My Irish Roots

On St Patrick’s Day, I find myself reflecting on my Irish roots and the enduring legacy of the ancestors who came before me.

In recent years, DNA testing has added another dimension to my understanding of that heritage. Today, my Irish ancestry is estimated as:

• 23andMe: 70.9%

• Ancestry: 64%

• FTDNA: 49%

• MyHeritage: Results pending

Like many family historians, I’ve discovered that ethnicity estimates can vary between testing companies. When I compare these figures with my traditional genealogical research, I believe my Irish ancestry likely sits somewhere between the higher estimates from 23andMe and Ancestry.

But beyond the percentages and data, it’s the people and their stories that matter most.

Today, I remember the Irish men and women in my family who made the long and often arduous journey from Ireland to Australia in the 19th century. Their courage, resilience, and determination laid the foundations for the generations that followed.

These ancestors have profiles at WikiTree:

• Patrick Curry, who arrived aboard the Hooghley in 1825

• Ellen Moore, on the Mariner in 1825

• Dennis Tierney and Elizabeth D’Arcy, who travelled together on the China in 1839

• Margaret McKeon, who came on the Earl Grey in 1841

• Bridget Ryan, arriving on the British Empire in 1849

• Michael Molloy, came before 1852

• Catherine Connolly, who arrived before 1852

• Mary Cregan, who travelled on the Derwent in 1850

• Mary Kealy, arriving later on the Kapunda in 1877

Each of these names represents a story — of leaving home, crossing oceans, and building new lives in an unfamiliar land. Their journeys were not easy, but their legacy lives on in the lives of their descendants.

As I reflect this St Patrick’s Day, I’m reminded that family history is more than names and dates. It is about connection — to people, places, and the past.

It is also about preservation: ensuring that these stories are not lost, but carried forward for future generations. WikiTree provides an excellent platform to preserve those sstories

Today, I honour my Irish ancestors — and I remain grateful for the paths they forged.

Happy St Patrick’s Day. ☘️

Note: I used ChatGPT to tidy up my post and then defancified their flowery language and added links prior to posting.

Coffin Ship

Better late than never, I found this post in my drafts folder and thought I should post it.

11/9/2017 Thanks to Mr GeniAus for jumping out of our tour bus in the rain to photograph the Irish National Famine Memorial, a coffin ship, in Murrisk, Mayo.

"The National Famine Monument at the base of Croagh Patrick in Murrisk, County Mayo, Ireland depicts a coffin ship with skeletons and bones as rigging. Sculpted by John Behan, it is Ireland's largest bronze sculpture. The "Coffin Ship" was unveiled by then President of Ireland Mary Robinson in 1997 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffin_ship)

Some of my Irish ancestors left Ireland for New South Wales during the Great Famine. Visiting this site gave me an opportunity to reflect on the challenges they faced on their brave and arduous journeys.

Upclose to the sculpture

From Wikipedia:

"A coffin ship (Irish: long cónra) is a popular idiom used to describe the ships that carried Irish migrants escaping the Great Irish Famine and Highlanders displaced by the Highland Clearances.^[1]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffin_ship

24 years ago

On St Patrick's Day I remember my first visit in 2001 to Ballyfoyle, Kilkenny, and the home of Patrick Kealy, my Great-Great-Grandfather.

It was the birthplace of my Great-Grandmother Mary Kealy who emigrated to New South Wales.
#genealogy #familyhistory #ireland

Standing at the gate of an ancestral home in Ballyfoyle, Kilkenny

Annie Moore

Outside the Cobh Heritage Centre in Ireland we spotted this monument to Annie Moore.

I thought of my convict ancestors Patrick Curry and Ellen Moore when I came across this monument.  Although their emigration was forced they would have had similar thoughts to other emigrants as they sailed away from their homeland. 

Perhaps Annie was related to my Ellen!

My Green Roots Roll Call

It is appropriate on St Patrick's Day that I remember my Green Roots - ie those ancestors who came from the Emerald Isle.

