Gallagher

Hi Peter, Gillan........I would say it's Gallen.

gallen offaly - Bing Maps

If Catholic this is where to look.
Gallen and Reynagh, Ardagh - Catholic Parish Registers at the NLI

I have searched other sites very few results, sorry.

Margot

Peter:

Like Margot, I was unable to find any records searching subscription sites and I expanded the search to all of Ireland.

I tried looking for baptismal records just using John and Bridget for the given name of the parents and dropping Rigney from the search.

I found some records in Tubber RC parish where the parents were John Gallagher and Bridget Gallagher. The records I located were Mary 1834 William 1838 Anne 1840 Denis 1843 Bridget 1848. None of the sponsors had a surname of Rigney.

Tubber RC parish is at the top of Co. Offaly and is northeast of Gallen/Reynagh/Banagher parish. Do you know the names of any siblings to Mary?

Have you considered DNA testing?

Roger McDonnell

Peter,

In Griffith’s Valuation of Offaly, in 1854, the following Rigneys were heads of household in Gallen. Your ancestor likely was related to these Rigneys and probably lived in one of these townlands.

       (Name, Townland, Parish, County)

• Rigney           Denis Cloghan/t/cloghan (Part Of)          Gallen  Co. Offaly
• Rigney           John    Clononybeg  Gallen            Co. Offaly
• Rigney           Keiran Park   Gallen            Co. Offaly    
• Rigney           Keran Minus Island           Gallen            Co. Offaly
• Rigney           Mary  Clononybeg Gallen            Co. Offaly
• Rigney           Michael          Clononybeg  Gallen            Co. Offaly

Peter,

An interesting thing happened when I searched Griffiths Valuation for Gallaghers in Offaly...Every name that came up was Callaghan, not Gallagher. I have seen these names used interchangeably before.  At the time of Griffith's in 1854, I could find no Gallaghers listed in Offaly.  There were two Callaghans in Gallen:

Callaghan        Peter    Clononymore  Gallen Co. Offaly      

Callaghan        Peter    Lumcloon        Gallen Co. Offaly

Peter Callaghan lived in Clononymore townland, which was adjacent to Clononybeg townland, where John, Mary, and Michael Rigney lived.  It is very possible that your John Gallagher and Bridget Rigney were neighbors.