Dunleavy's of Ballina

I've been trying to learn more information about my paternal grandmother's family in Ballina, County Mayo.  My Nana lived with us for many years but I was a lot younger then I am now and stupidly didn't ask for more then basic information.  That I've been able to confirm, it's the life of her parents and some of her siblings that I can't find information on.

My paternal grandmother was Mary Catherine Dunleavy  Reilly born on 4 April 1880 to Christopher Dunleavy and Catherine Flynn.  She was the youngest of the 10 children I can verify her parents had.

For the time that she lived in Ballina the family resided in various houses along Lower Piper Hill Street just across the River Moy from St. Murdedach's Cathedral, where I have been able to secure baptismal records for her and her siblings.

The family, consisting of her parents, her next two older brothers, Christopher, Jr. and Patrick "Leo" Dunleavy, and Nana, left Ireland in August 1888 aboard the City of Richmond - departing from Cobh.  They landed in Castle Gardens, NYC in early September 1888 traveling directly to Jermyn, Lackawanna County, PA.  

Her eldest sister, Agnes, left Ireland a few years before and resided in the same area of PA as well as two of Christopher Dunleavy's brothers, Patrick and Francis.  At some point her father bought a home, on Lackawanna Ave., in the Mayfield borough of Lackawanna County, because upon his death, January 10 1910 he gave the home to both Nana and her sister, Agnes.  (Christopher, Jr. died in 1905 - coal mine accident? and Catherine Flynn died in 1896.  All three are buried in St.Thomas Aquinas cemetery in Archbold, PA.)

I have an estimated date of her father's birth - February 1835 but nothing to support that.  Additionally I have no idea where he was born, some family lore says that while he was born in County Mayo, in the 1850's he rented property from Lord Palmerston in County Sligo but was eventually kicked off the land.

His death certificate states that his mother's maiden name was Gouldin but no additional information was supplied.  

In 1884 Christopher Dunleavy registered/reported the death of his grandmother, Bridget Dunleavy who I believe reported her to be a farmer's wife.  No information was given about the exact date of death or where she was buried.

I have NO information about the marriage of Christopher Dunleavy and Catherine Flynn!  Some researchers of the family insist that the couple was married in 1878 but by 1878 I can confirm that my g-grandparents had 5 or 6 children and I find it staggering to think that an Irish Catholic, living in Ireland, would not be married.  I have found one marriage certificate, dated June (?) 1854 naming the same couple but the marriage license is devoid of any information about the couple.  Just the attendants names.  

I have absolutely no information on Catherine Flynn: not her date of birth, her parents names, where she was born, nothing! Just the death in America.

My Nana had said that her father was a "cab driver" which I take to mean a carriage driver to someone.  Living in Ballina I can't narrow who that might be but she also said that he'd been a farmer and maybe that's where he drove a carriage.  Once they arrived in America he was a coal miner.  He applied for naturalization papers, in 1889, as did his two sons, but I have never secured the finalized documents.  I do not believe that he could read or write:  on his will his signature is an "X."  The few obituaries I've seen say that he was 81 when he died, that he was a coal miner and an affable gentleman. 

I have found some information about the siblings that immigrated to America, including an elder brother Charles, but for some reason no one has any information on the family.  The little that I have is considered a gold mine!   I've even tried to research Christopher's brothers, Patrick and Francis (Frank.)  Patrick was the executor of Christopher's estate but Patrick died in 1910 and the one family member I located said that no one much knew about that side of the family.

I've traveled to Ballina, visited the Cathedral and even inquired through a family research center about the family but mostly I'm parroted back the information I provided to try and aid the search.  I cannot believe that a family lived on one street for at least 30 years and there's no trace of them! Makes me so sad to think that.  I walked the street they lived on, it's been renamed, and tried to visualize my Nana and her family.  I just want to validate the hardships they each endured to come to America and make a new life under terrible conditions.  

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Kathleen Reilly Acker