Hoping to find a parish, make the jump back to Ireland from Boston

Try starting here http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNam…

thanks very much!

Pete

Dear Pete:

I read your message and I can appreciate your frustration.  In my particular parish, the McGrath name is quite numerous and it was said locally that they were one of the original families here.  If you would like me to look at the parish registers on your behalf, I will be happy to do so.  I can't guarantee anything, but it may be worth a look.

You might also consider looking at the relatives/neighbourhood that Mary emigrated to in Boston as most of the emigrants (and particularly the women) would have stayed with either neighbours from Ireland or other recent emigrants/family members from the same place.  It may yield some clues for you. 

You mentioned that John married.  What happened to Eliza?  Was she a sibling? 

I will get back to you if I have anything of interest. 

Kind regards,

Jane.

Hello Jane,

That is very generous of you, thank you for the offer. If you happen to be looking anyway, and come across anything, I would be very appreciative.

Thus far, I have found even less mention of Eliza than John. It never occurred to me to research a neighborhood, nor that the brother and sister may not have been the first to leave Ireland, that would be interesting on it's own, I think. John only shows up in Boston census  - at least, a John I can positively identify as my gg-grandfather -  after marrying Hanora and having their family.

I have a relatively short list of parishes to try, based on two things:  the idea that John and Eliza would have walked to a different port of departure from parishes too far from Galway, and a search of William McGraths in Griffith's. I've tried as best I can to put myself in their shoes. I'm thinking, quite possibly incorrectly, that it's more likely they would have gone to Cork or Cobh had they started from parishes in Tipp South Riding, for instance, and am concentrating on parishes in Tipperary and Clare; Tulla, Castletownarra, Youghalarra, Bergesbeg....

This thank you note has become much longer than I intended, my apologies. Again, my thanks, but please make no special effort...if you are reading and you happen to see something hopeful, well, that would be great to hear about. Oh, one last thing....I sincerely wish I was still enjoying the hospitality in Clare, and not sweltering in Boston, I'd be on the next plane if I could. 

Pete