Looking for living family

Hello everyone

My sister and I are coming over to Ireland (from Australia) at the end of next month, arriving on 28th September and will be staying three and a half weeks.

We would like to meet any family we have connected with our grandmother, Annie Josephine Goggin born in Bantry on 29 June 1882 to Richard Goggin and Margaret McCarthy.

I thought I'd ask your help to see if anyone, by chance happens to know some Goggins or McCarthys who know their family history. We would be very grateful to you if you could help us, as time is of the essence.

Below is the information I have regarding these ancestors.

Annie had a brother named Patrick and a sister named Mollie but the only record I've found (that I hope is correct) is the 1901 census record where both girls were staying in New Street, Bantry with their uncle and aunt, James and Nora Goulding, who were shopkeepers, and their children, Frances and Albert. I also found Annie in the 1911 census staying with her aunt, Kate Hurley in Killeenleagh. I found a census record of Patrick in 1911 married to Nora and they had a daughter, Agie and they lived in 4 Marino Lane, Bantry. There were other records in different towns.

I found a record of the marriage of Richard 'Gaggin' and Margaret McCarthy stating that he was from "Killeanlea" (probably Killeenleagh), his father's name was Patrick and Margaret's father's name was Denis.

The only record I have found regarding Richard's possible family is of a Patrick Goggin in Killeenleagh who married Bridget Hinigan (the other spellings of her surname were Henigan, Hennigan and Honagan) in Drimoleague and they had seven children: William, Tom, John, Margaret, Pat, Francis and Richard who were all baptised in Caharagh. Whether this is my great grandfather I don't know.

A Denis McCarthy was married to Catherine Hayes (in Schull East), and they have a daughter named Margaret born in Bantry but this may not be the right mother, although Margaret's year of birth with these parents was 1847 and the one I have for Richard Goggin is 1853. Was it the custom for women to marry younger men in those days?

All these records I found before we decided to come to Ireland and so I've spent the weekend digging and have found nothing conclusive. I found nothing further on the Gouldings (1901 census) and neither Richard nor Margaret had a sister called Nora or Honora in any of the records I attribute to them.

The other children of the union of Denis McCarthy and Catherine Hayes are Jeremiah, Laurence, Timothy, Catharine and Nans. There only record of Denis McCarthy wth a daughter Margaret is to Julia Sullivan but the year of birth is 1841, which would make her 13 years older than Richard Goggin if the record I have for him is correct.

Thank you

Paula