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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Kerry => Topic started by: dragonlady403 on Tuesday 31 January 17 15:28 GMT (UK)

Title: Burials in Kerry
Post by: dragonlady403 on Tuesday 31 January 17 15:28 GMT (UK)
I will be heading to Kerry in a few weeks and have a fair bit of information about two branches of my family.  What I haven't yet identified is where they were buried. 

Is it still necessary to contact the local priest e.g. Castleisland and Killarney to obtain that information?  It must be quite onerous for them if so.

Thanks for your help as always
Regards, Carol
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: ballydw on Tuesday 31 January 17 23:04 GMT (UK)
I will be heading to Kerry in a few weeks and have a fair bit of information about two branches of my family.  What I haven't yet identified is where they were buried. 

Is it still necessary to contact the local priest e.g. Castleisland and Killarney to obtain that information?  It must be quite onerous for them if so.

Thanks for your help as always
Regards, Carol
Hello Carol you could try www.historicgraves.ie (a work in progress ) so not all transcriptions/graveyards covered.  I also know that Kerry County Council has a database of burials in various cemeteries www.kerrycoco.ie   Good luck
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: myluck! on Wednesday 01 February 17 10:51 GMT (UK)
In some Irish towns the county councils now own the cemeteries and in others they are still privately owned
Contacting the local church will at least give you a point to start with
Local Gravediggers have a lot of knowledge that isn't written down
Also some people know where families are buried even if there isn't a headstone
Don't forget a quick word in the oldest pub etc. too!

My Granddad would always walk into the cemetery; he'd name who was where as he went to his parents' grave which was unmarked. We are unable to put up a stone as the rural cemetery that many of my family are buried in has records that go back to only the 1960s. There was a fire in the home of the Head Gravedigger.  He lived in a house attached to the cemetery which came with the job (as does the current Head Gravedigger). As they cannot state who is where they won't allow old graves be marked.
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: mikechristopher on Wednesday 01 February 17 11:47 GMT (UK)
Take a look on http://www.kerrylaburials.ie/en/Browse.aspx

There are a lot of graveyards listed on there and may find some records. 

If they are from Castleisland - I know it well and are quite a few graveyards in the local area.

This map will also help give you the names to search against: http://atomik.kerrycoco.ie/map_pages/map_burial_grounds.htm

However you can just run the names your looking for through kerry burials and will return any they have listed.  Please note however this is not all of them from what I have seen so you may still need to speak to local church/graveyards as per required.
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: dragonlady403 on Wednesday 01 February 17 13:11 GMT (UK)
Thanks very much everyone.  I'm not having a lot of success finding any "rellies" grave sites on the Kerry County or the HistoricGraves sites.

I think I am going to have to work more from a geographic perspective... i.e. they were all RC and would have been buried in the nearest graveyard to the church or the town? 

For the Murphy's I know for sure they were from CastleIsland.  So I assume St Stephens Church?  If that is any help at all to nail down the likely graveyard in the early to mid 1800"s?

For the O'Connors - I am still unable to nail down the exact town but working on that.  All I know for sure is they lived approx 7 miles from Killarney.  Patrick b 1818 d 1878 married Ellen Fenighty (Fenton) or various other spellings -also b around 1818.  They were also RC

MYLUCK  - I take your point on local knowledge!  I will write to the church and definitely try to meet some local folk..my husband would certainly not be adverse to sharing a Guinness (or two or three!) for the cause.
Regards, Carol

Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: myluck! on Wednesday 01 February 17 13:37 GMT (UK)

MYLUCK  - I take your point on local knowledge!  I will write to the church and definitely try to meet some local folk..my husband would certainly not be adverse to sharing a Guinness (or two or three!) for the cause.
Regards, Carol

Enjoy!  ;)
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: Sinann on Wednesday 01 February 17 18:55 GMT (UK)
You have to keep in mind they may not have headstones, many couldn't afford them, and RC churches didn't all keep burial records.
They may be interned in a grave with only later generations marked on the headstone.

One set of my great grandparents only got a head stone when their youngest daughter died, no one earlier than them is on a headstone although it almost certain they are buried in the same grave. Similar story for the other great grandparents.
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: dragonlady403 on Wednesday 01 February 17 19:46 GMT (UK)
Ok Sinaan, thanks for that heads-up.  That makes sense... I located English gr gr grandparents who were in unmarked graves in Gloucestershire so I can certainly understand how that might be the case in Ireland, especially given the times.

Regards, Carol
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: mikechristopher on Thursday 02 February 17 08:13 GMT (UK)
For the Murphy's I know for sure they were from CastleIsland.  So I assume St Stephens Church?  If that is any help at all to nail down the likely graveyard in the early to mid 1800"s?
St Stephens & St Johns Church in Church St was built in 1884 and I don't believe there is any graves on site - Don't recall seeing any anyway.

St Stephens Church in Church Lane was built in 1840 but remains there going back to about 1600s.  There are some graves on site there.

The main graveyards that were used were the Kilbannivane graveyards (Maher, Pembroke, Old & St Johns) and dependant on where abouts in Castleisland they lived it could have spurred out to the Cordal, Currow or even Knocknagoshel ones.  You may find it difficult to trace back graves from early to mid 1800s as they may not be in a good state due to erosion and therefore not transcribed - or like it was said previously a lot of people couldnt afford headstones and therefore just didnt have them.  I know a lot of my family in Castleisland didn't.

Another good place to check is http://www.kerryburials.com/ this gives a map of the graveyards and pictures of the graves there.  Have you managed to find the death records of these people as it may help understand where they were recorded as having died.

