McGuirk of Glendalough

Hi Trish, parish records for RC only start for Glendalough in 1807, see Registers NLI site, I searched Roots Ireland 1797 to 1807 and of the 41 baptisms returned for Wicklow there is no Richard, without at least one parents name it is not possible to isolate siblings but it is probable there are some.

I found one Glendalough baptism, searched 1807 to 1809, a James McGuirk was born to Patrick McGuirk and Anne Keogh, sponsors were Patrick McDonnell and Sally McGuirk, baptism 26th April 1808, can really take nothing from this but interesting there is a Sally McGuirk mentioned.

This is really the outer reaches of Irish records as we rely mainly on church records https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0481 

The tithe applottments have 3 McGuirkes in Raheen, Derrylossary, one an Ann who may be the widow, the area is the nearest to Glendalough in the tithes, http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp this tax was payable by those having over an acre of land. So not all McGuirks are going to be in it, we are searching really and cannot draw conclusions.

Good Luck

Pat

Trish, Byrne is a common name in Wicklow and there are again 11 born from 1809 to 1813 and one in Glendalough, father is Charles Byrne and mother Maria Usher baptised on 21 Jan 1810, sponsors are James and Catherine Ryan, again no real positives, of interest there is a well know walk in the area Mount Usher Gardens, http://www.mountushergardens.ie/ 

DNA testing may help but my experience is it can be difficult to sort out and being from Wicklow the names are there so you would expect them.

Good Luck again,

Pat

Thank you very much Pat for your replies. It is ages since I tried to find out more about Richard but at that time I spent weeks going through every marriage and birth on the Glendalough Catholic Parish records. i know I found a Richard as a sponsor at some weddings and baptisms but silly me didn't write them down!! I am years doing family search and I still need to learn. I know my relations were very poor and would have been peasants without land. When Sarah and three children got to the poorhouse at Loughlinstown they were in a bad state. I can only deduct that when Richard got out of prison he joined them and surmise they had someone in the Blackrock Booterstown who helped them. 

Thank you for your interest and help. 

Trish

Hi Trish, they may have only rented the land, we are in Penal Law times so catholics were unlikely to own land at all, so poverty would be a given either way. Eviction etc a constant worry but it is more likely they laboured. they could also as Catholics joined the British army, hence so many Irish in foreign army's at the time. 

On a smile note we were watching a TV program on portrait painting and proving proving provenance etc, it came up looking at one painting of the rich that the two male footmen were often matching as it was the thing to have matching footmen, so when you are really rich you must have matching servants. Now you know the standard.

Regards

Pat

Trish sorry missed a word above and changed the meaning completely, as Catholics they could not join the British army.

Pat