GAHAGAN from Mayo

WHERE IN MAYO WAS THE HOME OF PATRICK & CECELIA GAHAGAN?

FACTS:  Cornelius Gahagan, died 1879 in Winfield Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA.  Buried in St. Patrick Cemetery, in Winfield Twp.  Headstone has birth date 1826. Within ten feet are the graves of Michael Gahagan 1811-1882 and wife Catherine Coleman.  Adjacent to both Gahagan graves is that of Mary Fahey 1817-1903 (wife of E. Fahey - assumed deceased at the time, but not in this cemetery).  Grave marker states "Born in County Mayo".  Death certificate states her parents were Patrick and Cecelia Gahagan.

LOGICAL ASSUMPTION:  That Cornelius, Michael, and Mary Gahagan are three siblings, or otherwise closely related.  Mary had one known child - son, Cornelius Fahey (1855-1920), b. in Illinois.  Later research showed Mary & son lived with Michael's family in 1860; then with one another until her death in 1903.  Thereafter, according to the 1910 and 1920 US Census for Reedsburg, Sauk Co., Wisconsin, son Cornelius Fahey lived with my g-gm (daughter of Cornelius Gahagan who, most likely, was his first-cousin).  Facts of residence add credence to the assumption of close blood relationship.

OTHER FACTS / ISSUES:===>

FAMILY LORE:  Cornelius Gahagan was one of several brothers who settled in Wisconsin because the land reminded them of home. 

FAMILY LORE:  Gahagan family was from "Gorteen" or "Gurteen".  

FACT:  Passenger list for ship Compromise landing in NY City NOV 29 1851 shows consecutive names of Neale Gahagan (19) and Michael Gahagan (30).  Elsewhere on list is Sally Gahagan (cannot assume she is related - but remains a possible sibling). 

FACT:  July 1859 marriage record shows that Cornelius Gahagan married Mary Togher  or Taugher (1829-1901) in Clinton Co., Iowa. 

FAMILY LORE:  Mary Togher first married a Jim/John Rogan in Ireland.  They sailed from Galway Bay to Baltimore, Maryland, where daughter Mary Rogan was born (1849-1920).  Husband Rogan died (probably mid-1850's) and Mary moved in with her sister's family in Clinton, Iowa.

FACT:  1860 & later census data confirms daughter Mary Rogan's birth in Maryland.

FAMILY LORE:  Katherine (1825?-1903), Mary Togher's older sister, married James KilGallon (1820-1890). 

FACT:  Sister relationship with Katherine Kilgallon verified by Mary Togher's 1901 obituary. Residence location supported by 1870 & later Clinton Co., Iowa census data for the city of Clinton.  This supports family lore and explains why Mary & Cornelius married in Clinton Co., Iowa.  Katherine & James KilGallon are buried in Clinton Co., Iowa.

FACT:  Mary Togher had five children by Cornelius Gahagan.  A relative recalled that the younger Gahagan daughter (b.1867) sang Gaelic songs.  This implies she learned it from one or both parents, since she was born in America.

FACT:  Dates and locations of a possible younger brother, Patrick Gahagan (1837-1907), paralleled those of Cornelius and Michael as they moved from a small rural, heavily Irish farming community called "Mapleton" in Waukesha Co., Wisconsin to another in Winfield Twp., Sauk Co, Wisconsin. 

FACT:  Parish record records marriage of Patrick Gahagan and Bridget Kearns in 1860 at St. Catherine's Church in "Mapleton", Waukesha Co., Wisconsin.  Originally thought Patrick could be son of Michael - but 1860 census lists Michael's son Patrick, age 4, and daughter Cecelia, 9 months.  [Cecelia (1859-1953) is buried beside her parents, Michael and Catherine.  Her brother Patrick must have died young, as there is no further record of him in any subsequent census.]

FACT:  Various documents have the names of Cornelius, Michael, and Patrick spelled Gahagan, Garaghan, Gargon, and Garrigan.  Cornelius' Gahagan's granddaughter (1904-1999)  pronounced the name with stress on first syllable GA-ha- gan (her own family name), which sounds more like Garrigan.   Patrick Gahagan served in US Civil War for Wisconsin, and left records as both Gahagan and Garrigan.

FACT:  In contact with descendants of Katherine Togher KilGallon (1825-1903), Mary Rogan (1849-1920), and Patrick Gahagan (1837-1907) - but no additional info from those branches.

CONCLUSIONS: ===>

QUESTION1:  (Language) 

(a)  What percentage of the population in Ireland at the time of the Famine were native Gaelic speakers?

(b) How likely was it, in Ireland at that time, that a native Gaelic speaker would marry a non-Gaelic speaker?  [NOTE, however, that Cornelius & Mary married in America, which may have changed things drastically.]  In other words, since it appears that it WAS spoken by at least one parent, can we assume that both parents spoke Gaelic?

QUESTION2:  (Pronunciation & Spelling)

(a) What is the most likely pronunciation of the name 'Gahagan' in Gaelic?  From later census data, we believe that most, if not all, of those identified in this posting were illiterate.  This implies they were unfamiliar with the spelling of their names.

(b) As a result, could the variation of spelling in subsequent American documents have resulted simply from differences of interpretation of pronunciation by those Americans transcribing the name? 

(c) Is 'Gahagan' a variant of 'Geoghegan', and are there other possibilities (Garrigan/Garaghan)?

QUESTION 3:  Is there an map showing the predominantly Irish-speaking areas of Mayo abt 1850?

QUESTION 4:  There are several townlands in Mayo known as Gorteen or Gurteen.  Are there any suggestions on how to further narrow the choices?

QUESTION 5:  This is all I have at present - is there any other generic information or factor that might help to identify the immediate location of the home(s) in Ireland of these ancestors?

*** THANKS for any assistance or suggestions! ***