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My grandmother Mary Anne Stones emigrated to the U.S. in December 1899 at the age of 19, sailing from Cobh. The passenger list says her last residence in Ireland was "Ballinderry." The Ballinderry (Baile an Doire) in question is a townland in Co. Westmeath, where her mother's relatives the Maguires are to be found in the 1901 census. It's just northeast of Moate.

How might she have traveled from Moate to Cobh, in 1899? There was no rail route I can find, not even via Dublin. The distance from Moate to Cobh is roughly 240km (150 miles). Google estimates it would take 43 hours of walking; presumably she didn't walk. But she was a farmer's daughter of limited means. What options were available to her?

Charles Bianconi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bianconi  had established horse-drawn carriage services by this time. There might have been routes from say Athlone to Limerick, and Limerick to Cobh. But I don't know what the routes were, or whether a farm girl could pay the fare. She traveled alone as far as I know. 

I'd appreciate hearing of any sources shedding light on overland travel around 1900. Thanks. 

A friend is looking for an ancestor: James M. Griffin was born 5 March 1827 in Dingle, according to family letters. We have not located a christening record at Irish Genealogy or FamilySearch, and so do not know the parents' names or the religious affiliation.

James emigrated to the U.S. in the first half of the 1840s. We believe his father and at least one sibling remained in Co. Kerry. We have not located a passenger list for his voyage.

James married prior to 1848. He married a Scottish lass (Mary Cochran) and earned his livelihood in North America in the woolen industry. He or his family may have had some connection with that industry prior to his departure, but we have no direct evidence of this. James and his wife had three children (Isabelle, Ida Ellen, & George), and he passed away in Tennessee in 1882.

Griffith's Valuation lists 50 or so Griffin families in the civil parish of Dingle, so that doesn't help.

We've run out of ideas about where to look, and would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

Griffith's Valuation (the AskAboutIreland version) lists 4 McGrath occupiers in the townland of Lisnagade, Aghaderg Parish, Co. Down: Thomas, James, Hugh, and Peter.

The 1911 census indicates our GGM was born Elizabeth McGrath in Lisnagade in 1833. It seems probable she was related somehow to one or more of these McGrath families. We haven't found a birth cert yet, though, so are unsure which (if any).

(Elizabeth married Peter O'Kane around 1855, and is listed as Elizabeth O'Kane, living in Antrim, in the 1901 and 1911 censuses.)

Any information on the McGrath's of Lisnagade would be appreciated.

I've hit a brick wall with regard to my great-grandfather, so I'm looking for clues. Here's something I found, but I don't know if it means anything.

My grandfather was James Carrol(l), and his father Henry Carrol. James was born about 1880 in New York, New York.  I went to the US Federal Census for that city & did exact searches in 1870 for "James Carrol" and "Henry Carrol".

This results in 32 for James, but only 4 for Henry. In addition, all 32 James were born in the US or Ireland, while one Henry was born in Deutschland. So "Henry Carrol" appears to be a relatively uncommon name for an Irish Catholic in New York in 1870.

Drawing on my limited knowledge of the history of the British Isles, I also recall that "Henry" is best known as the name of kings of England. Not what a good Irish Catholic would call his son??

I'm wondering if my Henry Carrol is perhaps not Irish Catholic after all. Or if it's a clue that he's from a particular part of Ireland. (Belfast?) Or that if his father was Irish Catholic, his mother wasn't?

All of this is highly conjectural, so I don't expect any firm answers, but I'd appreciate any comments.