McCool and Gallagher

Hello

I have just come across your message.  I believe that the Toal Gallagher you refer to was brother to my ggggrandfather Hugh Gallagher.  Hugh's family were from Ballindrait and in conjunction with Toal he worked a few strips of land that were leased in Ballindrait and surrounding Townlands.  The Gallagher's of Ballindrait were often noted as being both Blacksmiths and Whitesmiths. The land in the area was owned by The Earls of Erne and some of the estate records are still held at the Public Records Office in Belfast. In the Earl of Erne estate papers there is a rent book which shows a Toal Gallagher leasing a small parcel of land in Ballindrait in 1807.  I believe this Toal to be father to Hugh and Toal, though I have more work to do on this.

Your Toal Gallagher is buried in the old Clonleigh graveyard which was the traditional burying ground for the long established Irish in the area. The newer displaced  Irish families tended to bury in Lifford.  There is a record of  your Toal Gallagher's burial plot on the Donegal Genealogy Resources website.  In the same Gallagher burial  plot is a more ancient Gallagher gravestone of a Tolly (a pet name for Tuathal, or  Toal) with a date of death of 1707. I have theories concerning the branch of the O'Gallagher's the Ballindrait Gallagher's belong to and have a wealth of information on our more remote O'Gallagher clan ancestors. I hope this is of some use.  Best regards      Kevin Gallagher

Kevin, thank you so much for your reply.

I am thrilled to have this new information. Do you have a family tree on ancestry.com or another location that I might be able to see? I am very interested to learn more about our Gallagher/O'Gallagher ancestors.

I really appreciate your help.

Where do you live? I'm in Alberta, Canada.

Joanne

Hello Joanne

Its good to hear from you. I am from Sussex England, my father was from Co.Donegal.  So far I have not posted my particular family tree online. However when I do so I will make you aware.  I am particuarly interested in O'Gallagher clan history in the medieval period and have been researching it for some years with a view to publishing a book.   I have theories as to which Sliocht ( branch) of the clan that the Ballindrait Gallagher's belonged to.  For various reasons I think they were of the Sliocht Aodh  that is the tribe of Hugh O'Gallagher who were the most powerful segment of the clan up until the Ulster plantation in the early 17th century.

Some years ago I got in touch with a Clarence Gallagher who lived in Canada who was descended from your Toal Gallagher.  Clarence passed on details to myself of some relatives of his ( more descendants of Toal's) who were also living in Sussex England. The incredible thing is that although we do not know each other they were living just a few hundred yards from where I was born and grew up!  Sadly I think I have mislaid their details.  Do you know them and if they are still in Sussex?

Moving forward I would be very keen to collaborate on research into our Ballindrait Gallagher's. As mentioned previously they were a Blacksmith family.  Blacksmiths in Ireland were very to the fore in rebellions as they were handy for secretly making weapons ( usually pikes).  There is a poem about the 1798 uprising which relates to Ballindrait. and it includes the line  " Twas Gallagher that forged the Pikes"  If only the poet had included the Christian name.   Again in the early 19th century the Gallagher's of Ballindrait were charged with secretly making and concealing weapons.  Anyway I would be very happy to correspond.  If you wish to contact me by email you can get me at  gallagherkb@aol.com

Best wishes

Kevin Gallagher 

NB  Alittle more of the poem which might interest you as it mentions both McCool and Gallagher.  All the place names mentioned are " Townlands"  some as close as just a few hundred yards from Ballindrait whereas others are a mile or two away.

Twas Gallagher that forged the Pikes, a man of great frame,

The British goats, the Red Coats, did tremble at his name,

He forged the Pikes for Argery and townlands far and near,

For Tober and Murlog and the brave men of Rossgeir.

Twas McCool from Argery, A man of courage great,

He raised the flag of freedom when it flew o'er Ballindrait,

He was Ireland's greatest Pikeman that was never known to yield,

He was one of the finest soldiers that ever took the field.

poem on the 1798 uprising recounted on a pamphlet The United Irishmen in East Donegal by Belinda Mahaffy.

Some " odds and ends"

Below is the graveyard inscriptions from the plot in Old Clonleigh Graveyard where your Toal and Mary are buried.

Tolly O Gallagher

Blacksmith

Departed this life 22 Sep 1707 aged 63 years

IHS

Also John

Aged 3 months

Will

Aged 2 years 10 months

And Hugh

Departed this life 24 Nov 1808 aged 5 1/2 years

Sons to John O Gallagher

Whitesmith

Also Toal Gallagher

Who died 23 May 1877 aged 83 years

And also Mary Gallagher

His wife

Who died 1 Feb 1878 aged 72 years

I love that poem! I'll have to read up on my Irish history.

Thank you very much.

Mygrandfather was michael mccool b.1850 d.1934.His older brother was John mccool b.(approx1845).my great grandfather( b. Approx.1810-20) was also John & his father was John mccool b.appprox.1780 or later?.Lots of John mccools!
Nola(mccool) mcgillycuddy.
My grand parents settled in washington pa usa in1880's

Hi Kevin, my Gallagher family descends from Ballindrait. I have them in The Gort at the time of the 1991 census, but I'm confident that my GGG Grandfather Denis Gallagher was from Argary, Ballindrait.  I'd be keen to your research, I've an inkling that we could be connected though quite where is not clear and the records are sparse around that time.  I see the naming pattern of your Gallaghers, and there is some cross over.  My own Granfather was Hugh.  Regards,  Mark

Hi I have just found out I am a direct descendant of Toal Gallagher and literally live 15 mins (Strabane) from where he is buried. I will visit the grave asap :) 

That's fabulous! I would love if you would be willing to share any photos of the cemetery, grave, etc.