Prendergasts in Ballylooby, Tipperary

TassieGirl:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I think the reason why you can't locate a record for Mary is that the baptismal records for Ballylooby start May 25 1828 and Mary was likely baptized before that date. Here is a link to the parish register https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1094  so you can look for her baptismal record.

Roger McDonnell

Wow! That was quick.

I wasn't aware of that detail so thanks very much for the link. I will have a good look through the earlier parish records in the hope that Mary was a teeny bit older than she let on.

Cheers.

Hallo again

I've now been through the microfilm of the parish register and had no trouble finding all of the other baptisms for Michael Prendergast and Bridget Murphy as transcribed & indexed on findmypast but still no Mary.

As Roger McDonnell has suggested it is perfectly possible she was baptized before the register started in May 1828.

But at the bottom of the first page of the register, dated 30 May 1828, there is written something that could be 'Prendergast' which does not seem to belong to the previous entry. If there's anyone out there with experience in deciphering these registers who could have a look & provide an opinion - even to say it's just my imagination - I would be very grateful. I've attached a screenshot of the page to this message.

And what a lot of Prendergasts there were in Ballylooby at the time!

Cheers.

Tassie Girl:

Is it possible that the priest of the parish was Michael Prendergast?

Roger

Hi again Roger

You are probably right (again). Michael Prendergast was indeed the curate at Ballylooby for a time and I've seen his name against baptisms a few years later (1834-36) but had not seen it as early as 1830.

Jolly inconvenient that he should have exactly the same name as the husband in the couple I am stalking!

He seems to have been a local boy too, buried in Tubbrid in 1847 so could even have been related to the Ballylooby Prendergasts.

Thanks again for your help.

Hi TassieGirl,

There is a long-shot chance that your Michael Prendergast and Bridget Murphy are related to my family. Have you had your dna tested by ancestry? I have and we could check for that connection.

My Bridget Murphy is the youngest daughter of Edmund and Margaret Murphy (nee Scully) of the Cashel area, not far away from your ancestral area. I don't know who my Bridget Murphy married, but I do know that Prendergasts are related to my Murphy family in Tipperary.  My Bridget Murphy was born probably between about 1785 and 1795, probably in Cashel. I am a descendant of her older sister Elizabeth who married James Murphy of Cahir and they ran the Glengall Arms Hotel in the town square of Cahir, Tipparary. The Prendergast family were in and around Cahir, which is close to Ballylooby. The Prendergasts are mentioned several times in the Murphy family papers that are now in a collection in Thurles library (Tipperary local studies which is upstairs in Thurles library). If you send me an email lynstewart@netspace.net.au we could continue to try and track down the connection(s). One of the Pendergast descendants, Maurie Prendergast of Melbourne, has more information about his connections to his Tipperary ancestors. I could put you in contact with him if you like. Best wishes, Lyn Stewart (I live in the Gloucester area of NSW)

Hi Lyn

Thanks for your message. I've sent you an email direct as you suggested and hope we can continue the good work. Those Prendergasts were prolific in Ballylooby and there must be many, many more Murphys wherever you look!

Hi Tassy Girl, My ancestor Bridget Prendergast born c1820 married James O'Brien maybe under the name Margaret Prendergast 1840 Ballylooby and had children baptized in Ballylooby. Two known children Patrick and James O'brien came to Australia. Not sure if the rest of the family came. Bridget Prendergast  maybe connected to your family. I really dont have much more about her. But I am on Ancestry and have done the DNA if you are interested. Cindy  

Hello Tassie girl and Cinders,

I have not received an email rom you Tassie girl. I don't know your real names either. Mine is Lyn Stewart. My email is lynstewart@netspace.net.au

I would be happy to look at my dna results on ancestry to see if either of you are related. I look forward to an email from you. Regards, Lyn Stewart.

Hi Lyn & Cinders

Apologies to Cinders - I had somehow missed your message until Lyn re-posted.

If your Bridget Prendergast is from Ballylooby it's highly likely she is from the Prendergast family that I think, but can't be sure, is that of my Mary Prendergast. Interesting to think there might be other branches of the family in Australia in addition to my own.

I haven't taken the DNA test but thanks for your information. Will keep a look out for O'Briens popping up in the tree.

Lyn - I (Lisa Hutton) have emailed you separately - we were corresponding back in April but I've been a bit distracted since then.

cheers

ah yes, i do recall now...i re-found your email Lisa. i do return to this subject every now and again, so i'll have another think.

regards, lyn

Hi again Lyn

We're not having much luck here - your netspace address is refusing to accept emails from my personal email address (a problem that has arisen with netspace only in the last few weeks) so here is what I tried to send you yesterday:

Hi again Lyn

Finally had another look at what you sent me on the Murphys - too many other family history projects on the go.

The Bridget Murphy in that chart (whose sister Mary m Thomas Prendergast) died too young to be my Mary Prendergast's mother. There could well still be a connection but so far the Ballylooby Prendergasts and the Clonmel Prendergasts seem to be separate families.

My Mary ended up in Clonmel looking for work during the famine years but she wasn't from there originally. The best fit I've found so far is with Ballylooby but I can't be completely sure she was from there either - the joys of Irish research!

Cheers

Lisa