Houlihan and Droney in Fedamore LImerick
Like many Australians I have numerous ancestors from Ireland. My paternal grandmothers family were the Houlihans from Fedamore Limerick. William Houlihan, a native of Fedamore arrived in Australia in 1865 with his cousin Mary Droney also from Fedamore. Williams younger sister Ellen was already living in the colony and sponsored their fare. William had married just 3 months before he immigrated, but his wife Alice nee Dooley, remained in Ireland for 7 years before joining her husband in Australia [I will save her for a further post as her origins are a mystery too]
I have located Williams baptism in 1838 and that of his siblings in the Fedamore Catholic parish registers. His parents were Patrick Houlihan and Margaret C/Kavanagh. This information is also reflected in his shipping records although he gives his age as being 2 years younger.
Mary Droney gives her age as 25 and her parents as Patrick and Mary Droney both dead. However at the time of her marriage a year later she gives her age as 21 and her parents are recorded as Patrick Droney and Ellen Houlihan. From this information I calculate her birth to be between 1840 and 1845 but have been unable to find a baptism for her or any siblings with these parents.
I have also been unable to locate a marriage for either Patrick Houlihan and Margaret Cavanagh or Patrick Droney and Ellen/Mary Houlihan, nor a confirmed baptism for the siblings Patrick and Ellen Houlahan. The 1851 Griffiths valuation records a Patrick Houlihan at Cloghadoolarty, along with 3 Droney men, James, Thomas and Patrick. I have found a marriage for a Patrick Droney to a Catherine Ryan in 1827 at Ballybricken, however there is no daughter Mary amongst their children baptised and the baptisms for this couple end in 1841.
As I feel I have exhausted the published records available I am now hoping to maybe make contact with others researching these surnames in the Fedamore area or perhaps someone who has knowledge of any unpublished parish records that might hold further information. I realize that not all parish records have survived intact but live in hope of finding out more about my Houlihans. Houlihan can be spelt in a variety of ways, including at least one spelling starting with a Wh.
Thanks to anyone who has read all the way through. If you would like to read more about the above families and others, I have a family history website I have been building for almost 20 years.
http://lintywhite.com/index.html
http://lintywhite.com/houlihan2.html
http://lintywhite.com/houlihan3.html
http://lintywhite.com/droneycanham.html
Jenny [Brisbane Australia]