The advice presented by 'Genealogy Support' regarding 'Queenstown' is not correct.
Cork (city) was not known as Queenstown. It was the Irish seaport town of Cobh that was also known as 'Queenstown' from 1849 - 1920.
Furthermore, while "Most Catholic records are held locally -" may refer to Roman Catholic churches holding the original Parish Register Books in a safe (place) within each parish. It is fact that high quality scans of all Roman Catholic Parish Registers are held by the National Library of Ireland (NLI): Baptisms, Marriages and Burials. These scans of original script are transcribed by family history data vendors, who re-package the information into a searchable format.
It is most fortunate that the NLI scans are viewable free-online, as transcriptions can be incorrect and/or omit useful information, such as the names of "Sponsors" for the newly baptised child, and sometimes name the parties' residence or townland. These names frequently offer extra information about a family's close friends or relatives. Good practice is to view the original record and check the transcription. See: https://registers.nli.ie
The standard procedure for migration to Australia, was the vessel arrived at the destination with more than 1 list. There can be multiple lists:
1. Passenger list - naming people who were booked or expected to sail.
2. Embarkation list - names of people who boarded the vessel
3. Disembarkation - name of people who left the vessel at the destination.
For Australia, these lists may contain useful information: Age, Marital Status, Country of origin, Ethnicity, Occupation and Religion are commonly recorded.
Due to a DNA-connection, I had reason to explore one departure list from Cobh, bound for New South Wales, Australia of a MULCAHY family from Cork, aboard The Lady MacNaghten. As a serious illness struck many passengers, and a large number perished, she became known as the 'Fever Ship'. There is much literature about this 'Fever Ship'.
A DNA-cousin (in USA) wanted to establish descendancy from a member of this Mulcahy family, on the grounds that his ancestor had survived the trip to Sydney, Australia and then (somehow) managed to relocate himself from Australia to America, as a young boy and alone.
Fortunately, copy of the Embarkation list was available on film for viewing at NSW State Records. All members of the family boarded and were ticked. However, one young boy's name was crossed out, and annotated - **Disembarked just prior to the vessel leaving the wharf (Cobh) and **has an Uncle in Cork (city).
I often wonder what happened to this young Mulcahy boy. Did he really have an Uncle to care for him? Did he have a premonition re The Fever Ship? Did he perhaps migrate as a young man to USA? His mother and several siblings perished on the Fever Ship, and his father and surviving siblings settled in the Central Tablelands area of New South Wales. The father and children had a tough time, with (possibly) false accusations of cattle-theft that led to the father committed to hard labour in gaol (jail). Yet, how the children survived without either parent is remarkable. Somewhere, there is a lonely grave for the father Mr Mulcahy,
I have a body of records and news stories about this Mulcahy family and am most willing to share with any interested readers. Please post-reply with an email address, so I can send.
