Flynn and Donohoe

[margnip2]

My Grandfather Philip Christopher Flynn was born at the end of 1899, his place of birth on his certificate is Swellen, County Cavan.  My mother, Aunts and Uncles all have said he came from Virginia, Co. Cavan.  Is Swellen in or near Virginia?

On the 1911 Dublin census it shows that the family moved about quite a lot as his father Patrick worked on the railway.  On this census it also states that my G. Grandfather and G. Grandmother, Kate nee Donohoe came from Cavan.  They had been married 13 yrs.

My problem is that I have not been able to find when and where they got married.  I have searched the records in Dublin and (unless I could not see the wood for the trees), I could not find them.

Can anyone help

[aghadowey]

Swellen Upper and Lower both in Urney civil parish, Cavan Poor Law Union.
Virginia is in Lurgan Parish, Oldcastle Poor Law Union.

[margnip2]

Thanks for that aghadowey.

I have now found a marriage record of what I think may be my G Grandfathers and mothers marriage.  The date is, when cross referenced with the 1911 Dublin census correct.  This is a church record that I found on a Cavan Genealogy site - www.cavan.brsgenealogy.com.  There is not much more information apart from the names of both fathers of Kate and Patrick.  Which in both cases is Philip.  Also the names of the witnesses. 

Kate is said to be living in Pullamore and Philips' address is M.G.W. Railway.  Could anyone enlighten me as to Philips' address.  Will look up Pullamore.

Will I be able to find a record of this in Dublin?

[aghadowey]

MGW Railway is Midland Great Western Railway. This might be of interest since it gives a Cavan-Dublin link (under Conveyances):
www.libraryireland.com/UlsterDirectory1910/Belturbet.php

See www.thecore.com/seanruad for finding townlands in Ireland. Be sure to change default setting from exact match to search for part of a name.

Not sure what you mean "will I be able to find a record of this in Dublin?" What record are you hoping to find in Dublin?

If you are referring to the marriage record the actual certificate will list names of bride and groom, marital status, whether of full age, residence at time of the marriage, occupations, names and occupations of fathers, names of two witnesses, date and place of marriage and name of officiant.

[margnip2]

Thanks.  Yes I was referring to the marriage cert.  I have looked for the marriage cert before in Dublin, but had no luck finding it and although the record I found last night gives me a date it would have been nice if it had the name of the church on it.

Patrick Flynns worklife on the railways is an interesting one.  When my grandfather was born Patricks occupation was as a Railway Employee.  Using other birth certificates from Patricks other children he was a Railway Ganger, Railway Foreman, in 1907 he was a Ganger with N.G.W.R.  But then in 1908 0n his daughters birth certificate he has put Farmer as his occupation.  On the 1911 census he is again a Railway Ganger, but by the time my granddad got married in 1924 Patricks' occupation was put as a Railway Inspector. 

From his marriage to his death the family lived in Co. Cavan, Co Meath.Co Roscommon, Co Galway till they settled in Dublin.  He put his place of birth on the 1911 census as Co. Cavan, but as yet have found no record of his birth.

[margnip2]

Have made mistake as to the 1911 census.  Patrick Flynn and his family were not in Dublin but Co Galaway  

This research can really send you in a spin

[aghadowey]

If Patrick's family also moved around alot it's possible that the put Co. Cavan for his birthplace in 1911 census because he remembered living there from his earliest memories and thought that's where he'd been born.

[margnip2]

Sorry must not be making things clear

Patrick Flynn and Kate Donohoe are my Great Grandparents.  Patrick would have been born c 1861 and Kate would have been born c 1873.

My Granddad Philip Flynn was born 1899.

It is Patrick and Kate that I am trying to find out more about.  On the 1911 census it says that they were both born in Co. Cavan.

Unfortunately I will not be able to visit Ireland now until next year and it is very frustrating as Patrick and Kate Flynn are proving to be very hard to find information on

But thank you for your help, much appreciated

[jjcaffrey]

Even though you can't visit Ireland until next year, you can visit the web site of the GRO -> http://www.gro.ie/fees.htm. The Cavan office has been very helpful to me in the past. (Addresses and phone numbers at the bottom of the page.)

I suspect that the marriage record you found at the IFHF site also had a Parish/District included. That's a clue as to where Kate likely lived, since they probably were married in her Parish. You could request the civil marriage record from the GRO since you know the date. They're pretty good at searching. It may not get you more than you already have, but you don't know without seeing it. It might at least have their ages. Older records sometimes just say Full Age or something to that effect, but hopefully an 1898/1899 record will have the ages.

You could also try for Kate (Catharine's) birth in 1873'ish, father Philip, mother unknown, but it might be better to hopefully confirm the age from the marriage record first.

Regarding your mother, aunts and uncles... My father, aunts and uncles all swore that my Grandfather was from Ballinamore, Co Leitrim.  I finally tracked down his birth record in Bawnboy, Co Cavan. My GGrandfather was a baker who also moved around quite a bit.  There were 5 children born in Arda, Bawnboy, Crossdoney and Granard. Eventually the family settled down in Ballinamore, when my Grandfather was about 15, but he never actually lived there. He was working with an uncle on the family homestead in Garrymore.  So don't let family lore get in the way. (btw, full disclosure, the GRO could not find a marriage record for my GGrandparents although I did find the church record info at IFHF.)

Good luck.
John