Ireland XO
Back to Message Board

Anthony Gallagher and Ellen McGettigan of Mevagh- where is "Meeney Tully"?

DonegalMevagh (Donegal)

I have a few questions I would love help with: 

Anthony Gallagher b about 1847 married Ellen McGettigan b abt 1847.  Married Feb 17, 1866 at the Roman Catholic Chapel of Rossguill, district of Rossguill, Union of Milford, Donegal.  Ellen resided at Meenformal which I have found on a map.  

1- Where is "Meeney Tully"?

Anthony resided at "Meeney Tully" which I cannot identify that location.  I have searched google, maps, townland lists, and no such place seems to exist.  I assume it is spelled wrong, but I can't find anything similar.   I saw one family tree in ancestry that said Anthony was from Downings, so is there a location in or near Downings with a similar name?  I also posted my question to a facebook group and one Irish gentleman said it was Downings, but I'm waiting for a reply as to how he knows that or where in Downings this place is.  

Link to marriage record:  https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_re…

2- Anthony's father's name is listed as James Gallagher, farmer.  I don't see a James Gallagher in Downings or Downies in the Griffiths valuation.  I would love help identifying any information about James Gallagher. 

Based on DNA evidence, it is certain that I am related to this James Gallagher.  I think he is my 3rd great grandfather.  However, his wife is a Miss McCloskey from Meentagh, Glenvar, Donegal.  I have DNA proof and family information that her last name is McCloskey and that she is from Glenvar, so this is pretty solid.  I also have almost a dozen dna connections to this McCloskey family in Glenvar.  My hypothesis right now is perhaps James Gallagher is the one living next door to her family in the griffiths valuation for Meentagh/Meentaugh and that Anthony Gallagher (the son) for some reason was living in Mevagh parish about 20-30 km away.  Not a common occurrence but I don't know how else James Gallagher and Miss McCloskey would have met.   (There is also a McGettigan living in Mevagh at the time so perhaps there are relatives connecting these folks).  

Other info: 

Here is a link to Anthony Gallagher in my ancestry tree.  I have birth records from their first two children in Mevagh parish and then they move to Scotland. So, I have a lot of info on the family, but can't quite connect them to my direct ancestor line yet.  (my direct ancestor is almost certainly Anthony's father James). 

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/9183785/person/2124153…

david_kane6979…

6 replies

Dave:

I forwarded your message to our volunteer from another parish in Co. Donegal.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Hello Dave, 

As you said the location would no doubt have been transcribed into the Register incorrectly. 

The nearest location that nearly resembles this is not a Townland but a sub-townland called Meentury. 

www.townlands.ie - donegal/kilmacrenan/mevagh/carrickart/carrickart/meentury/ 

It can be found in the Townland of Carrikart (Carrigart) 

www.townlands.ie - donegal/kilmacrenan/mevagh/carrickart/carrickart/ 

The townland of Carrickart itself is situated fairly close to Downings and it extends southwards coming fairly close to the townland of Meenformal also. 

https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/kilmacrenan/mevagh/glen/meenformal/ 

 

Back in the 1847 Griffith Valuation, there is a Stephen and Patrick Gallagher family that have some land in the Townland of Carrickart but no homestead is given. I will have to come back and look at this more.  

Regards 

Seamus Callaghan (Kerrykeel, Donegal) 

 

 

Seamus Callaghan, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

Map Location and Griffith Valuation Image attached:

Seamus Callaghan, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

I may have an answer to marriage in Roguill. I brought up the wedding certificate page in Irish Genealogy and noticed that the first entry was also for a McGettigan marriage with father Thomas (deceased).

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

It appears to be Ellen’s brother John's marriage to Catherine Mulher. On both McGettigan marriages, the father is described as Thomas McGettigan deceased, on John's certificate the address -(Gleneragh) Gleneraugh a subdistrict of Meenformal.  There are a lot of spelling approximations as Mulher can be spelled as Mulhern or a similar variant and while not common in Donegal it is to be found in other Rosguill records. 

 Easter fell on 1st April in 1866, and many marriages were celebrated just before Lent, Shrove Tuesday was the most popular, I have done a check for this year and it fell on February 13th which is the day of John McGettigan and Catherine Mulher marriage. As the copy of Ellen and Anthony’s wedding is so poor I cannot read the date just the month, being February, could this be a joint wedding on the 13th ?   A double wedding before Lent seems a reasonable possibility and explains the venue.

In regard to Meeney Tullys address for Anthony as appears not a fully exact location has been found looked again at the thought you considered that a James Gallagher in Meentagh could be his father which would make the locality a transcription error. On the earlier tithe record of 1834, there was a Hugh Gallagher in Meentagh and from your ancestry site, I can see that Anthony used this name for his first son.

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004587420/004587420_00070.pdf

 James Gallagher and his wife Anne in both the 1901 and 1911 census living in Meentagh/Meentragh. Ages in 1901 do not correspond with 1911 when both stated 73 but age changes are not unusual. Not old enough to be Anthony’s parents but a brother, found his marriage in 1876, his father was named  as James and area Meentagh.  

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

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Donegal/Carrowkeel/Meentagh/501045

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Donegal/Carrowkeel/Meentragh/1191169/

Searches of the Fanad townland of  Tully yielded nothing on Meeney. It had a James Gallagher in Griffiths, the surname also located in the 1901 Census. Traced that a James Gallagher from Tully who died in 1893 death was registered by his son Thomas.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Donegal/Fanad_West/Tully/1191755/

Marion Whelan, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

 

Whelanmg, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘︎IrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you Marion!

david_kane6979…

Reply

Reply
One image file up to 2 MB.