Ballyhaunis

Many thanks Roger for the information and your work.  I did not know it was spelled Corraun, it looked like Gurrane on Grandpa's immigration papers!  Thank you for the clarification.  I know, the Eagney line is a mystery, and cannot seem to break through that brick wall.  Thank you for the leads on the Fitzmaurince and Regan lines.....

I will pursue the links and suggestions Roger.  Many thanks again... very exciting to get some help and direction today from you! 

Julie

Hi Julie,

My own GGG Father came from Corraun pronounced Gurrane - Family Name Meehan.I have researched this townland and can pass on some information to you. My email is martinmeehan123@hotmail.com

I also have map for Patrick Eagney's holding drawn up in 1850.

In the 1900s Census it was spelt Heagney - as it was often pronounced.

Hello. Nice to make your acquaintance, My Forde ancestors come from Derrynacong. I've done a lot of research on Derrynacong and note the following:

Michael Regan & Mary Fitzmaurice married January 1891 (wts. Francis Regan & Mary Fitzmaurice)

I have info on their sons Patrick, baptized July 1892 (sps. Pat Fitzmaurice & Mary Regan) and Michael, baptized September 1897 sps. Pat Fitzmaurice & Mary Anne Finnegan. I don't have a record for Mary Jane,

The Fitzmaurice name was strongly localized in this part of Annagh Parish. There were several Fitzmaurices in Derrynacong. Mary Regan is described in the Closed Valuation books as assuming ownership of property # 12. She replaced Pat Fitzmaurice, so he may be her grandfather,

There were two Pat Fitzmaurices in Derrynacong in this period. I believe the one referred to above was married to Mary Waldron. They had a daughter Mary, baptized November 1852 (sps. John Kelly & Bridget Waldron.) This Pat Fitzmaurice was likely the brother of a man named John Fitzmaurice, Both were rundale partners with my great-great gardnfather Pat Forde. I don't think it's possible to say with certainty that Mary born in 1852 was your ancestor, since there was a second Pat Fitzmaurice in that period. (I think this Pat was married to mary Burle.) And there were a number of Pat Fitzmaurices in adjoining townlands.

There were two Ganley families in Derrynacong in the same time period: James Ganley (married to Ellen Kearns) and Thomas Ganley (married to Ellen Boland).

Hope this  helps.

Hi Dennis,

Nice to meet you as well.  Thank you for the information.

Yes I believe that you have located my great grandparents, Michael Regan and Mary Fitzmaurice, and her father Pat Fitzmaurice, she did take over his property.  Their children Mike and Pat are my great uncles.  And in fact I have been lucky enough to make contact with their grandchildren in Ireland, Carmel and Veronica Regan, my cousins.  My grandmother, Mary Jane Regan is thought to have been born around the same year as Michael, so not sure if they were twins, or we are a year off on her birth.

And yes we know there is a Mary Waldron ancestor, we thought she was married to a Regan, but we may have gotten that wrong, and she was married to the Fitzmaurice line...

I am not sure about the Ganley families you mention, none of the wife names rings a bell....

My brother and I have done DNA testing, as has a Ganley cousin, we have the Ganley (male) YDNAinfo, and also Mary Jane Regan MtDNA....

That is interesting abouth them being land partners, so this means they shared farming land?

Julie Ganley

Julie:

I have a lot of information on Derrynacong, which I can send through the regular mail. I'll look up any land information I can locate and forward it in this format. If you want the full file, the only thing I can do is send it through the regular mail, as it is not in electronic format.

We visited Derrynacong many years ago. The Forde farm is vacant land. The only residents are cows. The Fordes are long gone from there, but we made the acquantance of Kathleen Fitzharris, who knew my great aunts and great-grandfather.

My great-great grandfather,Pat Forde was married to Bridget Freeman. He died before 1884. Bridget died sometime in the 1890s. Their son, Thomas (1856-1939) married Mary Hunt (1854-1897) of Laughil in Kiltullagh Parish, Roscommon. Their son, Patrick (1892-1980) emigrated to New Jersey in 1909.

The first Pat Forde was partners in rundale with both Pat Fitzmaurices, John Fitzmaurice, and William Quin (who was Kathleen Fitzharris's grandfather). Rundale involved a pattern of land holding in which families got parcels of good land, bad land, and shared a common field. I think part of their holding was bog, which was quite valuable. Rent was paid by the partners to a single person, in this case John Fitzmaurice, who paid the landlord's agent. Rundale was broken up in the mid 1850s by Viscount Dillon, the landlord.

It's been my great luck to find a second person descended from a rundale partner.

The Fitzmaurices descended from a Norman named Gerald Mac or Fitz Maurice, whose father came over with Strongbow in the invasion.

If you have time, can you let me know how to go about testing DNA. I've done about everything else.

