James and Hannah were also the witnesses at Stafford Dinnen's marriage at the age of 60 to the 42 year old Bridget O'Neill. They were both widowed and were both some degree of cousins. Stafford was the son of Michael Dinnen and Elizabeth Downing, Bridget was the daughter of a Bernard O'Neill and a Martha Cassidy. This Stafford Dinnen and a John Dinnen (possibly a brother) were also renting a parcel of land from my 3x great grandfather John Carmichael, husband of Ellen O'Neill, beginning sometime prior to the first Griffiths valuation in 1859. I've yet to figure out exactly what this land relationship was, but it seems to tie my tree (as well as the other Rocktown O'Neills) fairly clearly into what seems like some kind of kinship network stretching north into Dreenan.
(It's at this point I feel like I need a cork board, pins and a *lot* of string...)
Going back to the McCanns, another Stafford McCann appears as a sponsor on the 1862 baptism of John Stafford O'Neill, son of Stafford O'Neill and Sarah McErlane. Stafford and Sarah were married in 1855 in Greenlough and I have a strong feeling that this Stafford was a sibling of my 3x great grandmother Ellen O'Neill due to how close their two families were - even going so far to move their families to neighbouring farms in the southernmost part of Rocktown.
The McErlane connection is another interesting one. There is a Stafford James McLoughlin registered in Innishrush in 1865, the son of a Henry McLoughlin and a Mary McErlane (whose name is sometimes written as Maria or even Mavina). The two were married in Ballyscullion in 1857. It is not clear how they link into the other Stafford families - I suspect there may be a connection to Sarah McErlane's family, but I've yet to find any hard evidence. There is also a Theresa McErlane of Cullear who marries a Henry Downey of Drumard in 1888. She may also be related into this same McErlane family, but as yet evidence is thin and it remains a theory. It is interesting to note that the Ballymacpeake Stafford O'Neills also intermarry with McErlanes - one of the few points of overlap between the two branches.
There is an 1878 Dreenan baptism of a Francis McNally, parents a John McNally and Bridget Henry. The sponsors are a James Stafford Dinnen and an Elizabeth Dinnen. I'm not sure of the specifics, but it seems fairly clear that John S. and Elizabeth belong to the family line beginning with Michael Dinnen.
Finally, there's a registered birth of a Stafford Kane in 1872, son of a Thomas Kane, schoolmaster, and an Elizabeth Downing of Dreenan. The couple were married in the Maghera parish church in a CoI ceremony in 1866. Elizabeth's father is listed as a Stafford Downing.
So as you can see, a very tangled web! I'm not sure exactly where to go from here, but I feel like there are enough overlapping families here that there should be at least some evidence that I'm yet to uncover.
I'd be especially interested to hear from other experts on the local Downing family who might be able to shed some light on the links between these families!