Byrne families of South Wexford, Ireland
Updated to September 2021with information about WWI Byrne casualties from Wexford (at bottom page) and DNA match.
N.B.Volume 2 of The Byrnes and the O'Byrnes by Daniel Byrne Rothwell contains a lengthy chapter based largely upon information given here, in which the author has developed a possible hypothesis to encourage further research. Details at http://www.houseoflochar.com/books/ByrneVol2new.htm or just go to www.houseoflochar and explore. I declare an interest - House of Lochar is my family's publishing company, but of course the author is completely independent. No need to buy the book, just order it through your public library. Or, go to Google Books, search for "The Byrnes and the O'Byrnes Volume 2" and see Chapter 1, pp 1 - 33. More info: www.byrnehistory.com
In a nutshell, this page seeks further information about Byrne families of Bonagrew, Ballintlea, Dunganstown, Ballycapple and Ballymanus and possible links between any of those families and the Byrne family of Doonooney, with a burial ground at Taghmon. In July 2011, DNA testing confirmed the link between the Muchtown Byrne and Doonooney Byrne familes (see details below, LATE NEWS)
There is a link with the Walsh descendants of the Darcy family of Ballymacar and some information is at
Byrne & Walsh families, South Wexford
More information about the Darcy connection was posted in March 2012
The Byrne DNA project is at Clan O'Byrne site
In an area centred at Taghmon, on the borders of the Baronies of Bargy and Forth, there are a number of long-established Byrne families, many of which are fairly closely inter-related. This site is devoted to an attempt to discover something of their origin and how they fit together. The author is a descendant of the Newtown line and hopes to contact people who can help him in this quest; equally, he hopes that some of this information may be of value to other researchers.
The page lists some of the available information currently to hand and will be expanded to include additional contributions; it is fiendishly difficult to digest on screen and if it is of interest to you should probably be run off on a printer. Historical references, additional gravestone inscriptions, family traditions and - of course - any local knowledge will be gratefully received. Information from local historians will be particularly welcome. The author regrets his own lack of detailed local knowledge.
To avoid doubt, no living person will be knowingly identified on this site and no contributor will be named without specific consent. On the other hand, visitors are welcome to have their own contact details and specific interests posted here on request - just send a message. I trust that any errors or omissions on this site will not give offence.
******
In a favoured corner of the old graveyard in Taghmon, surviving inscriptions commemorate the following members of an extended family:
John Byrne, Ballylibernagh (d. 1911), with his wife Ellen (d. 1933) and their children Nicholas (d. 1930), Katie (d. 1936) and Marks (d.1938), also a grandson Peter Byrne (d.1956)
John Byrne, Doonooney (1786 - 1855), with his wife Mary (1796 - 1869) and their son Mark (d. 1830)
James Byrne, Newtown (1800 - 1872), with his sons Robert (1849 - 1870) and Thomas (1845 - 1871)
John Byrne (1729 - 1776)
Mary Anne Butler of Taghmon (d. 1918) "erected by her nephew William Byrne"
Patrick Byrne (1721 - 1771)
John Byrne (d. 1761) and (his grandson?) Patrick Byrne (1762 - 1842)[recorded at Newtown in 1834]
In the midst of these stones is a very badly eroded prostrate slab with the following surviving inscription, perhaps not hitherto published:
Erected by
[some Byrne? in Memory]
Of his
[wife?]
Sheppard w[ho died ?
]
Sacred to
[the memory of]
Late Doo[nooney]
4th May 183
As a working hypothesis, it seems possible that:
I. John (d.1761) was the pater familias.
II. His children may have included Patrick (1721 - 1771) and John (1729 - 1776) also (possibly) Peter Byrne of Gurlin (1735-1815).
N.B. In the Index to Administration Bonds there is a reference to "1771, Patrick Byrne, Bricketstown (Taghmon)", but I have no further information as yet.
