Family search in Celbridge

[amurphy]

Dan's wife Mary?. Yes.

Bonzo (Never knew the spelling of his name, RIP) was a familiar and well known character. (him and his collection of Ford Tractors).

Hold on a minute, we have Kay & Catherine with differnt handles, who's talking here.

BTW, My sister, is heading for NZ in a month or 2. Destination, Pamerstown, or Pamerstown North. (is there a difference?.)

Anyway, I checked and there was another sister used to live with Fanny, Biddy or Brigid perhaps.

[bokujyo]

to amurphy
K in Aust so cant help on the NZplaces.
Fanny, Biddy and Nan were the 3 ladies.
Bonzo was my fathers brother.
from bokujyo

[amurphy]

Didn't know there was a 3rd lady there.

I presume you got the histories of many of these characters from Dan while visiting.

Dan and Mary, shuttle back and forth between Kerry and Elm Hall.

I also remember a Jimmy Young of "Youngs Garage" on the road to Lucan. I cannot remember if he was a brother or cousin of Bonzo.
I also remember a guy by the name of John Colgan, I cannot remember what his relationship with Bonzo was.

By and large other than Bonzo himself, I don't know much of his larger family.

[bokujyo]

I have been doing the family tree since the 1980s so have lots of information. I knew and loved them all before they passed away. I have not seen Dan in years. Missed him the last time I was over.

[amurphy]

Yikes, there's dedication. .. and still exposing new roots. 

[bokujyo]

more I put the tree away for years and picked it up again. very different research with a computer, net and skype.

[roryokane]

My name is Rory O Kane, was interested to find this by accident ! I am the son of Seamus (James) O Kane, grandson of Sean (john) O' Kane Limavady (Irish green street). We have many photographs of Art O Connor, Please get in touch with us ! It has been fascinating to find this !

Rory

[roryokane]

hi catherine rory o'kane here in ireland. Dualtagh, Anna's boy came across this site and this is great, send me your email and I will send you photos of Art and his funeral.

Sean's daughter is now living in Nz to so maybe you can meet.

I'll be in touch, my email is Moderator comment: email address removed to prevent spam and other abuses.  Please use the secure Pm system to exhange such info,  thanks.

Take care.

Rory.

[dabirchall]

Hello Catherine

I found your email on a search and I think I already know who you are via Lauri Lawless (nee Young). I spoke to her in December and she mentioned you.

I am much more distantly related to you than Lauri but can help you fill in gaps if Lauri hasn't already done so

As you say your great grandfather was Art O Connor. He was the eldest O'Connor son (there were 11) and the eldest girl was Margaret (1839-1916) who became Mrs Vickers and was my great grandmother - hence the link.   I began listening properly to O' Connor stories back in the 80s and collected a lot of info from now dead cousins and combined it with my own research.

Your great grandfather was baptised in Sandyford Co Dublin (where his parents also married) His father was James Connor (who didn't use the O) and his mother was Bridget Mulvey who allegedly eloped with James at a very young age   Art's parents moved to Newcastle, Co Dublin (not far from Celbridge) in or before 1858 and their headstone is in the churchyard of St Finian's in Newcastle.  The other children were Thomas, Daniel, Patrick, John, James, Bridget (Harvey), Anne (Boulger), Mary (Tallon)and Elizabeth (Carroll).

Your great grandfather's first wife was Rose Balfe, the daughter of Michael Balfe. His second wife was her niece Elizabeth - Lizzie - Saul (d 1932), daughter of Peter Saul. I have copies of both marriage certificates if you are interested

I have a copy of a photo taken outside Elm Hall with the by then widowed Elizabeth Saul - O' Connor, her eldest son Jimmy, her second son Art, her daughters Fanny and Biddy Rose and her granddaughter Eileen Young and also Jack Young a butcher in Celbridge who married her husband's niece Mary O 'Connor  (his brother married your grandmother's sister, Molly, - very confusing I know, two Mary O' Connors became Mrs Young) . I can try to scan it for you if you like.

I have a photocopy of  that group photo of your grandmother's wedding which you mention.Do you happen to know the exact date? My grandmother (Katty Vickers (later Boylan) (1885-1975) and her brother Patrick (d 1950) are both in it!  I would be delighted to pay for a proper copy of it as my copy is only a photocopy.   Lest we never actually get in contact let me tell you know that apart from the main family in the group also in it are cousins  Margaret (Mab)  O Connor of Newcastle (died 1974) (daughter of Art's brother James who died in 1895) , Mary Young (nee O'Connor) of Celbridge (died 1950) (daughter of Art's brother john) Believe it or not Ii also have an original newspaper cutting of the couple with a heading on the lines of "Republican Wedding". I know that your grandmother began training briefly as a nun at the Mount Sackville convent - obviously she changed her mind!

I'm afraid i haven't got beyond James Connor (1809-1879) - the great great grandfather we share.   There are stories that he came from Wicklow that his family were stonemasons but none of  this is substantiated and, with O'Connor being such a common name, it is very difficult to go backwards.  Any chance of going further back is sabotaged by the fact that e.g his original will and the old census records were burnt in the fire of the Four Courts buildings during the 1920s civil war (in which your grandmother's brother Art was ironically involved!)

I hope this helps you

Kind regards from your very very distant cousin

David