Hello Gabe,
To add to the information that Jane and Margot kindly provided, I found the baptism transcription as well as a copy of the original Carrigaholt Catholic Parish baptism record for Mary Collins. The transcription for Mary was discovered at the Find My Past (FMP) website. But, the person who transcribed the baptism record at FMP wrote that Mary’s mother was Ellen “McSuerky,” rather than Ellen McInerny. This is because the handwriting in the baptism register where Mary’s baptism is recorded, is not the best, and is difficult to read in places. Ellen’s maiden name in the baptism register is actually “McInerny,” as you’ll see a little later.
The FMP transcription shows that Mary Collins was baptized in the Carrigaholt, County Clare, Catholic Parish on 27 October 1865. Her father is James Collins, and as mentioned above, her mother Ellen’s maiden name is erroneously transcribed as “McSuerky.” See the transcription at the following:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F5725001
The FMP baptism transcription for Mary Collins includes a link that takes you to a copy of the original Carrigaholt baptism register for October 1865. The baptism registers are held by the National Library of Ireland headquartered in Kildare Street, Dublin.
To access the baptism register, go to: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634671#page/81/mode/1up
There are two facing pages to the baptism register. Mary’s baptism is on the right-hand page. You can enlarge the register pages by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.
Scroll down to the number 27 in the left margin of the right-hand page and you’ll arrive at Mary’s baptism. Below Mary’s name you’ll see the word, “Dunaha.” This is the residence of Mary and her family at the time of the baptism. The actual spelling of this place is “Doonaha.” Margot had mentioned Doonaha in her reply of 11 May 2020, when she noted the residence of the Collins family as found in the civil birth records.
To the right of Mary’s first name in the baptism register is the name of her father, James Collins. Below James’s name is the name of Mary’s mother, Ellen McInerny. When looking at the handwriting and the way Ellen’s maiden name is spelled, you can see why the FMP transcriber thought the name may have been McSuerky. To the right of the names of the parents is the name Kate Hennessy. This is Mary’s godmother. No godfather is recorded, as far as I can see. The name of the priest who baptized Mary appears to be P. White.
Jane and Margot did not find a civil registration birth record for Mary Collins, and neither did I. Mary was born during the second year of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations in Ireland, and so her mother, father, or midwife did not report the birth to the registrar in the Kilrush Registration District.
Margot provided the links from FamilySearch and the irishgenealogy.ie website for the civil registration birth records of Anthony Collins (1867); Francis Collins (1870); Eliza Collins (1873); and Thomas Collins (1875). I found the FMP Carrigaholt baptism transcriptions as well as copies of the original baptism records for the same children at the National Library of Ireland website.
ANTHONY COLLINS BAPTISM
Anthony was baptized on 27 June 1867 in the Carrigaholt Catholic Parish. The person who transcribed his baptism record spelled his surname as “Coxin,” rather than Collins. This is probably due to the handwriting in the baptism register. You can view the FMP transcription of Anthony’s baptism at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F7178811
A copy of Anthony’s baptism record is on the left-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634671#page/90/mode/1up
Scroll down the page until you come to the large number 27 in the left margin. The baptism record actually shows the first name of the child is spelled, “Antony,” rather than Anthony. His father James’s last name is faded, and so you can see why the FMP transcriber thought the surname was Coxin, rather than Collins. Below James is the name of Antony’s mother, Ellen McInerny. To the right of James Collin’s name is the name of the godmother. She is Ellen Collins who may have been James’s sister. The priest who baptized Antony was P. White, who recorded Mary’s baptism. Below Antony’s first name is what appears to be the word, Dunaher, which is a reference to Doonaha, the townland where the Collins family was living at the time of the baptism.
FRANCIS COLLINS BAPTISM
Francis Collins was baptized on 1 November 1870 according to the FMP transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F5725079
His mother Ellen’s maiden name is transcribed as, “McEnerny.”
A copy of the original baptism record for Francis is the 2nd entry up from the bottom of the right-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634671#page/108/mode/1up
The godfather is Michael McInerny, who may have been Ellen’s brother. The first name of the godmother is Margaret. Her last name appears to be Magnan, or Magner.
Below Francis’s name in the register is a word that appears to be “Dinaha,” which would be a reference to the residence of the Collins family. Dinaha, of course would be, Doonaha.
ELIZA COLLINS BAPTISM
The FMP transcription shows that Eliza Collins was baptized on 6 April 1873. Her father James’s first name is abbreviated as, “Jos.” Her mother Ellen’s maiden name is transcribed as “Mc Querney,” rather than McInerny: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F4367668
The Carrigaholt baptism record for Eliza can be found on the left hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634671#page/125/mode/1up
Scroll down the register until you come to the large number 6 below the April subheading in the left-margin. Eliza’s baptism is the 2nd entry under the number 6. Below her name is the residence, “Doonaha,” which actually looks like Omaha. Her father’s name is abbreviated as “Jas,” rather than Jos. Eliza’s godmother is Mary Quealy. The priest who baptized Eliza was M. O’Gorman.
