Keynames : GORMLEY, CLARK, CONWAY, McALEER, McBRIDE, O'NEILL, KIRK, HEANEY, WILSON, HENRY, DUFFY, DEEREY, DEVINE, McANENEY, HEGARTY, CARLIN, McCULLAGH, MURRAY, O'KANE
Locations : GORTIN, CULVAHULLION, PLUMBRIDGE, GLENELLY, CRANAGH, OUGHTBOY, GOLES, STRADOWEN, ALTAGHONEY, PARK, FEENEY, STRABANE, INCH, THE SPERRINS, DRUMNASPAR, DERRY, CLAUDY.
This site has been posted by Kevin Byrne, one of the fourteen grandchildren of Patrick Gormley and Maggie "Roe" McAneney of Cranagh. Hopefully it will help trace collateral lines - cousins (of whatever degree) are cordially invited to contact Kevin Byrne colonsaybyrne@gmail.com The site is not new, but was last updated on 23 September 2021.
Our Gormley family reputedly had its origins in the area of Ardstraw, Newtownstewart prior to the Plantations, but in due course was to be found at Stradowen, Mountfield , County Tyrone where an unidentified GORMLEY married (perhaps c.1790-1800) an unidentified CLARK or CLARKE. They are said to have had a large property - "all the land from Mountfield to the Gortin glen". It seems this branch of the family is identified by the ancient Irish name of Benén ( Latinised as Benignus ( "Kindly" etc.) and latterly becoming Benedict or Bernard). This has been a popular name in succeeding generations; other distinctive forenames include Martin, James and variations of Rose, Rosan, Rosaleen etc. The line became known as "the Benén Gormleys" although the exact spelling varied as literacy in the Irish language fell away.
The information given below includes some that was obtained from oral tradition but the bulk of the factual detail has been verified from other sources. The author will be more than grateful for any corrections or assistance, and will happily provide such further information as he has to hand.
Please note that of my grandfather's generation 59 first cousins have so far been identified, so there is great scope for later generations to "discover" cousins of greater degree. His own dates were 1871 - 1946 and his generation will appear below as Generation IV. For privacy reasons I will not publish later generations on this site, but there should be enough detail to identify likely connections - please get in touch to verify details.
Sadly, this is not a "bells and whistles" site, so I can only do my best to list the salient information in a coherent manner. Please note that lists are not definitive - they may include children that died in infancy and may exclude children whose records have not been found. Order of seniority might vary because some individuals were named for earlier children who had not survived.
GENERATION I
? Gormley and ? Clark of Stradowen, Mountfield are as yet known only by tradition. The substantial remains of their reputed home still exist and any further information will be most welcome - surely amongst the hundreds of descendants there must be some scrap of information. One imagines that they married ca. 1795. I now understand that they were buried at Cranagh and their the tombstone was destroyed in making a "turning area for motor-cars" in the relatively recent past. They had four children:
GENERATION II
James GORMLEY, perhaps born ca. 1795-1800, who married an unidentified CONWAY and emigrated to Canada, where they are said to have prospered. [No later information]
Rose Gormley, who married an unidentified McALEER , near Omagh. [No later information]
Mary Gormley, who married an unidentified McCULLAGH of Lenagh, near Stradowen, Mountfield. [Had son, Peter McCullagh, see below]
Patrick James Báinín Gormley (perhaps born c. 1810, died before Sep. 1881), who "married into" the farm of Margaret "Peggy" McBRIDE at Goles Bridge, near Cranagh in the Glenelly Valley. He reputedly "fought a duel" with Carleton of Sperrin, to win the hand of Peggy McBride. Perhaps it was his gravestone which is said to have been "lost" during the creation of the new car park at the church in Cranagh. [Had at least 10 children, see below]
GENERATION III
The following person is a child of Mary Gormley and an unidentified McCullagh:
Peter McCullagh (son of Mary Gormley and unidentified McCullagh) married Mary CONWAY ; her family was not the same as the Conways of Cranagh, Mary's husband's Conways "came from outside Gortin, in the Omagh vicinity". [Had children John and Bridget McCullagh, see below]
The following 10 persons (order of seniority uncertain) are all children of Patrick James Báinín Gormley and Peggy McBride of Goles:
1. Bridget Gormley, who married unidentified O'NEILL of Glenchiel, Cranagh. [No later information]
2. Margaret Gormley , who married Henry KIRK of Drumnaspar, Plumbridge; widowed by 1911. [Had at least 9 children, see below]
3. Rose Gormley , who married 13 Dec. 1865 in Cranagh James HEANEY (son of Patrick Heaney), of Drumslieve, Fincairn, Feeney, Co. Derry. Widowed by 1911. [Had at least 8 children, see below]
4. Annie Gormley , who married 11 Sep 1881 Andy WILSON , Draperstown, Co. Derry. She was widow by 1901, "farmer and spirit merchant". [Had children Maggie and Willie Joseph Wilson, see below]
5. Bernard Gormley , who married Catherine HENRY , Draperstown, Co. Derry (where they had a shop and bakery); she was widow by 1901, died before 1911 [Had 12 children 1863-1880, see below]
6. Michael Gormley , who remained unmarried. [No later information]
7. John (?) Gormley , who remained unmarried. [No later information]
8. James Gormley (b. 1841), who married (before 1864) Ann CONWAY (d. before 1901) - they were the ggparents of the author of this site. Ann was a native of Cranagh, of the family of Micky Atty "the Buckers" Conway (perhaps "Michael, son of Arthur Conway"?), a publican in Cranagh; Ann's siblings were Hugh and Peter Conway. James Gormley was the Postmaster in Cranagh, farm was in Oughtboy. [Had 10 children, see below]
9. Patrick Gormley , who married (ca. 1860) Mary DUFFY of Goles and later left his parents' farm at Goles Bridge to live at Plumbridge. But by the census Mary, a widow, is in Goles 1901 and 1911 with sons. [Had 9 children, see below]
10. Charles Gormley , who married Peggy DUFFY of Goles and worked the family farm with his brother Patrick. The two brothers lived in adjoining houses and had married two cousins... the Duffy girls were said to be descendants of a Scotsman who came into the Glenelly Valley following the disastrous flood in 1680, when he was engaged to introduce sheep husbandry.
