Sweny of Dublin

[kenneth cooke]

Welcome to the Forum.
The name has many variations in spelling.
Where did your great grandfather live ?
What work did he do ?
Do you know when he died ?
I guess you heard about him from your grandfather.
Ken

[sweeney83]

My great grandfather lived in Cabra, he had 6 girls and 1 boy, He worked for Dublin bus and also done tours to glendalough, I actually remember his funeral it was the late 80's, my grandad couldn't remember the year exactly he will have to look up his death cert.

[sweeney83]

My grandad was born Sweny, I put Sweeny bye accident sorry, His uncle was the young boy shot in 1916 and his father was the boys older brother.

[sweeney83]

I've being going over some previous posts, there seems to be some confusion over Frederick william sweny's sons,, to put it simply it's complicated because he married twice, and had children with both wifes I will speak to my grandfather Tuesday, and then I be able to clear up some things here,

[sweeney83]

Turns out I got it mixed up, My uncle posted on this forum years ago his grandfather my great grandfather was Cecil Desmond, son of the pharmacist, seems like my great great grandfather was a bit of a lady's man and all the Williams and Fredericks got me confused, Even my middle name is Frederick after my grandfather, who's name is Frederick after his Grandfather, and even my own sons name is Frederick after my own Grandfather!!! Sorry, I do apologise!!

[kenneth cooke]

Hi again. There's nothing to apologise for.
I guess Noel is your uncle. Cecil Desmond was the bus driver. He lived in Cabra.
Wm Fredk. the eldest son, was by-passed on account of some trouble with the law.
His father paid to send him to the USA, and, as far as I know, he stayed there.
George Arthur inherited the business, but I don't think he stayed long.
There's a list of Fredk Wm's children on Page 6 of this forum, Reply 50.
Regards,
Ken

[sweeney83]

Yep Noel is my uncle :) And Cecils son is my grandfather, Im very close to my grandfather so if I can help you with anything I will.

[kenneth cooke]

William Lionel Sweny  1903-1916 of 1 Lincoln Place Dublin, Son of Fredk Wm Sweny, chemist, and Sarah Jane Owens                                                                                             
Birth registered Jan-Mar 1903 Dublin South Vol. 2, Page 692                                               
1911 Census at 1 Lincoln Place, Wm Lionel Sweny, son, 8 yrs. C of I.                                   
No baptism record has been found, nor death registration.

Death Notice from Irish Weekly Times, Sat April 29, 1916, page 12:
“SWENY – April 26, at Lower Mount Street, as result of a gunshot wound, William Lionel, son of F.W. Sweny, 1 Lincoln Place, aged 13 years.”
The rebellion had started on Easter Monday 24th April and lasted six days.

“Deans Grange Cemetery: Twelve unknown persons were also buried. These bodies came from St. Vincent's, Sir Patrick Dun's, Royal City of Dublin, and the Mater Hospitals.” From The Irish Times Sinn Féin Rebellion Handbook, page 61.

From Irish Times, Friday 12 May 1916, Page 6:
46 interments at Dean’s Grange Cemetery of military, civilians and insurgents, killed during the rebellion. Civilians identified and buried at Dean’s Grange include:
W. H. Sweeney, aged 13 years, of Wentworth Place Dublin                                             
I believe that this was Lionel. Somebody must have identified him, but the reporter got the details wrong. It should have been W.L., and the surname Sweny, and the address should have been Lincoln Place (not far from Wentworth Pl.). The age was right.

There are three different versions of where Lionel was buried, Glasnevin, Mt Jerome & Deansgrange. Some say it was in a mass grave, others that his father identified and fetched the body to be interred in the family grave. One source says that the authorities refused to let him take it away. There was also a story that Lionel was first taken to nearby Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital, and from there was sent to the cemetery. His father was said to have traced him via the hospital.
Is it possible that he was then buried in the family grave at Mt. Jerome, without the burial being registered due to the turbulence of the times? I enquired at Mt. Jerome recently, and they tell me
that there is no record of the burial of a Lionel Sweny, or any similar name, at any time.

[kenneth cooke]

It was said that Frederick Sweny, the chemist, never got over Lionel’s death. He very soon had his will drawn up, and signed it on 14th June 1916, just seven weeks after the shooting. He lived another eight years and died on 11 March 1924, aged 67.

Re Topic: Civilian Death Easter Uprising:
“The main cemeteries used for those killed in the Rising were Glasnevin, Deansgrange and Mount Jerome. Only Protestants were buried in Mount Jerome.
It is unlikely anyone was buried unidentified. In order for a burial to take place a certificate had to be obtained from the military, and the identity of the dead person had to be proved. Coffins were opened and searched as they entered the cemetery and only one person was allowed to accompany the coffin to the grave site.
It is also very unlikely anyone is buried anywhere other than Dublin. Because of the large number
of bodies there was a fear of diseases spreading and burials took place as soon as possible after identification. It is also unlikely anyone was buried in Dublin and then re-buried somewhere else
at a later date. There was a government department called the Sanitation department from whom permission had to be granted before a re-burial could take place, and as far as I know only one
re-burial took place and that was one of the Rebels, Thomas Allen who was buried in Glasnevin
and then re-buried in Longwood Moyvally County Meath in 1917.”  From a contributor to Rootschat Forum                                                                                                                                           
Deansgrange Cemetery
“During the 1916 rising, the cemetery saw the burial of about 50 people connected to the rising. They were either innocent victims, republican volunteers or United Kingdom soldiers. There is a plot with 6 people buried and the rest are buried by their respective families.”   “The ‘Angels plot’ was used from 1905 to 1989 to bury children. It is reckoned that 750 children are buried here.” From ‘Stories from beyond the grave’ by Jamie Moran.                                                                                                                                     
“No Sweny is listed in the Irish Times Sinn Féin Rebellion Handbook as buried in any of the Dublin cemeteries; nor is there any record for that name in Glasnevin 1916 burials of identified casualties. No death record either.” From D. W.