more DONOVANs from Clonakilty

[Westozi]

My 2xg grandfather was TIMOTHY DONOVAN, said to have been born in Clonakilty in 1833. He migrated to Australia in 1857. On marriage/death certificates his parents names are JOHN DONOVAN and MARY KUHANE.  Siblings (apparently) are Daniel (b.1835), Mary (b.1842) and Michael all of whom seem also to have migrated to Oz.  Love to find a baptism for Timothy or more info about his parents - anything, really! The family were Roman Catholics and I'm assuming they were quite poor.

We have a letter written by Timothy's nephew who visited Clonakilty during WWI trying to find members of the family and mentions going to "Virgin Mary's Bank" - was this where the family had once lived?  We don't know.  ANY help would be wonderful!

Regards
Ann

[skibbgirl]

There are a Tim Donovan born 1830 and a Daniel Donovan born 1833 to John Donovan and Mary Keohane in the RC parish of Roscarbery & Lissevaird:

http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/0e8aab0256482

http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/ce1a970257385

I did not look for other siblings. 

Also, there is a risk that there could be other couples with the same names in the same area around the same time, so more research will be required.  Another caveat: not all available records are online, and there are more due to come online in September. 

Garranagoleen is in the barony of Ibane & Barryroe in the civil parish of Kilkerranmore.

There are Keoghanes and Donovans in that townland in Griffith's Valuation:

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNameSearch&PlaceID=330115&county=Cork&barony=Ibane%20&%20barryroe&parish=Kilkerranmore&townland=Garranagoleen

[Westozi]

Gosh, that was a quick reply!  Thank you.  I hate to sound ignorant but would Keoghane/Keohane sound something like Kuhane when Anglicised?!
Ann

[skibbgirl]

To the best of my knowledge, I think the local pronunciation makes it sound like Q-hane.

[arnhem44]

Hi Ann,Virgin Mary's Bank is the name given to the headland at the southern most point of Inchydoney Island about three miles from Clonakilty,the island is connected to the mainland by causeways.The Island would of had very few inhabitants if any at that time.The Irish census records are online and free to search from this link http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/  .Also Google maps will show Inchydoney and if you look at where the hotel is positioned then Virgin Mary's Bank is directly in front of this.
Regards
Brendan

[kevmac90]

Hi -
I have a Keohane family in Boston that may very well be from this area.  I think I found them in Inchydoney in the 1901 census (Michael Keohane / Nora Donovan).  On the passenger records of one brother and Naturalization records of another, they merely said they were from Island, Clonakilty, Cork.  Does that sound right for this area?

These Keohane's actually ended up in Cambridge MA and their first stop upon arrival was a home owned by Donovan's married to Hurley's.
thx
Kevin

[arnhem44]

Hi Kevin,
The only time I've ever heard of the Island been used as a place name in Clonakilty always referred to  Inchydoney as far as I'm aware, in all my time living here I've never heard anywhere else been referred to as the island so your probably right with the Keohane family you've found on the census records in your research. The island itself had few inhabitants as can be seen from the census records and many of these would have been tenant farmers up to a certain time.
Regards
Brendan

[Westozi]

Hi Kevin and Brendan
Thanks Brendan.  It’s always good to get local knowledge about an area - I’m from West Australia and I’m presuming Kevin is in the US.
Regarding my Donovan/Keohane family, the son Timothy migrated to Australia in 1857 and his siblings (Daniel, Michael and Mary) either at the same time or a year or so apart.  Their births range from 1833 to 1842 (so far as I can tell from marriage and other certificates).
I did a search of that first link given to me by SKIBGIRL, by putting in the parents names (John Donovan and Mary Keohane) and found with 27 children born to parents with those names!  Dates or birth range from 1820 to 1873 – a 53 year span!  The only conclusion to be reached is that there was more than one set of parents/family with the same names.
Your Keohanes, Kevin, may well be related to my Mary Keohane.  You didn’t give the year of birth so it’s hard to tell but with families using the same Christian names generation after generation, it makes it difficult for family historians to figure things out!
Regards
Ann
 

[kevmac90]

Hello Ann -
I have irish relatives in Australia, but thru my O'Sullivan line.  Most of my Irish came to the States and primarily to the Boston area.

Anyways - I have spent some time with these Keohane (and the variable spellings including Cuhane) over the weekend and it appears this Keohane family is from The Island.  Not only did I find some of the younger siblings in the 1901 census, but I found baptismal records on irishgenealogy.com that say "Island".  I am almost certain this is the Keohane family I found in Cambridge MA. 

I should note, I am only related to this Keohane family thru marriage.  I will list the family below - but Patrick Keohane married Mary Ellen Hurley from Ballymacshoneen in Cambridge MA - she being a sister to my great grandfather Daniel Hurley.  The reason I was tracing out this family is because when these Hurley's, Keohane's and Donovan's (I will explain) arrived in the US, they all used the same addresses: 13 Fourth St, 20 Bristol St, or 6 Bristol St in Cambridge.  I assumed they were all related, or at the very least knew each other in Cork.

A Timothy Donovan who married a Mary Hurley owned 13 Fourth St.  A Jeremiah Donovan (a brother to Timothy Donovan I believe) who married a Nora Hurley owned 20 Bristol.  A Keohane family also lived at 20 Bristol.  A Keohane family also owned 6 Bristol.

The Keohane family from Island was:

Michael Keohane b. ~1831
Nora Donovan b. 1849

Looks like they married in July 1863

Known/probable children were:
Margaret 1864
John 1867 (migrated to Cambridge)
Nelly b. 1868
Laurence b. 1872 (in Ireland 1901)
Michael b. 1874 (migrated to Cambridge)
Kate b. 1877 (in Ireland 1901)
Patrick b. 1878 (migrated to Cambridge)
James b.1885 (in Ireland 1901, migrated to Cambridge)
Phillip b. 1889 (in Ireland 1901)

These are the children I know of. 

These families are all from West Cork.  I am not certain how they are related other than possibly thru the Donovan's - who I know the least about.  The Hurley's are from Ballymacshoneen.  The Keohane's are from The Island.  I have the various Donovan families traced in Boston....but not sure where they came from, other than Cork.