Interested in exploring my Irish heritage in anticipation of a future visit to Ireland. My family name is Bradley and I know my Father's side is Irish. Too long of a story, but most of my Father's side of my family have passed away so I am trying to piece together bits of info. A good starting point might be to identify where my ancestors lived in Ireland? Thanks in advance for any help.
You can see where the surname Bradley was found in Ireland in the mid 1800s using this link:
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/
The short answer is that it is a very common surname and is found all over Ireland but predominantly in the Counties of Derry, Donegal and Tyrone.
You really need to work backwards through your family’s history till you come to a specific ancestor known to have been born in Ireland. It will then be easier to focus on where to search.
Welcome to the site.
The earliest records available are on the International Genealogical Index (Family Search - free site). It has 77 birth records for Bradley in Ireland 1600-1700; they were from Dublin, Down, Londonderry & Cork.
Wikipaedia suggests the name is an Anglicised version of the gaelic O'Brolachan / O'Brallaghan from COUNTY TYRONE.
You need to provide first names and approximate birth years if you want your specific Bradleys traced.
Col
I found my Dad's (Patrick Joeseph Bradley) birth certificate and it lists his Father and Mother as Bernard Bradley and Maryann Jordan. I know that his father was born in Ireland. My Father was born in New York in 1920. I think I found my Grandfather Bernard in the 1920 US census (correct location and correct spouse name) says he was born in Ireland in 1883. His wife is listed as Mary (not Maryann) and it says that they emigrated to the US in 1900. Further, it says that they were from the Free States of Ireland. A search of the Ellis Island manifests revealed Bernard Bradley age 27 from Donegal departing Londonderry and arriving Ellis Island 1903 on the ship Furnessia which would be consistent with the Census information.
I looked in the Irish civil indexes. I can’t see a Bernard Bradley born anywhere in Ireland in 1883. There were others near to that year but none exactly in 1883. I also searched for Bernard’s marriage to Mary (Ann) Jordan c 1900 but again without success. The 1901 census has 10 Bernard Bradleys listed, aged around 17. All were single in April 1901.
Irish Free State was the name first used in respect of the 26 counties that form what is now the Republic of Ireland. (As opposed to the 6 counties in Northern Ireland). So judging by the name distribution, it’s possible that Bernard and Maryann came from Co. Donegal which is in the “Irish Free State.”
I have more information. According to this link:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F5Y5-3QG?cid=fs_copy
Bernard Bradly (my grandfather) was born in Inishowen, Donegal on 2/24/1875
When I search on Ireland teaching out site the parish of Inishowen does not populate.
Could you please see if you can confirm?
Apologies- the link requires login. Here is the full record/
Name: Bernard Bradly
Sex: Male
Father's Name: Owen Bradly
Father's Sex: Male
Mother's Name: Sally Doherty Bradly
Mother's Sex: Female
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 24 Feb 1875
Event Place: Ireland
Event Place (Original): Irel, Ireland
| Household | Role | Sex | Age | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Bradly | Father | M | ||
| Sally Doherty Bradly | Mother | F |
Digital Folder Number: 007720002
Microfilm Number: 255921
Originating System: ODM
Indexing Batch: I01663-4
Citing this Record
"Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F5Y5-3QG : 15 February 2020), Bernard Bradly, 1875.