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My Grandmother was a Perry from Kilkeel and there are still Perrys in Kilkeel.

There are no census records for Ireland prior to 1901 as they were destroyed in Dublin by fire in 1922 along with the Church of Ireland records. The Perrys were members of the Mourne Presbyterian Church and records were not kept before 1839/40 also the Kilkeel Presbyterian Church has no records before 1840. Civil marriage records started 1845, births and deaths 1865.
By not having these records it makes it nearly impossible to tie the various Perry families together in Kilkeel.

I have a DNA match with the McCavours (known in Kilkeel as McCaver or McAver) family of Lorneville posslibly through the McKnights or William Perry and his wife Jane Moore who also lived in Lorneville and was from Kilkeel whose daughter Elizabeth married James McCavour in 1858.

Have you read Shane Galbraith's 'The History of Lorneville and First Families?'

Hi, Ella was my step aunt, her mother Eliza Ann nee Bingham died shortly after Ella's birth from what was called in those days child birth fever. My mother was Matha Jeanetta (Jean) McCulla) the daughter of Johnny Robert's second wife Minnie Perry.

Ella used to stay with my mother in Kilkeel when I was a lad and I visisted Ella in Grantham in the early 70's at her house which if I remember was a railway cottage.
Of Ella's siblings only Jim (Thomas James) had a family all daugthers who are all still living.
With regards to official adoption I think it would be doubtful as it was common for relatives to take on children as happened in grandfather's case in Birmingham. The official register only started in Northern Ireland around 1930.
I am presently researching the McCulla's going back to about 1800 and have already done search on the Bingham's and Perry's.
If I can be of any help please let me know.

Richard