Hello,
My name is David Foley and I had been doing family history for several years but had not been able to locate where my Foley ancestors were from in Ireland. Then I noticed a family tree which showed a person on the tree whose name was Folan in Ireland and Foley in America. That day was a revelation for me, as I was soon able to find that my Patrick and Julia Foley in America with their 2 small children Martin and Patrick in 1864 were Patrick and Julia Folan in Freeport (a Townland of Bearna) in 1862. In America Patrick senior was a fisherman so maybe he learned fishing in Freeport. I was able to find Martin and Patrick junior's baptism record in the Rahoon RC parish register as well as a marraige record for Julia and Patrick Senior. I was also able to find a bastism record for Patrick senior in the Rahoon parish register along with 3 brothers Edward, Edmund, and Thaddeus. According to the Galway library website the Griffith's Valuation of 1855 shows 9 Folan entries in Freeport , the 1901 census shows 7 Folan entries, and the 1911 census shows 3 Folan entires. I'm planning to visit Freeport this summer and have a look around. I'm wondering where their church may have been and I notice a RC chapel on the ordinance survey map that is near the site of the current day Immaculate Mary Queen Church. It seems it would have been the closest. There seems to be a Bearna graveyard right next to Freeport and the Old Rahoon garveyard is much further away but I havn't found any information about if either of these would have been a Catholic graveyard. They both seem to have plenty of Folans in them. The Griffiths Evaluations for Freeport shows a National School, a Constabulatory Force, and a Pound in Barna village. Would the Pound have been a lockup for the police to use? Would anyone have any reccomended reading to get an idea of what life was like in this area around 1860 or any reccomended places to visit on my trip.
Thanks in advance for any help,
Dave