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McGuirk of Glendalough

Wicklow

I'm back to tracing the McGuirk family after a long absence.

RICHARD1 MCGUIRK was born Abt. 1802 in Maybe Glendalough, and died 17 Apr 1878 in Blackrock, Co Dublin . He married SARAH (SALLY) BYRNE 22 Nov 1830 in Glendalough. She was born Abt. 1811 in Maybe Glendalough, and died 12 Nov 1870 in Chapel Lane, Blackrock. Children of RICHARD MCGUIRK and SARAH BYRNE are: i. PETER2 MCGUIRK, b. 01 Aug 1831, Glendalough; d. 04 Aug 1868, Blackrock.  JOHN MCGUIRK, b. 20 Sep 1835, Glendalough. iii. MARY ANNE MCGUIRK, b. 19 Jul 1840, Glendalough Tomriland. iv. RICHARD MCGUIRK, b. 21 Jan 1843, Glendalough Ballancour.  v. ELIZABETH MCGUIRK, b. 27 Dec 1846, Glendalough. vi. SARAH MCGUIRK, b. 1850, probably Blackrock. 2. vii. EDWARD MCGUIRK, b. Aug 1851, probably Blackrock; d. 23 Jun 1922, This last Edward McGuirk was my great grandfather and I have succesfully traced onwards from him. I have never been able to find out if Richard born about 1802 had any brothers or sisters. Richard McGuirk was in Wicklow Jail in 1846 for larceny and after this I found his wife and three children at Loughlinstown Poorhouse in a poor condition. I have no idea when richard came to Blackrock but My Gt Grandfather was born in 1851 and I found his records in booterstown Parish. If anyone could throw a light on what other relations the original Richard had in Glendalough or surrounding towns i would be delighted. 

patriciamcguir…

5 replies

Hi Trish, parish records for RC only start for Glendalough in 1807, see Registers NLI site, I searched Roots Ireland 1797 to 1807 and of the 41 baptisms returned for Wicklow there is no Richard, without at least one parents name it is not possible to isolate siblings but it is probable there are some.

I found one Glendalough baptism, searched 1807 to 1809, a James McGuirk was born to Patrick McGuirk and Anne Keogh, sponsors were Patrick McDonnell and Sally McGuirk, baptism 26th April 1808, can really take nothing from this but interesting there is a Sally McGuirk mentioned.

This is really the outer reaches of Irish records as we rely mainly on church records https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0481 ;

The tithe applottments have 3 McGuirkes in Raheen, Derrylossary, one an Ann who may be the widow, the area is the nearest to Glendalough in the tithes, http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp this tax was payable by those having over an acre of land. So not all McGuirks are going to be in it, we are searching really and cannot draw conclusions.

Good Luck

Pat

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

Trish, Byrne is a common name in Wicklow and there are again 11 born from 1809 to 1813 and one in Glendalough, father is Charles Byrne and mother Maria Usher baptised on 21 Jan 1810, sponsors are James and Catherine Ryan, again no real positives, of interest there is a well know walk in the area Mount Usher Gardens, http://www.mountushergardens.ie/ ;

DNA testing may help but my experience is it can be difficult to sort out and being from Wicklow the names are there so you would expect them.

Good Luck again,

Pat

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you very much Pat for your replies. It is ages since I tried to find out more about Richard but at that time I spent weeks going through every marriage and birth on the Glendalough Catholic Parish records. i know I found a Richard as a sponsor at some weddings and baptisms but silly me didn't write them down!! I am years doing family search and I still need to learn. I know my relations were very poor and would have been peasants without land. When Sarah and three children got to the poorhouse at Loughlinstown they were in a bad state. I can only deduct that when Richard got out of prison he joined them and surmise they had someone in the Blackrock Booterstown who helped them. 

Thank you for your interest and help. 

Trish

patriciamcguir…

Hi Trish, they may have only rented the land, we are in Penal Law times so catholics were unlikely to own land at all, so poverty would be a given either way. Eviction etc a constant worry but it is more likely they laboured. they could also as Catholics joined the British army, hence so many Irish in foreign army's at the time. 

On a smile note we were watching a TV program on portrait painting and proving proving provenance etc, it came up looking at one painting of the rich that the two male footmen were often matching as it was the thing to have matching footmen, so when you are really rich you must have matching servants. Now you know the standard.

Regards

Pat

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

Trish sorry missed a word above and changed the meaning completely, as Catholics they could not join the British army.

Pat

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

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