Cleary Family of Balline townland, Emlygrennan (now Bulgaden-Martinstown Parish), Co. Limerick

Hi John , My name is James Clery, part of the Cleary/Clery clan.  I've been researching the family for a while and may have information on this branch. I will have to look up my notes. There are two townlands called Balline, both close to the town of Kilmallock. Are you sure which Balline was where your relatives lived ? Check out this link for data on both.

https://www.townlands.ie/search/?q=Balline

I have data on the Clearys living in both townlands called Balline, and I hope I can be of help.

If you wish, you can email me at jamesclery@eircom.net

Regards

James

Hi again. Apologies (Joan not John). 

I think if you could establish which Balline refers to your ancestors, then you would know which branch of the Cleary family is closely related to you. To help I have 2 links showing the distance from Bruff to the two towlans called  Balline.

https://www.google.ie/maps/dir/52.4074797,-8.4579258/52.4755675,-8.5473…

The above linkk refers to the distance  from Bruff to Balline in the present parish of Martinstown 14.10 km = 8.76 miles

The next link refers to the distance from Bruff to Balline in Bulgaden (7.40km = 4.28 Miles)

https://www.google.ie/maps/dir/52.4266879,-8.5113434/52.477537,-8.54776…

If you take into account the fact this data from Google maps refers to the present day "new" roads and that the old roads would have been much longer to travel, then it would seem that the Balline in Bulgaden may be the location of your ancestors, as according to the report from the 1820 Limerick Gazette states that the family lived about 6 miles from Bruff..

I hope the above is some help

Regards

James Clery

Hi James,

Thank you for getting back to me, and I’m happy to hear from a Clery/Cleary who descended from that area! I'll email you directly.  If we find out new information, I'll come back to this comment stream to add an update, just in case anyone else is researching the same line. Talk soon!

Joan 

Hi Joan,

My Great Great Grandfather James Cleary was born in Bulgaden in 1836, The church record has his mother as Margaret Molony and lists his father as Maurice Cleary ( The marriage certificate names James's father as Mark Cleary). The informant on the record is a Margaret White. As I have a Cleary and a Molony you would imagine these are tied closely to yours.

Thanks

Chris.

Hi Chris, looks as if your 3G grandparents Maurice Cleary and Margaret Molony of Bulgaden were the same generation as my 3G grandparents Patrick Molony and Margaret Cleary of Bruff – with my Margaret Cleary mostly likely from the townland Balline now in the present R.C. parish of Bulgaden (previously Athneasy Civil Parish).  I descend from their daughter Bridget Molony, who married Joseph Kirby, and lived in Bruff.  

I don't know Margaret Cleary's exact parentage in Bulgaden parish, but with some invaluable help from a possible distant cousin I met on Ireland I/O, I've been able to determine that she's from that parish. Clues were the names of her children's baptismal sponsors and an interesting neighbor and family connection - that she may be an aunt of a Maria Cleary of Bulgaden who married a John Molony, probable cousin of Patrick, across the road from where Margaret and Patrick lived in Bruff.

I'm sure you've read in this comment stream a reply to me from James Clery, whom I met on this very post.  Last year, we spent many long hours (he in Ireland and I in Los Angeles) researching whether my Margaret came from the Balline in Bulgaden or the Balline in Martinstown.  Originally from the same area, he is a Cleary/Clery genealogy expert - especially of the ones in the area around Bulgaden R.C. and Martinstown R.C.

James wrote:  “There was a concentration of the Cleary family around Bulgaden, and they later moved and settled in neighboring townlands and parishes. They became so numerous that between the years of 1814 and 1899 there are listed no fewer than 297 children baptised in parish of Bulgaden and Martinstown to either a Cleary mother or a Cleary father, and often both parents were Clearys.”  

So Chris, I am hoping that James will see your comment here and reply.  If not, I'll be in touch again here and get you two connected. He may know of your family line in Bulgaden.

Hi Joan

Hope all is well with you. Your ancestor Fr. Marcus Cleary was C.C. of Bruff in 1841 and held this position for a few years prior to returning to Bulgaden as P.P.

John17, I'm sorry that I am now seeing your comment about Fr. Marcus Cleary – 6 months later!  After seeing your comment, I did some research and see that Fr. Marcus was curate of St. Peter and St. Paul church, Bruff in 1842.  After that, at Our Lady of the Assumption church, Bulgaden and Ballinvana parish, he was curate 1843-44, then parish priest from 1863-1886.  The parish priest "Marcus O'Clery" died 8 Dec 1886, aged 74, and is buried within the church.  According to what I found, Fr. Marcus was born about 1812 to William Cleary and Elizabeth O'Grady. His 2nd great grandfather is said to be John Cleary, one of three brothers expelled from Kilbarron Castle, Co. Donegal. He bought the land in 1603 now known as Gibbonstown, in Kilbreedy Major civil parish, part of today's Bulgaden Catholic parish.  Because my 3G grandmother Margaret Cleary who married Patrick Moloney of Tullybrackey, Bruff was from the same area, she is probably related, but I'm not sure how.  She is the right generation to be Marcus' sister, but she didn't name a daughter Elizabeth, which was the name of Marcus' mother, so probably related in another way through one of the many other Clearys of Bulgaden parish. Thanks for bringing Fr. Marcus to my attention, as I enjoyed researching him!