For the O'Connors - I am still unable to nail down the exact town but working on that.  All I know for sure is they lived approx 7 miles from Killarney.  Patrick b 1818 d 1878 married Ellen Fenighty (Fenton) or various other spellings -also b around 1818.  They were also RC
Have you managed to find the Marriage details of this couple?  That would help point you on your way - am guessing not as of yet as you would know where they were from initially.  There were lots of O'Connors about as im sure you will know so again may be a difficult one to trace back.

If you havent found the marriage could it be this one?  http://www.rootschat.com/links/01jeu/

Firies is not far from Farranfore - about 9-10 miles out from Killarney.
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: dragonlady403 on Thursday 02 February 17 16:01 GMT (UK)
MIKECHRISTOPHER;
Thanks very much for that information!  I wrote recently to the parish pries at the SS Stephen & John Church... I didn't realise there was another St Stephens!  Is that still operating?  Should I also write to that Parish priest separately ?

Re the gravesites  - that makes it a bit more difficult.  I assumed the older graveyard would be near the church.  I have check various sources for RC graveyards in the 1800's around CastleIsland - but there seems to have been quite a few in the area which, frankly, I find surprising for such a small town. Not sure how best to approach that one frankly.

That being said... I do believe Timothy Murphy latterly resided at #1 Pound Street in CastleIsland.  They also seem to have rented land for a forge in that area as well I think. I also think Timothy Murphy b before 1831 may have died 1887.  But that is still speculative at the moment.  Frankly, I am not particularly confident in my details - but they seem plausible.

Re the O'Connors - yes I think that is the corrrect marriage information for Patrick and Ellen "Fenton". The problem is it provides little information (although I note Firies is the location which is definitely likely and seems to validate the data I have already!). It is also helpful to have  Ellen's mother's name.
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: mikechristopher on Thursday 02 February 17 23:18 GMT (UK)
No problem at all

Did you manage to get a response from them?  I have emailed a couple of times but got no response - haven't yet tried good old fashion letter.

St Stephens is no longer operating and just found it was last used as a church in 1964.  It was then resurrected to become an arts centre.  http://www.rootschat.com/links/01jf1/

The church does have a graveyard albeit I dont believe it could have catered for everyone in the town so apart from the Kilbannivane grave yards (not sure when they first started off) not sure where else everyone was buried as not managed to get back to early 1800s on my Castleisland links as of yet.

Do you mean Pound Road?  It wouldn't surprise me that they would have rented land elsewhere as would have had no land on Pound Road as right next to the main street - in fact St Stephens Church would have been near enough right behind the house.

With regards to the O'Connors - it does provide little information unfortunately  - the only way to get more information would be to contact the Parish and hope you can manage to get more out of them.  The names listed on there are not necessarily parents - they were just witnesses however with the names matching its likely they are relatives somehow - maybe siblings etc. Its difficult to know.  Unfortunately even looking back at the nli scan its the only names given as per attached.
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: dragonlady403 on Friday 03 February 17 13:12 GMT (UK)
Yes sorry they lived at #1 Pound Road and records seem to indicate Tim Murphy rented 2-3 properties including a forge, which may haven been for his son's use.

I mailed the letter to the priest this week so would anticipate he would have it by Wed.  We  will see how it goes.

I think I am going to put up a separate post for the O'Connor's because I need more information about the area as well.

I wonder if the CastleIsland Library might have more loca info re burials etc?

Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: mikechristopher on Monday 06 February 17 09:43 GMT (UK)
Certainly no harm in asking! I could never quite understand why there were so many graveyards around - I know most recent family ones of mine have been buried in Kilbannivane - St Johns (seems to be mainly new graves in there).  So would be interesting to know if they used certain ones across certain years etc or if it was just a case they ran out of room so opened another one. 

Let me know how you get on as have a wealth of family links to this area even now so am interested :)
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: dragonlady403 on Monday 06 February 17 12:33 GMT (UK)
I will keep plugging away at it and let you know how I get on!  Any Murphy's in your lot from Castleisland?
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: mikechristopher on Monday 06 February 17 12:39 GMT (UK)
I have a few but not from around Castleisland - some from Knocknagoshel and some Cork.

I do however have quite a few O'Connors but none from Firies way as far as im aware.
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: dragonlady403 on Monday 06 February 17 12:46 GMT (UK)
 ;D OK - I will follow up with the library to see if they have anything that might be helpful.
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: catherinelawrence on Friday 17 March 17 16:28 GMT (UK)
I recently saw your information re Kerry Graveyards and had a look at the site . My great grandmother came from Ballylongford . Her family name was Scanlan I have searched the site at Aghavallan and Lislaughtin Abbey but note they are all from 1960 . Do you know if there are any much earlier burial records please ?I did visit there a few years ago but did not have any luck tracing any relatives
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: dragonlady403 on Friday 17 March 17 18:39 GMT (UK)
Hi Catherine - sorry I don't have any more information on this topic really.  Finding burial records in Ireland can be a real challenge...It might be more helpful for you to post your specific request separately?
Title: Re: Burials in Kerry
Post by: dragonlady403 on Friday 03 March 23 23:48 GMT (UK)
Paying it forward---

I know this is about 5 years on (I'm nothing if not dogged), but I wanted to let anyone who is interested know -- today I downloaded a 34 page document called Archaeological Survey,
Kilbannivane Graveyard, Castleisland, Co. Kerry from 2012. 

It is for the "Old Kilvannivane Cemetery and  LISTS THE NAMES IN GRAVESITES (those that are known, or haven't been destroyed for some reason).

The document is located at this URL:
https://www.kerrycoco.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Kilbannivane-Graveyard-Castleisland-Co-Kerry.pdf

If anyone is unable to download it - let me know and I will be happy to send it to you.