THOMAS COLLINS BAPTISM
Thomas was baptized on 23 December 1875. His mother Ellen’s maiden name is recorded as, “Mc Querry.”
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F5498158
A copy of Thomas’s original baptism record is the first entry in the left-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634671#page/139/mode/1up
Below Thomas’s name is the word Doonaha, in reference to the residence of his family. His godmother is Margaret Collins, who likely was James’s sister.
The National Library of Ireland website shows that the Carrigahold Catholic baptisms are available from 8 February 1853 to 29 March 1881, while Carrigahold marriages are available from 12 January 1852 to 30 April 1881. Go to the following National Library of Ireland link to see the availability of the Carrigahold Catholic registers and to view a Catholic Parish map showing the location of Carrigaholt and neighboring Catholic parishes situated in the Loophead Peninsula of County Clare: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0769
The Carrigaholt baptisms begin too late to have recorded the baptism records for James Collins and Ellen McInerny, that is, if they were born and baptized in the parish.
Knowing that the Carrigaholt Catholic Parish marriages are extent from 1852 to 1881, I looked for the FMP marriage transcription of James Collins and Ellen McInerny, but didn’t find it. I also looked for their marriage in the other County Clare Catholic parishes, but again, without success.
James and Ellen’s daughter Mary was baptized in 1865, and so I figured James and Ellen would have been married any time before 1865. I did a little digging into the Carrigaholt marriages at the National Library of Ireland site, and found there are gaps in the registers. For example I found that:
Marriages for 1864 are available for the months of February, April, June, July, November and December.
Marriages for 1863 are extent for the months of January, February, and September
Marriages for 1862 can be accessed for the months of January February, March, April, and July.
Marriages for 1861 include the months of January, February, April, June, September and November.
Marriage for 1860 are available for January, February, May, June, July, October and November.
____
James and Ellen may have been married in one of the months that are missing in the Carrigaholt registers between 1860 and 1864.
I also looked for a civil marriage record for them at irishgenealogy.ie, but did not find it.
THE CARRIGAHOLT CATHOLIC PARISH
The name of the Carrigaholt Catholic Parish Church is the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. You can view the location of the church on a Google Map of Carrigaholt at: https://is.gd/GkAKgQ
For a Google Street View of the church, go to: https://is.gd/TPckck
I found that there has been a Catholic Church in Carrigaholt that predates the baptisms of the Collins children. This comes from an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period, showing the R.C. Chapel in Carrigaholt. The church appears to be located on the same location, or near the same location as the church today. The map comes from the GeoHive website: https://bit.ly/2WKxg1L
At one time the church was called “St. Mary’s R.C. Chapel,” according to another Ordnance Survey Map of Carrigaholt from the 1888 to 1911 time period. See the map from GeoHive at: https://bit.ly/3fQz9Tp
With some further research I found that there was, and still is, another Catholic Church in the Carrigaholt Parish, that also predates the baptisms of the Collins children. This church is located in none other than Doonaha itself, where the Collins family lived, and is called the Church of the Holy Spirit. You can view the location of the church on a Google Map of Doonaha at: https://is.gd/W6SHhG
For a Google Street View of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Doonaha, see: https://is.gd/Tx2o9i
You can also view what was labeled as the “R.C. Chapel” in Doonaha on an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period at the GeoHive website link at: https://bit.ly/3brCbd4
Another Google Map shows that the Church of the Holy Spirit in Doonaha is 3.2 miles east of Carrigaholt: https://is.gd/4lZrSE
The Carrigaholt Catholic Parish registers do not record which church a child was baptized in, but the children of James Collins and Ellen McInerny may have actually been baptized in the Doonaha Church, rather than in the church in Carrigaholt, as the Doonaha church was in their hometown.
By the way Gabe, I did not find James Collins in Griffiths Valuation in Doonaha or any other townland within the Moyarta Civil Parish of County Clare. The valuation was completed for the Carrigaholt/Doonaha area by the year 1855.
Both Carrigaholt and Doonaha were situated in the Moyarta Civil Parish. But, Griffiths Valuation does show that Occupiers named Simon Collins, Mary Collins, and Martin Collins, all leased houses and land in Doonaha West, from an Immediate Lessor named Nicholas Westby. The Collins Occupiers in Doonaha West were likely related to James.
You can search Griffiths Valuation by going to: http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml
With Very Best Wishes,
Dave
