Help!

TipperaryTemplederry (Tipperary)

I'm looking for relatives or information about my family.

My father was baptised in Milestone but my grandmother was raised in Silvermines. I think her family moved there from Thurles but I'm not sure, my information is very sketchy. My grandmothers name was Bridget Spillane, her father was Edward and her mother was Margaret Shanahan, she had some connection to Bishop Shanahan, I thought sister or maybe niece but now I think the relation was further out. I am finding it very difficult to trace their famalies so I'm looking for some help or even steered in the right direction. I think my ggrandfather was a basket maker and my ggrandmother had a brother called Denis who died in the early 1980's around christmas.

That is the extent of my knowledge of my ggrandparents!

My grandmother then was the second youngest of 6 children. Stephen (1919), John (1921) died aged 2 or 3, John (1924- 2011), James (1926) still living in Dublin, Bridget (1928- 2009) died in Kerry and Tom (1931) he died in the UK.

I have asked my uncle Jim about his parents but he doesn't really remember much, I think they died when they were young but I was told that that was any time between the 1930's and 50's!

Any help would be greatly appreciated

sarah79

13 years ago

11 replies

My ggrandmother also had a sister Bridget, I think she married a Costello man and they had a daughter who died on April 23rd of this year, she was Sr Una (Rosarii) Urseula Costello. She died in Cork. I think she has a sister living in Leicester, UK

Thanks again for any help

sarah79

13 years ago

Hi Sarah

leave it with me and I'll get you some info hhopefully thanks

andrew

Silvermines Ti…IrelandXO Volunteer

13 years ago

Thank you Andrew

sarah79

13 years ago

hey

This is a challaneing one. Do you know and dates of birth or the date that they past away? any more info you can give me will be great help.i found this it could be your ggreat grandmothers family please note margert age 4 and dennis age 9.

I have a historical meeting on monday night and i will ask thequstion about the familys and see what comes back

5 in Marlfield (Inishlounaght, Tipperary)

Show all information

Surname	Forename	Age	Sex	Relation to head	Religion	Birthplace	Occupation	Literacy	Irish Language	Marital Status	Specified Illnesses
Shanahan	Walter	47	Male	Head of Family	Roman Catholic	Co Tipperary	Coachman Servant Domestic	Read and write	English	Married	-
Shanahan	Margret	45	Female	Wife	Roman Catholic	Co Tipperary	Seamstress	Read and write	Irish and English	Married	-
Shanahan	Edward	19	Male	Son	Roman Catholic	Co Tipperary	Clerk to Grocer	Read and write	Irish and English	Not Married	-
Shanahan	Patrick	15	Male	Son	Roman Catholic	Co Tipperary	Groom Servant Domestic	Read and write	Irish and English	Not Married	-
Shanahan	Christiana	12	Female	Daughter	Roman Catholic	Co Tipperary	Scholar	Read and write	Irish and English	Not Married	-
Shanahan	Denis	9	Male	Son	Roman Catholic	Co Tipperary	Scholar	Read and write	Irish and English	Not Married	-
Shanahan	Thomas	7	Male	Son	Roman Catholic	Co Tipperary	Scholar	Read and write	Irish and English	Not Married	-
Shanahan	Margaret	4	Female	Daughter	Roman Catholic	Co Tipperary	Scholar	Read	Irish and English	Not Married	-
Casey	Mary	78	Female	Mother in Law	Roman Catholic

You said your father was baptised in Milestone thurles,

There is work being done to get church info from some of the parishs in the area most notably Cashel and Emily. if we can get access to all the records then you will get a better picture. With most churchs you can see a regster after it becomes 100 yeas old.

hope this helps and its a start lets see what we can find for you

thanks

andrew

Silvermines Ti…IrelandXO Volunteer

13 years ago

Hi Andrew

Thank you for this. I don't know if its right or not. I'm beginging to think that the Spillanes and Shanahons are a bit like the Murphys and Connors in Kerry!!

I have asked Dad again if he remembers anything more and he mentioned a Tom Shanahon around his age that married a Margaret (another one!) and he's fairly sure they had a daughter called Mandy. He also thinks he has a brother called John Joe.

