Kennedy and Renehan/Renahan Families of Ballymackey
Hello from Brisbane, Australia :-)
My research for my roots in the Toomevara parish go back to my great great grandparents, Patrick Kennedy and Honora Renehan. I'm unsure of their exact birthdates, but I'd say they would have been born around 1810. I haven't found a marriage for them as I don't think the parish records exist for the time they would have married - sometime before the birth of their first child, John in 1830. I am fortunateto have found the baptismal records for all their children (except their first son, John) in the Toomvara parish and the records list Ballymackey as their place of residence. The baptisms are as follows:
1. Sarah - 1832. Sponsors Con Meara and Marg Renahan (Maybe Hanora's sister?)
2. Mary (my great grandmother) - 1834. Sponsors Mick Gleeson and Sally Renihan (another sister of Hanora?)
3. Darby (also known as Jeremiah) - 1836. Sponsors ? Meara and Judy Donogue
4. Patrick - 1838. Sponsors - illegible
5. William - 1840. Sponsors - ? Loghmane and Susan C?
All the children left Ireland between the years of 1854 and 1857 travelling to Australia as assisted immigrants.Their shipping records all state that their parents, Patrick and Honora, were dead. Patrick and Honoramust have passed away in the years between 1840 (the year their last child William was born) and 1854 (when their son John was the first to leave), but I haven't found records for this as yet.
John Kennedy married Mary Gleeson in 1854 shortly before they left for Australia. Mary Gleeson's parents were William Gleeson and Bridget Ryan.
Would anyone know any more of my Kennedy and Renehan families?
The DNA tests I have taken has shown up a match with a lady who has Margaret Renehan from Ballymackey in her family tree on Ancestry - seems likely that this is the sister of my Honora as mentioned above. Margaret Renehan married a Con Meara and it looks like some of their descendants ended up in Australia and New Zealand.
Many thanks for any help in connecting with any of these families.
Best wishes,
Quita Leslie
