Thank you Alan and Janette once again.
My father found that Richard was uncle/ Godfather to a Michael Lynch here in Ireland. Seems that he left Southampton for New Zealand on the day after Richard died. Eventually he returned back to Mohanagh to inherit the family farm a few years later.
I have yet to receive an acknowledgement of receipt from both Auckland and Wellington Offices. The lady I talked to over skype said that there was an automated system of reply so aside from my email not working as intended; ill call the Auckland Office again night when the time difference allows.
Alan, that would be quite something. Someone from the area would be amazing.
Finally, my great aunt remembers hearing that Richard got the idea of Australia/NZ from presumably his uncles who emigrated during/after the famine. I'm guessing he left sometime between 1885 and 1893 for Australia. His father Michael died before 1890 and his eldest brother John who was a sickly man died around the same time. I haven't got their death certs as the Registry Office here in Dublin is a total scam. For Skibbereen in one year, you might have 20 Michael McCarthys registered as dying. At 4 euro a search, it's expensive searching them all just to learn none are related.