III. The children of either Patrick or John seem to have included Patrick Byrne of Newtown.
III. The children of Patrick Byrne of Newtown (1762-1842 and still at Newtown in 1834) seem to have included four brothers:
a) Daniel Byrne of Newtown (who married Anty (Anastasia) and had five children [see under Newtown, below]), who was recorded at Grasscur in 1834
b) James Byrne of Newtown (1800-1872), who "died before 1894" and who was "son of Patrick Byrne of Newtown" (see detail under Newtown/Grasscur below). James (1800-1872) had sons Robert (1849-1870) and Thomas (1845-1871)
c) William Byrne of Newtown (1805-1889) (who married Margaret Lambert in 1838 and moved to Grasscur)
d) Edward Byrne of Newtown , (whose daughter by Bess Pender (sponsor Bess Quin) was Fanny Byrne (1838-1892), who later married Marks Walsh in 1863, Coolycall)
In addition, other grandchildren of Patrick (1721-1771) or John (1729-1776) included:
John Byrne of Doonooney (1786-1855) (who married Mary Sheppard)
James Byrne of Muchtown (1790-1870) [see Kilcowan cemetery, below]
Marks Byrne, recorded at Coolycall in 1834
In point of fact, John Byrne of Doonooney (1786 - 1855) (said to have come from "Kilcavin") was indeed married to a Mary Sheppard (1794 - 1869). I am told that the 1838 death of a Sheppard child of Tottenhamgreen is recorded in the Taghmon Catholic register. John and Mary Byrne's son Marks (1834 - 1876) married Ann Roche (1843 - 1876) and, in turn, their son John (1883 - 1929) married a Miss Ellen Fowler of Nash, with children Mark (1901) and Thomas (1903)(Ellen was daughter of Patrick and Anne Fowler (1835-1928) of Nash, Gusserane; Ellen's son Marks was chief mourner at his grandmother's funeral to Ballycullane). Another son of Marks and Ann was Patrick (b. 1876).
N.B. Marks Byrne and Alice Roche, Doonooney, had a son, Patrick, in 1876.
William Byrne married Mary Fowler in 1858, Rathangan.
Meantime, James Byrne had a wife Catherine (1779-1859), and they are both buried in Kilcowan. Their son, John Byrne (buried Kilcowan) married Anne Barry, Bannon and in due course they had a son, James Byrne, who married Margaret Stafford of Clonmines (both buried in Kilcowan). It was a son of this couple, another John Byrne, who married Margaret Kehoe of Old Ross in 1945 (both buried Rathangan) and who bought Doonooney from his cousin, Mark Byrne.
A John Byrne of Doonooney is said to have donated the Stations of the Cross to the church at Adamstown, and to be mentioned in a dedication plaque.
It is said that a document in the Heraldry Office of Ireland includes the following reference to two alleged "brothers":
"Miles Byrne, 1780 - Brigade commander, France
John Byrne, 1771 - Farmer, Dunooney"
Obviously, any information about that document would be invaluable, if only to confirm the fact that John (1729 - 1776) was the occupant of Doonooney in 1771.
One would like to know if the basic hypothesis can be further confirmed or corrected. Equally, one would like to know if John Byrne (d. 1761) had his origins locally or whether he had moved into the area - perhaps into Doonooney - with his two sons.
There are two scraps of tradition which might give a clue, although the details have probably been telescoped and confused:
The Muchtown Byrnes seemingly have a tradition that "there were four brothers, from Wicklow, one went to Doonooney and one went to "Grallagh", a third married into the family of Shepherd at Ballinaleigh near Ballamitty, and the fourth went into Nash."
This is reminiscent of a Newtown Byrnes tradition that "brothers came down from Wicklow; one married into Bonagrew near Brittas Bay, one married into Doonooney near Adamstown; [in the next generation] there was a son went into Grasscur and another into Ballylibernagh."
Both traditions stress Doonooney and include the notion of "marrying into" a place. The two stories both include generations radiating out into south Wexford, and although both mention a Wicklow origin only one mentions Bonagrew. Is it possible that a different "Brittas" was meant, the Brittas at Castletimon, closely associated with the Colclough Byrne family? Interestingly enough, there were Byrnes at Bonagrew for generations and although they are no longer there, their gravestones survive at Arklow. Was there a link between the Doonooney and Bonagrew families? Or had this branch of the Byrnes been established in the Taghmon area from truly ancient times?
There is said to be a further tradition that "two Byrne brothers, one of Muchtown the other of Doonooney, married two Protestant sisters named Sheppard of Hilltown, Ballymitty, long ago."
Do other families have traditional information? Can anyone explain the origins of these families, or how they survived the Cromwellian and Williamite confiscations? The Newtown tradition has some slight additional material and it would be interesting to know if other families have anything which relates to the events of 1798. It is said that there is a connection with two Byrne families in Cushinstown, also at Ballynaboola, Finshoge and Bree.
