Maintained by Conan Kennedy, who's day job is as a writer, and who's latest book is now available right here.


The postings below are updated once a week or so, with the addition of new entries. Genealogy interested readers should also have a look at the main website, particularly the articles page, where copies of articles and links to others are maintained. Lots of family names mentioned there.



Monday 17 March 2014

This blog is discontinued.Conan Kennedy operates a new site dealing with Irish genealogy and old photographs, right here.

Monday 30 January 2012

Kennedy families

OMG...is it this long since I updated this blog? Yes. No excuse. Well, one slight one...I've been writing a little book about the Kennedy family of Dublin...well, my Kennedy family of Dublin...that takes time...and it's more or less ready now and up on my website right here...scroll down on this page and look for Fragments From Frescati...

I'll be putting up the surnames of all the other familes dealt with here in due course.
Translation: Due course = when I've got a minute.

Sunday 28 August 2011

The Wilsons


This is a Dr and Mrs Wilson, in 1898. Most likely of Blackrock, Co Dublin. The photo was taken by Richard Roe...but apart from that?

Friday 19 August 2011

Trinity girls.



The ladies hockey team of Trinity College Dublin, 1929-30. The names of individuals are available.

Thornhill


Muriel Thornhill of Malahide, County Dublin. She was born in 1891. Further genealogical information is available.

Reeves


Samuel George Reeves of Dublin. A dentist, he wears regalia of the Masonic Order. Further genealogical information is available.

Thursday 18 August 2011

Banks family

 Florence Banks of Dublin. More details available

Mulvany family


The Mulvany family of Dolphins Barn, Dublin. The woman peering through the bushes (behind the older lady) was to be the grandmother of the Irish poet Richard Murphy. You saw it here first !

Wednesday 17 August 2011

John Redmond


A member of the RIC, further info is available

Semple relatives?


Two portraits found in same batch as posting (Patrick Semple) below. One on left inscribed on back 'Aunt May', the other 'Mummy'. Any info contact

...and info comes in (4/9/2011) to the effect that these are May (with mortar board) and Frances Kennedy. And that Frances was mother of Patrick Semple mentioned below. (Info from daughters of Patrick Semple).

Patrick Semple


A photo found in a Dublin antique dealer's recently. On back in pencil written 'Patrick Semple'. Anyone with any ideas contact.

Patrick Semple contacts to tell that this "is quite likely to be Patrick Semple who was Professor of Classics at the Old Royal University of Ireland that became UCD.
There is a photograph in Ellman's biography of James Joyce in which he and Joyce along with a few others appear."

(4.9.2011) And indeed there is, another  reader sends in a copy. Semple standing on extreme right, James Joyce standing second left.


(The Dictionary of Ulster Biography  has a ref to Patrick Semple. )

Sunday 31 July 2011

DUBLIN’S ST ANDREW’S BURIALS

Genealogically minded tourists who visit Dublin will surely find themselves in the Dublin Tourism Centre. This is in the former church St Andrews. Or, the descecrated church St Andrews, whichever way you want to look at it. Whatever about that, genealogists will be interested to know that the carpark around the church is actually a graveyard, now tarmacked in for the convenience of tourism officials. The rubble of old gravestones lies beneath the blacktop. Beneath this and beneath the parked cars there are many graves of Dubliners, and there is now a listing of these available. Not from Dublin Tourism or indeed any official Dublin sources (probably due to embarassment at the vandalism) but from this here website. The unpublished (hardcopy) listing has been compiled from many obscure sources and this is the only place it is available. Contact Morrigan Books for further info.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Alexander of Dundee



This victorian gent is James Alexander of Dundee. Photo and business card are from an album found in antique shop.

Anyone interested in further info/photos should contact morriganbooks@gmail.com


Ms Cummins of Dublin

This is Ms Cummins…isn’t she lovely? She was associated with the famous Gings costume shop in Dublin, this photo and others of her were found in a Dublin bric a brac shop.

