CRINIGAN from Ballinacarrigy Westmeath Ireland
Dear Bill Stemmie,
Here is some information on Four CRINIGAN brothers who went from Ballinacarrigy Westmeath, Ireland to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
My Great grandmother Catherine CRINIGAN married James WALSH on 8 Feb 1857 in Ballynacargy, Westmeath, Ireland.
I have found some information on the CRINIGAN family of Westmeath over several years.
There is a family history story that four uncles went from Ballinacarrigy, county Westmeath, Ireland to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I found at the New York Public Library the book entitled "Los Irelandese in la Argentina" by Eduardo COUGHLAN , published in 1987, pages 197-198 . It is a scholarly work and it should be available in several Libraries in the USA and world wide. Although it is written in Spanish not English it is easy to read.
The book confirms that exactly four CRINIGAN brothers from Ballinacarrigy, Westmeath, Ireland went to Buenos Aires Argentina.
The CRINIGAN family members who according to this book left Ballinacarrigy Ireland for Buenos Aires were as follows:
Francis CRINIGAN,
William CRINIGAN,
Eugene CRINIGAN and
Matthew CRINIGAN.
The family tradition has always said that four brothers went to Buenos Aires, Argentina . I think these were the brothers of Catherine CRINIGAN WALSH and the uncles to her children. I think the timeline and the place of origin is right. Three of the CRINIGAN brothers married and had families in Argentina. It appears that Matthew CRINIGAN did not marry and did not have any children. All four CRINIGAN brothers died in Argentina.
Up until the early 1940s my mother's first cousin Elizabeth "Betty " ALLARD CONLON use to write back and forth with the children and grandchildren of the " Brothers CRINIGAN” in Argentina. The children and grandchildren were all very successful in Argentina. It was my understanding the brothers went out to Argentina under a scheme whereby if you tended a flock of sheep for several years at the end of your contract you were given half a flock. Since there were four brothers they collectively would have had two complete flocks. Is your James CRINIGAN and Catherine CRINIGAN WALSH related? Was Eugene CRINIGAN son of your James CRINIGAN named after the Eugene CRINIGAN who went to Argentina? I do not know. I have not yet found Catherine's death record or her baptismal record. Best wishes. MJ CAM