I was looking at obituaries in the Tipperary Star and here is what I found for Denis

http://announce.jpress.ie/22340972?s_source=jiri_tipp

This fits in with what what I was told and Tom (Tommy) and Margaret are mentioned in it.

I was in touch again with my Uncle Jim in Dublin and he thinks that his mother had four brothers and four sisters. He couldn't remember all the names but here is what he gave me:

Denis, Bridget, Martin, Johnny, Mary, Nora and his mother Margaret, no memory of a Christina.

He also thinks his father had two brothers that he remembers, Tom and Patrick.

He thinks Patrick married a school teacher who was widowed with a daughter and he also thinks that his father Edward and his Uncle Tom went to the US sometime around 1910 for 6 or 7 years. He said that his uncle Tom never came home and he remembers something about him becoming a policeman.

Given more time to think he might remember more, I think I kinda put him on the spot.

My uncle John married in Thurles, he has a daughter living in Holycross, Majella Brown, Martina Byrne lives in Carlow, Bernadette Moynihan lives in Templemore, Margaret Kearney lives in Thurles and he has a son Gerard who lives in Cork

My uncle Stephen married Betty ___ and they lived in Twomileborris. His son Edward lives there now, he has a daughter Ann that I think lives with Betty and I think there is a John and a Brendan living in Cork.

I have asked around these relations but the only thing they could say for definate is what I have said already about Bishop Joseph Shanahon. I think theres a memorial or some tribute to him in Borris.

The reason I mention all the cousins is that maybe you might know them or some of the older members of the parish might remember their fathers growing up.

Thanks again Andrew for all your time and help, I know it is very time consuming.

Sarah

sarah79

13 years ago

Sarah, John Costello married Bridget Shanahan and they lived in Drom, near Borrisoleigh. They had 7 children including 3 girls who became nuns. Bridget died around 27 Oct 1945 and John Costello died around the 25th Jan 1955. I am researching the Costello family and recognised the names you mentioned including the fact that one daughter a nun had died recently. Hope this helps. What a fantastic site I must list my own queries from the Glenkeen Parish.

Regards, Myriam (Australia)

myriam scott

13 years ago

Hi Myriam,

What a great surprise and it is wonderful to hear from you! That sounds like my lot alright. Are you in touch with any of them? I take it that you are connected to the Costello side, I suppose you don't have any information on the Shanahans. I am finding it very hard to get anything on them, I'm chasing shadows and hitting brick walls but it really is great to hear from you and hopefully I might get somewhere!

I joined the Glenkeen Parish as I found information on Bishop Joseph Shanahan that let me to it. I thought first he was my grandmothers uncle but now I think maybe he was just a cousin. She spoke a lot about him and we still have a picture that was sent to her when he was ordained. He died in Africa and from what I have read online there is a campagine to make him a Saint there!

Ireland reaching out is a great website especially when you're getting help from locals.

Thanks again for getting in touch Myriam, you have made my day!

Sarah

sarah79

13 years ago

Hi Sarah, Andrew & Myriam,

I'm a grandson of Denis Shanahan, Rathleasty. I'm his only daughter Margaret's eldest son. How can I help ye?

David Coughlan

IrelandXO member

11 years ago

Hi David! I think we are cousins! Are Tom and John Joe your uncles? I only just saw your reply now!
I visited Rathleasty a few years ago, I missed your uncle, he was gone to the mart!
Do you know the connection we have to Bishop Shanahan? My grandmother was Biddy Spillane, Denis's niece, Margarets daughter, she had pictures of him and always called him our cousin!
I would love to meet John Joe as Natasha has told me he's great at family relations and connections.
I look forward to hearing back from you and I'm sorry again about the very late reply!
Sarah

sarah79

9 years ago

Hi Sarah. Are you on fb? If you are, you can add me there. If not, give me a suitable way of contacting you. Would like to carry on with this conversation. David Coughlan

IrelandXO member

8 years ago

I was looking for you on facebook! Couldn't find you! I'm on facebook as Sarah Breen, I'm friends with Samantha and Natasha

sarah79

8 years ago

Help!

11 replies

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