May I introduce my direct Irish ancestors who all arrived in New South Wales prior to 1876. They include several convicts, an Earl Gray orphan, some assisted immigrants and a couple of mysteries :

Catherine Connolly
Patrick Curry/Corry
Mary Cregan/Crigan/Criggin/Cligan/Gregson
Elizabeth/Eliza D'arcy
Mary Kealy
Margaret McKeon/McEwan
Ellen/Eleanor Moore
Catherine Jane Maxwell
Michael Molloy
Dennis Tierney

Please follow the links above to visit these ancestors at my family website.

Surprize, Surprise

 Last month I attended a free webinar, Floating Prisons: Irish Convict Hulks and Voyages to NSW,  hosted by the RAHS. 

During the webinar Anne McMahon, the author of the book Floating Prisons: Irish Convict Hulks and Voyages to New South Wales 1823-1837, discussed the history of the Irish hulks and gave details on the lives and conditions of the convicts incarcerated on them. I learnt that one of the hulks, the Surprize, was in Cork Harbour around the time my 3xGreat-Grandfather, Patrick Curry/Corry, was transported from there. Did Patrick spend time on the Surptize?

I realised that I needed to purchase the book which was published in 2017, I'm surprised that I didn't learn about it when it was published. I was hoping to purchase an eBook copy of the work but, when I asked during the webinar, if the book was available in that format the author was quite surprised, said she didn't know about those things and it would not appear in an electronic format!!

The book was available from several online sites but I opted to buy it from Amazon because it was 9.95 cheaper there than the recommended retail on other sites. 

I received a surprise when the parcel containing the book arrived. I had expected a paperback but the book is a heavy hardcover. It has all the features of a well documented work - bibliography, contents, indexes and references and contains a few illustrations and maps.I have yet to read the book, I don't think it will identify many individual convicts but I hope it provides a valuable insight into the lives of Irish Convicts in the early 19th century. Dr Perry McIntyre wrote an honest  review of the work in 2017 for Tintean Magazine, https://tintean.org.au/2017/08/06/floating-prisons/.

Playing around on Google I found this article, https://gsq-blog.gsq.org.au/irish-prison-hulks/, by Meg Carney who, after reading McMahon's book, thinks that her ancestor spent time in Cork on the Surprize. I wonder if I will come to the same conclusion for Patrick after reading the book. 

Saving Reverend Ryan

 On Saturday I shared the story of Michael Harrington Ryan, my GGGUncle who was a pioneer priest in Australia, at The Society of Australian Genealogists event : In search of ... My Irish Ancestor.

My Presentation - Slide 1

Although I have been researching my Ryan line since the 1980s it was not until 2012 that serendipity found Michael for me, I was immediately captivated by his story. In my presentation I talked about my discovery of Michael and the chase to find and verify his life story. I shared a few highlights of Michael's life, read excerpts from some of his letters and showed how and where I saved all of the information I have gathered on Michael.

When I volunteered to do this talk I said that I would do a 30 minute presentation, in retrospect I should have been brave and put my hand up for 60 minutes and given a more sedate and complete presentation. Having sat through so many boring presentations about other people's ancestors over the years I was concerned about spoiling the day with a lengthy, tedious talk.

While I tried to mention the many resources I have used in tracking Michael and his family and learning about his life and times I neglected to share a proper list for attendees. The following list details some of the places visited and resources used in my hunt for Michael.  Although incomplete it may be of use to other researchers. It clearly demonstrates that you can't do it all online. 

As for the future I will continue to chase Michael and try to get access to the Catholic Diocesan Archives in Sydney, Hobart, Maitland/Newcastle and Westminster (England) which I suspect have many letters to and from Michael and accurate details of his postings. As these repositories aren't too fond of family historians I will need to spin a good yarn to see their files.

Visits

• Athlone, Westmeath - County Westmeath Local Studies http://www.westmeathcoco.ie/en/ourservices/library/explorewestmeath/localstudies/ 
• Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath - St Michael's Church and Cemetery
• Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath  - Old Cemetery
• Dublin - EPIC Ireland https://epicchq.com/
• Dublin - National Library of Ireland https://www.nli.ie/
• Kilbeggan,Westmeath  - Cemetery
• Lagacurry, Ballyliffin,  Donegal - Doagh Famine Village http://www.doaghfaminevillage.com/
• Omagh, Tyrone - Ulster American Folk Park
  https://www.nmni.com/our-museums/ulster-american-folk-park/
• Canberra, ACT - National Library of Australia https://www.nla.gov.au/ 
• Kingswood, NSW - NSW State Archives and Records https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/ 
• Sydney, NSW - State Library of New South Wales https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/

