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Dear Rathmore

Thank you very much for your reply.  This is indeed my GGM Margaret Mc Kenna who applied to the census of 1851 ( the record says 1851 and 1841 when you open it) for proof of her DOB as she turned 70 in 1917 and needed proof of her age to claim her pension.  I had found this ..cant remember now where but thank you for looking and passing on the information.

Kind regards

Annemarie

Thanks Hallmark.  I had already looked at the nli records but decided to look again 1 year before her birth year 1847 and 9 years after as there were some discrepancies on her death cert and census return.  No luck again and this time I was looking just for her parents in case she had been baptised one name and then known as a different name.....I also tried the nli records for Knockninny they dont start until 1855.  I have trees on Ancestry and My Heritage and have even subscribed briefly to Roots Ireland but cannot find her anywhere.  Unfortunately I live in the middle east so not easy to pop into the local historical society to see if they can help.. Appreciate your help nevertheless.  Thank you.   :)I was hoping someone might have known the Maguire family in Aghyoule.  Long shot I know but when desperate....One thing in my favour is that there are not that many Richard Maguires around but boy was I glad I was not looking for a Lynch/Smith or Reilly! 

Just in case anyone else is looking for Robertville in 1901 Census I have had clarification of the position and numbering with huge thanks to Jim Curtis and the Rathmines Historical Society.  See below:

There are now thirty houses at the Terenure end of Harold's Cross Road, numbered 291-349, and these were originally in two separate terraces, Abercorn Terrace built around 1868, and Avondale Terrace (with bay windows) built around 1885.  The small gap between these two terraces was filled-in around 1890 with two houses, called 1 and 2 Robert-ville.  Initially, this locality was in the Rathmines Township, and after 1930 was controlled by Dublin Corporation, at which stage the two Robertville houses were listed as 321 and 323 Harold's Cross Road.

In the 1901 Census, this area was listed as "Harolds Cross Road (part of)", and No 1 Robertville was listed as House No 28, and No 2 Robertville was listed as House No 29.  in the 1911 Census, No 1 and 2 Robertville are specifically listed.

And so it turns out my GGF William Smyth was living there in 1916.  Cant believe I missed that as an option.  Many thanks to all for your help particularly Dathai.... It was much appreciated. 

Gosh you have set me thinking.... ???So good to have another head at this stage.  My logic was that whoever was writing from Robertville to Australia knew my GGGF had become asst superintendent of the GPO and that happened about 1899 so I made the assumption that they were living there after 1899.  The letter was written in 1945 from my GGGGM daughter to one of her nieces.  She mentioned Robertville as being the last known address but no name of the correspondent.  The letter also tells that my GGGF William was left with his aunt Smyth who changed his name.  Once I saw the name Josephine Smyth on the 1911 census I thought that's it and once I had found the (incorrect) marriage cert for James Smyth and Mary Carroll showing George Smyth as his father I was convinced I was on the right track but that document says George Smyth was a farmer and my GGGF's marriage cert says George was a car owner so I should have been suspicious.  I don't recognise any of the names mentioned in your mesage but then I don't know what Dorothy Pennefather's real  name was.  She certainly doest seem to exist anywhere that I can find.  I have had my DNA tested on Ancestry so I may look to see if I can find any DNA links to Parsons or Jamesons (I found the Pennefather connection through DNA) .  Interesting that they were CoI.  I was convinced that I was looking  for someone who was CoI or had a CoI marriage in their background. My logic was if you left a baby with a Catholic family in Dublin then they would  bring that child up Catholic with their other children.  William considered himself CoI and was married in a CoI church.  Family lore has it that he was disinherited because he married a catholic.  He certainly did not have any family or relatives and my grandmother was the only one of his children to marry.  So we have no cousins to question and all the family papers appear to have been thrown away.  I did find a family called Fehan who lived in Robertville from 1928- 1932 approx.  My GGGGM died in 1909 but I dont know how long the correspondence kept up.  sorry for the long message and thank you for reading and your interest in this mystery.  Still I have made a start and some progress (with your valuable help) and I am determined to crack this.