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Cecelia Callaghan and John Friel - Doughmore, Fanad, Co.Donegal

DonegalClondavaddog (Donegal)

Hi Folks,  

Irelandxo has been contacted by email on a query relating to the Parish of Clondavaddog and I have decided to add it as a Message query so as to share the research information here along with any results.  

There is no need for additional XO volunteers other than Roger McDonell to post replies, that is unless they might have additional knowledge of the area or the family.  

Thank you

Seamus Callaghan  
IRO Parish Liaison for the Parish of Clondavaddog, Co Donegal. 

 

 

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Aug, 2024  
 

Hello, 
 
I have been trying to find information about my great grandparents. My Grandmother was Grace Friel, she emigrated to America around 1891. She was the daughter of Cecelia Callaghan Friel and John James Friel. I believe they were married June 8, 1857 in Clondavadoc. Do any records exist in your parish that could help me?  What town did they live in, who were their parents/ brothers/sisters? 
 
I visited Ireland this summer, stayed at the Fanad Lighthouse a few days and truly love the area. Thank you for any help you might be able to provide. 
 
Nancy Guyette 

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Aug 23, 2024,  
 
Nancy: 

Just so you know, you emailed the general information line. We do have a message board if you have additional questions. 

I checked the subscription site Roots Ireland and found a June 8 1857 marriage record for John Friel and Cecelia Callaghan at Clondavaddog RC church. The transcribed record shows that John and Cecelia lived in Tamney. I'm wondering if the location was actually Tawny which is a townland civil parish. 

 

Finding records for brothers and sisters of John and Cecelia will be difficult since records for the parish start in 1847. https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1011?locale=en 

 

I located a May 9 1858 baptismal record for a Madge Friel with parents John and Cecelia. One sponsor was Bridget Friel which could be a sister to John. 

 

The next record was a Margaret Friel baptized April 5 1863. The mother was shown as Sheila Callaghan.  

There was a civil birth record for a John Friel born December 5 1968, mother shown as Sheila. Here is the record, Family lived in Doagh More. 

 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1869/03409/2250299.pdf 
 

There was also a Bernard in 1876. 

I don't see a Grace Friel baptismal/birth record. Did she have another name? 

Roger McDonnell 

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On Sat, Aug 24,  

Thank you so much for finding the record of my great grandparents marriage.  I know they had the following children: Mary(possibly Madge) b. May 9, 1858, Annie b. 1868, Margaret b. 1870, Grace b. 12/23/1871, John b. 9/16/1876, Ellen b 1879 

John Friel died in 1890 in Ireland, everyone else died in the US.  Maybe they moved from Tawney. I have a letter that references Kindrum and Tullyconnell.  

Thank you again, I will look for the Message Board also 

Nancy Guyette 

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Nancy: 

The Clondavaddog parish register available online stops in January 1871 so too early for Grace. I still can't not locate a civil birth record for her so maybe the family did not register the birth. I found this short article on Wikipedia regarding Tamney and Tawny https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamney 

Roger 

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Fri, Aug 23, 2024 

 

Hi Roger, thank you very much for forwarding on this query... 

Hi Nancy, my name is Seamus Callaghan and I come from the small village of Kerrykeel on the way into Fanad. I will try my best to help you with this. If you don't mind being a small bit patient, we will find out loads together. 

I wonder have you come across my Callaghan family tree on ancestry..dot..com. 

I would love to share it and give you access.  

Kindest Regards  

Seamus Callaghan  
IRO Parish Liaison for Clondavaddog, Co Donegal. 

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Hello Seamus, 

I am so thankful that Roger forwarded you my email. I live in Vermont and recently returned from a trip to your beautiful country. Both of my maternal grandparents were from Ireland, I have found family members descended from my grandfather’s family in County Monaghan but have not been able to learn anything about my grandmother’s family,  

Grace Friel who came from Fanad. Grace’s mother was Cecelia Callaghan and Roger found records showing that she married John Friel in Clondavadoc on June 8, 1857.  I have a few letters that my grandmother saved and know that Cecelia came to the US after her husband died in 1890. I recently found her obituary in a Philadelphia newspaper.  The son-in-law mentioned was the husband of her other daughter Margaret Friel.   