Books and Journal Articles

• Abbott, Vincent  A Parish called Westmeath.  Mullingar,Westmeath :Vincent Abbott, n.d.
• All Hallows' College centenary celebrations at Sydney and Bathurst. [Australia : Catholic Church], 1942 
• Atkinson, Alan Camden : farm and village life in early New South Wales. Oxford University Press, 1988
• Birt, Henry Norbert Benedictine pioneers in Australia. London : Polding, 1911?
• Camden pioneer register : 1800-1920 3rd ed. Camden, N.S.W. : Camden Area Family History Society, 2008.
• Campbell, Harold The Diocese of Maitland, 1866-1966. Maitland, N.S.W. : Th. Dimmock Printers, 1966. 
  
• Clerke, Ron The churchyard cemetery of St John's Camden. Wollongong [N.S.W.] : Illawarra Family History Group, 1989.
• Condon, Kevin  The Missionary College of All Hallows, 1842-1891.  Dublin : All Hallows College, 1986. (Also available online: http://allhallows.ie/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/The-Missionary.pdf)
• Connell, Gretta  Tracing Your Westmeath Ancestors, Glenageary, Co. Dublin Flyleaf Press, 2012.
• Coyne, J. Stirling The Scenery and antiquities of Ireland. London : Mercury Books, 2003
• Crow, Vincent  A history of St Mary's Cathedral Schools. Sydney : Christian Brother's High School, St. Mary's Cathedral, 1984.
  
• Dunleavy, John All Hallows College, Dublin: The alma mater of the church in Victoria.   Footprints, Vol. 28, No. 1, Jun 2013: 20-25
• Grenham, John Tracing your Irish ancestors : the complete guide. 4th ed. Dublin : Gill & Macmillan, [2012]
• Gwynne, Aubrey Father John Joseph Therry : founder of the Church in Australia. Dublin : "Irish Messenger" Office for St. Joseph's Young Priests' Society, 1924
• McCormack, Stan Kilbeggan Past and Present. Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath?] : Stan McCormack, Jim Remembering All Hallows College. Maynooth:St Pauls Publishing, 2017
• McCullough, Joseph A Pocket History of Ireland. Dublin : Gill & Macmillan, 2010.
• McDevitt, John Father Hand: founder of All Hallows Catholic College for the foreign missions : the story of a great servant of God. Dublin : M.H. Gill & Son, 1885. 
• McIntyre Ireland townlands 1901. CDRom. [Spit Junction, N.S.W.?] : PR Ireland, c2009.
  
• Moore, Edmund With Dr Polding to Australia. Downside Review Volume: 32 issue: 1, page(s): 69-92, published: March 1, 1913
• Moran, Patrick Francis History of the Catholic Church in Australasia from authentic sources. Sydney : Oceanic Publishing Co., [189-?]. 
• O'Donoghue, Frances The Bishop of Botany Bay : the life of John Bede Polding, Australia's first Catholic Archbishop. London ; Sydney : Angus & Robertson, 1982.
• O'Donnell, Thomas Centenary of All Hallows College. Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review , Dec., 1942, Vol. 31, No. 124 (Dec., 1942), pp 429-437.
• O'Farrell, Patrick St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, 1821-1971. [Surry Hills, N.S.W.] : Devonshire Press for St. Mary's Cathedral, 1971.
• Reid, Richard Not just Ned : a true history of the Irish in Australia. Canberra : National Museum of Australia Press, 2011.
  
• Records of All Hallows College, Dublin (as filmed by the AJCP) : [M871-874], 1842-1956. [Microform] Canberra : Australian Joint Copying Project, [19--].
• Reid, Richard Farewell My Children : Irish Assisted Emigration to Australia 1848-1870. Spit Junction, NSW : Anchor Books Australia, 2011.
  
