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McNulty Family from Lurgan, County Sligo

Sligo

Hello everyone! I am researching my McNulty family, which has ties to Lurgan, County Sligo, Ireland. I have hit a dead end with my 3 x great grandfather, and I am hoping you may be able to help. 

My 3x great grandfather is Luke A. McNulty, who was born in Ireland around 1830, though I am not sure where. His father is Patrick, but I am not sure about his mother. Luke's wife is Julia A. King, and they were married in 1865 in Leeds, England. However, the couple must have returned to Ireland soon after, because two of their sons were born in Taunagh (Riverstown), Diocese of Elphin, County Sligo, Ireland. One son is Luke A. McNulty, born 23 December 1868. Another son is Patrick H. McNulty, born 6 February 1866. They were Catholic and I have located the parish records through the new NLI portal. 

Luke and Julia and their children moved to the United States around 1871 and settled in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They had several more children there, the last being my 2nd great grandmother, Sarah Ellen McNulty.

I am hoping to find out more about Luke A. McNulty Sr. and his wife, Julia King. Were they also from County Sligo? It seems they went to Leeds, England to find work and, based on English census records, they lived with Julia's brother Richard there. But, I am guessing they have roots in County Sligo because they came back there after marrying abroad and soon after had two children there. 

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide, and perhaps I can discover some long-lost cousins across the pond!

Mark

markddeming@gm…

4 replies

Mark:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

There are two Lurgan townlands in Co. Sligo but the one you want is in Ballysumaghan civil parish. I looked up the 1858 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Ballysumaghan parish. There were two McNulty entries (no Patrick) but they were not shown in Lurgan but rather Ballysumaghan.

 http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/sligo/ballysumaghan.htm

I also located an 1824 Tithe Applotment record for a Martin McNulty in Lurgan townland in Ballysumaghan parish. Not sure of his connection to Patrick. http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004587407/00…

Let me know if you have any questions.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Hello Roger,

Thank you for your time and assistance! I am relatively new to researching my Irish ancestry, particularly this branch of my family tree, so I do appreciate your insight. 

Very interesting information! I am glad that you have identified possible relatives for Luke. Since we haven't found a direct hit with a Patrick McNulty in Lurgan, I wonder: is it likely that my McNulty ancestors were born elsewhere? I have seen on another online family tree that Luke A. McNulty Sr. might have been born in County Cork, but this is unsubstantiated. 

As I am new to Irish research, are there any other resources that you can recommend that might help me narrow down a birthplace for Luke Sr.? Unfortunately, I do not have access to Rootsireland.ie or any of the paid subscriptions.

Thanks again for your help,

Mark

markddeming@gm…

Mark:

I don't think your McNultys are from Cork and based on the 1824 Tithe record, I think your family is from Lurgan. The Riverstown RC records are not on Roots but I would search the NLI register for Riverstown. I took a look at 1830 and did not see a McNulty record but there were two King records. I know you looked at the 1866 and 1868 area of the register. The 1830 is likely more difficult. The records are in Latin. The first  names is the name of the child and it is usually abbreviated. This is followed by the name of the father. I would go back to 1825 or so and scan the records slowly to see what you can find. It was a large parish so there are a good number of records for each month.

Let me know if you need any assistance with names. 

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Hello Roger,

Thank you for the continued help and advice! I went back and searched from 1825 through 1834 without any luck. However, I have seen Luke's birth year listed as 1825, 1830, 1842, and 1844 throughout various records from the United States and England, so I will continue the search in the wider timeframe and hope to find some McNultys. And you are correct: the records from 1836 on are a bit more difficult to read, mainly due to the light handwriting, and there are many, many King families. Now, fingers crossed that I can find the right one.

Thank you again!

Mark

markddeming@gm…

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