Owen Finegan circa 1840

Jan:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Our!

Mellifont townland is in Tullyallen civil parish in South Co. Louth. I will alert a parish liaison in a nearby parish that you have posted a message.

Roger McDonnell

Jan

sorry for the delay in replying but I was incapacitiated, some would say that is a normal state of affairs, firstly the one "n" spelling is common in Louth here, a quick aside the most famous Finegan from Louth was from north Louth, you are in mid to south Louth, the previous vice Presiden of the USA Joe Biden is a Finegan on his mothers side, was here last year on the tour.

I checked the Griffiths Valuation for Louth in 1854 and the only Owen Finegan is in Port (now called Clogherhead) seehttp://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameS… he was a tenant farmer of a McDaniels (some also went to Australia) most farmers were teneants at this time (hence the land wars some time later) and the Land Act of 1903 I think allowing tenants to buy from landlords. He is hte only Owen Finegan to suit in that site. Cooney is also a common name in the area of Louth, Monasterboice, however I think there is a civil marriage to suit in Drogheda in 1864 as I see the two names on the same page. The church marriage is visible in Monasterboice on 14th April 1864 in the parish registers here https://registers.nli.ie/ enter Monasterboice, remember marriage usually in wifes parish, there are still Cooneys there. You can apply for the civil registration here, unfortunately the cert is not free to see on line at present, this would confirm the fathers names and townlands of address. https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ The site is free but you must sign in. There are instructions on ordering a cert. just follow the link, if you have any issues let me know.

There is an interesting site on Louth here http://www.jbhall.freeservers.com/ and Monasterboice has a really beautiful old graveyard containing High Crossses, the graveyard is still in use and free to visit and see the High Crosses and if you ever come this far there is a new small hotel nearby opened this year beside a restaurent / bar. See for the crosses http://www.megalithicireland.com/High%20Cross%20Monasterboice.htm there are other sites for them too. the general area is still pretty rural. There is a Facebook page for Louth Genealogy and another for Drogheda Down Memory - Lane Lost Families (Drogheda is about 8 miles from Monasterbice or less, same from Clogherhead.  In the church records the parish is Port. You apply to the FB pages to join but it appears fairly automatic, answers can be a bit odd with people coming in saying they have a relative of such and such but you can join and see if you want to post, they are moderated and there is no badness there.

Pat

Thanks Pat,  Very interesting aside but I will resist the tempation to claim Jo Biden as a relative as he clearly is not.  I have found Owen's property following your guide lines.  Many thanks.  My husband and I are planning to visit Ireland in July/August next year so location is very important.  I have found Monasterboice on the website previously and hearing about the hotel (restaurant and bar) nearby is wonderful.  Monasterboice appears well worth a visit regardless of family history.  (We will also visit my husbands Annie Moore's birth place, she came from Cranfield, County Down and was sent to Australia as one of the Potato Orphans.) The Finegan/Cooney story is a romantic one.  The family story is that they eloped, although that has not been proved and may never be. I visited the JBHall site, unfortunately he died in July this year.  A less experienced person is now operating the site.  There is a post on Ireland Reaching Out that had a person from the USA researching Francis and Mary Cooney the parents of my Mary Cooney and I am confused with some of the information he provided.  I have tried to get back to that post but have been unable to find it.  It would be good if we could help each other.  I will persist, as website sometimes confuse me.  My next task is to get the civil registration.  Thanks for your offer of help hopefully I will not need it.  Jan

Pat,  My further research makes me believe that the Owen Finegan born in Mellifont is not my one.  The father's name is correct and according to Owen's death certificate his mother was Catherine but no surname was provided.  The property in Port is a town house not a farm and the birth date appears to be a few years early.  The marriage to Mary Cooney that I now accept is the one in Monasterboice, where Owens father is listed as a farmer as was Mary's.  I will now try other Owen Finegans.  kind regards, JAN

Jan nearly midnight but I checked the Owen Finegan of Mellifont online and his mother is given as Cathe (assume Catherine) Sullivan, have you found this on the registers, do you know you can order the civil marriage record for €4 (copy of ledger) full cert is €20, same info just official, there is a link here https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Apply-for-Certificates.aspx it should give his address or townland at time of marriage or his, the civil registration district is Drogheda. 

Regards

Pat

Hi Pat,  I am finally getting back to you.  It has been frantic here as it is our summer holidays so lots happening.  Following your suggestion I applied for and received today the marriage certificate of Owen and Mary.  My information previously was from Ancestry but it has been misleading.  So Owen Finegan was the farmer and his father the blacksmith.  He was living at Monleek at the time of the marriage.  They were married in the Roman Catholic chapel of Fiedlstown by Fr John Smythe PP.  This makes sense as they were supposed to have eloped.  The witnesses might give some lead as to where to look next.  Judith McCann was probably the daughter of a neighbour of the Cooneys who according to the Griffiths valuation 1854 were all living on 1A and B in Carricknashanagh.  Edward Reilly we are now researching, there was an Edward Reilly 14 A and B in Tullyallen.  Very nearby was an Owen Finnegan 12 A B C and James and Owen Finnegan 20.  I was a Hemingway before my marriage and understand the problem of having my name misspelled.  The first property is the most interesting as it has house, offices, FORGE and land.  it was owned by Sir Vincent K. H. Whitshed.  So I guess it is back to the parish records for births in that area.  Many thanks for your lead it has proven to be most productive.  Kind regards, Jan

