James O'Brien and Mary Maher

I am in Australia and descended from a Bridget O’Brien of Ballywilliam and Castletown who came to Australia in 1855 and I and have reason to believe Castletown is Castletownarra.

I am trying to find out about my Irish lineage before she came to Australia and if there are any distant cousins there. I am on Ancestry DNA, ftdna, My Heritage and Gedmatch in case anyone matches me there or my brother Christopher Long.

Below is what I know about them and I have already posted some of this on the Tipperary site. A very helpful Eamon responded but I am now posting on Castletownarra site in case someone from that area might be able to help with more information including any death records for James O’Brien and Mary Maher/Meagher.

At Templemore Co Tipperary James O'Brien of Thurles and Mary Maher of Clonmore a little NE of Templemore married on 11 Feb 1828, Roman Catholic, witnesses Rev Heffernam and Ellen Maher (a sister of the bride?).  No parents mentioned. These are my 3 x great grandparents.

By the end of 1828 they were in the Parish of Youghalarra-Burgess at or near Ballywilliam which is where Bridget says she is from. I think Youghalarra-Burgess RC records only started in 1828.

2 Possible baptisms for James O'Brien:

- 1804 born Moycarkey not far from Thurles - parents Patrick Brien and Ellen Griffin and sponsors Denis and Bgt Shanahan (James’ first daughter was Ellen and her bapt sponsors were Patrick Brien and Margaret Brien. And James also had a daughter Bridget.

- 1807 in Thurles - parents Terence Brien and Bridget Maher and sponsors James Maher (an uncle?) and Anne Gallagher - James had a daughter Bridget. There is mention of one called Anne but I'm not sure of this.

Possible baptism for Mary Maher: 9 Aug 1810 - Parish/District Templemore, address Borrisberg which is between Templemore and Clonmore, RC, parents John Maher and Judith Guinane ( a good name to look into as doesn't sound too common), sponsors John Meagher (different spelling - an uncle?) and Nancy Mackey.

Someone found on Ancestry a possible baptism for their daughter Margaret 19 Feb 1837 and James the father was 21 so that is where 1806 came from as a surmised birth year for James. But he could have been born 1804 or 1807.

From some paid research I have from North Tipperary Genealogy & Heritage Services – 3 daughters christened at Burgess which they have as Youghalarra-Burgess Parish RC: For all 3 baptisms the father James was O'Brien, and mother Mary was variously Maher and Meagher.

- Ellen 28/12/1828,

- Mary 19/2/1832 (sponsors Patrick Hogan and Margaret Maher),

- Bridget 27/1/1835 (sponsors John Collins and Margaret Meagher).

Bridget  came to Sydney in 1855 on the Rajasthan with her sister Margaret. Their older sister Ellen arrived  in 1851 aged 22 from Ballywilliam near Castletown Tipperary.

Bridget's marriage certificate lists her parents as J O'Brien and Mary Maher from Ballywilliam. On her bapt record it has her parents as James Brian and Mary Meagher with Margt Meagher as a sponsor. 

I was advised that when Margaret was born on Feb 19, 1837 her father James was 31 and her mother Mary was 27 (= born 1806 and 1810). I believe they died in the famine in the early 1850s which is why Bridget and Margaret came to Australia.

I would love to find out if there were other siblings and what happened to them - did any stay in Ireland? And parents of James and Mary and what happened to them. So far no success.

Marilyn Long