Rahilly family

Hi Peg,

I assume you are referring to the village of Bridgetown in East Clare - that would not appear to be the address of the bride in the 1870 church entry. Could her address be Ardtaggle - in the 1901 census there was a Rahilly family living there and the head of household was farmer and shopkeeper. I am unable to paste the link but there were only 18 Rahilly's in Clare in the 1901 census so you should be able to find them.

The groom gave his address as Truagh - where did you get Derryvinnaane from i.e. I cannot find any such townland.

I know the Bridgetown area and could perhaps look for gravestone inscriptions for you if that might assist - you can let me know at jimvaughan@eircom.net  

Hi Jim,

First, thank you for your response to my inquiry.  The people mentioned in your message are indeed my great grandparents. Margaret Rahilly was born and raised in Ardataggle.  The Rahilly home is a two story building across the road from the church. The church currently in that location is "fairly new" and I do not know if it was there at the time of the marriage in 1870.  Perhaps that is why the marriage is registered in the Killaloe parish records.   Derryvinnanne is a townland located between Oatfield and Truagh.  The Nihil farm is still owned and operated by Patrick Nihil, who would be my 2nd cousin.  I had the opportunity to learn about him and then meet him for the first time a few years ago and have visited several times since.

I visited Ardataggle a few years ago. We met the man who owns the Rahilly home while he was in the process of renovating the building.  (His father purchased the home many years ago and he now owns it.)   The lower level served as a pub and his family as well as the Rahilly family lived on the second floor I was told.  I was then given information that led me to a family connection with Michael McGrath of Killaloe.  I wrote to him and he forwarded my letter to his aunt who was Virginia Rahilly (didn't get her married name) who is living in Waterford.  She phoned me and in the course of conversation, she told me she would send me family info.  I've never received it and will be trying to get further info on that end.  Virginia did tell me that there is a large headstone in the graveyard at the church.  Since it was pouring rain the day I was there, I must have missed it when I made a quick tour of the headstones.

If you are in the area and could photograph the Rahilly headstone (it may even be possible that the stone is in Irish) and could send it to me or at least send the information inscribed on the stone, I would greatly appreciate it.   My email address is: pegod@comcast.net

Thanks so much for your help.  I hope this message is not too long - or too confusing.  There are many names and places included.  Thanks again.

Peg

Hi Peg,

I sent you an email with some information a few days ago - just wondering if you received it.

Hello Peg,

This link popped up on my email a few months ago quite unexpectedly. It has taken me a while to get to it.

My great great grandmother was Bridget Rahilly from Ardataggle. She married a Matthew Gleeson from Clonlara, Co Clare in the Bridgetown parish church on 22nd February 1835. I have no information about Matthew Gleeson - he presumably died in Clonlara, but no trace. Bridget Rahilly came to Australia with 3 of her children (2 sons and a daughter) in the late 1850s, as 2 sons were already here. She lived with her daughter after she married and died in the late 1870s at a good age. According to her death certificate she had 7 children, 2 of whom were deceased at the time of her death.

I went to Clare and had a look about for the Rahillys back in about 2012 and spoke to Michael McGrath. And also to his aunt Virginia Meylor in Waterford (by phone). I think that original Rahilly line all but died out - there was an uncle of Michaels who had lived as a single man in London for many years and he died there maybe in the 2000's? I had also heard there was a num maybe from the previous generation who had not that long before died at a good age, maybe down in Cork.

However from all I have been able to ascertain the Rahilly descendants who were in the store/pub in Bridgetown were the offspring of my GGMs sibling.

I dont know the exact connection, but there is a small ruined chapel of St Senan in the 'demense' at Doonass close the Shannon River, and a nice little graveyard. In the outside wall at the altar end of the chapel is a large and recently made (last 20 years?) granite slab marking the burial site of maybe 3 Rahilly's. I was never able to track down more about that grave. But I daresay these persons would also be related to the Ardataggle family.

Anyways i have often mused as to whether I would ever some across any of the Rahilly descendants from Ardataggle family and you are definitely one!!

Laurence Gleeson, Killarney, Victoria, Australia.

Hello Laurence,

I do believe that we are "cousins" but have yet to really determine our exact connection.  My great grandmother was Margaret Rahilly and I believe she was born about 1842 though I have yet to find a record of her birth. I'm guessing this date because her age listed on her death record shows 47 years old in 1889. Of course, we all know that all documents from that time, and later, rarely show accurate dates. Not everyone kept track of their birthdays.  Using these dates, it does appear that your great, great grandmother might have been an aunt of my great grandmother. There are too many years between them to be siblings.

I, too, was in Clare a few years ago (actually we go quite often) and went to the house in Ardataggle where the Rahilly family lived.  We met the man who now owns the house and farm and he showed us around. He is in the process of renovating it.  He gave us the name of Michael McGrath in Killaloe who he thought was related to the Rahillys. We didn't have time to meet with him but I wrote to him when I returned home to the USA.  Michael did not respond, however he did pass my letter on to his aunt and I did get a phone call from Virginia (though I didn't get her last name at the time).  She proceeded to tell me that she was 85 years old at that time and her maiden name was Rahilly. She was born and raised in the family home in Ardataggle.  She also explained that her sister was a nun who spent most of her life in the missions around the world.  At the time of the phone call, the nun was retired and living in a retirement / nursing home in Waterford or Cork.    Virginia, who seems to be quite a character from our phone conversation, told me that she had worked with a historian to learn her family history.  She said that she would look for it and send me a copy of the information that they had compiled.  Unfortunately, I have never received the info.  I never got her last name or address so I planned to contact Michael McGrath next time we visit Clare.  At this point, it looks like we might return there in Fall of 2018.

