Thanks for your time and interest Mary. It is much appreciated.
Mary McCarthy showed her place of birth as Bandon in the 1911 Welsh Census. (Previous censuses just showed Cork and/or Ireland.) On her two marriage registrations her father is shown as Jeremiah McCarthy a labourer. I have no information on her mother. Mary's age shown in marriage registrations and early censuses are consistent with her being born about 1833/4.
On 26 Oct 1861 her first marriage was witnessed by a Margaret Lordan and John Power. I have researched a Margaret Lordan in Cardiff at the time and in a later Census she showed her place of birth as Inchageela. She is the only Margaret Lordan I have found in Cardiff censuses that was born in Ireland at the time. There are Lordans associated with McCarthy's in Inchageela, if indeed the Inchageela born Margaret Lordan was the witness to the marriage. But she may have been just a friend.
There are also Lordans associated with McCarthy's in Bandon registers (including a Jeremiah McCarthy). But again she may have just been a friend,
On 3 Mar 1866 her 2nd marriage was witnessed by Ellen Sullivan and Daniel Driscoll. I haven't got very far in trying to research these. But the father of her 2nd husband is shown as deceased in the marriage registration. But her father Jeremiah was not. So this infers that her father Jeremiah McCarthy was still alive at the time of this marriage.
Earlier when Mary was an unmarried mother, she and her son lodged with a widow Catherine Lynch b abt 1816 in Ireland. As well as her own Cardiff born children, Catherine Lynch had young Cardiff born grandchildren named Sheen living with her. She also had other lodgers named Herne and Nagle. I couldn't positively identify the births of the children. So I don't know Catherine's maiden name. (It is on my list to have another go) I haven't been able to find anything further so far for Catherine. As she had other lodgers Catherine's relationship with Mary may have been purely monetary.
My sister and myself may visit Ireland in about 2 years time, from Australia. So it would be great if we could find out a bit more about our Bandon connections.
David
