I will visit Ireland for the first time this July, starting in the Westport area where I hope to learn more about my Joyce ancestors. I've traced my great-great-grandfather Michael Joyce (1848 - 1887) to the townland of Rosmindle in Kilmeena Parish. His father (b. around 1797 and also named Michael Joyce) was a tenant farmer (landlord was the Law Life Insurance Company, according to Griffith's). I've had a harder time tracking down his mother's name. Siblings of Michael Joyce (1848-1887) include Peter, Thomas, and Ann (all of whom, along with Michael, emigrated to Chicago, USA), as well as two others who remained in Mayo: John Joyce (b. around 1845, married Mary Cannon) and Mary Joyce (b. around 1839, married Patrick Ludden).
I would like to visit the burial sites of some of these Mayo ancestors, particularly my great-great-great-grandparents Michael Joyce Senior (b. around 1797 & death date unknown) and his wife. I've done a fair amount of research and even hired a professional Irish genealogist to do a basic search but there just don't seem to be any written records that have survived.
Does anyone know how and where poor, Catholic tenant farmers from Rosmindle would likely have been buried in the late 19th century? I understand their burial site may be unmarked but I wonder if there is there is a cemetery worth visiting to try to find them. Thank you.
Mel
Tuesday 25th Jun 2019, 09:42PMMessage Board Replies
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I don't know the answer myself, since my grandparents came from a few parishes east of there, but the dúchas.ie site has a huge online collection of folklore from most parishes, collected in the 1930's by local schoolchildren, and the collection covers all sorts of topics about local history, people, place names, etc. I checked what they have for Kilmeena, and there's at least one discussion of local graveyards. Here's a link to the stories collected in Kilmeena, where you can see that discussion and a number of others: https://www.duchas.ie/en/src?q=kilmeena
kevin45sfl
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Dear Mel:
Thank you for your query to the message board. I have asked that a local volunteer reply about the local graveyards in the area and have forwarded this post to them. In the meantime, you might check the Historic Graves website as to what graveyards they have recorded in the area. The link is: https://historicgraves.com/search/node/Mayo
As you will be travelling to Ireland this July, please let me know if you would like a local volunteer to meet you. You can contact me directly at: jhalloranryan@irelandxo.com
Kind regards,
Jane
Jane Halloran Ryan