RootsChat.Com

Hi Bsidec,  I am delighted to communicate with a descendant of Murtagh Kennedy, 1841-1917.  Two years ago I gathered up whatever data I could find on the Internet about the Kennedys from Toomebridge area, Co. Antrim who had emigrated to NZ. I deduced from these Internet sources that that Murtagh had family, Murtie, Jack (John?), Henry, Margaret and Josephine.  I reckon Jack would have been a first cousin of my grandfather Henry K. who lived in Ballymena. But I could find little information about other descendants of this Murtagh.
I would be happy to share whatever information I gathered about NZ Kennedys and information about the families of the brothers of Murtagh who stayed at home in Co. Antrim.  If you you read the previous posts you will see how to set up a Personal Message so that we we could exchange email addresses and communicate directly.
Regards David

Hi Nessa, I am also a novice user of this site but I now see from the Help menu that this site has a Personal Message (PM) section, but apparently both the Poster and Recipient of personal messages need to have made at least 3 posts before the PM can be activated. So if you were to make one more posting, then I think we could access the PM board.
I now live in Donegal, which some might say is the real northern Ireland! My information on the Irvines comes from the late Frank Irvine.
David

I have a note on my Kennedy family tree: "Murtagh, the Boer, went to NZ."
In recent months I have been trying to find some more definite information on this Murtagh and other siblings of my great grandfather John Kennedy (1836?-1930). If (as I was told) he was a brother of my g.grandfather John K.  he would have been born in period 1830-1845 and could not be the Murtagh referred to in these posts.
However I also have recorded an Alex K., as a brother of John. I found a record showing an Alex Kennedy married to a Bridget Gribben (Griffen) in 1853. It is possible that the Murtagh I have recorded in my tree is not a brother of John K., but his nephew, being a son of this Alex and Bridget. The dates would be in more accord with a Murtagh shown as aged 31 in 1888. I dont know what to make of the nickname "the Boer".
My Kennedy family come from the parish of Duneane (also called Moneyglass) near Toomebridge in Co. Antrim where Kennedy was a very common surname in 19th century. Murtagh or Murty (sometimes anglicised as Mortimer) was also a common first name among people from this region along the Bann river. I know that two other Kennedys from this family went to NZ, in late 19th century; an Alexander, born around 1860 and a Patrick born 1885.

I am descended from Patrick O'Hagan, of Strawmore, dob abt 1836, who I believe, was a brother of John O'H. Patrick's father was a Henry O'H. I am interested in finding out more about this Henry O'H. Patrick was married to a Mary (Rose) Lynch. All I know about this Mary Lynch is that she was related to a Lynch family living in Portglenone in the 1800s.