Going further back with the O'Rorkes

                        

  My grandfather, Michael O’Rorke

Next up is my O’Rorke and Cooke grandparents and their ancestors. Amazingly enough, with the O’rorkes, I have had the facility to trace a direct line back to a man called Muirdeach Tireach, who was born in 310AD, the route is as follows..

Descendants of Muirdeach Tireach

1.       Muirdeach Tireach(born Abt AD310)

2.       Eochu Mugmedon(D abt AD360)

3.       Brion (Ancestor of Ui Briuin of Connaught)

4.       Duach Galach

5.       Eoghan Sreibh

6.       Muiredeach Mal

7.       Fergus(May have been Muiredeach Mals brother)

8.       Fergna

9.       Aedh Find

10.   Scanlan

11.   Crimhthann

12.   Fedlim

13.   Blaithmac

14.   Baithin

15.   Donchadh

16.   Dub Dothra (D AD743)

17.   Cernach (Or Cearnachan)

18.   Sellachan

19.   Tighernain Mac Seallachan Ua Ruarc (King of Breffni 888, B abt 830)

20.   Ruarc Mac Tighernain Ui Briun Breffni Ua Ruarc (King of Breffni 893)

21.   Art  Mac Ruarc Ui Briun Breifne(B875)

22.   Sean Fearghaill Ua Ruairc(1^st Ruairc king of Connacht)

23.   Aedh Mac Sean Fearghaill O’Ruairc(King of Breifne 1015)

24.   Art Uallach(oirdnide) O’Ruairc(2^nd king of Connacht B965)

25.   Niall Mac Airt O’Ruairc(King of Breifne 1047)

26.   Ualgharg Mac Niall O’Ruairc (B1010)

27.   Tighernain Mac Ualgairg O’Ruairc(B1035)

28.   Domnall Mac Tighernain O’Ruairc(4^th King of Connacht)

29.   Fergal Mac Tighernain(5^th King of Connacht 1157)

30.   Domhnaill Mac Ferhaile(Lord 1207)

31.   Art Mac Domhnaill(King of Breifne 1209-1210)

32.   Amlaib Mac Airl (King of Breifne 1257-1258)

33.   Domhnaill Charrach Mac Amlaib(King Of Breifne 1307-1311)

34.   Ualgharg Mac Domhnaill Charraig(King of Breifne 1316-1346)

35.   Tighernain Mor Mac Ualgharg(King of Breifne 1376-1418)

36.   Tadhg Mac Tighernain Mhorn(king of breifne 1419-1435)

37.   Tighernain Og Mac Mhoirn(King of Breifne 1449-1468)

38.   Eoghan Mac Tighernain(B1468, D1528. King of Breifne 1500-1528)

39.   Brian Ballach Mor(D1562, King of Breifne 1528-1562)

40.   Tigheaman Ban(D abt 1629)

41.   Eoghan Mor(D abt 1661)

42.   Eoghan Og(Chief in 1662)

43.   Donnchadh

44.   Sean

45.   Rev Thaddeus O’Rorke (D1799)

46.   Rev John O’Rorke(1776-1849, Married three times and had many children)

47.   Michael O’Rorke(B abt 1815 Co Galway)

48.   Thomas O’Rorke(B 1842 Dunmore, Co Galway)

49.   Michael O’Rorke(B 1873 D1929 Vicarstown, Queens County(Laois))

50.   Mary O’Rorke(B 1927 Waterford)

To me this shows that my children can look back fifty two generations, it means that muirdeach tireach is my children’s Great(50X)Grandfather. I haven’t even started to look about these people yet, and know absolutely nothing about them other than the fact that were from Breffni, which was an ancient province of Ireland, and that some of them were kings of Breffni and even Connaght.

I’ll tell what I know at this moment, my mother’s father, Michael was born in county Laois, his father, Thomas was a policeman in the RIC, though he was originally from Dunmore in county Galway. He was redeployed many times during his career, so ended up having children in different counties, Tipperary, Waterford, Carlow and Laois, from what I know. He married Mary Heraghty from Vicarstown.

The children were.....

Michael James 1876, Vicarstown, Laois

Mary Teresa 1899, County Tipperary

Cecelia Frances, 1884, County Carlow

Rose Anna, 1878,

Anne Kate, 1891, county Tipperary

Thomas Patrick, 1880, Sallypark, Waterford city

Of these, I only know of one who married and that was Mary Teresa who was a duff at the time of her father’s death. As she was the registered reporter of his death, in Ballymore Eustace in county Kildare. I will in time come to this end of my family, but at present I am concentrating on my Curran side.

Going back to Michael, he has been seen as a civil servant, a junior clerk and a sergeant major in the British army during the First World War. He had travelled quite widely around to, between Britain and all over Ireland, here is his obituary, to sum him up in other words.

“A popular and much esteemed figure has just passed away in the person of Michael j O’Rorke of lady lane. The deceased was well known in musical circles in Waterford, being a member of the Waterford instrumental society, and one of the orchestra at the local cinema, where performances on the double bass were always appreciated. In his earlier days he was an official of the land commission department, before he joined the royal army pay corps, retired at the rank of sergeant major. In post war days he joined the staff of local income tax departments, where he was engaged upwards of seven years. He was also a keen student of the Irish language, at which he was proficient as a fluent speaker, and always wore his insignia of the fainne. He leaves a widow and three children to mourn his loss, and with them as with many other members of his family, sincere sympathy is felt in their sad bereavement.”

Michael’s father, Thomas, as you know was a policeman from Dunmore, County Galway. He was born there back in 1844, his parents were Michael O’Rorke and  Margaret McDermott, around this area O’Rorkes owned alot of land, and so too do the McDermott’s. This led to the fact that Michael’s father was Reverend John O’Rorke who is the first step back into the big line of O’Rorkes.

I know that Rev. John owned thousands of acres, and going back in the past, the O’Rorkes had moved from county Leitrim after being driven out by the Normans, they moved initially to the Moylough area, but obviously spread out to where my GGGF Michael lived in Dunmore. The Breffni O’Rorkes are quite a major player in pre Norman Irish history, and it will be interesting in the future to gain more knowledge on them.