Skibeereen Marriage Cert no father listed for Groom

[AlanR83]

Yes, she was working as a servant for a Protestant Vicar in Glanmire - Richmond Cottage, how she ended up in Glanmire from Skibbereen I have no idea.

[shanreagh]

High Street where Mary possibly died and North street where they were living when Mary was born are close streets in centre of Skibereen.   The person who reported the death Mary Burk/e also lived in High Street. She may have been a neighbour, relative, family friend or an older woman who helped in childbirth ie midwife. 

[shanreagh]

Yes, she was working as a servant for a Protestant Vicar in Glanmire - Richmond Cottage, how she ended up in Glanmire from Skibbereen I have no idea.

Call of the big city?  Or perhaps she was placed there in an institution/orphanage  by family after both parents died?  Then got a job in the same area. 

[shanreagh]

......

I have found a birth certificate for a Mary Houlihane dau of Timothy Houlihane and Bridget Doody 17/11/1833 in the parish of Fermoy* Cork and across the top of the entry is written 'illegitimate'.  Not sure if it applies to her birth or to the one above.  Spons are Patrick Hely and Hanora Higgins.
*Anc has Mallow, Cork.

Is this the correct birth certificate for Mary ie was she born 1833 and therefor 31/32 when she married?  and 6 years older according to the death certificate you have found that gives her age as 29.  If the 1833 cert is correct then her age would be closer to 39yrs and not 29yrs and 39 is a more dangerous time for a woman to be giving birth ie older mother etc. 

The other idea I had is that Cornelius may have left Mary to be brought up with family or in an institution as a child, more or less deserted her and she may have had no idea whether he was living or dead but saying he was dead forestalls any intrusive questions. 

[AlanR83]

I've just checked all the civil death certs for Cornelius McSweeney / Sweeney from 1873 - 1893, and there is only 1 I found which matches as a Widower, but it says he was 63 in 1885 which would put him at 44 when he married a 20 year old Servant girl in 1865, see link below:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1885/06282/4799925.pdf

I can't make out what his occupation on death cert is listed as?

I have not found a baptism record for Mary Hallihane, but I presumed as she was born in Castlehaven sometime around the 1840's to a poor labourer - Tim Halihane, it may have been a time when due to famine (etc), records were just not kept.

[AlanR83]

Tim Hallahane is listed in the parish of Castlehaven in 1846, on the Skibbereen Loan Database:

https://skibbheritage.com/genealogy/loan-records-database/

[shanreagh]

Timothy Hallahan is listed on Griffiths (1852) as leasing a house from Cornelius Buckley, in the townland of Inane in Castlehaven. 

Have you got anything to verify that Mary Hallahan was 20 at the time of her marriage?  The death cert looks to say 27 or 29 but the daughter born to Timothy Hallahan was born in 1833.  That would make her 31 or 32 at the time of her marriage.  This would fit in with a husband 8-10 years older. 

[shanreagh]

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1885/06282/4799925.pdf

I can't make out what his occupation on death cert is listed as?

Pig buyer I think. So if this is the father he was in Cork at a similar time 1885 cf 1893 as his daughter. 

He died at 4 Boyce's Street in Cork. 

The nurse puts her address as Ballymacthomas which is the suburb that Boyce's St is in. 

[shanreagh]

Just located the church record (Skibbereen) on Irish Genealogy for the birth of Mary Ellen Sweeny at North Street on 13/5/1866 and it shows her sponsors as being Timothy Hallihane and Catherine Hallihane.  Not sure if Timothy & Catherine were Mary Snr's parents or if Timothy was and Catherine is a sister or somesuch.  I am now looking for a birth to Timothy and Catherine rather than Timothy and Bridget Doody/Droody Hallihane - this was the 1833 birth. 

Big age differences were not uncommon.  Often the wife was older too.  Widowers with young children were encouraged to marry again.