Hi Noells,
I have also been following this thread and although I don't have anything specific on your Egans, I do have a Coffey Family who were from Galway (which now appears to be likely around Whitegate, Clare). Two sons and perhaps others travelled to Australia and settled originally around the Amphitheatre and Avoca area. James and Patrick Coffey were both at one point Postmasters and Store owners and farmers and Patrick ran a Pub on the Moonambool Road.
I'm trying to find when they came from in Ireland, how they came out and on what ship, it looks like they came separately and James at least supposedly travelled from Melbourne to New York where many of the other family members had gone, and married, likely somebody he already knew, returning to Amphitheatre with his wife Eliza Hogan. She was from Clare and her father was a businessman named Michael.
During my reading, it appears that it wasn't uncommon for groups of people from a single area to migrate together for support and although most of the family appear to have headed to the New York, a few at least came to Victoria, to the less settled Victoria.
I just wanted to put this here so I have something to come back to as I'm still wading through my notes and research ideas, but I had a quick look at the wonderful link to the Clonrush Page and I can see some graves in the cemetery that I believe are the cousins of my Coffey brothers. So when I've done I'll be able to pop back and perhaps share some details.
Cheers for now
Karen
