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The Irish Connection

Does every child ask their parents the question.......... where am I from?

It was too late for me to ask my parents the details of where I was from in terms of my grandparents and great grandparents so I will have to find out myself with the help of others....

My research into my family history started when my sister Margaret went to Widnes Cemetery to find the location for our Keogh grandparents grave. The grave did not bear a headstone and we lost its location with the passing of the years. The cemetery records showed there were 4 people buried in the plot - Anne Monica Keogh (our eldest sister and first born who died in infancy), Catherine Keogh (our Dad's Mum - known to us as Min!) and Martin Keogh (her husband and known to us as Marney). The other person buried in the plot came as a total surprise to us - it was Bernard Joseph Keogh who died in 1924 - 21 years before my birth!!

Bernard Jospeh and Ellen Keogh (McCormick) - Bernard Joseph Keogh - Parents of Martin Keogh.

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Great Granpa and Great Grandma Rowan - Parents of Catherine Keogh (Rowan)

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Marney (Martin) Keogh - my Grandad and Catherine (Min) Keogh - my Grandmother

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The Keogh children -

Kitty (USA), my Mum (a Keogh by marriage), Bernard (USA), Ann, Mary, Nellie, Tommy (my Dad) and Martin . (Eddie Keogh not on photo) - Dad and Eddie in the USA

Needless to say this caused me to wonder who he was and how he came to be buried with my sister and grand parents in Widnes. So this was the start of my journey into the past - to find out who this man was who bore the same name as me.............

While we knew a little of our grandparents history we knew nothing of our great-grand parents - I was always of the mind that my grandfather was born in Ireland and all of my Dad's family history was over there - how wrong......... my grandfather was actually born in Grenfell Street in Widnes , the same street where I was born in 1945 - this little knowledge I have so far has been gleaned from the internet (Genes Reunited, Census Records and Births Marriages and Deaths Register) and the Widnes library Family History section. One thing is now apparent - there is a lot of work, time and effort to be spent in the future to piece together the past for the Keogh family - and then I'll need to start on the Evans family (Mums family) and the Mercer and Griffiths families (Irene's family).

So, the Keogh story so far............

Keogh (Mac Eocaidh, Mac Keogh, Kehoe ) - I remember my Dad telling me when I was young that our original family name was McKeogh..........he was right.
Keogh, and its variant Kehoe, are the Anglicisation's of the Irish Mac hEochaidh, from eoch, meaning "horse". It arose as a surname in three distinct areas. The first was in south Roscommon, around Moyfinn in the barony of Athlone, which used to be known as "Keogh's country". Keoghville in Taghmaconnell parish is named for them. This family was part of the Uí Maine tribal grouping, and were a branch of the O'Kellys. The second was in west Tipperary , near Limerick city; the placename Ballymackeogh marks the centre of their territory. A branch of the family based at Castletroy in Limerick spelled the name "K'eogh". The original homeland of the Mac Eocaidh family was in the O'Byrne territory of North Kildare, and when, in the early 13th century, the latter were driven into the less fertile lands of the present Co.Wicklow, the MacKeogh's went with them

The third and most important, both numerically and historically, was in Leinster , where the original homeland was in north Kildare, whence they migrated first to Wicklow, and then south to Wexford. Here they were hereditary poets to the O'Byrnes, with whom, tradition has it, they shared their ancestry. The Leinster Keogh's were one of the great Irish bardic families and as such ranked high in the Ireland of former days. They furnished the great Kavanagh and O'Byrne clans with bards and brehons for over 5 centuries. The Leinster family takes it's descent from Cathair Mor, King of the province in the 4th century. The earliest reference to the bardic family of Mac Eocaidh is dated 1415, when it is recorded that the house of Dubhthach Mac Keogh, a learned poet, was plundered by Lord Talbot. The Four Masters state that Ferghal MacEocaidh (Farrell MacKeogh), a learned poet died in 1480.Their literary fame survived well into the modern period; Maolmuire MacKeogh is described in the Annals of the Four Masters as "chief professor of poetry in Leinster ". And it is recorded that Maolmuire Mac Keogh "the intended chief professor of poetry in Leinster, a man of learning and of extensive knowledge in poetry, and who kept a good house of hospitality, was accidentally killed by his mothers brethren, namely the sons of O'Toole".

A more recent practitioner was Padraig Kehoe of Enniscorthy (d.1959), prominent in the Gaelic Revival and in the War of Independence, who wrote prolifically under the pen-name "Hy Kinsella". It is in Wexford that the name has been most commonly anglicised Kehoe. It is in Leinster that the surname is now most frequent, though it has become widespread throughout Ireland .

William Keogh (1817-1878), of the Keoghville family, was an M.P. a founder of the Catholic Defence Association and a campaigner for tenants' rights. Later, on becoming a judge, his opinions shifted. The severity of his judgements in the trial of the Fenians in 1865 made him violently unpopular. Sir Alfred Keogh (1857-1936) was born in Dublin and became director-general of the British Army Medical Service before and during the First World War. Myles Keogh (1848-1876), from Carlow, had an intense and varied military career, fighting first with the Papal forces in Italy, then on the Union side in the American civil war, and finally with General Custer in the Indian wars. He died with Custer at the battle of the Little Big Horn. Myles Keogh's horse, Commanche, was the only survivor..........Ironic when you think the derivation of the name is Mac Eochaidh from the word "horse" and he was fighting against the Indians..................

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The following is some family information from James's daughter Monica Jones (nee Keogh - known to us as Aunty Monica) on the information she was aware of from her side of the family.

