Forde connection to Robbins Familes of Hollyhill/Brooklawn (Gortdrishagh)

Hi Brady

I live in Mullagh Parish so I will talk to local people and try and find information about your ancestors for you. I am from Yorkshire, England but my husband is a local man.

Nice to hear from you, Sue Coen 

Hi Brady,

I checked the"Griffiths Valuation " records for the area you refer to,which I am very familiar with.There are still 2 Forde families in the same place. One family occupies land that was occupied by Nicholas Robinson in the 1840's.The land which Margaret Robinson occupied in the 1840's was until very recently occupied by a John(Jack) Forde recently deceased.It appears that the surname Robinson must have gotten"lost in Translation" to Robbins somewhere along the line,a not uncommon occurence.I have asked an elderly Robinson lady if she had ever heard of a Robinson/Forde connection but she could not confirm this.She did say however that there were 3 separate Robinson families in the locality in prevoius times.

I will check further with the Fordes and let you know if anything more turns up.

                                                                                                                                     Liam Irwin. 

P.S-Further information to help you. East Galway Family History Society,Woodford,County Galway is a dedicated genealogical company.They have the most comprehensive family history database for the area.Phone No.-00-353-909-74309. Email-galwayroots@eircom.net.        Liam irwin

Hello Liam and Sue,

Thank you for your help and your responses. I was sad to hear of the passing of Jack Forde, I saw a photo of him on this site a few months ago and thought that he might somehow be connected to the Forde’s I’m looking for since the caption said that he was from Hollyhill. 

I believe that the Robinson name in the Griffith’s survey was a mistake because Nicholas’ surname was recorded as “Robins” in the parish marriage records from Tynagh in 1827, and his name on his death registration in 1868 was recorded as “Nicholas Robbins.”

My working hypothesis at the moment is that Nicholas is a possible brother/cousin to my 3rd great-grandfather, Patrick Robbins, who was born in Ballynakill, East Galway in about 1820. Nicholas’ was married in Tynagh and his wife, Mary McDonough is likely from the McDonough’s from the townlands of Knockauneevin and Ballywatten in Tynagh Parish, near Ballynakill Parish.

Thank you for your help,

Brady

Hello again,

As an update to my previous post, I was able to discover more information about the identity of Margaret Robbins who was mentioned in the Griffith’s Valuation. She married Edmund Lyons in 1826 in the neighboring parish of Kilcooly. The fact that the Valuation used her maiden name instead of the name of her husband leads me to believe that she may have inherited the lease on the land following the death of her father, which may be substantiated by the fact that Nicholas Robbins, a likely brother, held the adjacent land. Margaret Robbins Lyons died  before 1880, and her daughter, Honorah Lyons Dwyer, and her family were living in the home in the 1901 and 1911 Censuses. Are there any Dwyer families living in the townland any longer?

I am going to County Galway in May and I will be visiting the local area and if possible I would love to meet any of the Forde’s if possible, as well as visit any of the local cemeteries.

Thank you once again for your help!

Hi Brady

My uncle was Jack Forde who sadly passed a few years ago, confirming Robbins is the correct spelling not Robinson, My great grandfather was John Forde and great grandmother Annie Robbins, John Forde and Bridget Costelloe were my grandparents, Mary Anne Forde my mother.  

Brady it's been awhile since you made this postisng and with your trip back to Ireland I trust you found more information re. your relatives, hope to hear back from you ... I live in the US

Carmella

Hello Carmella!

I am very happy to hear from you, and I apologize for my delayed response.

I enjoyed the few weeks I spent in Ireland this summer. I was able to confirm the townland In County Galway where my direct Robbins ancestors were living before the Famine, but was not able to extend my research directly back from there. I did not have much luck finding additional information for Robbins families in Galway, but I did visit your Uncle's grave in the Kilcooly Graveyard, and took several pictures of Forde headstones.

I did have some success with my research further back on the Robbins side. I know from a DNA test that somehow my Robbins line connects with the many Robbins families in County Offaly, just 40 miles east of Brooklawn. Based on some of the information I've found in my research, I feel that your Robbins line also can likely trace its origins back to County Offaly. I spent a few days researching in Clara, County Offaly and visited several graveyards there to collect information that has helped clarify some information as well as develop several leads that I have been following up on since my visit.

I have collected a significant amount of information about your family during my research, which I am very happy to share if you are interested. You can reach me directly at blur127@gmail.com, and I would be more than happy to share what I have found. 

I hope to hear from you soon,