Mary Clarke, 1849 to 1911. Greaghnadarragh, Bailieborough, Co Cavan.

Hello. My great grandmother Mary Clarke, 1849 to 1911, married my great grandfather Patrick Donnelly on the 28th of October 1865 in Kingscourt Catholic Church a couple of years after he returned from America and settled in the townland of Greaghnadarragh, a mile or so east of Bailieborough, County Cavan, their marriage record is attached. They had eleven children born to them, all on the same farm that Patrick secured the tenancy for from when they married, settled and then both spent the rest of their lives in, that being house Number 7, farm lot 7, Greaghnadarragh. Their nickname in the Donnelly families was the Porras with Patrick being Porra More. I have birth records of all but one of their children namely Bernard Donnelly who I know for certain emigrated to and remained in Brooklyn, New York passing away in 1941. His year of death is only through handed down family knowledge not by a record.

My great grandmother Mary Clarke is very difficult to trace. My only knowledge is from her marriage certificate which reads that she was from the next townland of Coppanagh and that her father was John Clarke and mother Margaret McMahon. John Clarke I believe was the same John Clarke that my great grandfather Patrick Donnelly in 1864 took over the occupancy from of the 4 acre farm lot 8 Greaghnadarragh that lay on both sides of the Bailieborough to Loughanleagh road with a house come general store on the north side of the road. The building still stands today and can easily be seen from the roadside. This house remained in the Porra Donnelly hands until the death of Ellen, the last of the eleven children in the 1960's.

Any information on Mary Clarke, her parents, siblings and her ancestors would help a lot and any information on her son Porra Bernard Donnelly would be amazing. Mary had a brother Thomas Clarke who is named as son, present at death on Mary's mother Margaret Clarke's, nee McMahon, death certificate of 1903 while still living with her at Greaghnadarragh.