Summary

I have now, over about the last three weeks shown a summary of the various aspects of my and my wifes genealogy. I have to say that while I have been doing this alot has been brought to a head, it has been the first time that I have really reviewed all the work I have carried out over the last two and a half years. It says to me how far I have come, and all the people I have met, which has truly been an experience in itself, and I hope to continue making headway for all the family groups which I have covered. Some of these families knew very little when I started, but now know more, but I would love to have that clarity of vision, that you seem to see on “who do you think you are” but then they have a field of professional genealogical experts.

I have always felt that hunting it down and finding it yourself is really satisfying, though I have received help from a couple of online forums, and of course the Church of the Latter Day Saints in Glasnevin. So I suppose now is the time to give a big thank you to all the people and organisations who have supplied, pointed, collaborated and assisted me on my road thus far:

Dermot Curran                  Andrew Curran                 Mary Curran(O’Rorke)   Patricia Hills(O’Rorke)

Kathleen Curran               Michael Foley                    Richard Hoolahan             Frank Curran(Drumphea)

Winnie Dowling                                Tillie Brennan                     Senan Cooke                     Dr Kieron Cooke

Frank Curran(Carlow town)         Katsy Hanly         Deirdre Kelly                      Margaret Mills

Liam Brophy                       Eileen Howard                   Christine Mills                    Les Mills

Helen Casey                       Catherine@LDS                                Brian@LDS                          The Dent family in Canada

The National Library of Ireland                                   The church of the Latter Day Saints, Glasnevin

The National Archives of Ireland                               The Glasnevin Trust        The Garda Museum, Dublin Castle

The Vernon County Historical Society                     Terry Curran

If there is a name here I haven’t mentioned, then tell me, and I will add it to the list. These are just from the top of my head, I am absolutely amazed when I look at this list, to realise that I have contacted so many individuals!

Many people give me a pat on the back, and say I am doing a great job finding out all this stuff, but it is only the tip that I am scratching at, I suppose after a decade or so, chipping away, I will truly show a bit more beef. I don’t personally think I do that well, and I feel I move to slowly, but this is just through pure thoroughness of study. It is really good to fully read everything as it may have to be referenced back to in the future.

It is an uphill climb, but every now and then you come across a snippet of information that may point you in another direction, or even the right direction!! It is always great to exchange notes with fellow family historians as they are as hungry as you are for information.

As to where to go in the future:

Currans:               It is all quite transparent back to my granddad and his siblings to the present day, so now is the case to move onto Francis Curran(my GGF) and his siblings and work to the present day, I will probably start with John Curran, who seemed to be closely associated with my granddads family. I have also liaised with a fellow Curran family historian, Terry Curran, who is studying the Currans of Carlow town, who we both know are related to the Currans of Drumphea, but as yet, there is no connection, hopefully in the future we will collaborate more.

Doyles:                 nearly all is known back to my grandmother and back to the present day, and I have had a little more success in fiding a brother of my GGF’s Descendant living in auystralia and she was very accommodating with information. It would be nice to try and piece together all the Doyles who are buried in Clonegal, Kildavin and Bunclody, and find the connections. But then all the willis’ and redmonds too.

Mills:                     Loads to do on my wifes grandparents and their siblings, another way off in the distance project.

Brophy:                                Alot of headway was made particularly with the brophys, and I hope to find more in the future.

O’Rorke:              I have names dating back to AD310, but know very little about them, so a future project is to read up on them, and hopefully have a bit more of a knowledge of my forefathers. Whom, from what I have briefly seen, have a very colourful history, what with tribal clans, celtic kings and the norman invasion of Ireland seem to have the O’Rorke name written all over them.

Cooke:                  Like the Mills’ and the O’Rorkes, I still need to go back to the grandparents siblings, and work my way back forward to the present day. The Cookes, again like the O’Rorkes, have a really colourful history dating back to the middle ages, Oliver Cromwell, stately homes, Lord Chief Justice of England are a few things I have seen in my brief looks at their history.

As I said before, it is an uphill struggle, which I hope to pursue for the rest of my life, as I really want to see some connections happen. I know they will, and this is the purpose of this blog, just to keep inputting info until I have no more, but it will never run out. I know a genealogist, who is constantly pursueing her family, and now has something in the region of 4000 individuals in her family tree!! Maybe in the future, I can proudly say that with some clarity.