Between 1981 and 1990 I made notes immediately after speaking to various Co Cork people about my Cork ancestry. I now wish to make those notes available to anyone interested. Any clarification comments added at this stage are in square brackets. I would welcome any questions or comments.
Source: Margaret Roberts (nee Dukelow) (b. 1896) then of St Luke’s Home, Cork City.
Notes from conversation on 31 Jan 1981
- William Dukelow [her grandfather] was a drunkard. He was killed when walking home from Durrus Races and, having had some drink, was knocked off the road into the sea by a horse – there was no sea wall at the time.
- William Dukelow was rather useless, Margaret Sullivan [his wife] made him and he was quite prosperous and able to leave a farm to each son. The house he had built was the first with slates in the townland. The older house became ruined and had cherry trees planted in it and was therefore called the “cherry garden”.
- William’s father was from Crottees (unprompted).
- Margaret Sulivan was from Tedagh, Her family were already Protestant. Her father married twice, she thinks, as she heard that Margaret had a step-brother who died young. Margaret had bothers Jeremiah (Jerry) and John who went to America. She had no sisters. Presumably another brother inherited the farm. The Sullivans had been wealthy – Mrs Robert’s mother’s grandfather was a Richard Sullivan (first cousin of the Tedagh Sullivans) and was a landlord living at Castletownbere.
Mrs Roberts grandmother was a Mary Sullivan – a first-cousin of Margaret Sullivan [William Dukelow’s wife].
- William Dukelow’s mother was a Shannon – no idea where she came from.
- Margaret Sullivan’s mother was a Sweatnam – she thinks they came from near Ballydehob.
Notes from conversation on 25 Jan 1982
- The Sweatnams came from near Ballydehob. A related family of Sweatnams live at Dunbeacon – an Annie Sweatnam who married another Sweatnam.
Notes from conversation on 8 May 1989
- [She has] no recollection of William Dukelow’s mother, but [she was] quite clear about Margaret Sullivan’s mother being Sweatnam.
Described William Dukelow and son John (Jack) as “wild men”!
