Patrick O'Brien was born in Kilrush 17th March 1838.
On 29th December 1856 he was indentured in Cork as an apprentice seaman for four years to Jas Butcher of Yarmouth. On the vessel Pandora he went to Spain. Other vessels he served on were Primrose and Mary Bannatyne out of Limerick. By April 1861 he was in New Zealand as a Master Mariner. I imagine his father's name was John O'Brien. I haven't yet found a connection with any family or parish in Kilrush. Merchant Navy Seamen 1835 - 1941 list Series: BT116 Date Range 1853-1857 Place number 66. No information as to his family has been handed down the generations.
Wednesday 19th Mar 2014, 02:02AM
Message Board Replies
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Dear David
Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out and apologies for the delay in replying to your message.
Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find information without a more specific place of origin. Most Irish record sources- church records, land records, census records- are based on specific locations. Until you know a specific location within Ireland, preferably a parish or placename, it may be difficult to do anything more with these records.
There are some places where you can search online, however these websites do not have complete collections and many do not cover the period after 1900:
www.familysearch.org has a huge database of genealogical records including some church records for Ireland.
www.rootsireland.ie have a large collection of Irish Church records, however you have to pay to use this site.
Other important sources include the Tithe Applotment Books and Griffith?s Valuation:
Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1837): http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/index.jsp
Griffith?s Valuation (1847-1864): http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Some other websites that may be helpful are:
Clare Local History website is a must-see for all those looking for Clare ancestors: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/library/local-studies/locstudi1.htm&nb…;
The National Archives of Ireland: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/ you can search the 1901/1911 Census on the National Archives page too
Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/index.htm
Irish Genealogy Tool kit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/
Remember to post any new information that you find here. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.
Best of luck with your search
Clare Doyle
Genealogy Support
Tuesday 8th Apr 2014, 12:13PM