Return to Ireland - finding our roots - eventually?

Yesterday we went to Corofin to the Clare Heritage & Genealogy Centre. My distant cousin Michael Maloney had hired them four years ago to find the three Maloney brothers (John, Michael and Patrick) who came from Ireland before or during the potato famine. Our file was actually begun 25 years ago by Eileen Maloney, another relative (daughter of Bill and Clara Maloney who complied our existing family tree). We didn't have any luck, as the woman Michael was dealing with was on holiday. They are supposed to get back to me with results, hopefully before we return to Canada next week.

We had a lovely bus ride into Corofin with a lovely bus driver who chatted with us all the way there.

There isn't much in Corofin and we did manage to check out the entire village. As luck would have it Mass was being said about ten minutes after we arrived (the church was easy to find like it is in all the villages here). Like all the priests who have said Mass in Ireland, this one was very expressive as he said the Mass. As if he really meant all the words he was saying. Before Mass he prayed for all expectant mothers and their unborn children (it was the Feast of the Presentation of Mary).

Downtown Corofin

Testament to the potato famine in the restaurant where we had lunch.

No potato famine now as you can see from Fred's lunch. Clearly the Irish are making up for lost time as far as potatoes are concerned. Just in case.

Where we had lunch.

Many villages have grottos. You see them everywhere.

Scary selfie.

Vegetation seems to grow wherever there is stone.

Our trip to Ireland (looking for John Maloney, born Ennis 1819)

One of the reasons we went to Ireland in general, and County Clare in particular, was the faint hope I had of tracking down my great great grandfather John Maloney.

On our second trip into Ennis, we returned to the Clare County Library where genealogical records are kept. The first time it was closed which is why we returned.

I asked the librarian if they had any birth or baptismal records from 1819 when John was born. I knew that John was born in Ennis. I was told that there are really no records from before the 1840's, unless the person was part of the gentry or the clergy. I'm pretty certain that John didn't fall into either of those categories. I was apparently out of luck. The librarian suggested I contact the genealogist on staff there in case he had any further suggestions in tracking him down. Once I returned home I did email him a couple of times, but have received no reply as of yet.

Maybe there is someone out there in Internet land, who could point me in a direction to find something out further about my family. One problem in discovering our roots back to Ireland is the numerous spellings of our name:

Mallowney

Mullowney

Mullowny

Mollony

Moloney

Molony

and the Gaelic: O Maoldhomhnaigh

And possibly other spellings as well. No wonder I can't find any relatives.

What we do know is the following:

• John Maloney was born in 1819 in Ennis County Clare (married to Deborah Moriarty, daughter of Daniel Moriarty and Julia Brennan, 1826, County Limerick)
• Michael Maloney was born in 1816 (Probably born in Ennis as well, Married to Mary Dundin (1819-1873))
• Patrick Maloney was born in 1820 (Probably born in Ennis as well, Married to Catherine O'Brien)

We believe that five brothers came over initially but we only know for certain, the names of these three brothers.

Then I found this information:

"Biddy, Edmund, George, James, John Michael and Patrick Molony all arrived in Canada in 1847."

Is that our Maloney's? This sounded intriguing so I contacted the site to find out how they discovered this information.

These are all the other places I have contacted as well. Will anything turn up? If there are no records for the early 1800's, as seems to be the case so far, probably not. Will keep you posted.

Library and Archives Canada here and here.

National Archives of Ireland

National Library of ireland

County Clare Library

Ennis Parish

John and Deborah from the Maloney Geneology compiled by Bill and Clara Maloney in 1979