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How to find death date and burial location my grandfather from Glencolmkille.

DonegalGlencolumbkille (Donegal)

I have been searching about 30 websites for the death date and burial location of my grandfather who lived in Altclogh, Glencolmkille/Carrick Civil Parish in Donegal County. I have also paid for a search throughdonegalancestry.com. His name was John Byrne (b. 12-08-1879) and married Bridget Cannon (m. 2-16-1920). He died sometime between 1921 and 1926. He was Roman Catholic.

I assume I will now have to look at church records. I googled a list of RC churches in the area where he lived, but is this the best strategy to look at death records? I am not sure how to contact each church since most do not have a website or an address. Is there another way to research this or have I reached the end of my search? I would love to know where he is buried so I might visit his grave some day.

IrelandXO member

5 replies

Reddington:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I assume your searched the free site www.irishgenealogy.ie which has civil records. I looked on that site for a John Byrne death record in the Glenties registation district and there were no records where the John Byrne was in his 40s. So either the death was not civilly registered or he died away from Glencolumbkille and the Glenties registration district.

I would e-mail the RC parish in Glencolumbkille and see if they have any information  https://www.raphoediocese.ie/parish/glencolmcille-carrick/

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

I have done that today!  Thank you!  I hope it leads me to where I need to go!

Mary Beth Reddington

IrelandXO member

There's always the possibility that a John was recorded as Sean, but I think this could be him...

John Byrne from "Meenarin, Carrick, Co. Donegal" died from TB in Ballyshannon Workhouse Hospital on April 16, 1922.  

Now, there is no "Meenarin" (likely a misspelling) in Carrick or anywhere else in Co. Donegal, BUT there is a Meenaneary which next to Altclogh to the east. I have often seen adjacent townlands recorded as addresses, especially if the house was on the border between the two. 

Here is the Civil Death Record on Irish Genealogy: 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

Rua
Hello Roger. I am back to researching my Byrne Family as we might be making a trip to Donegal in 1923. Thank you for the death record of my grandfather, John Byrne, born Aug 8, 1897 who, I believe, lived in Altclogh his entire life until dying 15 Apr 1922. This record you attached above might be him, but his age is different. How might I find out of he was in this workhouse hospital? I read that in 1921, before it closed, the building was used to house IRA members and the inmates were moved to the infirmary. Could this be my grandfather who was an inmate at the time? From records I have, I know my grandfather, John Byrne, lived in Altclogh during the 1901 and 1911 census; married my grandmother, Bridget Cannon, 16 Feb 1920; my mother (their only child) was born 22 March 1921; my grandfather died on 15 Apr 1922 and was buried in the Carrick Cemetery in the family plot (photo of gravemarker attached, hopefully); my grandmother immigrated to US Sept 1926 and my mother and her maternal aunt immigrated to join her 30 Oct 1926. My questions are: Might the John Byrne on the civil death record you sent me above be my grandfather who died in prison? What might life have been like for my mother and grandmother left behind and not leaving Ireland for 4 years? Would one of my grandfather's siblings have taken them in? Thank you for any information you might have or leads you might share.
Mary Beth Reddington-Adams
Mary Beth: A few comments and Merry Christmas! Our web site has a systems problem which is preventing attachments. Our systems staff is working on the problem. I'd like to take credit for finding the 1922 death record but our volunteer, Rua, was the one who located the record. I don't think that John Byrne was in prison. I think he was ill and went to the workhouse hospital and died. You will note on the page with the John Byrne death record that two other people also died in the workhouse in April 1922. I'm sure life was difficult for your grandmother and mother from 1922-1926. Likely as you indicated, family (Byrnes or Cannons) would have assisted them. When the 1926 census comes out in 3+ years, you will be able to see where they were living right before they emigrated. Roger
Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

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