Dunn and Joyce Families - Clifden/Maam Cross

Hi John,

Several sites which may be of use to you are: 

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/records/index.htm#records

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&churchid=1046&CityCounty=Galway&CityCounty=West%20Galway&parish=Omey

http://www.landedestates.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/search.jsp?q=omey

You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64) if you haven't already, for members of your family. The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38): Microfilm copies of the books for all of Ireland are available at the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/tithe-applotment-books-and-the-primary-griffith-valuation/ or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS)https://familysearch.org/. Griffith's is freely available here: www.askaboutireland.com or here: www.failteromhat.com Failte Romhat has lots of other useful links you could try looking at. 

Other records include: Civil registration records are available from the General Register Office (GRO). These start from 1864. You can access the website here: http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm . Valuations office in Dublin (http://www.valoff.ie) will have a record of the land registry from 1855 to modern times. This will assist in seeing what happened to any land the family may have owned (as it usually passed on to a relation). There is lots of useful information to be found in the 1901 and 1911 census records. You can find this here: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/ .

Church records may also be of use to you. Church of Ireland parish registers for the period up to 1870 are public records. Registers are available for about one third of the parishes, however many were destroyed in the Public Records Office in Dublin in 1922. Most are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. A list of all surviving registers is available in the National Archives. http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/. Some Catholic registers are held in the National Library of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/parish-records-marriage-licences/ or you could try contacting the local parish offices for more assistance. http://www.catholicireland.net/mass-times?task=churchbyparish&ParishID=1236

One database of records fr western Co Galway is available for a fee from http://galwaywest.rootsireland.ie/

I wish you all the best in your search.

Please make sure you link anyone else in your family who is interested in their Irish heritage to our site - and indeed anyone else you know of Irish heritage.

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support

Ireland Reaching Out

He is also my great, great, great grandfather. His son, Joe Dunn, moved to Glasgow and started a lemonade company called Dunn and Moore, later just Dunn's.

They did build roads, but I think that was due to famine relief work rather than as a profession.

He built the road from Clifden to Ardbear Bay.

You can see more here:

http://m.flickr.com/photos/robertpool/6318411482/lightbox/

rifts,

So I never received a notice that you had replied to your post.  My wife and I just meet Gerry and Marion Dunn when they were in New York City. My search has now focused on Elizabeth Dunn, my great grandmother and sister of Joseph Dunn, at least I think so.

John Tait (family name is actually Gety).  Elizabeth married John Getty in 1867.  John worked for Joe for a while.  

I have no helpful information for you, but my g-g-grandparents were Coynes who lived in Clifden, and the surname "Joyce" keeps popping up on my DNA matches.  I suspect I'll never be able to make the connection, but apparently there is one.  -- Mary Gorman