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Searching for Patrick

Hello.  My name is Jake Hanifee writing from Queenstown, MD in the United States. My DNA test via Ancestry tells me my great, great, great, great grandfather once lived in Eyrecourt. His name was Patrick and I'm guessing our family name was once spelled Hanniffy, born either 1830 or 1831. That's where my family history stops. I'm trying to find documentary evidence of him there and with a hope that I might at least learn his parents' name. My grandfather is nearly 92 and I would love to share our family's history in our mother country before he goes on to meet them himself!

cjhanifee@yahoo.com

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Jake:

Eyrecourt is a village within the civil parish of Donanaghta in southeast Co. Galway  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyrecourt ;  Unfortunately, the RC baptismal records for Eyrecourt/Meelick RC parish do not start until 1880 so if Patrick was from that parish, a baptismal record would not be available. I also searched the subscription site Roots Ireland and the earliest Patrick Hanniffy baptismal record was in 1842 which would be too late for your interests.

I also looked at the 1855 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for all of Co. Galway and there were only 20 Hanniffy (and variant spellings) households, none in Donanaghta parish and actually the surname was not found in any nearby families. Possibly Patrick's father was a small cottier and would not show up in the Griffiths.

I assume you have Patrick's death record and his parents names are not shown.  Did he come to America with his parents and siblings around the time of the Famine? Have you looked at the 1860-1880 census records for clues?

Let me know what questions you have.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

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