Frances Lee and Thomas Mulvany

Hello from Moynalty,

Many thanks for your query re James Mulvany.  Your Gt grandfather James was born in the townland of Diralagh, Moynalty, Co Meath to Thomas Mulvany n Fanny (Frances) Lee. He had 3 brother Peter, John, and Thomas who all emigrated to USA. Thomas was the only child recorded in Moynalty Baptism register in 1842. They were small tenant farmers.

Are you aware that James' brother John was the great Irish Americian painter?  Have you spoken to Anne Weber, who is researching John Mulvany and family for last 30 years plus. Her e-mail is aweber123@myfairpoint.net. She is based in Maine.

Fanny Lee married Owen O Brien.  their children were Ally (Alice) 1848, Pat 1851, Laurence 1853, Mary 1855. Ally married and emigrate to New York. The other 3 O'Brien children stayed in Ireland, Pat in diralagh. Pat's daughter Ellie was the last off the family in Diralagh. She never married and died in 1977. The house and farm was willed to a neighbour. I will forward a picture of the house (semi ruined) circa 2010 in a few days when i find it. Fanny O'brien, nee Mulvany, Lee died i think 1883. I'll forward her death cert at another time.

Fanny lee came from Mullagh, Co Cavan. I think i've traced her on the 1821 mullagh parish census as a child. Verbal family history says Mulvany's came from Killeeter townland in the parish of Mullagh circa 2nd half of 1700s to the neighbouring townland of Skearke in Moynalty Co Meath . I will forward more on that at a later day also.

Anne Weber is a gt grand daughter of Ally O'Brien. When she came to Ireland first in the early 1980 to research Mulvanys, my uncle and two Mulvany cousins worked with her.  They discovered 11 seperated Mulvany on the Moynalty baptism register in the 1830 and 1840, alot with big families and similar names. Emigration was rampant after the irish famine in the second half of the 1840s. When 1 emigrated , they sent back for siblings and neighbours to follow, as well as sending money home. Today, there is only one Mulvany family carrying that name in Moynalty, but loads of cousins.  My granmother was a Mulvany.

Your father would have attended Cormeen National School. We know from school records the teacher was Master Patrick Rogers. John Mulvany never married. He died in New York. His papers were left with his step sister Ally, hence Anne Weber now having them.There is also photos of John. Anne can fill you in better, but as far as I recall, the other brothers Peter and Thomas were out Colorado (Selado?) and Iowa way. James was with them first and then dropped of the face of the earth according to Anne research. So she will have questions for you too.

Can you please drop an e-mail to me at cmccormack_cmf@hotmail.com. I will e-mail back certs and other stuff I have re your request . They are too large to send via this website as attachements.

Moynalty parish is about 45 miles north west of Dublin city. The main market town in the 1840s was Kells, approx 10 miles from Diralagh. Mullagh and Moynalty are villages about 3 and 5 miles respectively from Diralagh. Moynalty parish is rural. use www.google.com/maps and do a search on diralagh, meath. the webcam is very good. Moynalty village is very pretty and has won numberous Tidy towns awards. See facebook page "Moynalty photostock" and go into the photo section. Paul McCabe is the page owner and a native of Moynalty parish.

The Mulvany house was in a lane about a mile from the road, but people usually walked by short cuts through right of ways in the fields. I'll put more together on Moynalty, Kells and Meath another time.  Google them and see what  comes up in the mean time .  Have you ever been to Ireland?

Mulvany's old burial plot is in Kelly cemetary Mullagh. I think the last burial as my gt grandfather John in 1936.  The catholic cemetary opened in Moynalty in 1900. Moynalty parish records run from 1830 -1899. See www.rootireland.ie. But between Anne and myself, we can probably supply you with all civil and church records for Mulvanys by now.

I'll go for now, but please ask more question here or direct to my e-mail.

Regards

Catherine McCormack

I just came across your post....I have been researching the paternal side of my family. My great great grandmother was Alice O'Brien who was (Bridget) Fanny Lee & Owen O'Brien's daughter.          

Alice O'Brien married Philip Muldoon my great great grandfather in 1878. I believe they had 2 children born in Ireland (Annie & James) before moving to the USA. They settled in New York & had 3 more children Margaret, Eugene & Philip (my great grandfather).

Unfortunately Alice's husband died in 1890. I have found Alice in the census records in New York that's where I first saw a connection with John Mulvaney her step brother. He was living with her & her children in Brooklyn a year before his death in 1906. I think John Mulvaney is buried in Calvary cemetery Queens New York along with Philip & Alice.....haven't been able to confirm though.  

Alice & Philip's son Philip married Mary Nelson & had 6 daughters one of whom was named Alice. This Alice was my grandmother Alice Muldoon Ryall. 

Thank you so much for posting all the info that you did....it is really helping me put some more pieces together. I would be really interested to know if you have any other info on the O'Brien family. I am going to contact Ann Weber also. Thank you for your time & consideration.  

Connor Ryall

Hi Connor,

Sorry, I'm abit slow in coming back to you. I wasn't monitoring the website. The website upgrade in early 2015 seem to drop new message notifications to my e-mail account. Anne Webber said someone contacted her months ago. Was it you? Did you get sorted or require more help and info.

The only new info that has gone online since Anne was home with me in Nov 2013 is free access to the unindexed catholic church registers in Ireland  http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0934 . The indexed transcripts are available at www.rootsireland.ie, a subscription website .  Do you have the 2 oldest childrens date of baptisms. Drop an e-mail to moynalty@irelandxo.com and I send you the info and link to the register page, if you haven't found them already. Kingscourt records are patchy for older records http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseact… .

I recently found this website on the Lough an Leagh mountain, which the general area of Muff covers within Kingscourt parish. Corrycholman, ancestral home of Muldoons, gets a very brief mention. http://www.loughanleagh.com/ .  Had Philip and Alice remained in Ireland, they more than likely would have attend mass in Muff chapel and the children gone to Laragh school. It was dark by the time Anne and I arrive at school and chapel grounds. Laragh school was only built in 1894. I'm still trying to figure out which school Philip (d1890) attend from this link http://www.loughanleagh.com/muff-new-school/ . To the best of my knowledge, rollbooks (attendance records) from any of these old schools pre1894 do not exists.

This is the ancestral farmstead of Philip Muldoon in Corrycholman. Note the current house was built between 1901 and 1911 by another family after it transfered out of yours Muldoon family name. https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Muff,+Co.+Cavan/@53.9158489,-6.8542118…

The neighbouring townland of Collops was full of Muldoons on 1850s era reports . I wasn't able to find a local source to get more info on any of these families.

Regards

Catherine McCormack

Moynalty parish volunteer