Patrick James Breen

I’m trying to learn the stories of my Irish people.  Slowly I am making progress, but I sure could use help.  

My GGF was Patrick James Been.  What I learned from my people is that he lived in Labasheeda until the British evicted his family and burned down their farm, and after that they emigrated to the US.  I don’t know where or when they arrived, but by the late 1860s the family was living in Nashville, Tennessee, where my grandmother was born. The US Census records show Patrick with his mother Bridget, a brother John, and a sister Jane.  No mention of their father.  Bridget’s headstone says she was born in Cooraclare in 1808.  Jane’s stone says she was born in Labasheeda in 1860.  That date is either wrong or the story is more complex.

I looked for Patrick’s baptism for a long time before I finally found it - at least 95% sure - not in Labasheeda where I expected, but in Kilmurry Ibricken parish.  Baptized 16 Feb 1842 in Qilty, born to John Been and Bridget Darcy.  This was the first time I learned Bridget’s maiden name, and it makes sense, as there are plenty of Darcys in this area.  But it’s a long ways from Labasheeda, relatively speaking.  And it’s also not Cooraclare.

But then I found his older brother John also in Kilmurry Ibricken, baptized 15 Dec 1839 born to John Breen and Bridget Darcy (although hard to read the town), and another brother Michael in Kilmurry Ibricken baptized 24 March 1844, born to John Breen and Bridget Darcy, but now in Ballymakea, also an area with Darcys.

All of this seems to make makes sense, but where is Jane?  And when was she born?  1860 is unlikely.  Bridget had three boys from 1839 to 1844, and then no children until 1860?  When Bridget was 52?  Not likely.  But I’ve looked everywhere in Clare, and I can’t find a likely candidate for Jane.  

Maybe Bridget was not born in 1808 as her headstone says.  It would also mean that she had her first child at age 31, which seems unlikely.  But I couldn’t find Bridget Darcy’s baptism anywhere in Clare either. However, I did find Bridget Darcy born April 1808 in Westmeath to Philip Darcy and Jane Doyle.  Not only is the date right, but it would fit Bridget naming her first daughter after her own mother.  But it’s far from Qilty and Cooraclare, so I don’t know what to make of that.

And then there is Labasheeda. With the help of one of your volunteers, I confirmed there is a John Breen in that area in Griffiths, so that could be them.  I believe Labasheeda is correct, but I haven’t found any further reference to any other family members in the Labasheeda.

To recap: John Breen and Bridget Darcy had three children all in Kilmurry Ibricken parish:

        John b. 1839 

        Patrick b. 1841 (my GGF)

        Michael b. 1844

And they had a fourth child, Jane.  When and where was Jane Breen born and baptized?  That’s my main question, but I would also appreciate any further ideas on where to research and any contextual information, such as, how much did families move around?  Is a move from Qilty to Labasheeda surprising?  I’m guessing it would have been around famine time that they moved. 

Thanks so much.