was living in Knockbride townland (in the parish of the same name) at the time of his marriage.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1890/10699/5900309.pdf

Bernard Reilly looks to have died before 1878. There are half a dozen or more men of about the right age who died between 1864 (when death registration began) and 1877. The records for those years are not on-line free yet so you would need to pay to view them.

I looked in Griffiths Valuation for Knockbride townland in 1856 and don’t see a Bernard O’Reilly/Reilly listed there. So the family appears to have arrived after 1856. I noticed this family in Knockbride in the 1901 census, just a couple of houses away from John & Mary.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Cavan/Skeagh/Knockbride/1054393/

The family were Terence O’Reilly & Margaret MacIntyre or MacEntyre depending on which of their childrens birth certificate you go by. Their son Eugene was born 25.1.1886 at Knockbride which gives me the parents names. Terence died there 1.12.1897 aged 52.  I haven’t been able to find their marriage so can’t tell you who Terence’s father was. It wouldn’t be surprising if Terence was related to John O’Reilly.

You can use the Valuation Revision books (held by the Valuation Office in Dublin) to find the plot numbers for each of the O’Reilly households in Knockbride. You can then use the maps on the Griffiths Valuation site to identify exactly where each one was/is.

There were about 25 farms in Knockbride in 1856, plus some labourers cottages, a school and a chapel. A total of 386 acres for the whole townland. I notice from Griffiths that a William McEntyre rented plot 1. That was a 44 acre farm. So possibly that’s where Margaret/Maggie McIntyre came from. Possibly the O’Reilly family married into the farm? I have no firm evidence for that but it wouldn’t be unusual. Plus there are no McIntyres living in Knockbride by 1901. So they had gone and someone else had acquired their farm by that year.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Cavan/Skeagh/Knockbride

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch

Frances McIntyre died at Knockbride on 13.8.1886 aged 60. A farmer’s widow. The informant was her daughter in law Kate McIntyre, also of Knockbride. Francis might be William’s widow. I can’t see a death for him so suspect he died before 1864 when death registration started.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Elwyn

Thank you so much for your very kind and helpful reply! So much information, so many leads. It is very exciting.

I haven't checked many Irish sources yet, so thank you for these pointers and for taking the time and trouble to look into them for me. Sincerely appreciated :-)

With kind regards

Sharon

 

sharon.barba@me.com

Hi Sharon,

I know this O'Reilly family from Skeagh very well, their grandaughter lives in Dublin and we correspond regularly.  By 1911 they had 7 and 7 children were still living and Margaret is not listed with them at that stage.   Therefore your grandmother most like was born after 1911, can you give me her date of birth and when she emigrated and I can look up and see can I find her.  Do bear in mind that it the records after 1920 are not online yet (100 year rule).  John's father Bernard died in 1851.   You can search https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie for free, though all records are not available for viewing yet but can be purchased online.

Regards Carmel

 

 

 

Bailieborough CavanIrelandXO Volunteer

 

Hi Carmel

My Great Grandfather was Terence O’Reilly and Great Grandmother was Margaret McInytre from Skeagh, Knockbride.  There daughter, my Grandmother,  was Margaretta O’ Reilly who married William McGahan and they had 7 children.

I have been trying for many years to trace the family, and extended family, of the O’Reillys.  I believe that Margarettas brother William married Rhoda Igoe and was a policeman. I think there was another brother called Stephen who emigrated to the USA. There may have been other siblings that I am not aware of.

I am wondering if this is the same family and if the lady you refer to, residing in Dublin,  may be a living relative?  It would be very exciting if I have finally found the correct O’Reillys.

Regards Christine Moores

 

 

chrism

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