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Shanahan Family of Kilfinane

Seeking information on the family of the following Shanahan brothers from Kilfinane, Ballinanima (Massy):  

 

Timothy Ryan Shanahan (priest) b 1827-8 d 14 May 1915 Limerick City

James Shanahan (farmer) b c1837 - d c1912(?) (Married Hanora HOGAN)

Gerald Augustine Shanahan (priest) b 18 Aug 1839 - d 01 Feb 1919 ENG

Patrick Shanahan (priest) b 1841-3 - d 28 Aug 1865 Limerick City

Denis Ryan Shanahan (priest) b 03 Dec 1843 - d 28 Jun 1924 Limerick City

John Francis Shanahan (doctor/surgeon) b 1846 - d 01 Apr 1921 Limerick City (Married "Mina" Nash, sister of Sir Vincent Nash)

 

All of the above brothers are the children of Patrick Shanahan and Ellen RYAN aka Helen RYAN.  Father's Timothy Ryan Shanahan, Gerald Augustine Shanahan and Denis Ryan Shanahan as well as Dr. John Francis Shanahan are all buried in Mount St. Lawrence Cemetery in Limerick.  Father Patrick Shanahan's burial location not known.  Farmer James Shanahan who married Hanora HOGAN c1863 in Kilfinane had at least 10 children, the most famous of which is the Irish athelete:  

 

Daniel Shanahan b 09 Jul 1866 Ballinanima Kilfinane - d 09 Jul 1913 Kilfinane.  Daniel married Catherine "Katie" Thornhill (d/o John Thornhill and Johanna BARLOW) c1900 and had at least 5 children (Mary b 1903, Twins James and John aka Jack b 1904, Timothy b 1907, Gerald b 1910).    

 

Dr. John Francis Shanahan who married "Mina" Nash d 07 Mar 1937 (d/o James Nash and Mary Angelina Grace and sister of Sir Vincent Nash) had at least ONE daughter, Mary Wilhelmina Maud Shanahan b c1897 Limerick City.  Mary Wilhelmina Maud Shanahan believed to have married a Mr. BENNETT and to have lived until at least 1951.  

 

Would very much appreciate it if I could find any information on Patrick Shanahan and Ellen RYAN aka Helen RYAN, the parents of all these Shanahan brothers.  Have no further information on them at all and wonder if there were any daughters in this family?  Also would like to further trace the children of Daniel Shanahan and Catherine "Katie" Thornhill (some of their grandchildren must surely be living!) or find out if Mary Wilhelmina Maud Shanahan Bennett had any issue.  

Thanks!

Kathy

 

longlocks

4 replies

My sister was searching the web today and came across this link.  Thought I'd send a response.  Gerald Shanahan born in 1910 was my grandfather.  He died when my father Dan Shanahan was 16.  There are some relations in Australia who have done more research on the family.

Just thought I'd send a response.  Why are you looking for information on the family?

Thanks

John

IrelandXO member

John, 

Thanks so much for the response!  I am looking for information on this Shanahan family from Co Limerick because I too am a Shanahan descendant!  My Gr Gr Grandfather Michael William Shanahan left Limerick City c1856 when he was only around age 15 and stowed away to the USA.  (Or so the celebrated 'family tale' goes!)  Michael William Shanahan's stated purpose for leaving Limerick -- not hunger, not opportunity...but oddly enough, because he was being "groomed for the priesthood" and he wanted no part of that!  

Consequently, I've looked at almost every SHANAHAN I could find that had anything to do with the city and/or County of Limerick and I just keep running into this particular SHANAHAN family...full of priests who servered the Church in Limerick City when my Michael William Shanahan was there...and it just has me going hmmmmm, you know?  I've looked at this Shanahan family for virtually years now and thought I'd gone about as far as I could (having long known about YOUR particular branch through the athelete Daniel Shanahan and Katie Thornhill) but I discovered to my surprise yet another brother (Dr. John Francis Shanahan) and I've picked the thread up again, hoping to discover if there were yet more children that I had not yet uncovered.  I know for certain that there must be daughters of Patrick Shanahan and Ellen aka Helen Ryan, because I also traced a Father John Fogarty (a cousin of the 4 priests from Limerick) here to the USA - so there had to be a female SHANAHAN who married into the FOGARTY line somewhere along the way!  

At any rate, even if this branch of SHANAHANs turns out not to be connected to mine in any way, I feel rather attached to them somehow; I have after all, researched them for quite some time now and have amassed quite a bit of data.  Perhaps you could put me in touch with the relations in Australia (or any one else in the family) who has done research just so we could compare/share notes?  At the very least I could rule this particular SHANAHAN family out if they turn out definitely not to be mine!  Please feel free to share my email ( Little.House.Antiques@comcast.net ) with anyone you think might be able to help or tell them to send me a message here on Ireland Reaching Out.  

Thanks again for your response!  Hope to hear more from you soon!

Best Regards,

Kathy Rhodes

longlocks

Hello longlocks, I'm not related to your surname Shanahan but I'm probably related to your Ellen/Helen Ryan. I have the following surnames from the parish of Kifinane, Co Limerick. Ryan and Barnett. My mother told me that she had an GAunt, Helen Ryan. I did leave some pictures on the Kilfinane Facebook page. I recently went off of Facebook for family reasons. I had them on there too. Anyways, My Ryans use to own a pub and some cottages there. I believe they just recently sold all of that. I have a Quinlivan Tree on Ancestry.com so take a look at that. I haven't worked on the Ryan side too much. Maybe this will get me going on it...lol. Have a great day. Jim Q. aka The MightyQuinn ;)

IrelandXO member
Hi Long----- whatever Katie Thornhill was one of a family of 12 children. GQ.
georgequain@ho…IrelandXO Volunteer

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