GENERATION IV
The following 2 persons (order of seniority uncertain) are both children of Peter McCullagh and Mary Conway:
The following 9 persons (order of seniority uncertain) are all children of Mary Gormley and Henry Kirk:
The following 8 persons (order of seniority uncertain) are all children of Rose Gormley and James Heaney:
The following 2 persons (order of seniority uncertain) are both children of Annie Gormley and Andrew “Andy” Wilson:
The following 12 persons (order of seniority uncertain) are all children of Bernard Gormley and Catherine Henry:
The following 9 persons (order of seniority uncertain) are all children of James Gormley and Ann Conway of Oughtboy:
The following 9 persons (order of seniority uncertain) are all children of Patrick Gormley and Mary Duffy of Goles:
The following 8 persons (order of seniority uncertain) are all children of Charles Gormley and Peggy Duffy of Goles:
Note re. Patrick James Gormley who married (1904) Margaret "Maggie" McAneney:
Our McAneney family first appears at Drumnaspar, Plumbridge and had the appellation "Roe" (from Ruadh = red-haired). The family gave a field to the R.C. church in Plumbridge, which was needed for a graveyard. The first person in the line may have been a Rory (or Roger) McAneney. In the line, someone had three children:
Jamie "Roe" McANENEY , whose son was known as "wee" Johnny "Roe" McAneney.
Johnny "Roe" McAneney (1832 - 1915), who married Margaret (Martha?) HEGARTY (d. 1885?) from near Strabane. [Margaret was reputedly a woman of outstanding beauty, and was closely related (niece?) to Fr. William Hegarty (or Hagarty) (1813 - 1883) who was a famed preacher and healer. Fr. Hegarty visited USA to raise funds for St. Eugene's Cathedral, Derry. His marble tombstone is in the present Lourdes Grotto, Strabane. Family originally at Inch, Derry. Margaret is said (quite convincingly) to have been the inspiration for "The Flower of Sweet Strabane", suggesting that "Mairid" was corrupted to "Martha" and "McKenna" was another form of "McAneney"; the reference to Inch would have been a nod to the Hegarty family.]
Biddy "Roe" McAneney , who married Pat CARLIN of Culvahillion.
Johnny "Roe" McAneney and Margaret (Martha?) Hegarty moved to New York, where Johnny had a bar. They had three children but only one survived and Margaret died there, being said to have been buried in Gates of Heaven, Cemetery Hill, New York:
1880 Patrick McAneney (died young).
1883 - 1959 Maggie "Roe" McAneney , who married Patrick GORMLEY of Cranagh.
1885 James Martin McAneney (died at birth)
Maggie "Roe" McAneney was educated in a convent, then raised in the household of Biddy and Pat Carlin of Culvahillion; she was the grandmother of KEVIN BYRNE byrne@colonsay.org.uk
This site is evolving and information is sought on all descendants. Information about current generations will not, of course, be published but the author will be delighted to obtain information as to collateral lines. By request, any interested descendant of families mentioned here can have their name and email address added to this site.
Postscript:
Tradition has it that "our" family is entitled to wear Buchanan tartan, suggesting some link with that clan. No obvious explanation for was at first is apparent on the Gormley side, although the McAneney side seemed more promising. O'Hart states that the McAneney family originated with the 116th chieftain of the O'Cahans as follows:
Donoch-an-Einigh (or "Donoch the Affable"): a quo Macaneinigh, anglicised MacAneny; died 1523.
It would seem that some 500 years earlier, one of the family had gone to Scotland and thereby established a distant link between the O'Cahans (including the McAneneys) and the Buchanans:
Conn Cionntach O'Cahan: son of Dermod; first assumed this surname; he had a brother named Annselan, who was the ancestor of O'Bocainain ("bocain:" Irish, fairies; "an," one who), anglicised Buchanan. This Annselan was the first of the family who settled in Scotland.
On the other hand, one notes that the Gormley family had links with both Ardstraw and Mountfield - both of which were possessions of the McCauslands, a family which is very definitely linked to the Buchanan clan. The McCausland family has an excellent website, from which the following information has been summarised:
Born in Glendouglas, brothers Andrew and John McCausland came to Ireland in the time of King James VI. Andrew's son, Alexander, served in the army in Ireland during the Civil War and was thereafter rewarded as an "adventurer". At his death, he was possessed of lands which included the manors of Ardstraw and Mountfield. One of his children, Oliver McCausland, married a Jane Hamilton and one of their children, William, was born at Mountfield c. 1700 This William married an Elizabeth Hamilton and it would seem as if the family interest had drifted from Ardstraw to Mountfield, a movement that was reflected in the Gormley family. One might wonder if when ? Gormley from Ardstraw married ? Clarke of Stradowen, Mountfield, he was marrying a distant connection of the McCausland family, and thus his descendants became "entitled" to wear Buchanan tartan.