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Descendants of O'Flaherty & McDonagh, Connemara, Co.Galway

Galway

I am currently planning a trip to Co Galway. My (maternal/paternal) grandmothers birth was registered as Sarah Anne born 5th Nov 1864 of John Ryan & Sarah Anne OFlaherty, at the Claddagh School, Galway; I have previously visited the school & nearby church in Galway City. Her mother, Sarah Anne OFlaherty, had the same first names recorded on all the reviewed birth documents of her children but is also identified as Bridget in at least one reference (RyanFJ,1940c30,dReg, Richmond, NY, USA,#645). From family stories, we know Sarah Anne OFlaherty aka Bridget, had her first child when she was about 16 years of age; he was Francis John Ryan, born about 12 Sep 1854 at Renvyle, Galway, Ireland. If 16 at the time, Sarah Anne OFlaherty aka Bridget, would have been born about (1854-16) 1838. Renvyle is in the Connemara area, Co.Galway If it is assumed that Sarah Anne O'Flaherty aka Bridget, came from and was born in this region, then from a "rootsIreland" search of baptisms in Galway around 1838 (OFlaherty,1829-1839Abt,bpt, Co.Galway, Ireland), the most likely baptism in Co. Galway around that year is for a "Bridget" O'Flaherty of Errismore, Clifden in the Connemara area, born to Patrick O'Flaherty and Mary McDonagh and baptised on the 19 Aug 1838. Three years later, these same parents also baptised an Ann Flaherty on 1 Aug 1841 at Omey (Island off the Connemara). Another indication that Patrick O'Flaherty and Mary McDonagh may have been Sarah Anne OFlaherty aka Bridgets parents is that the names of her other children included a "Patrick" and a "Mary".
None of her 10 children are known to have lived and died in Ireland so there is unlikely to be any direct descendants in Ireland from this line. However, there may be descendants of her siblings e.g. Anne Flaherty.
Apart from the peninsula of Errismore west of the village of Ballyconneely, Connemara, a "Google search" for Errismore, Clifden leads to a family-run Errismore House .. located in a quiet part of Clifden .. dating back to the 1840s It still offers accommodation in 2017 and is located in Bridge St, Clifden. In fact, John MacLeod may well have sought accommodation there during his various times in the Connemara (see pages 8-10 of CelleriNR & MacLeodJK, The Ryan Road, www.lulu.com/content/1324957 (Online Pub), 2007).
I am currently planning a trip to Co Galway. If there are no known living Irish relatives from this line in Ireland, I would love to be put in touch with someone in Co. Galway who may point me in the right direction in providing addition confirmation or refutation of some of the assumptions made in linking back to Patrick O'Flaherty and Mary McDonagh as my gg grandparents.

IrelandXO member

1 reply

Hello Rob, I have been asked to look at old queries that were not answered and hopefully you had a good trip and wnjoyed your visit. 

If you wish you could post your family information on the parish page on this site and if still looking for living relatives there are a number of Galway Genealogy private groups on Facebook doing that sort of linking, there are also DNA matching sites if that interests you.

Regards

Pat 

newohalloran.p…IrelandXO Volunteer

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