I am traveling right now but when I return home to Florida I will look to see what additional info I might have that might connect our families.   I am thinking that another one of my ancestors married a Catherine Gleeson (or Gleason) from Clonlara.  Have you found the name Nihill or Fitzgerald in your tree?  I will let you know what I have found.

Thanks for your message. It is always fun to make connections - especially ones that might add to the family tree!!

Peg O'Donnell

The Villages, Florida, USA

Well that is a very pleasing reply to read. Thanks Peg!!

I will go through my photographs and see if I can find a picture of the crypt in the chapel wall at St Senan's.

I will also look at the other bits of information I have about the Rahilly connection and pass that on. But also interested to find that you think there was another Rahilly-Gleeson connection with Catherine. Is that from records of immigrants to the USA? Would be fascinated to get more of that from your end.

As I recall there was the store in the town that maybe a later generation of the Rahilly family had and there was the farm plot just outside the town. My recollection is that there is no longer a house on that farm plot - but aI may have been looking at the wrong one?

All the best,

Laurence Gleeson

Hi Laurence,

According to census (1901 and 1911 I believe) the Rahilly family did indeed have a shop along with some land.  Well, the "shop" was actually a pub.  It was located on the first floor of the home and the family lived on the second floor.  When we were in Clare in 2015, I took photos of the house and one of the Rahilly headstone in the church graveyard across the street from the home. When we spoke to the young man who was renovating it, he took us inside the building and pointed out the original stone walls and the stairwell going up to the second floor.  Since he lived there as a child, he also remembered the layout of the pub area as well.  I am going to attempt to attach photos and hopefully they will go through this site. If not, perhaps you could send me an email address and I can forward them that way.  

I do have a public tree on Ancestry (Mullin Family Tree - or you can search by my name PEGOD)  There may be some Rahilly info there that could help.  Its not much but I'm still working on it.  As I mentioned, when I return home, I will see what information I have about the Gleeson marriage.  I just can't remember any details at the moment.

Please let me know if you do get the photos.

Peg

Thanks Peg.

I have been looking at my notes from my Rahilly scouting in 2013 and I did not take enough information down to be able to back track some of this stuff. Pity as it was likely my only chance to record it.

Look forward to what you find out. I had an Ancestry account and closed it a few years back when I was not using it enough to warrant the monthly bill!!

Best wishes,

Laurence Gleeson.

Hello Laurence,

I have done a little more research since I returned home and came up with some information. I'm not sure if this will help or if it will confuse things a bit more.  I mentioned earlier that I thought there was some Gleeson connection (I thought to the Rahilly family).  However, in checking, I see that Catherine Gleeson from Mackstown married my grandmother's brother, Patrick Nihil in the RC Chapel of Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare in February 1905. 

So, hopefully you can follow this...  My great grandmother - Margaret Rahilly - married Patrick Nihil in Bridgetown church in 1870.  Their son - Patrick Nihil - married Catherine Gleeson in Sixmilebridge in 1905.

I still don't know if this Catherine Gleeson is in any way connected to your family.   Yesterday, I did receive a message from my cousin who still owns and lives on the Nihil farm and he confirmed that his grandmother, Catherine Gleeson did come from Mackstown.  I also don't know where exactly Mackstown is located but I'm trying to find out.  The Nihil farm is located not far from Sixmilebride, Clonlara and Bridgetown.

Hope this doesn't confuse you more. Irish genealogy is confusing enough!!

Peg

Hi Peg,

I doubt that there would be a connection between my ancestors and Catherine Gleeson married to Patrick Nihil. I could not find a Mackstown but there is a Maxtown in Kilkenny so I figured that is where Catherine came from. But your cousin Patrick might have more details. Any family history on how that couple happened to meet, because Kilkenny is a bit far away for local travel.

I am going to try to upload a picture of the Rahilly vault at St Senans Chapel in Doonass, by the banks of the Shannon. I wonder if this chapel might have been the local fallback when the church in Clonlara become the Church of Ireland - it was burned down at some point.

So this original vault was paid for by a John Rahilly from Limerick back in 1844 and there are two brothers there as well as father. This would suggest that perhaps the Rahilly family had strong connections to this area. And it seems that one of the next generation from Bridgetown (Patrick) chose to be buried there are well. I guess one would need to do a bit of research to find out if there were records of the family farming there in the past. If you could ask your McGrath connection if he knows anything about that, or maybe he could ask his aunt Virginia.

Best regards,

Laurence Gleeson

Peg

I grew up Close to Clontra, and I have done a family tree which involves the Rahillys and Nihils. My e mail is williamignatius56@gmail.com. I have attached  a screen print of that part if it is a help.

William