Thanks, and Merry Christmas

Not sure if this attachment is going to work. I culled some info from my Derrynacong notes that you may find useful.

Hi Dennis:

Merry Christmas to you as well!  And thank you for all of the wonderful information.

My first cousin travelled to Derrynacong this summer to visit our relatives, he saw the childhood home of  my grandmother, Mary Regan (daughter of Micheal Regan and Mary Fitzmaurice). And yes it is quite rural, part of my grandmother's old home is being used as a chicken coop!

Thank you for the attached information, I look forward to reading the material.

The DNA testing has been a lot of fun and fascinating. I have tested with all three of the big DNA testing companies, 23me, FTDNA, and Ancestry.com.  They are all good, but each one offers something a bit different. 

Julie

Dennis,

Thank you for the attachment, yes the information you have about my grandmother, her parents, and her granddad are correct.  Mary Fitzmaurice Regan inherited from her father Pat Fitzmaurice, and you can see the 1901 census where they were all living in Derrynacong. The children are my grandmother and her brothers, and grandpa Pat Fitzmaurice was living with them as well.  The Derrynacong cousins that I am in contact with currently, are the grandchildren of grandma's brothers, Regan cousins.

And the Waldrons are related to us somehow, it is not quite clear where they fit in.

Julie

Hi

Just checking this detailed Email communication.

Julie, I hope that the detail is of assistance to you as outlined by other contributors. I do not think that I can add more specific family detail.

From a cultural perspective, there are a few local publications that may assist you relative to family details and heritage. Since the late 1970s, the local annualised Annagh magazine in Balllyhaunis out each Christmas offers insights in recent developments in the area inclusive of family ancestries, old pictures, stories, folklore and much more. (Magazines available at www.annaghmag.ie)).

A 224 Heritage book was produced in 2013 covering the old Postal and School district of Brackloon which is in the Ballyahunis Parish area and includes details about the village of Derrynagong which was in the Brackloon district.

I can assist you if this type of information interest you further.

God bless.

Many thanks for the sources of information!

Julie

So interested in this article - I came upon it looking for any info on my great grandfather John Fitzmaurice 1840 and Mary Fitzmaurice 1858 but would greatly appreciate any info you might have on my maternal side John Kelly 1827 and Mary Waldron, bekan, brackloon born1848. Many thanks Caroline

Hi Roger - that would be great.  John fitzmaurice my great grandfather married Mary (I'm not really sure of her maiden name) Fitzmaurice and they had 8 children Bridget, John, Mary Ellen, James, Kate, Maggie F (my Grandmother) Michael and Sarah. Mary Fitzmaurice died 1st July 1916 and I'm wondering why would she have such an interesting obituary?

John Kelly married Honora Heavican and they had 4 children John, Mary Ellen, Thomas Kelly (my Grandfather), Hanoria.  Seems to be something odd here as in 1901 John Kelly married to a Bridget Kelly, I might be wrong somewhere!  

Maggie and Thomas Kelly lived in Claremorris and had three children Mary, Rita and Thomas.

Thanks

Caroline

HiRoger,

What can I say but a Huge big thanks for all your hard time consuming work. Please know that it is very much appreciated.

Laughing at your comment about "never married" or divorced -:)  

Took me a while to get around the John Kelly one, I think he was married to Bridget, she died - he remarried Honora Heavican, then John Kelly died and Honora married Flanagan.

Thanks again.

Caroline

I am hoping that Julie and Martin are still on IrelandXO! My Michael Griffin (and I think Smyth or Smith family) were in Corraun/Gurrane in the Griffith's valuation. That makes Julie & Martin's ancestors my ancestor's neighbors!

My great-grandmother Maggie Griffin was born in 1861 in Corraun. Her siblings were:

Other children born in Ballyhaunis or Annagh or Annah, County Mayo to a Michael Griffin and Mary Smyth have a high likelihood of being Maggie’s siblings. Searching in Rootsireland.ie lead to the following:

• Mary Griffin b. July 4, 1858. Father- Michael Griffin, Mother- Mary. (Annagh)
• Anthony Griffen b. November 25, 1864. Father- Michael Griffen, Mother- Mary Smith. (Ballyhaunis)
• Daniel Griffen b. November 29, 1866. Father- Michael Griffen, Mother- Mary Smyth. (Ballyhaunis)
• Bridget Griffen b. September 7, 1869. Father- Michael Griffen, Mother- Mary Smyth. (Ballyhaunis)
• Catherine Griffin b. August 5, 1873. Father- Michael Griffin, Mother- Mary Smyth. (Ballyhaunis)

There may have been two other brothers, Martin and Patrick. Still researching!

I'd love to share information. My email is cathjsm@gmail.com.

Catherine Smith