Bernard Keogh came from Galway in southern Ireland and married Ellen McCormick from Warrington (They married in December 1873 and their marriage is recorded in the Civil Registraion Index for the Chorlton District in Lancashire). They had seven children (all boys) William, Edward, John, Martin, Thomas, James, and one other son who has not yet been identified (possibly their first born who was not registered in the 1881 Census in Grenfell Street). There were two sons thought to have emigrated to America (See American Cousins page) and my Grandad, James, went out there as a 16 year old and had to wait on Ellis Island until he was claimed. He was there for nearly two weeks and was about to be returned to England when someone finally claimed him. They had been unaware that he had arrived in America and he is thought to have gone to visit one of the brothers.

James was known as the "Seventh son of a Seventh son but I have no information of Bernard Keogh's family prior to his arrival in England.

Will died in Scotland, he had a "Roll a Penny" booth and travelled around the country with it.

John was known as "Mad John" or "Mad Jack" because of his temper. James did not speak to John until just before his (John's) death. Apparently John had hit their mother in a temper and James never forgave him. Jack married a girl called Biddy (or Bid) and they lived in Halebank and had a daughter Nellie.

Ellen (my Great Grandmother) died when James was about 10 years old (circa 1905) and is buried in a paupers grave in Widnes Cemetery. Bernard died in 1924.

James lived for a lot of the time with with Martin and Catherine (my grandparents) known as Uncle Mart and Aunty Kit. James married Mary Elizabeth Thelwell and had three children, Monica, Ken and Gerald (who died in 1934 aged nine and a half years).

James died in 1974 aged 79 years and Lizzie died in 1982 aged 79 years.

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The Ballinasloe -Irish Connection

Cousin Steve Keogh in America found a link with Bernard Joseph and his family at Ballinasloe in Galway and posted a message on the town website forum - and eventually he got a reply from them with information on our forebears.

The following is a copy of the information that was sent and now we just have to sort through it to try to make sense of who is who - as is usual with Irish families there are lots of children and we can see the pattern of names that came thorugh the generations to the present day........

Oliver Donellan sent the email below.  It appears that a Brendan Donellan, a relative of Oliver, did research in the archives of the Fohenagh (sometimes Fophenagh) & Kilgerrill parish records.  The parish is now called Fohenagh & Killure, located northwest of Ballinasloe and east of Ahascragh.  http://www.clonfertdiocese.ie/html/fohenagh.asp

We saw your query re Keoghs of Clonbrock and there is a lot of family information

On the parish records of Clonbrock (part of Fophenagh-Kilgerrill) there are quite a few baptisms of Keoghs.

1. John Kough was a sponsor to Mary Kilbride on Dec 25th 1848 and on May 13th William Kough was sponsor to James Carroll. (note spelling of surname, each priest had his own way of spelling!)

2. Oct 1st 1854 Baptism of Robert Keogh parents William & Catherine Keogh
    1856 Baptism of Patrick Keogh, parents William & Catherine Carroll one of the sponsors another William Keogh
    Jun 16th 1857 Baptism of Catherine Ellen Keogh parents William & Catherine Carroll
    Feb 5th 1860 Baptism of Thomas Martin Keogh parents William & Catherine Carroll sponsors Michael Keogh & Ann Carroll
    Jun 19th 1862 Baptism of Bridget Murray parents John Murray & Honoria Keogh sponsors William & Bridget Keogh
3. First Holy Communion Records
    1854 Honoria Keogh & John Keogh
    1855 William Keogh
4. Marriages
    William Colohan to Bridget Keogh witnesses Martin Colohan & Margaret Carroll
    John Murray to Honoria Keogh witnesses William Keogh & Daniel Murray.

All surnames would suggest they were from the Clonbrock and Killure area. Both townlands were part of the Dillon Clonbrock Estate.

Regarding parish records, from 1840's onwards, recording of Baptisms are very erratic. Many of them are not recorded.

Also, Brendan wrote additional information and Evelyn Donellan sent an image copy of this note below.. 

Jan  19th 1834 married, William Keogh to Bridget Page, witnesses William Bradshaw and Mrs. Bradshaw.
Bridget Page, probable mother of Bernard Joseph, and first wife of William, probably explains the use of Page in Bernard’s name especially as William had further children with Catherine Carroll.  (So the name Bernard Joseph Page Keogh was the key in getting a response). 

Based on what I see recorded on Parish Registry, it seems to me that William Keogh and his first wife Bridget Page must be Bernard Joseph’s parents.

His second wife Catherine Carroll have the following children recorded (Please note the registry is very incomplete, nor all Baptisms were entered in the Book) as well as those recorded names and the distance from the first marriage it may be assumed there may be more children from the first marriage, Records were very scarce from 1835-1848.

1854 Robert Keogh
1856 Patrick Keogh
1857 Catherine Ellen Keogh
1860 Thomas Martin Keogh

The Carroll’s were herdsmen to the Clonbrock Estate, in the last division of the estate in 1955 period the same Carroll’s received the best portion of land on the estate, they had their own herdsman house provided by the Lord Clonbrock.  The Bradshaw’s were probably House staff as well as Bridget Page.  There are not names that are native to our parish.  I have just found a Baptism for a Pat Page, parents Joseph Page and Mary Finaghty 1935 March 12th proves that Bridget had family in the area.

Also the names of the first Communion children Honora, John and William must be the second marriage.
Then you have sponsors names John Keogh, William Keogh, may be from the first marriage.
The first Communion names could be teenagers at that time.  Church rules weren’t as organized as they are now. Our National Schools started in 1855-1856.

I don’t think I can be any further help to you with your family tree but you should consider the famous Jack Keogh as one of the descendants of the family, some of his escapades are still talked about.  When he escaped to the U.S. he is supposed to have got married and had children. 

He came back from the U.S. in the early forties on his own, and died some years later. Quite a character.
Yours Brendan Donnellan

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