Hi Pat,  I am finally getting back to you.  It has been frantic here as it is our summer holidays so lots happening.  Following your suggestion I applied for and received today the marriage certificate of Owen and Mary.  My information previously was from Ancestry but it has been misleading.  So Owen Finegan was the farmer and his father the blacksmith.  He was living at Monleek at the time of the marriage.  They were married in the Roman Catholic chapel of Fiedlstown by Fr John Smythe PP.  This makes sense as they were supposed to have eloped.  The witnesses might give some lead as to where to look next.  Judith McCann was probably the daughter of a neighbour of the Cooneys who according to the Griffiths valuation 1854 were all living on 1A and B in Carricknashanagh.  Edward Reilly we are now researching, there was an Edward Reilly 14 A and B in Tullyallen.  Very nearby was an Owen Finnegan 12 A B C and James and Owen Finnegan 20.  I was a Hemingway before my marriage and understand the problem of having my name misspelled.  The first property is the most interesting as it has house, offices, FORGE and land.  it was owned by Sir Vincent K. H. Whitshed.  So I guess it is back to the parish records for births in that area.  Many thanks for your lead it has proven to be most productive.  Kind regards, Jan

Hi Jan

I was out today with a local man who tells me the forge in Monleek still exitsts as a tyre (tire) centre, I had a quick look at Google Earth for Monleek and found it using street view, travelled man timesmyself but could not recall it. I copied the image from Google and uploaded it below. I see a for sale sign on it and it is about 10 to 12 years since the Google car was about but place look lovely. Also it was in use as a forge in his memory.

Also while I have not seen the Fieldstown Chrurch I have seen the heritage signs for it, built 1780 I understand from searching, will go and look at it soon, also see a Cooney search for Foxhall beside Fieldstown on this site from awhile ago, about 1 year. Let me know if you cannot find it.

Hope things have settled to normal again, we have plenty of rain you could borrow.

Regards

Pat 

Thanks Pat that is brilliant.  So wonderful to have found a local with memory of its use.  The photo gives a huge contrast to the barn Owen built in Kinglake.  We are back on the computer and have found a Fieldstown Church The Navitity of Our Lady.  I found a site "building of Fieldstown Church" circa 1861, architect John Murray, a small gothic church for Rev. John Smythe PP.  Fr Smythe was the priest who married Mary and Owen so this church was new at the time.  We found it on google very nice and in beautiful condition if the photo is anything to go by.  We tried several sites but could not get the name of the road, although it runs north off Hamberstown Road.  So the mystery of the 1780 church will be fun to follow. If you are interested I will send you the story of Mary and Owen it is about 13 pages at this stage and is 90% about their time in Australia.  It will not be finalised until we return from Ireland in August.  I am about to start a photography class that will help me to change a new photo to remove anything on an old build that is recent, like cars parked outside.  This will then allow me to add more photos.  I find that family history can be boring for many people so write colourful stories and add lots of photos etc to keep them reading.  We also talk about the history hopefully to develop an interest.  Many thanks, Jan

Jan glad you liked the forge, I imagine it is looking well now and still the shape but modernised. A few things to assist, always delighted to help and my site email is stpeters@irelandxo.com People often enquire as to my gender so I am retired male. The road to Fieldstown is signposted, travelling north from Drogheda you pass this place, about 4 miles from Fieldstown http://monasterboice-inn.ie/ I had read it was adding hotel rooms but it is not mentioned on the site, it is a very well known restaurent in the area and is on Facebook. The iste says the famiy are there 200 years so if you are there you should me locals, it is a few miles from Fieldstown. Look at location on this site and as you go past the Monasterbice Inn on your right you take the left exit and when you come to the T Junction turn right beneath the overpass and then left, carry on towards Dunleer and you will see a small sign (brown for Heritage sign) saying Fieldstown Church pointing right (sign is on left and remember you will be driving on the left) on the map this is Maidens Cross  (obviously ancestors of high moral standing) go on up road until you see another sigh for the church pointing right. The road is narrow and rural, very serene setting, on Google map is says Foxhall and it is below the sign. The road out from Drogheda is the R132 going north, not the motorway.

A few nearby places for you to consider visiting are http://www.newgrange.com/ the full tour taking in also Dowth and Knowth is about 3 to 4 hours but you can do a shorter version, also close to Monleek is http://www.mellifontabbey.ie/history/ (a small fee for a conducted tour, less than €5 and my favourite place for just the pure serenity of the place is free but donations are accepted to assist local causes, it is close to the restaurent above Monasterboice Inn https://www.discoverireland.ie/Arts-Culture-Heritage/monasterboice-high… again is very rural and you will need a car or transport public transport will not be going to these places,. 

Drogheda is less than 10 miles from these places and has a number of hotels, anyway Jan as I live near Drogheda feel free to ask about stuff like that and I can send you links etc there are also some interesting places to see around Drogheda dating way back too. It is probable your ancestors left via Drogheda port to Liverpool.

Regards
Pat