Moneyneena Drumderg McKenna
I came across an interesting article for researchers, if anybody has anything to add to the below article let me know.
Yesterday-Today
Issue No. 2
Produced by The Moneyneena Local History Group
1994/95
p.42
Drumderg McKenna
While doing the piece on Clann McKenna I had an interesting conversation with Patrick Johnny McKenna on his family history in our townland of Drumderg.
According to Paddy, a Farrel McKenna came from Forgetown with two sons, Teague and Francis. Teague married Catherine Clerkin and their children were Eleanor, Daniel, Teady, Peter, John, Patrick and Brigid.
Daniel married Eleanor McKenna. Their son Henry who married Betty McGuigan went to America and became the founder of the whiskey business dealt with at length by Angela O'Keeney in "Looking back on Ballinascreen".
Teady McKenna married a girl also named Clerkin from Glengamna and had two sons Paddy (who married Katie McShane) and Francis. Of Paddy Teady's family Mary married Barney Donnelly of Straw, Kate married Peter Brown of Glengamna, Alice married James McCreanor of Sixtowns, Brigid married John Henry of Coolsara, Ellen married James Gywnn of Dungiven, Frank died young and Rose and Tillie went to America.
Peter McKenna married a girl named McGillan from Dunlogan and they had two sons Peter and James. Two daughters, Mary and Brigid went to America. Peter married Matilda McCloskey (Mici Mhaire) and on her decease married Ann McLarnon. James went to Ballymena, married and had two daughters, Eithne and Brigid.
John McKenna married Jenny McCloskey and had seven sons and one daughter. Two of his family were Paddy and Peter. Paddy married Mary McWilliams and had two children, Johnny and Ellen. Johnny married Catherine McNamee and their children were Paddy himself, Mary, Brigid and Tillie.
Now go back to the original Francis McKenna, son of Farrel who came from Forgetown - There is no record of him but Paddy says that his mother, Catherine McNamee, believed he married a girl named Kelly from Crieve. There were three in that family, Patrick (Parra Roe), Barney and Francis. The last-named Francis had a public house in Moneyneena but gave it up during the famine and went to America. There was until recently a letter in Paddy's house that he wrote home in 1852 to conclude business with a man named Diamond who lived in Cornafarna. Patrick (Parra Roe) was grandfather to Charles McKenna whose father, also Pat, was a renowned teller of stories in Irish. There is a story that another son of this family, Ambrose, went to America and was killed at the Battle of the Bull Run. There was also Frank McKenna, father of J F McKenna who became a prosperous business man in Belfast and a generous benefactor to the Parish here at home.
The foregoing material is set down to show the value of talking to the more senior family members and putting down the information they have about the family to preserve it for future generations. They are a living source of family history and should not be neglected.
By Malachy Kelly