Athy Registration District

[Pennines]

Can anyone tell me please if Athy Registration District has always been just that.

I am wondering if it changed in 1920s as I cannot find births I was expecting to see there for my father in law's many siblings. I am simply trying to put them in birth order on my family tree and as far as I know the family lived in Monasterevin throughout.

Many thanks.

[Maggsie]

Hi,
Well, it seems to depend on where you were born, sorry. Athy town is near to County Carlow and County Laois. We go to Athy every year and we know the area.
If you give the names I maybe able to help.
Maggsie

[Pennines]

Maggsie - thank you SO much for responding.

I will come back to you with the names, have to go out - but wanted to acknowledge your reply.

Many thanks.

[Pennines]

Hi again Maggsie,

Thank you so much for offering to help if you can. However I don't want you to go to ANY trouble with this. All I am trying to do is to put my father in law's siblings on my husband's family tree, in their order of birth (so it's not critical).

All of them, including my father in law - have passed away.
All are children of Richard Dowling and Deborah Mcloughlin (McLaughlin) who married in 1912 in Athy Registration District.

Both the bride and groom were from Monasterevin, which is where we thought that they remained.
They had at least the following known children;

Mary 1913 Athy
Kathleen (may have been registered as Kate) 1914 Athy
Michael 1918 (Athy)
Bridie (possibly Bridget?) - maybe 1921/1923/1924? Athy
Eileen
Borah (probably Deborah) - possibly 1926 Athy
Liam (known to be younger than Michael)
Una (known to be the youngest sibling possibly registered as Elizabeth (!) 1930 Athy)

There was another son, John or Joseph who sadly died aged about 9 or 10 in an accident with a cart.

I cannot see any birth registration for Eileen or Liam in Athy unless I am missing something. There is a Liam registered in Dublin South - maybe this is he. However the birth of 'Elizabeth' in 1930, with the correct mother's maiden name -- is back in Athy.

If you can spot anything I've overlooked for Eileen or Liam Dowling I would be very grateful - but don't take up too much of your time with it.

Regards

[Sinann]

James 15 Dec 1912
http://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details-civil/ee8b8a0203596
Mary 20 March 1913
http://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details-civil/d5781c0176625
Kate 24 March 1914
http://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details-civil/23828b0076614

Elizabeth 1930
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F1QM-WJ4

The only one's I can see with the mother's surname listed.

Liam is likely to be William, several to choose from
Eileen may be Helen
maybe this one
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F195-K3J
several Michael's one in 1918.
several Bridget's
one Deborah 1926 although also there as Dawling
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F1SZ-FM6

[Pennines]

Sinann - thank you for going to this trouble.

I hadn't seen the James at all and no-one has ever mentioned a James. I am wondering if this was the one who died in an accident - but can't immediately see a death for him.

Mary is correct born 1913 (amazingly she never married and was an intestacy case. I had to obtain her birth certificate - no-one had heard of her previously either!)

Michael is correct born Aug 1918 (he's my father in law).

Liam had always been known as Liam. I had never realised that it was a shortened version of William before! I can see it now after all these years! In England they get shortened to Bill mainly - heaven knows why. So thank you for that.

Eileen - a mystery - always known as Eileen, mind you Elizabeth was always known as Una - but I knew her married name and she married as Elizabeth. She died as Una!

Oh the joys of Irish research!
Thank you very much indeed for your help.

[Sinann]

Liam is Irish for William, it quite common in Ireland for people to be 'officially' the English version of their name but know by the Irish version.
I have two siblings who use the Irish version but everything official has to be in the English version, it probably seems weird but we are so used to it here we take it for granted.

[Pennines]

I am really glad you have told me that. I honestly had never known that Liam was short for William.

It's true what you say. We do take things that we have accepted all our lives for granted, assuming that everyone else knows.

Nowadays Liam is a name in it's own right of course. (I have always liked it actually).

[Pennines]

Sinann,

I just thought I would give you an update on the James Dowling you kindly found for me.

My husband's cousin has discovered a Memorial Card for James amongst his own deceased father's paperwork. However the cousin hadn't heard of James either.
James died 23 December 1943 (aged 33 - bit out) but whether this was World War 11 we don't know at the minute.

According to the Irish Genealogy website he was born in December 1912 -- yet Mary, whose birth certificate I have, was born March 1813. (Although on her death cert her birth was exactly 1 year out and shown as 1914 - but the same day and month as her birth cert)

It's therefore possible that 2 male Dowlings married 2 female McLoughlins. Maybe 2 brothers marrying 2 sisters.

Anyway - I have sent for the birth cert for James to see whats what!

You were correct about Liam -- he WAS really William and born Q/E June 1922.