Sweeney & Bonar Corr Point, Madavagh

Hi,

Thank you for your message. It took a few reads as it is quite confusing with two two Condy?s and brothers marrying sisters and twins etc.!

In order to find Condy Bonar?s wife?s maiden name, you will have to find their marriage certificate. The marriage would have taken place before 1864 so it would not be recorded in civil records, it will only be in church records. As most church records are still held locally you need to know the parish that they were married in. Hopefully this was Lettermacward as the family were based there. You should also try to find Annie or Ellen?s birth certificate as mother?s maiden names were often recorded on Catholic records.  

Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. One website that you may find useful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. For Lettermacward/Dungloe parish, follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Donegal&parish=Dungloe&churchid=1013

Unfortunatley, the start date for records here is very late. However, in the19th century new Catholic parishes were created so starting dates can sometimes be misleading. Many parishes changed their geographical spread so you may find earlier records relating to your family in the records of adjoining parishes. Here is amp of Catholic parishes in Donegal:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/counties/rcmaps/donegalrc.htm

Most surviving Church of Ireland records 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. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42

Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.

www.familysearch.org have some birth and marriage church records for Ireland available, you may be lucky and find a record online here.  

Alternatively, you could try contacting Donegal Ancestry Centre as they may have copies of what records are available. Here is their email: info@donegalancestry.com

I hope that this is helpful. Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support

Hi,

My name is Danny Sweeney and I currently live in Conshohocken, Pa.  About 25 years ago I began to research my Family (Sweeney).  My Grandfathers name was Daniel Sweeney and he married Bridget Gallagher. Both were from the area of Coor Point. His Father was Condy Sweeney and his wife was Ellen Bonar. Bridget Gallagher's Father was Alex (Sandy) Gallagher and his wife was Annabelle Byrne.  My Grandfather Daniel Sweeney had a Brother Patrick Sweeney who stayed with him for a short time on Philadelphia. 

Hi Dan, I am still looking for my Daniel Sweeney who was a cousin to your grandfather born also in 1878 but on November 16th. He and my grandmother Ellen stayed with Maryann Sweeney when first coming over in 1903. I know you said you had a cousin in Florida who did some research. Any chance he came across my Daniel Sweeney? I am still at a loss for no trace of him after he came over. I have my gr-grandfather coming to philadelphia to visit naming his son Daniel where he was going but the address was where your Daniel lived. And he did say son and not nephew. Any enlightenment would be appreciated. Pat

I'm not sure how this workks.....My Grandfather was James (Alice) O'Donnell (married Elizabeth Tennyson)....from "the Glenties"..from what i understand there were 9 children..I believe his father was John O'Donnell and his mother was Alice Byrne or Byrnes.I knew of  Maggie Sarah Johnny  I remember going to visit and riding the bus....the bus stopped,everyone got off except the driver...he drove the bus over a bridge then we walked over and boarded the bus again Guebarra???  My Aunt Sarah had a wee shop attatched to the house and it sold all sorts of odds and end....I know his brother was born in Madavah ..Someone in the family was called Mary Celene McMurray and they lived in Edinburgh Scotland.....