Looking for Maddigan / Madigan / Madden

Dear John: 

Thank you for your post to the Ireland Reaching Out message board.  You might be interested to know that the Ennis parish registers are available online through the Ennis Parish site.  The website link is here:  https://www.ennisparish.com/genealogy/ 

You may also find further information on the Clare Library website at:  http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/genealog.htm  You might note that the civil parish of Drumcliffe includes Ennis town. 

If you would like further information, please let me know.  I'm also involved in the Clare Roots Society, and I will copy this post to several members who may be able to assist further. 

All the best, 

Jane

Dear Jane,

Thank you very much for your reply and the information, I didn't know the Ennis parish records were on line. I will follow up on both sites you have mentioned and thank you for referring my enquiry on to the Clare Roots Society. This is a great organisation you are connected to.

Best wishes,

John.

Dear John: 

You're very welcome!  I have asked one of the Clare Roots members to take a look, but he was not able to find anything on the Ennis records.  It may be worth looking through the parish registers which are transcribed and listed in the Genealogy section of the Clare Library website.  If you have any difficulties, please let me know and I will try to help you.  The registers that you might look at which were located closely to Ennis is:  Kilraghtis.  Kilrush also appears to have a number of Madigan families.  .  It may be that this family only came into Ennis, but Mary was born in East Clare (where the Madden name is more prevalent).  Hogan is a more common surname throughout County Clare,and Maddigan was common in Ennis,but also in other parishes--Tulla and numerous families in the Kilrush (West Clare) area.  Keep me posted as to your progress and I will try to help you. 

All the best, 

Jane

Dear Jane,

I am slowly working through the links you suggested and thank you for the tip regarding the adjoining parishes, I hadn't thought of those. I noted the varied prevelence of the different variations in the spelling of the name also and that is obvious in my case as Mary was illiterate on arrival. On what we believe is her shipping arrival record she is Madigan, on her children's birth registration it is Madden and following what I believe is a creditable DNA match to her sister Catherine, who was Maddigan, all so confusing. 

Best wishes,

John.      

It occurs to me that Mary Madigan, the great grandmother of Johnanwin, may have been born in the town of Ennistymon and not Ennis !

Sadly the Church records for that parish before 1880 appear to have been lost. 

My great grandfather Patrick Madigan, a shoemaker by trade, born around 1844, lived there from his marriage ( circa 1863 ) till his death in 1903. The 1901  Census confirms that he was born in County Clare but, unfortunately, does not show the town or townland.The family grave in Ennistymon shows his mother's Christian name a Honorah.I have not been able to establish what her maiden name was.The certificate in respect of her death  on 8 Sept 1892 indicates that she was aged 75 years. The name of Honorah's husband, my great great (Madigan) grandfather is, as yet, unknown to me !

John Anwin and I may be distant cousins ? I have done the Ancestry DNA test but have not seen his name.

Brian McMahon

Hi Brian,

Sorry for the delay in replying, I had missed the email notification and just found it.

Unfortunately, as you will know, Patrick and Mary are very common names in the Maddigan and other Irish families and making sure you have the correct one can be difficult. 

I don't know very much about my GGGrandfather Patrick, but believe he was a farmer and dead prior to Mary's departure in 1853, with her youngest children Patrick and Mary, my paternal GGrandmother. GGGrandmother Mary died in Cobaw Victoria Australia in 1874 age 72, about 100Km from where I live. The only indication of the birthplace of Mary (1847 - 1931) is from her death certificate which states "Ennistown", which could have been heard as Ennistymon or as the town of Ennis, or several other similar town names. 

I have DNA tested with Ancestry and have a public tree on Ancestry, Anwin / Madden / Maddigan, which you should be able to view.

I will let you digest all that and add it to your research.

Cheers,

John Anwin.   

I am searching for the family of Mary Maddigan but it is not the one mentioned above. My Mary Maddigan was transported to Australia as a convict in 1848. She was born in 1831, possibly in Limerick, although her convict record says she comes from County Clare. She was transported for burning down a barn.

Hi Aussie:

You might look at the online database of Transportation of Convicts through the National Archives here:  https://www.nationalarchives.ie/article/penal-transportation-records-ireland-australia-1788-1868-2/

You should try to narrow down the search with more information here such as Mary's parents' names, siblings and any other information.  Please feel free to add it to this thread and we will try to help you.  

All the best,

Jane

Thank you Jane. I will explore.

Jenny Holmes - Australia

Hi Jennie:

If you want to reach me, you can email me at:  tulla@irelandxo.com

All the best,

Jane