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Hello all. Any help would be appreciated. I am researching the Keady family of Spiddal Galway as part of my maternal line. My great grandmother Margaret Keady emigrated in 1902 to Boston, MA, US. She was born in March 1879. Her baptism lists a place of Galway, Moycullen, Ireland. I am not familiar with place names in Ireland. My grandmother always said her mother was from Spiddal.

Bartly Keady and Mary Thornton are Margaret's parents. 

Children of Bartly and Mary are

Mary 1874    Peter 1875   Michael 1877   Brigid 1878  Margaret 1879   James 1881   Catherine 1883  Ellen 1884

Brigid, Margaret,and James moved to the US, Possibly, Michael did. Ellen definately stayed in Ireland, as my grandmother used to write to her. 

I have no information on this family other than what I've listed. I'm trying to find the parents/siblings of Bartly and Mary. 

Thank you in advance for any light that can be shed

 

Mick

Wednesday 30th Dec 2020, 06:29PM

Message Board Replies

  • Mick:

    The family lived in Slieveneena townland in Moycullen civil parish in 1901  http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Slieveneena/Sli…

    1911 census http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Slieveaneena/Sl…

    The RC parish was also Moycullen which is just north of Spiddal RC parish. Most emigrants used the name of the largest nearby town as their home place tather than the townland which explains Margaret using Spiddal.

    I will get back to you with more info later today.

    Roger McDonnell

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Wednesday 30th Dec 2020, 06:40PM
  • You can see more info about Slieveneena at this link:  https://www.townlands.ie/galway/moycullen/moycullen/sliabh-an-aonaigh/s…

    You can move around on the map which you'll see there to see where the townland is situated with reference to Spiddal and Galway city (which is off to the southeast).  There is also access there to the census records which Roger mentioned, as well as the records for the townland in Griffith's Valuation (mid-1800's). A Mary Keady is shown in Griffith's Valuation as holding a tenancy there, but Bartly is not listed.  That Mary may, however, have been Bartly's mother, if his father had died and he was too young to hold the tenancy (this is just a guess).

    Here's a direct link to the list of tenants:

    http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNam…

    The Catholic parish records for Moycullen which are available online go back to the 1780's (with some gaps), so you may be able to confirm the relationship if you find a baptismal record for Bartly and also find other family info there.  Those records are available at this link:

    https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0633

    Interestingly, the parish also appears to have extensive death records, which is not all that common.

    In case you're interested, Barty was a nickname used for the given name Bartholomew, which was also sometimes recorded as Bartle, Batt, or Batty.  The family would have been Irish speaking (much of the area around Spiddal still is), so the family may have used the original Irish forms of their names, although by the mid- to late-1800's anglicized forms were widely used  In earlier times, the Irish given name Parthalán (which could be spelled several different ways) was in use as the name of the apostle Bartholomew, but when names came to be anglicized, it generally became Bartholomew.  Sometimes the Irish name Brian was also anglicized as Bartholomew.

    According to MacLysaght's Surnames of Ireland, the surname Keady comes from the Irish surname Mac Céadaigh (based on the given name Céadach).   It originated in what is now County Laois, but generally disappeared from there and is now found mainly in Galway (perhaps the Keady's moved there in Cromwellian times).  He says that there was another surname, Ó Meicéidigh, which was corrupted into Mac Céidigh and also became anglicized as Keady, but that was in County Cork.

    He says that the surname Thornton, which is of English origin, was used as the anglicized form of several Irish surnames.  One of them which is found widely in Galway is Ó Draighneán (from the word draighneán, meaning "blackthorn"), which was also sometimes anglicized as Tarrant or Drennan.

    kevin45sfl

    Wednesday 30th Dec 2020, 07:46PM
  • Mick:

    Not able to find a marriage record either church or civil. The Spiddal marriage records start April 1873. My guess is that Mary Thornton was from Spiddal RC parish and the marriage would have been in her church and likely was before April 1873. The 1911 census shows married 41 years which would make the marriage year around 1870.

    I checked Roots Ireland and there was an 1840 baptismal record for a Bartholomew Keady in Rahoon RC parish which is just to the east of Spiddal. August 28 1840 parents Brian Keady and Catherine Conneely.

    I looked for civil death records. Found one for a Bartly Keady in 1920 where the informant was son Peter. Townland was Poul. Maybe Peter had a house in Poul or this is another Bartly.

    https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

    I also located an 1927 Mary Keady death record (fifth record on page) son Peter informant in Poul

    https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

    Roger

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Wednesday 30th Dec 2020, 08:44PM
  • Attached Files

    Hi Mick,

    Roger and Kevin have given you quite a bit of information on your family.

