O'Neil and McMahon Families

Dear Andrea:

Many thanks for your post to the Ireland Reaching Out message board and welcome to the site!

We have a couple of local volunteers in Clare who may be able to assist and I'm going to forward your post to them.

In the meantime, you might also take a look at the online resources that are available at the Clare Library.

The link is below:

http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/genealog.htm

The very best of luck with your research and thanks for your interest in Ireland Reaching Out.

Kind regards,

Jane.

Dear Jane,

Many thanks for your swift reply! I have indeed been through the Clare Library site (multiple times - an exemplary site I must say), and am still going through to check for updates. 

I truly appreciate you/Ireland Reaching Out forwarding my post to the Clare volunteers - our family on this side of the pond have had questions about the O'Neil and McMahon families for decades. 

Very much looking forward!

Andrea 

Dear Andrea:  many thanks for your reply and it's good to hear that you have made good use of the Library website.  I am still waiting to hear from the contact in that parish. She may be away at the moment but I will send her a reminder.  If you don't get a reply on this thread in the next two weeks, please email me at:  jhalloranryan@irelandxo.com.  All the best,  Jane 

Thanks Jane, I've been away myself for a little bit, so no worries. But if I do not hear from the Killofin contact by the end of next week then I'll give you a shout. 

Best regards,

Andrea 

Hello Jane,

I've not yet heard back from the contact you mentioned, and have emailed you same. 

Many thanks!

Andrea 

Dear Andrea:

Unfortunately, the contact does not have any further information about this family.  You might try looking through the Clare Library website for further sources.  Their website address is:

http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/genealog.htm

You might also create a profile for one of the O'Neills under the XO Chronicles tab at the top of the page.  It is possible that one of our members reading the profiles may have further information to share.  The profiles are updated every week and can be of huge benefit to our global members who are conducting their own research. 

The very best of luck!

Kind regards,

Jane.

Many thanks for reaching out, Jane. 

Greatly appreciated,

Andrea 

Hello Andrea, I came across your post and think maybe i have a connection to your Ellen McMahon of Slievedooley. I have been trying for years to research my Cunningham family from Co Clare and keep on hitting brick walls... they seem to have vanished! I have a Matt Cunningham of Ballina who married Mary McMahon of Slievedooley 1843 - they had 3 children Thomas 1844, Johana 1846 & Matthew 1847. The ages of these children is same as your James O'Neill. My Mary McMahon was born C1821 and her father was Thomas McMahon mother unknown. At the time of the Tithes there was only Thomas & Daniel McMahon in Slievedooley so i suspect our Thomas McMahons are one and the same so Ellen & Mary are most likely sisters. Would love to touch base with you, you can email me at joannb@alphalink.com.au Regards Jo

Andrea, I am related to the Curry, O’Neil and McMahon family you spoke about. I have a family tree I can share with you. 

Hope to hear from you,

Barbara

BBG0812@hotmail.com

Hi Barbara,

I had emailed you after you first posted your response, but thought I'd try this route - I hope we can connect!

All the best,

Andrea 

Hello,

I recognize that it's been a while since last I posted, but thought I'd share that I just returned from a wonderful trip to County Clare. Since I was still experiencing significant brick walls with my Irish lines, prior to my trip I commissioned a report of my O'Neil (one "l") and McMahon families from the Clare Heritage and Genealogy Centre in Corofin, Clare. I gave them what information I had: the names of my 2x great-grandparents, Daniel and Ellen McMahon O'Neil who crossed the pond around 1850, and the names of their 11 children - two of whom were born in Ireland. I had the Catholic Parish register from 1847 for the eldest child's baptism, James, in 1847, at St. Kieran's Church in Labasheeda Kilmurry-McMahon. The family was living in Slievedooley. I had the names of Ellen McMahon O'Neil's parents (Thomas McMahon and Mary Curry or Corry), and Ellen's siblings and some of their families. Family history shared that Daniel O'Neil was from Ennis, Clare, and Ellen McMahon O'Neil was from Kildport. No such place as Kildport, and could never find anything about Daniel and his father James and mom Mary in Ennis. 

Antoinette O'Bryen and the team at the Clare Heritage & Genealogy Centre busted everything wide open! Daniel O'Neill (two l's) and his family are from Slievedooley, and in fact, O'Neills are still there - some of whom I met on our trip. Yes, we are related. And the home of Daniel's parents: James and Mary O'Neill, is also still there. Ellen McMahon and her family are from nearby Shannacool. Among other documents, maps of family land holdings and homes for both O'Neills and McMahons was provided, and I was able to go to Kilfiddane Cemetery where many of the McMahon family are buried, and the Kildysart Cemetery, where O'Neills and McMahons are buried as well. So much more, but all in all, a truly memorable and exceptional experience. 

If you have brick walls in Clare, I highly recommend the Clare Heritage & Genealogy Centre. Yes, it costs (€ 295 for initial search, up to € 625 depending on client's interest and information provided to the Centre). For me, totally worth it. I'm updating my tree on Ancestry (Wallis-Stewart Family Tree) with the new information. 

Andrea