• Sheehan, Jeremiah  South Westmeath : farm and folk. Dublin : Blackwater, c1978.
• Sheehan, Jeremiah  Westmeath, as others saw it :being excerpts from the writings of 35 authors, who recorded their observations on various aspects of Westmeath and its people, from 900 AD to the present day. Avila, Moate, Westmeath : J. Sheehan, 1982
• Sheehy, P J Archpriest Therry : the pioneer priest who founded the first Catholic Church in Australia, October 29, 1821. Melbourne : A.C.T.S., [1921]
• Waldersee, Catholic Society in Australia 1788-1860. Sydney : Sydney University Press, 1974.
• Woods, James  Annals of Westmeath, ancient and modern. Sealy, Bryers & Co.: Dublin, 1907.
• Wynne, Roger From Portland Bay to Moreton Bay. Australian Catholic Record, Vol 53 July 1976. pp275-284. 

Online

• All Hallows Missionary College http://www.allhallows.ie/missionary.php
  
• British Library  https://www.bl.uk/
• British Newspaper Archive https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
• FindMyPast Irish and English newspapers https://www.findmypast.com.au/
• Geniaus' Family Site  http://www.geniaus.net/index.php
• Google Maps  https://www.google.com/maps/
• Immigration Place Australia https://immigrationplace.com.au/
• Irish Genealogy.ie  https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/
• Irish Ancestors https://www.johngrenham.com/
• Michael Ryan letters at AJCP  https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2703075310/view 
• The National Archives, Ireland  https://www.nationalarchives.ie/
• The National Archives, UK   https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
• NSW State Records and Archives https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/
• Patrick O'Farrell  1933-2003  http://www.patrickofarrell.com/
• Society of Australian Genealogists www.sag.org.au
• State Library of NSW https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/
• Tasmanian Archives and Heritage  https://www.libraries.tas.gov.au/archive-heritage/Pages/default.aspx
• Trove Australia (Nearly 200 items from all categories ie not limited to newspapers) trove.nla.gov.au
• Wikipedia  https://www.wikipedia.org/
• Worldcat  https://www.worldcat.org/

A Roller Coaster Ride

The last ten weeks or so have been rather hectic in the GeniAus household so genealogy and geneablogging have been put on the back burner.

We put our home of 25 years on the market in August and it sold within two days, something we were not prepared for. As we were to go overseas at the beginning of September we had to pack up in haste and move to the new home we had already purchased. A week after moving and leaving many boxes upacked we took off on our eight week adventure.

First stop was Ireland where we visited Limerick and Clare to see if we could find any dirt on my convict ancestors Patrick Curry and Ellen Moore. I was lucky to find on microfilm a newspaper paragraph giving details of Ellen's crime in the Limerick City Library.

Digging up the dirt on Ellen at Limerick Local Studies

It's not all online

 Unfortunately I was unable to find mention of my ancestors at The Clare County Library.

The charming Local Studies building in Clare County Library

The archivist we consulted at the Genealogy Centre in Nenagh, Tipperary was very pleasant and helpful but also quite blunt. She reinforced that I would probably not find any further information from the late 18th and early 19th century on my Tipperary ancestors as the records just don't exist. Hers was a realistic approach but I believe in miracles! This centre, housed in an old gaol is worth a visit. There is a free audiovisual presentation about the history of the building as well as a small display of artefacts.

The Genealogy Centre and Museum in Nenagh

The purpose of this trip was touristing so I removed my genealogy hat as we returned to Dublin where we set out on a Backroads Tour. I really enjoyed our small group tour with an informative and laid back guide who taught us so much about Ireland's history as we explored the backroads of this beautiful country. It was much less stressful than those self drive holidays where I am the navigator.

Towards the end of our Irish tour my children were in constant contact as my mother had taken ill.  We decided to forgo our time in London and trip to the Channel Islands and travel back to Australia to be with Mum. Mum's condition deteriorated after we arrived home and she passed away on the 25th September. I am an only child so the responsibility of making arrangements fell to me (with the super support of Mr GeniAus). Although Mum had been suffering from dementia for a few years her passing was still quite  a wrench.

We had to wait a week to hold the funeral so in the interim we packed Mum's possessions up (and took them to our new home) and I devoted quite some time to preparing my eulogy and the order of service. I was so proud of the sendoff the family gave Mum, all of her grandchildren, and the great-grandchildren over ten took an active role in the service.

