Thank you to everyone who messaged me and helped me with my research. Your information has been very valuable. As work and family life took over, I didn't come back to the genealogy for a while, but got back in to it about a month back, concentrating on my father side (the Friary line is my maternal grandmother's side). Past couple of weeks, I began reviewing the Friary's again and have come across a bit of a conundrum.
The Bernard Friery you've directed me to Kiltaglassan, I do believe is related to my line and I think he may be my 4 x great grandfather- the father of Bernard Friary; grandfather of John Friary; g.grandfather of Bernard; g.g.grandfather of my grandmother Rose Friary.
I have solid links between John and his father Bernard- parish records from the Irish registers and the civil register from Irish heritage site. Townlands, names, occupations and dates match to other sources (census, registers of brothers and sisters). John's mother is listed as Anne- nee Smith, who dies in 1875, after the birth of Eliza. I know Bernard later goes on to marry Bridget Walsh, lives in Cornamuckla and has a son James (she already has a daughter, Kate Rehil).
In 1903, John's wife Rose (nee McKeon) dies in childbirth with James and her sister-in-law, Kate Tierney registers both her death and James birth (later, also James death). As I hadn't found a Kate Friary in relation to John, I traced her to find she had been married twice- first, Lynch and has a son from her 1st marriage, who still resides with her in the 1911 census.
I traced her 1st marriage, confirmed that her father is Bernard- however, her second marriage to Thomas Tierney says that her father was Patt! Her name is also spelled as Frioragh or Friaragh, which I've found was a common misspelling.
To confirm I have the right Kate/Catherine, I found her as the person who registered her mother and father in the 1851 census. She has her married name on their as Tierney (nee Friary) born in 1846. Parents- Bernard and Anne Friary- nee MaGovern!
For a while, I traced children of both the Anne Smith and McGovern- matched with townlands and Bernard's occupation and it appeared that Anne's name changed. Could this be the same Anne, I wonder?! Were the name Magovern/Mcgouran/Smith the same? Was it an English-Irish variation thing?!
So I traced Bernard and Anne SMITH's wedding- found it in 1856 in the Scrabby register....but Kate was born in 1846! Confirmed by the 1851 census AND her ages in the censuses. But not by the parish register- I can't seem to find her baptism. Bernard and Anne SMITH were not married in 1851- he was married to Anne Magovern!
So now I wonder- are there two Anne's? Was he married three times, not just two?
Also there's a bit of a Bernard puzzle. Maybe.
I believe the Bernard Friery listed in the Tithe appointment books is the Bernard above's father. He's in Cornadrung in 1823 and 1833, and it seems deserted the army in 1834. I don't think it's the same Bernard as above, because of the age range. I found his death register (registered by Bridget, his second wife) and he was born in 1829 or there about.
I did wonder whether Bernard the eldest was the one married to Anne Magovern, but then Kate would be John's aunt and not his sister!
Blinkin' confusing stuff, this ancestry lark!