Research tells:

She was Violet Cummins.
1901 Census shows her aged 5 in O’Neills Buildings, (Fitzwilliam Ward Dublin), d of James Cummins, butcher’s labourer and Margaret Cummins, dressmaker.
1911 Census shows her aged
15 in 8 Camden Place Dublin
, her mother a widow.

Recorded in 1967 as costumier on a theatrical pageant of life of Margaret Aylward.

Gings itself was destroyed by fire in 1969, there was a Cyril Ging and a Thomas Ging.

Anyone interested in further info/photos should contact morriganbooks@gmail.com



Saturday 23 July 2011

POLLY KENNEDY

Come across this info while researching for my new book Fragments from Frescati.
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The first wife (married in 1867) of Frederick Kennedy of Frescati, Blackrock, Co Dublin
was Jeannette Rhoda Butler [ c1845 - 1879 ]. One of their daughters was

PAULINE  [ POLLY ] KENNEDY

born 6th November 1869 at
34 York Street Dublin




John Cuffe, 1st Earl Desart, married in 1726 Dorothea Gorges.
Their daughter Lucinda married Sir John Blunden.
Their daughter Sophia married Abraham Baker.
Their daughter Mary Baker married in 1837 Hans Butler.
Jeannette Rhoda was their daughter.
Jeannette’s daughter Pauline (above) married James Brown.
_________________________________



Some notes re Rev Hans Butler, father of Jeannette Butler.

REV. HANS BUTLER was son of Francis Butler, of Rathmoyle House, QueensCounty, a gentleman. Educated by a Mr Martin, he entered TCD on Oct 18,1824, aged 16, BA in 1831, ordained deacon in 1831, a priest in 1832. He was curate in Mocollop in the Lismore diocese 1832-33, and he was married (in St George’s, Dublin Sept.12, 1837) to Mary Baker, daughter of Abraham Baker of Balhealy House, Co Dublin.
Abraham Baker was married to Sophia, daughter of Sir John Blunden andLucinda Cuffe, the daughter of John Cuffe, first Lord Desart , b.1683.
Hans Butler was Chaplain of Villierstown 1847-1886. He died on 7th January,
1891, (his wife having died on Feb 2nd 1860). At the time of his death his address was
12 Ranelagh Road
, Co.Dublin, and his executor was his son Francis Theobald Butler MD, then of
8 Parchmore Road, Thornton
Heath,Surrey. (Francis T Butler had married in 1874 Ellen, daughter of W.R.Jenney of Malta).
Hans Butler’s will amounted to £1,804.
Another son of Hans Butler was Henry Stuart Butler, who died before him on 29th June 1887 at
4 Garden Street, Chatham
, Co.Kent.
At that date Hans Butler had an address at
47 Lower Mount Street, Dublin
. Henry Stuart Butler was a solicitor, with offices at 4 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin.
This address was later to be that of Frederick H Kennedy’s legal practice.
Hans Butler's wife's family were descended from General Gorge, and feature in one of Ireland's weirdest 'ghost stories', refer to a book by Sheila St Clair.
Hans Butler was (Reg.of Deeds reference) Trustee of the affairs of one Hannah Butler, widow, of Castlestown, in Queens County.
This is likely to have been his sister-in-law. In any event Hannah Butler was mother of Charlotte Butler, who married Garrett Moore, and their children were Hans Garrett Moore and Frances Garvey Moore.
A second Trustee of above affairs was one James Bird MD, of Banagher, Co.Offaly.
He was married to another Hannah, who was likely a daughter of Hannah Butler.
As noted elsewhere in these Records, Hans Butler was married to a MaryBaker.
She was of Balhealy House. Registry of Deeds references (1861.34.14.& 1861.35.282) concern the affairs of these Bakers.
Arthur Baker, formerly of Balhealy House, then of Frankfort Castle Dublin, likely Mary Baker’s brother, was father of Henry Baker and of Jane Baker, she married Barry Drew.
Henry Baker with a Robert Butler bought property from Arthur Baker.
Barry Drew was son (?) of Edward Paoli Drew of Cappoquin, Co Waterford

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