Thank you so much for any time and assistance you can help me with at your convenience, and maybe we will even find that we are related! 

Nancy Guyette 

 

Seamus Callaghan, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

4 replies

Hi Nancy, I hope you are seeing this query posted here on the message board. 

You are lucky to have something special that many query's on Irelandxo have-not and that is the Townland of Doughmore being mentioned in Cecelia's obituary for her husband John Friel. If we were to start researching from as far back as we can go it will help to build the research and hopefully pinpoint where in Fanad your family originated... 

  

THE 1830s: Doughmore is a townland that can still be found along the northwest shore of the Fanad Peninsula.  

https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/kilmacrenan/clondavaddog/fanad-west/doagh-more/ 

Back in the 1830s there was only one Friel family living in the Townland, and the head of that family was recorded as being James Friel.  

1834 Tithe Applotment Books - Doughmore - James Friel 

There were 14 other families named also living in Doughmore at that time, and their names were: Brian Carr, Peggy (Michael) Callaghan,  

James McBride Jr, Owen Carr, Stephen & Daniel Coll, John Carr, Patrick McConigley, Neil McBride, John McBride Jr, Neil Shiels, John Carr (Roe), Daniel Carr, and Ann Carr 

 

The Townland of Doughmore is surrounded by 5 other Townlands and 2 of these have Friel Families 

  1. Tullyconnell Townland (1 x Friel Family) - John Friel 

  1. Gortnatraw North Townland (4 x Friel families) - Fergus & Francis Friel, James & Michael Friel, Edward Friel, John Friel. 

  1. Faltybanes Townland (0 x Friel family) 

  1. Leatmore Townland: (0 x Friel family)  

  1. Glinsk Townland (0 x Friel family). 

 

THE 1860s: later research 

Seamus Callaghan, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

Thanks Seamus!

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you so much Seamus!

 

nancyguyette

THE 1850 - 1860s:  

The Primary Valuation, also known as Griffith’s Valuation, was the first, full-scale valuation of property in Ireland, published between 1847 and 1864. The Griffith Valuations was carried out throughout the Parish of Clondavaddog in 1857.  Extra Info - understanding Griffiths Valuation maps. 

 

Who is in residence in Doughmore back in 1857 : Select Doughmore when you enter the page below 

www.askaboutireland.ie - Select Doughmore at the very top of the page. 

Click on Occupants Icon to get the full list of names. There are 6 x Friels family members recorded on the original pages of Griffith Valuation for Doughmore: 

Plot# 2: Grace Friel (house 2a and small land). Hugh Friel (large house 2b and medium land).  John Friel shares this land with them. 

Plot# 3: Margaret Friel, a house and small bit of land. 

Plot#4: John Friel, a house and tiny bit of land.    

Plot# 5: Neal Friel (a large house 5a and) shares medium land with John Friel. Margery Friel (small house 5b) had no land) 

These original documents showing these names can be seen on Part 1 / Slide 7 of the presentation attached.  

Slides PART 2  

The Friel families recorded seem to be all concentrated in one area of the townland's old map. The only Friel plot of land in Doughmore that seems to have a Plot of land or buildings visible from the roadside might be that of John Friel in Plot 4.  

How can I see where these Plots of land and houses are using the website: 

  1. Click on the magnifying glass to use the Zoom (+) option (-). Keep Zooming inwards until the Doughmore Townland name becomes visable. 

  1. Clicking first on the Satellite button option on the top left of screen, followed by the slider (Historical to Modern map) on the top right of the screen, will give the option of merging both the old 1850s Griffith maps with a modern-day satellite maps/image.  

  1. (3) If google maps is opened alongside it will be easy to find this location of interest on it, and then to work out the co-ordinates or directions so as to be able to drive directly to it and explore.  

The final step is probably the most important, and that is to try and share the information (via email/social media) with a few people from the area as they will have the local knowledge of who might be currently living at that house and location. There is always the chance that the resident will be a descendant of the family that lived there back in 1850s. 

 

THE EARLY 1900s: next research 

Seamus Callaghan, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

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