SCARRY FROM AGHAMORE

The townlands of Bruff and Aghamore are of great interest to me and in particular to Dominick Scarry mentioned in Griffiths.

My great-grandmother was Mary Scarry and married Michael Cullinane (my great-grandfather), she is said to be from Aghamore. Her father is said to have been Dominick Scarry.

Hence the first born (my grandfather) was named after him - Dominick Cullinane. Dominick later changed the name to Cullen and when his father, Michael, died in 1881 (aged 52), he had his name inscribed on the headstone as Michael Cullen (not Cullinane). Dominick’s wife died in 1925 and was also buried in the same grave and he himself in 1942. However there is no reference to his mother Mary Cullinane (nee Scarry) on the headstone.

There may be two reasons for this. (1) the family, at the time or shortly afterwards, did not have the money to put her name on the stone or (2) she may have been buried with her family in Aghamore. I do know she died on 12th December 1893. A rough guess of her age, had she been born roughly the same time as her husband would indicate she was circa 64 years old.

Although there are no parish records available, I do know that their first child, Sarah Anne, was born in 1857, which should give us a rough idea of the date of their marriage as being before that date, at which they would be circa 28 years old.

This is all I know and I am hoping to find someone who may know where (or which) church someone from Aghamore would be married in around the years prior to 1857 - as in the parish church for that area. Also the local graveyard or likely resting place for families living in Aghamore or Bruff. Perhaps I might be able to locate a local historian that may have some info on the family and/or any connection to them.

Hope to hear from someone.

Thanks
GERRY CULLEN