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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Topic started by: Jim82 on Wednesday 14 December 22 20:55 GMT (UK)
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I'm completely new to researching Irish records and would appreciate some assistance. I'm looking for any information on a chap named James Doorley. Everything I know him comes from his service records, but I'd love.to know about his life before and after the army.
He was born around 1790 in Durrow County Laois. He served in the peninsular wars and was finally discharged in 1824 and his record states he was going to Casltletown Bearhaven where his wife and four children lived.
That's all I know and have no idea where.to start, so any pointers would be appreciated.
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Welcome to RootsChat!
Every service record I can find for this man describes as being from Durrow, County Tipperary, which does exist according to the National Archives of Ireland:
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/pagestab/Tipperary/Durrow/
Is there a reason you believe this to be wrong?
Looks like it might also be known as Dorrha?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorrha
My knowledge of Ireland is Kerry-based, so perhaps would be better to wait for someone better acquainted with Tipperary. Also, I am assuming James was a member of the Catholic Church, but he could, of course, have been a member of the Church of Ireland, in which case it is rather difficult to research.
In terms of the best resources for researching in Ireland:
- https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ is a free website that holds civil registration (post-1864) records and also transcriptions of church records for certain Irish counties.
- https://registers.nli.ie is a free website that holds images of the Catholic parish registers.
Highly unlikely, though, that you will find a baptism for this man, as registers don't usually stretch that far back, so looking at his life after the army is probably more realistic.
The NLI does hold the records for Castletownbere, starting from 1819, so maybe you will something there?:
https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0030
Queenie :)
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If he was from Tipp., the 1824 Tythe valuation for Lorrha civil parish shows a Doorly in the townland of Annagh.
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004625694/004625694_00554.pdf (http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004625694/004625694_00554.pdf)
https://www.townlands.ie/tipperary/lower-ormond/lorrha/lorrha-west/annagh/ (https://www.townlands.ie/tipperary/lower-ormond/lorrha/lorrha-west/annagh/)
I believe that Annagh (there is another in Tipp) is in the Catholic parish of Durrow.
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NLI holds the Catholic parish registers for Lorrha and Dorrha (how fun are these names?), but they only start in 1829:
https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0781
Queenie :)
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Thank you Queenie,
You are quite correct re the service records saying Durrow Tipperary. I was told by the chap who had done the original research on Doorley that there was no Durrow in Tipperary and its must be co. Laois.
Thanks for clearing that up and all the links you shared they will keep me busy. The one thing I'm really after is a death record which must be some time between 1824-48. Hopefully I'll track it down.
Wexflyer
Thanks for the link to the Tythe. It's such a small area that I'm sure that must be some kind of relation.
James
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Thank you Queenie,
You are quite correct re the service records saying Durrow Tipperary. I was told by the chap who had done the original research on Doorley that there was no Durrow in Tipperary and its must be co. Laois.
Thanks for clearing that up and all the links you shared they will keep me busy. The one thing I'm really after is a death record which must be some time between 1824-48. Hopefully I'll track it down.
Wexflyer
Thanks for the link to the Tythe. It's such a small area that I'm sure that must be some kind of relation.
James
I'm afraid your chances of finding a death record are very poor. Civil registration only started in 1864.
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Durrow is also in county Laois with that spelling. The earliest parish register at the NLI (National Library site) is from 1789. That said the early registers are in poor condition/ very hard to read. That said, I did find 1 entry for Doorley that could be read.
Michael Dorley
baptised: 8 Oct 1790
parents: Michael Dorley + Dorothy Nugent
sponsors: Pat Kealy + Mary Kenerty
It might be an idea to try contacting the parish priest to see if he may be of assistance. Kim