    The Father Blake records for Moycullen parish 1786 to 1820 have a record of each householder in the parish in that period. It relates to the "Head of House"

    and records the year of marriage and death, also if the person left the parish or came to reside there. 

    The area between Moycullen Village and Spiddal are referred to as "The Mountains" which is your family area. There are many "Keady's" recorded

    Attachments

    Regards,

    McCoy

    Thursday 31st Dec 2020, 11:30AM
  • Attached Files

    Hi Mick,

    Attached Record in relation to Mountains.

    Regards,

    McCoy

    Thursday 31st Dec 2020, 11:44AM
  • Attached Files

    Hi Mick,

    Father Blake Record 2 - Hopefuly it is the required one!

    McCoy

    Thursday 31st Dec 2020, 12:01PM
  • Hi Mick,

    Regarding Bartly Keady, there is a record for a Bartly Keady, aged 44 years in 1886. His adress is Paul, near Moycullen. This would indicate that he was born c1842 and would tie in with the record in the 1901 and 1911 Irish Census.

    In 1880 a Bartly Keady took out a dog licence in Moycullen. Address Slieveaneena.

    In relation to "Mary Thornton" of Spiddal, wife of Bartly, there was boxer named "Martin Thornton" from Spiddal in the 1840/50's.There may be a connection here?

    Credits: www.findmypast.ie  

    www.irishnewspaperarchives.ie

    Regards,

    McCoy

    Thursday 31st Dec 2020, 04:08PM
  • Mick,

    Marriage record for Moycullen parish per www.rootsireland.ie  - Peter Keady, Powl to Ellen Keady, Powl. Peter's father recorded as Bartholomew and Ellen's as Martin.

    The date: 16th February 1917. Witnesses: Peter Thornton and Mary Barrett.

    There is no official record for Poul or Powl.  It is an area in the townland of Slieveaneena which comprises of c3,000 acres, mainly mountain land.

    This confirms details of death records supplied by Roger McDonnell.

    Regards,

    McCoy

    Friday 1st Jan 2021, 10:32AM
  • McCoy:

    Welcome back!

    Roger

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Friday 1st Jan 2021, 02:09PM
  • Thank you all so much. I will delve into these records. The families beyond my great great grandparents are a mystery to me. I know their names but that's about it. My grandparents are gone now, their parents long before I was born. My mother knows very little. 

    Mick

    Mick

    Saturday 2nd Jan 2021, 12:10AM
  • Hi all I am a Keady trying to find my roots in Ireland. I was born in a M&B in 1963 in the UK... My Mother was Theresa or Teresa, middle name Josephine, Keady depending on how she spelt her name. I never knew her as she put me in a foster home, and I then ended up in the care of the local authority and a children's home. There was no records to say where I came from... However I know through my own family research my mothers family were the Keady family from Ballynahown, near Furbo / Barna in the parish of Rahoon? As far as I know the Moycullen and Furbo / Barna Keady's are all related. My mothers family were farmers and my Grandparents were Michael Keady and Mary Clancy.... Michael passed in 1955, and Mary in 1979.. I never knew them and they never knew me... But I know they are buried in Barna Cemetery through my own research.. Along with Delia Kyne. I will leave this here for now.. But am also really interested in the Clancy side of my family.. As I have not found out anything about them yet, either relatives or family history, other than Mary Clancy, my Grandmother was from Shanafreough.. (excuse my spelling) Without setting foot on the Island of Ireland, I have by google earth and street view wandered around the Galway coast and inland from where the family are from and feel so connected... I even feel I found the Family Homestead online recently, derelict and up for auction, now probably sold.. I could be wrong of course.. but feel that after all my years of research I am so close.. Anyway... Thanks for looking, and if anyone wants to touch base I would be delighted to share my research with you. Even better it would be great to meet a family member for the first time.. Kind regards Damian John Keady

    Damo

    Saturday 10th Dec 2022, 10:53PM
  • Damo, The townland spelling is "Shannafreaghoge" Civil parish of Rahoon. Griffith's Valuations have a James and Michael Clancy recorded there in1855. www.askaboutireland.ie/Griffith. Best Wishes

    McCoy

    Sunday 11th Dec 2022, 03:14PM
  • Hi Mick,

     

    You posted back in 2020 trying to trace your great grandmothers (Margaret Keady) family connections. I believe that my grandmother and your great grandmother were sisters. Do you have an email address that I could email you with the details. Regards, Martin

     

     

    Martin

    Friday 16th Jun 2023, 12:42PM

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