Hi Jane,
Thank you for your reply and the hints for following up. I have done some more exploring and piecing together of the bits and pieces.
First: Timothy Murphy (the convict from Cork). He died in 1887 at age 54. His death certificate says he was from Cork, Co Cork and this info was provided by his son. Like you, I had also considered he may have just been brought to justice in Cork, but the info on the death cert if very persuasive. Also he was a 'boilermaker' and his father was a 'millwright' these are not the occupations found in remote rural Ireland of 1850s.I have put aside trying to connect him to our Poulacapple family.
Second: In the very vague oral history of my family, there is the suggestion that my Great Grandmother was from Cork, but all the records I have of her say Co Clare.
It seems unusual to me that Michael Murphy came to Poulacapple to take up over 300 acres from what appears to be out of the blue. So, I am thinking that the Murphy's possibly moved to Poulacapple from Cork. But that is pure conjecture. In 1829, there were 2 Murphy's who held less than an acre in different parts of the parish. I would wonder how they would have survived the famine years.
Third: I have eliminated that 'missing generation' I referred to earlier. Ancestry.com updated their DNA info a day ago, it now tells me that cousin Anne is a third cousin. This conveniently eliminates that missing generation and creates a direct link to Michael Murphy of Poulacapple in 1855.
Fourth: I believe I can confidently say: that my Great Grandmother: Bridget O'Brien nee Murphy was granddaughter to Michael Murphy of Poulacapple (1855 Griffith Valuation) and her father was Michael Murphy (son of the Michael Murphy of 1855); that Honor Murphy who married Michael Spelman (of Bishops Quarter), was Bridget's sister; and Michael Murphy who married Lizzie Lysaght (circa 1873) was her brother.
Fifth: I believe I can confidently suggest that my 3rd cousin Anne's great grandfather Patrick Murphy who was the son of William Murphy, was also the grandson of Michael Murphy (1855 Griffith Valuation).
Sixth: This then suggests that Michael Murphy (1855 Griffith Valuation) had at least two sons: Michael and William. There are possible daughters: Margaret who married Terrence Liddy and Mary who married Pat Callanan but no linking of their names in the records to Poulacapple.
Seventh: By 1906, Poulacapple was the residence of Michael Fitzgerald and his wife Kate nee O'Brien. So Michael Murphy and Lizzie nee Lysaght had left Poulacapple by 1906. Honor Murphy was still in the parish in 1876 (the last record I have of her), but given her husband was a farmer in Bishops Quarter, there is no record of her in Poulacapple, but she was a sponsor at baptisms in Ballyvaughan and Newtown.
I assume that neither Honor Spelman nee Murphy nor Michael Murphy and Lizzie nee Lysaght emigrated. So, their descendants are likely still in the parish. I suspect there would be other descendants also that we have not been able to identify.
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I do hope that all of that makes sense to you. I am very excited to have been able to get this far. I would like to be able to corroborate the research but I suspect that might be challenging. So, yes I think that it would be good to check out the Revision Books for Poulacapple in the Valuation Office in Dublin. I will let Anne know about that possibility.
I will email Michael Talty at the Local Studies Centre, fingers crossed we can learn something new.
If there are any family descendants in the area that you might find, that would be just wonderful, fingers crossed that is possible, thank you for your efforts in advance.
I can't attach the file of the research I have done because it is an excel file. If you want the research for the Murphy's of Ballyvaughan, I'll need to send it to you at the library. Let me know, ok?
Beannachtaí na Cásca oraibh!
Barb
