Hi all,
My cousins and I have been researching the Brennan family from the Mullingar area because my great grandmother Catherine Brennan (1844-1908) was born in Rochfortbridge and emigrated to Australia in 1875, marrying my great grandfather William Turner in 1876. We have traced various lines of the Brennan family back to the late 18th century using the parish registers in the National Library of Ireland. Catherine and her two sisters were born between 1836 and 1844. Bridget emigrated to the US and Anne stayed in the Mullingar area. We are in touch with descendants in the US, Ireland and here in Australia, naturally.
I have recently heard from a couple of family sources (who possibly heard the story from each other) that after parts of the Spanish Armada were wrecked on the west coast of Ireland in 1588, "the Brennans kept a young lad from the Spanish Armada ship and raised him as their own so this could be the answer to the darkness of some of us".
I'm interested to know if this is likely to be true or a common myth, and any suggestions for researching it further if you think it is more than just an old family story.
Thanks
Geoff Turner, Brisbane.
