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Plunkett connections

Hi,

Apologies if I'm not using this right, or posting in the right place. But it seems my family on my Mom's side may be related to Joseph Plunkett of the Easter Uprising. My great, great, great-Grandmother was a Katherine Plunkett (1815-1885), married to a David Clifford (1801-1885). There was a belief that she was born in County Sligo, but at least that one of her sisters married a Nally, from near Sligo.

I make the (potential) connection to Joseph Plunkett because I've been told we are related to Sir Oliver Plunkett of Drogheda, who George Noble Plunkett, Joseph's father, is also said to be connected to:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Noble_Plunkett

I'm trying to trace our connection to the saint, but I'm a bit overwhelmed trying to know the best place to research this online from the States, where I live. I know there are a lot of resources but just have struggled to know which site to use, whether to search civil or church or some sources, etc. (I should say this also relates to my family's research efforts into the other Irish strands of our ancestors: O'Connors in Kerry, Fitzgibbons in Limerick, and McIlwains in Belfast; it appears we also have some Connallys and DeCourcys from somewhere in Ireland).

Many thanks for some mercy with all this!

Brendan O'Connor
Selma, Alabama

Brendan O'Connor

7 replies

Hi Brendan

Here are some suggestions for sites to try for your Irish ancestral searching:

Free: www.irishgenealogy.ie/; www.census.nationalarchives.ie/; titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/; www.askaboutireland.ie/ (for Griffiths Valuation); familysearch.org/search

Subscription: www.rootsireland.ie/; ancestry.com; findmypast.ie/;

On roots I couldn't find a relevant Plunkett - Clifford marriage - there was only one from any year and any county 

Date of Marriage:27-Apr-1881
Parish / District:BRAY
County:Co. Wicklow
Husband Thomas Clifford Address Seafield Cottage Denomination:Roman Catholic
Wife JanePlunkett Main Street. Bray Roman Catholic
Husband's Father John Clifford
Wife's Father MichaelPlunkett

Husband's Mother Margaret Swanson
Wife's Mother Mary AnnO Brien

Witness 1Peter Bernard Lacey
Witness 2 BridgetKearns

There are 3 Plunkett - Nally (+ surname variants) marriages  

Date of Marriage:16-Jan-1834
Parish / District:LURGAN
County:Co. Cavan
Husband John Nally Roman Catholic
Wife Mary Plunkett Mahera Roman Catholic

The others are Eleanor Plunkett to Darby McAnally 1813 Tallanstown R C parish Louth & Oliver Plunkett to Mary Terese MacNally Longford 1952

There are 16 Plunkett birth/baptism records from Sligo on roots but they start in 1840 & go to 1871; most are from Sligo city & several from Aghanagh Parish.

There are 3 Plunkett - O'Connor marriages:

Date of Marriage:22-Oct-1843
Parish / District:DARVER
County:Co. Louth
Husband John Connor
Wife Bridget Plunket
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic

Date of Marriage:29-Nov-1862
Parish / District:DROGHEDA
County:Co. Louth
Husband William Plunkett
Wife Jane Connor
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic

Date of Marriage:01-May-1864
Parish / District:DUNDALK
County:Co. Louth
Husband
WifeName:OwnPlunket
ElizaConnorAddress:
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic

There are Catherine Plunkett baptisms 1813 & 14 Longford, 1816 Dublin & another 1816 from Meath but none for David Clifford.

The Irish Censuses don't have Sligo records until 1851 & there are no Plunketts in that one.

The Tithe Applotments have 1 Plunkett in Sligo in 1824 - no first naem Townland Drumrain Parish Ballysumaghan

There are a couple of O'Connor - Cranny J Plunkett's mother's surname - on roots in the 1840's & 50's

Not sure any of this has helped you much Brendon. The first site I gave you above is good for Dublin records so you might want to try there. Feel free to reply with any requests for clarification or further searches

Col

ColCaffIrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Col,

Thanks SO much for the rich, detailed info. That is some helpful stuff to wade through--I think the thing that sticks out the most was what you mentioned here:

"There are Catherine Plunkett baptisms 1813 & 14 Longford, 1816 Dublin & another 1816 from Meath but none for David Clifford.

The Irish Censuses don't have Sligo records until 1851 & there are no Plunketts in that one.

The Tithe Applotments have 1 Plunkett in Sligo in 1824 - no first naem Townland Drumrain Parish Ballysumaghan"

Do you have a sense of the best place to look for the Longford and Meath births? Sounds like that first website maybe just wasn't sure. I'm hoping they might reap some names of Catherine Plunkett's parents (Plunkett and Stokes apparently). 

