I'm also studying the arrival of the Irish in Dawdon parish and would like to find their origins, and the reasons why they chose Co. Durham as a place to 'make a go of it', having (more often than not) fled from what they had, in their home land.
One of my Irish families who settled in Lancashire had eldest known child in Preston, 2nd born in Newcastle-on-Tyne (1870) then younger children from 1871 born in Preston. Only on census in Preston so I don't know why one was born in Newcastle. 3 versions of mother's forename on census
returns and only first half of her maiden surname in birth index for the son born in Newcastle.
Maiden Stone
Many thanks for these very useful links.
One strand of my family was among these often desperate Irish people who were forced to relocate in a different land.
Thank you for spelling out the reasons why they came to the UK mainland: not one came for pleasure, did they, and many of them suffered great hardship when they were here.
Given the struggles they encountered, I think I'm finding it extremely sad that their names are badly written in censuses, such that we can't identify this TURET (and others too): she's effectively nameless.
I feel I almost owe it to her to put things right by searching for, and reporting, the truth, now that we have so many more resources we can use.
What were the 3 versions of your female ancestor's forename?
And what is missing from her maiden surname in the birth index?
D