When we came home we had not intended returning to our holiday but as things had moved so swiftly we decided to fly to Montreal after the funeral to join our cruise to New York followed by our tour to Cuba. The cruise provided some quiet time for relaxation and reflection prior to our hectic time in Cuba.

Autumn colours in Acadia National Par

We had a wonderful holiday and  came home exhausted just over a week ago. We have discovered that there are five op shops in our new area and we have already made the acquaintance of three of these as we go through our stuff and Mum's and pass on clothes and household goods to others who may make use of them.

Although I am a little lacking in motivation I intend to get back into genealogy and blogging over the next few weeks. 

Corcomroe Abbey

The burial ground at Corcomroe Abbey is still used today.

We stopped off at this old monastery on our drive through The Burren in Ireland today. 

Hunting in Ireland

Mixed success with ancestor hunting today. 

I found nothing at the Clare County Library but at Limerick City Library I found newspaper articles mentioning the sentencings of my 3rd Great-Grandparents Patrick Corry/Curry and Ellen Moore.

Local Studies Library - Ennis, County Clare, Ireland

Mr GeniAus checking out the newspaper collection in Ennis, County Clare

This way to the Local Studies Library in Limerick City

GeniAus at work in Limerick Library

SUCCESS

Earl Grey Descendant's Plan

On my recent trip to Ireland I visited PRONI in Belfast to consult records relating to my ancestor, Mary Cregan/Cligan/Criggin/Gregson/Creigan, who was an Earl Grey orphan. Prior to being shipped off to Australia Mary was in the Enniskillen workhouse.

Search Room at PRONI

I can understand why another Australian Earl Grey descendant has plans for the former workhouse in Carrick-on-Shannon where her great-great-grandmother, Bridget Cannon, lived. I read Neisha's

 story in this article this morning. 

Read about Neisha's plans here:

http://www.leitrimobserver.ie/news/home/213541/australian-descendant-leads-the-way-for-carrick-memorial.html

Tombstone Tourist

Even when I'm not chasing ancestors I'm a bit of a Tombstone Tourist. Luckily Mr GeniAus likes  tramping around cemeteries too.

Glasnevin Cemetery - a Sea of Celtic Crosses

On our recent holiday we visited several cemeteries but one in Dublin stood out. I wanted to visit Glasnevin Cemetery to photograph some ancestral graves for my cousin but, when I read on Tripadvisor, that Glasnevin was a popular tourist destination I made sure we included it in our itinerary. The Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum is ranked 2 out of 455 things to do in Dublin!

Family graves found and photographed

We found a beautifully maintained facility not far from the CBD with on-site parking. Having located the family graves within ten minutes of arriving at the cemetery we booked in for one of the walking tours at the modern visitor centre and museum. While waiting for the tour we spent time absorbing the material on display in the cemetery museum that is housed with gift shop, cafe and facilities in this modern purpose built building.

Cemetery Museum and Visitor Centre

Our tour guide gave us a lesson in Irish history as we visited the graves of many Irish patriots and other famous and infamous Irish folk. One of the highlights of the tour was a visit to Daniel O'Connell's crypt. Our guide told us that it was good luck to touch O'Connell's lead-lined coffin so we made sure we did so.

Detail in O'Connell's Crypt

O'Connell's Lead-lined coffin can be seen (and touched) through decorative openings

O'Connell's crypt is underneath the tall tower in the centre of the cemetery

Although the heavens opened during our tour we soldiered on because it was  such an informative and enjoyable tour. I came away with a greater appreciation of Irish history and the turbulent times faced by my Irish ancestors.

The rain came down

Several of the people on out tour were regular visitors, they indicated that they learnt something new each tour as the various tour guides had different favourite tombs and tales to share. I will definitely  return for another tour if I get an opportunity.

.

I would definitely recommend a visit to Glasnevin for visitors to Dublin.

Treating myself

My latest purchase is a book that will hopefully give me guidance for tracking down my elusive Ryans.

An Epic time at EPIC

There were many references to Australia and Australians of Irish descent at Epic Ireland (a new attraction) in Dublin today. We spent several hours there and I then had a consultation at The Irish Family History Centre which is part of the site. A fabulous experience all round.

My moment of fame on the Twitter wall - how cool!