O'Reilly or Reilly

Dear Phyl

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I am living in Tuam and will take a look at this and get back to you as soon as I can

Best wishes

Clare Doyle

Genealogy Support

Ireland XO

Hi Phyl

There are a couple of possible options in relation to birth and baptism records but nothing I can pin down with absolute certainty. Have you contacted the Connaught Rangers yet to see if they can provide any further information? It would be useful even to have a mother's first name or to know if he went simply by John as a first name. 

You can contact them HERE or by writing to Sgt. P. J. Maloney, Museum Curator, Dún UÁ MhaoilÁosa, Galway.

Please feel free to add this to our Chronicles project along with any image you might have. You can learn more about it HERE. 

Best wishes

Clare

Genealogy Support 

Ireland XO 

Hello Clare thank you for your help. I have found a Martin Reilly and family John included on 1901 census and also on 1911 census without John. I think he was in the Connaught Barracks then. They lived in Barrack St Tuam. Mother was Mary. I have also found (Just yesterday) Martin thomas Reilly father Martin in the military pensions and enlistments father living in Barrack St. I just dont know with any certainty if this is the correct family. My Grandad is proving very tricky to find. I can only find 4 of his 7 children. 2 in Coventry (Where he was married) and 2 in Bristol. the others are a mystery. I was wondering if they were perhaps born in Ireland. William, John and George Reilly. 1915 to 1923.

I have been unable to find anything about his military as I have no idea of his reg number. I will do as you suggested and write to the Connaught Rangers for any info they may have.

thanks for your help

Phyl (Kalgoorlie Western Austalia)

Hello again Clare, don't know if this will help. I have found out that my Grandfather had a sister Bridget who married Edward Flaherty 1914 in Tuam.  I don't know if they stayed in Tuam or moved away.  This fits with the family I found on the census. The Connaught Rangers Site doesn't keep records of soldiers they are kept at Kew.  I have a feeling that his papers may have been one of the ones that were burnt. 

Hope this info helps. 

Regards Phyl

Hi Phyl

I cannot find any baptism for a Martin in Tuam in 1866 or thereabouts. I wonder if he was baptised in a neighbouring parish, one where records did not begin until later. The only marriage record I can locate for a Martin (assuming his wife was also from Tuam) is on 16th May 1888. Neither set of parents are named but this Martin's wife was a Mary Tuohy. Does this name mean anything to you? 

Birth records are only available on the  irishgenealogy site prior to 1916 and there is no George or William or John listed born to a father John/John Joseph.

Have you been in touch with Kew yet about any potential records just to be sure?

Clare

Genealogy Support 

In relation to the marriage referred to above - the following children were baptised to that couple. It is difficult to know though if this is one and the same family or three different families as the children are listed in Tullinadaly Road, Barrack Street and Tierboy. On Honor's birth record her father listed as a Chimney Sweep and if you think that her dad was in the Connaught Rangers then this family is not who you are looking for and can be taken off the list of potentials

Honor 7th February 1889

Mary 19th February 1891

John 7th May 1893 - Tierboy Road given as the family address for this child

Catherine 11th September 1898

Martin Thomas 8th November 1900

On the birth records Josephine Elizabeth is listed in Barrack Street born on 8th February 1904

Best wishes

Clare

Genealogy Support 

Thank you Clare for your info. I have on the 1901 census Barrack St:

 Reilly Martin 35 general labourer  

Mary 36  

- Maggie 14  

- Mary 10

- John 7 ( possibly my grandfather)

- Bridget 4 ( I know he had a sister Bridget)

- Kate (possibly Catherine)

-  Martin Thomas (not yet 1)  

  No mention of Honor  (she may have died)

1911 census Barrack Street :

Martin 44 labourer widower -

-Bridget 15

-Katie 13

- Martin Tom 11

- Josephine 7

- Rose 4 

Maggie Byrne 23 married - Thomas Byrne 5 - Jerard Byrne 2 (grandchildren - it does say relative)

I think this may be the family I'm looking for. 

Any more info regarding this family would be wonderful and I thank you again for your help. The confirmation of the births of the children helped me. They were probably living somewhere else prior to Barrack Street as you say John's address was Tierboy Road. 

Regards Phyl 

Hi Phyl

Sorry for the delay - I no longer work for Ireland XO and have been having issues with personal email so only getting back online just now.

I see that the surname of the family is spelt differently between 1901 and 1911, Reilly in 1901 and Rielly in 1911 - something to think about when it comes to online searches. 

You could take a look at the free records available on irishgenealogy.ie as they will have (where available) marriages up to 1940 or thereabouts and might be of use to see which of the children of Martin listed on the Census married. Look for the girls first, as they will more than likely have married in Tuam, their home parish.

As 4 of the 8 Reilly children on that Census were deceased by 1911, you could also use irishgenealogy to see if there are any civil death records for them. Civil deaths where they exist are recorded up to 1965.

There is a death record for a Mary Reilly formally of Barrack Street. I searched irishgenealogy between 1907 (the year of Rose's birth, their last recorded child) and 1911 (the Censuss year where Martin states he is a widow) and located this record entry No. 134. This Mary is listed as a wife of a Labourer and Martin is recorded as a Labourer on the Census. The entry though refers to her death aged 46 in Tuam Workhouse. She is listed as married. Mary is recorded as dying on 14th March 1911 and the Census of that year was taken on 2nd April 1911, leaving Martin a widower on that Census Return. It could be that this is Mary, Martin's wife. 

I note that Jerard (or Gerard) as he is listed on a birth records (and who is recorded with a brother Thomas, a relative on the Census 1911), is the son of a Michael Byrne and Margaret Tuohy, perhaps then making Margaret (Maggie) his mother, a sister of Mary Reilly and these boys then nephews of Martin Reilly through their relationship with his wife Mary? If this is the correct birth record for Jerard it would seem he was born in Tuam workhouse. Michael Byrne and Maggie Tuohy were both from Barrack Street and were married in 1904. I wonder if the Census entry should actually read 'sister in law' for Maggie and not 'step daughter' in terms of her relationship to Martin, the head of household? 

I will leave you to ponder! I will keep an eye here and will receive a notification of any reply you make in any case and won't be so long in replying next time.

All the best

Clare

Hi there if you reply with your email i will invite you to my ancestry tree i am related to the family that you are enquiring about they lived in Galway city,they were travellers.