Thanks again! Brendan 

Ps - We're said to have ties to Saint Oliver Plunkett of Drogheda, so this Drogheda reference is intriguing (though the Plunketts and O'Connors are two different sides of my family, so we're not looking for ties there, am sure any would just be coincidental): "Husband William Plunkett
Wife Jane Connor"

Brendan O'Connor

 Actually I think I looked in the right place for the Catherine Plunkett births, as well as Plunkett – Stokes marriages (https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/)-- would that be the right place?  I couldn't seem to find anything other than what appeared to be the Catherine Plunkett births you noted above… All best, Brendan

Brendan O'Connor

Yes that's the one - disappointing it didn't have any others.

Here are the details

Name:Catherine PlunketDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:27-Nov-1816Address:
Parish/District:RUSHGender:FemaleCountyCo. Dublin
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:Patrick PlunketMother:Mary FaheyOccupation:
Informant 1:William Quaterman Sponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Eliza Robinson 

Name:Catherine PlunketDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:30-Jun-1814Address:Not RecordedParish/District:LONGFORDGender:FemaleCountyCo. Longford
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:John PlunketMother:Judith FerrallOccupation:Not Recorded
Informant 1:Francis Ferral Sponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Catherine Geraughty 

Name:Catherine PlunkettDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:02-Jun-1816Address:KellsParish/District:KellsGender:
CountyCo. Meath
Denomination:
Father:Michael PlunkettMother:Margaret ClarkeOccupation:
Informant 1:Phillips James Sponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Darsy Mary 

Name:Catherine PlunkettDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:07-Mar-1813Address:Not RecordedParish/District:LONGFORDGender:FemaleCountyCo. Longford
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:John PlunkettMother:Judith FerrallOccupation:Not Recorded
Sponsor  / Informant 1:Thomas Plunkett Sponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Ann Scally 

Annoyingly littel info on the Oliver marriage record!

Date of Marriage:30-Apr-1952
Parish / District:LONGFORD
County:Co. Longford
Husband
WifeName:OliverPlunkett
Mary TeresaMacNally

Not sure what else to suggest but I wondered whether there might be a Plunkett Family Tree somewher that would  the O'Connor connections so I had a look on ancestry.com but there was only 1 tree with a Plunkett - O'Connor connection and it didn't look relevant I'm afraid!

Col

 

ColCaffIrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks Col, so much! The family tree we would be looking for is actually a Plunkett-Fitzgibbon connection though, as that is from my mother's side, so there wouldn't be any connect to the O'Connor name, which comes from my father's side (and we have been researching too, as his line came from County Kerry).

But w/the Plunkett-Fitzgibbons, our tree we would love to know the earlier roots to is essentially:

  • A Plunket married a Stokes, had Katherine Plunket
  • Katherine Plunket married David Clifford, had George Plunket Clifford
  • George Plunket Clifford married Mary McIlwain (who actually descended from her father, William McIlwain, born in 1827 in Hollyrood, N. Ireland), had Agnes Petranella Clifford
  • Agnes Petranella Clifford married Francis Phelan Fitzgibbon (descended we believe from County Limerick through his grandfather, Timothy Fitzgibbon and mother, Elizabeth McGinnis), had my grandmother, Marifrances Fitzgibbon Hardison

Not sure if trying to follow that Plunkett-Fitzgibbon towards any family tree would help more...are you using a paid Ancestry account to check things like that? We're on Geni.com, but not sure much of the difference and if there are some Ancestry tools you're using we should be trying...thanks again for all the help!!

Brendan

PS - Can i ask if you're just volunteering Col? Super appreciated either way!

Brendan O'Connor

Hi Brendan,

Yes I'm a volunteer - have been for about 5 years now I think. There are 3 of us who do the bulk of the replies - Roger McDonnell does more than anyone.

Had a look for those other surname combinations as marriage partners and parents on roots but no luck I'm afraid.

The Wade tree on ancestry has Clifford - Plunkett but only seems to have what you've mentioned - can send details if you like.

Col

ColCaffIrelandXO Volunteer

So sorry Col, meant to reply ages ago, think I was having some password issues before and then lost track…if it’s not too much to dig it back up, I’d love to see what you found on Ancestry, but no worries if not!

By the way, i visited Ireland for a whole month in Sept-Oct of ‘23, was wonderful. I’d been before, but y’all got some of the best people! I mean there are great people everywhere, but the welcoming spirit shows through in true colors.

Brendan O'Connor

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