McCathy family Kilfeighney.

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I searched on the free site www.irishgenealogy.ie which has Co. Kerry church records and like you did not find a baptismal record for John. The RC parish would have been either Abbeydorney or Lixnaw. Here are the links to the parish registers for Lixnaw and Abbeydorney up to 1880 The index on both registers implies that records are available  https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0672    https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0645  for 1856 in both parishes. However, in my experience gaps exist which are not highlighted.

This link provide more information about gaps in Co. Kerry parish records      https://mykerryancestors.com/kerry-links-and-resources/missing-kerry-recordsm/    There is a gap in baptismal records from 1844-1851 in Abbeydorney and if John was actually born in the late 1840s instead of 1856 that would explain not finding a record. I did see the 1876 baptismal record in Lixnaw for his child with Mary Enright.

Do you know his mother's maiden name?

Roger McDonnell

Have you by any chance done DNA testing?  I strongly believe my McCarthys- mostly found in Lixnaw village- were from the Kilfeighny group.  My earliest confirmed ancestor is Patrick McCarthy who married Ellen Collins and lived in the village and briefly in Irrebeg between 1832 and 1840, the time which his known baptized children were born.  I can't identify his own baptism record with any confidence, but I did notice that there was a Florence McCarthy, the name he gave his own 3rd son, who was about the age Patrick would be expected to be (born Kilfeighny 1812). That Florence was the son of a Denis McCarthy (probably born about the 1780s), which is the same name my Patrick gave his eldest son.  I suspect my Patrick and 1812 Kilfeighny Florence may have been brothers, with Patrick being perhaps a few years older and therefore not represented in the baptism records, which seem to begin around 1810.  The only name you mentioned on your post that isn't familiar among my known family is William, but if memory serves, 1812 Florence did name a son William, along with Denis. It wouldn't shock me to learn that you are descended from this Florence, though there were several other appparently related McCarthy men in Kilfeighny (though Florence ended up in Tullig nearby).

I'd love to explore the possibility that we are related in a way that can be ascertained.  Please contact me to discuss this.  Also, if it helps anyone at any point, my McCarthys carry a I-L1498 Y chromosome.

I might also suggest looking up Nora Kissane, a local genealogist whose husband comes from the Kilfeighny McCarthys, including one named William, if memory serves.

Ps- I misspoke.  Ellen Conway was Patrick's wife- not Ellen Collins.

I believe my great-grandfather is the Florence in the 1812 Lixnaw record. I know he lived in Tullig, married Ellen Quilter in Lixnaw in 1846 and emigrated to Virginia (USA) through Baltimore in 1866 with children Katie, Mary Ann, Johana, Denis, John (my grandfather) and Mathias. Eldest son, Thomas, was in the British army and emigrated to Canada later.  A son William was baptized in 1861 and is not found.

My y-DNA is NOT Linked to the ancient McCarthy clan according to Family Search. I would love to contact someone who could offer any knowledge.

Hi Apologies for not replying sooner as I do not seem to have received responses.

If you could be lind enough to contact me on aphil348@gmail.com I can share with you some spreadsheets etc that I have prepared.

I did visit Lixnaw / Kilfeighney to visit the ancertal homes / areas. Very interesting.

Regards and apologies again. Yes I have had my dna on ancestry.

Anthony Phillips