Clonard

Hi Kathy,

Thank you very much for your message. I hope that someone with information makes a connection with you and helps answer some of your questions.

In the meantime, you could try looking in the the parish records to see if you can find any more information. 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. It also shows you where copies of the records are available.The civil parish of Clonard is part of the Catholic parish of Killine, for this parish follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Meath&parish=Killine&churchid=947

Some other websites that you may find useful are:

The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/

The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

Irish Genealogy Tool kit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/

Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/meath/index.html

From Ireland: www.from-ireland.net

You could also try contacting Meath Heritage Centre for some assistance, however  a fee may apply. Here is their email: meathhc@iol.ie

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support

Hi Emma,
    Thanks for your detailed reply, suggestions and links.   I will try contacting the parish to see if I can get additional informatin about children that might have been born to my great grandparents.  It is helpful to know that the civil parish of Clonard is part of the Catholic parish of Killine.

I did contact the Meath Heritage Centre last year and they were able to find my great uncle's birth record for a fee.  When I was in Ireland in September, my friend and I were able to find the birth record at the National Library of Ireland in the microfiche.  That was very exciting.  We would not find any additional information there associated with my great grandparents or children born to them, so the search continues. 

This is truly like trying to find a needle in the proverbial hay stack.  :) 

I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my inquiry.  I will research and provide feedback here if I find any additional informaiton.

Regards,

   Kathy

Clonard civil parish is divided between several Catholic parishes. A number of townlands are in Kinnegad, Westmeath, Catholic parish. Took me almost two years to figure that out.

Eliza46,

   Thanks for the update re: the various parishes within Clonard.  The search continues....

Catholic parish records are now online free, as of July 2015.  They are not indexed so you have to struggle thru the handwriting but it is a goldmine for the patient.  The website is www.registers.nli.ie 

Also be aware that Irish surnames are very, very variable.  Cast a wide net in spelling (and ages).  I'd also consider McAuley and all its various spellings for your family.  Good luck.

Hi Eliza46,

   The link you provided above to the Catholic parish records did not work.  But because of your post, I Googled 'Catholic parish records Ireland' and found this link:  http://www.nli.ie/en/parish-register.aspx   Which eventually forwarded me to http://registers.nli.ie/    So I found it ! !  Thank you.

I appreciate your response as the link provides a lot of great information on my search.

    Kathy

Catholic parish records have now been indexed by both Ancestry and FindMyPast.  These indexes are full of errors, omissions and misspellings.  BUT they are a good place to begin and there is definitely some helpful info.

Everyone should be aware that Catholic parish lines crossed county, civil parish and even townland boundaries.  Some townlands are divided between two Catholic parishes. They could also move over time.  It is helpful to look at the NLI site and enter a Catholic parish name.  When that page opens, you will see a map with the parish highlighted and all neighboring parishes located and named.  This is an invaluable feature.  I just found the sister of my great-great grandfather who married in their parish but then moved to her husband's parish next door.  I found the baptisms of their three children and with all that info, found them in New York with all kinds of further useful info.  What a thrill after years of research.  Yes, it takes time but worth it to some of us.