McLaughlin's and County Longford:
County Longford is the next location on my list. My McLaughlin's originate in and around Ringowny, County Longford, Ireland in the Parish of Edgeworthstown. I have an extensive McLaughlin Family tree. At best, I have a few generations that were born in County Longford and immigrated via Quebec to Newport, New York (Herkimer County) in the 1820s. My ancestor, Thomas McLaughlin, was probably born circa 1750 in the Edgeworthstown area and died there. It is a shame that the historical society of Edgeworthstown has been disbanded. In my previous travels to Ireland, the closest that I got to my County Longford origins was Moate, County West Meath. At the time, I did not know that my McLaughlin's were from there.
Gartlan's, Fox's and County Monaghan:
Next, I find my ancestors in County Monaghan. I have truly sketchy information that my Gartlan's (Gartland's) and Fox's were from Carrickmacross and Clontibret, respectively. I have found so much information online about the Gartlan and Fox surnames in County Monaghan that it is tough to weed through it all. I have not been able to determine online if my Gartlan's and Fox's are related to people indicated on various websites. At least I know that there is hope for finding my ancestors in this location. The sheer volume of information online lends itself for a future success in searching this line. I am fairly confident that the Gartlan name was spelled as such in Ireland but once stateside, a "d" was added to the end. My James Gartlan, who was married to Hannah Fox, immigrated from Ireland via Quebec to Newport, New York in the 1820s. They were both born in the late 1700s.
Maxwell's, Shaffrey's, and County Meath:
Moving onto County Meath is a delight and holds memories from my travels. I did visit Newgrange and a few other historical sites in this county. At the time, I had no idea that my Maxwell's and Shaffrey's shared origins in the Parish of Moynalty. Specifically, I've placed my Maxwell's in Shancarnan prior to the 1850s. I have placed my Shaffrey's in Dunshaughlin where it appears you might be able to find some Shaffrey's today. Shaffrey is a rather uncommon Irish surname. Judith Shaffrey was my great great great grandmother who married Joseph Patrick Maxwell on September 24, 1834, in Moynalty. They immigrated to the Irish Settlement, Newport, New York in 1853. And just when I thought everyone was Irish, I found that Joseph Patrick Maxwell's father, James Maxwell, was from Scotland. I need to venture there someday too.
Bellew's, Kirwan's, Maguire's, Flanagan's, and County Louth:
Bellew, Kirwan, Maguire and Flanagan, are all of my family surnames that you can find in County Louth, specifically, in and around Termonfechin. I don't know too much about the Bellew's or the Kirwan's but there is certainly family history to be discovered there. Most Bellew's that I come across online seeking their origins are not quite as far back as the information that I have on Alice Bellew (1738-1805). She was married to Richard Flanagan. As for Judith Kirwan (1780-1819), I have her father as Nicholas Kirwan. Judith was married to Patrick Flanagan, Richard's son. Judith's story is one of sadness from what I know.
Anne Maguire lived across the road from the Flanagan's of Termonfechin, Louth, Ireland. She married John Flanagan in 1829. It is rather ironic that the Maguire's live next to the Flanagan's today in virtually the same location as they did in the early 1800s.
Now, the Flanagan's are in the same location as they have been since 1773. For close to 240 years they have passed the family farm from generation to generation, from being tenant farmers of the property to becoming the landowners once the British allowed it. The Flanagan's have, however, been in and around the area of Termonfechin since around 1690 or so. I can honestly say that I felt a connection to this place upon my first visit. I don't mean to sound cliche but during my first visit to this place, I felt the sense of belonging.
So that is my tour of Ireland as I cut a path across the Emerald Isle and long for the day that I can revisit with a genealogical and family history perspective in mind.
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