LATE NEWS, September 2021: In July 2011, I noted that a descendant of the Muchtown Byrnes had joined the DNA scheme and tested on 111 markers. He says that " the ftdna site says we have genetic distance of 4 and time to common ancestor at 8 generations is 72%. At 12 generations 94.2%, at 16 it is 99.1%, and 28 generations 100%." Since that date we have both upgraded to the maximum number of markers and there is no doubt, the evidence supports the tradition as held independently by both familes. Perhaps there is a Sheppard DNA project? Or perhaps someone from Ballymanus, Bonagrue of Ballycapple will join the Byrne project soon. Please note: The Byrne DNA project has made amazing progress and is now attempting to find markers for the main septs; more members are welcome, not least from Wexford. The four-volume history of The Byrnes and the O'Byrnes by Daniel Byrne-Rothwell has now been completed and is available through main copyright libraries, with a dedicated site at www.byrnehistory.com
SOME REFERENCES
OTHER TAGHMON GRAVESTONES:
Bridget Byrne 1750 - 1834, wife of Thomas Parle of Tottenhamgreen 1750 - 1810 and their children James, Elizabeth, Catherine (Redmond), John and Patrick (The Monachan)
John Byrne 1789 - 1844, son of Peter Byrne (St. Munn's)
OTHER TAGHMON REFERENCES:
Because the gravestones at The Monachan are in Taghmon, a researcher has kindly examined the parochial records. It would be good to know of connections between any of the following individuals and the Doonooney / Ballylibernagh / Newtown group.
Marriages at Taghmon:
1803 Patrick Byrne to Judith Murphy
1803 Catherine Byrne to Christopher Williams
1806 James Byrne to Judith Donnelly
1807 Richard Byrne to Catherine Redmond
1813 John Byrne to Catherine Kehoe
1813 John Byrne to Margaret Kehoe
1814 Catherine Byrne to Michael Hanlon
1818 James Byrne to Mary Furlong
Baptisms at Taghmon
James Byrne and Mary Brien baptised the following:
Mary 1802; Patrick 1803; Nicholas 1806; John 1808; John 1810
John Byrne and Elizabeth Reville baptised the following:
Mary 1803; Peter 1805; Catherine 1808; Bridget 1810; Richard 1816; John 1819
Michael Byrne and Margaret Summers baptised the following:
James 1818; Catherine 1821; Patrick 1829
Other Byrne baptisms at Taghmon were:
1802 John: Patrick Byrne and Catherine Nowlan
1803 Catherine: Charles Byrne and Mary Rochford
1804 Thomas: Thomas Byrne and Mary Foley
1806 Mary: John Byrne and Frances Rossiter
1806 Mary: John Byrne and Mary Lannon
1815 Anne: James Byrne and Margaret Kehoe
1816 Elizabeth: Nicholas Byrne and Margaret Lannon
1817 George: James Byrne and Bridget Connors
1823 Martin: John Byrne and Johanna Parle
1823 Mary: Patrick Byrne and Anastasia Furlong
1824 Anne: James Byrne and Mary Furlong
1829 Eleanor: James Byrne and Mary Furlong
1839 Mary: Patrick Byrne and Johanna Kinsella
Deaths recorded at Taghmon (record starts 1828)
1829 Widow Byrne (67), Taghmon
1829 Charles Byrne (82), Taghmon
1829 Anastasia Byrne (74), Taghmon
1830 Kate Byrne (76), Taghmon
1832 James Byrne (66), Kilgarvan
1841 Lucy Byrne (40), Taghmon
1845 William Byrne (4), Taghmon
The 1834 Tithe Applotments Book shows:
Michael Byrne, Taghmon 5a 1r 20p
James Byrne, Taghmon 3a 3r 30p
Charles Byrne,Taghmon 1a 3r 30p
Moses Byrne, Taghmon, 9a 0r
Patrick Byrne Taghmon 3a 3r
DOONOONEY REFERENCES (Adamstown)
Marks Byrne has 83 acres in 1824 Tithes Book
John Byrne married Mary Doyle and baptised the following:
1830 Marks Byrne (sponsors Patrick Byrne / Anne Doyle)
1832 Elizabeth Byrne (sponsors John Byrne / Bridget Doyle)
1834 Mary Byrne (sponsors Nick Byrne / Ellen Walsh)
1835 James Byrne (sponsors Dan and Mary Gorman)
1836 John Byrne (sponsors William Keating / Bridget Doyle)
1837 Bridget Byrne (sponsors Rev. T. Devereaux / Eliza Byrne)
1839 Anne Byrne (sponsors William Keating / Bridget Doyle)
James Byrne married Ellen Doyle, and baptised
1833 Ellen Byrne (sponsors Patrick Byrne / Ellen Doyle)
In 1833 John Byrne, Doonooney was elected a freeholder, entitling him to vote.
Story about a "Marks Byrne"
"Once he sent a wire to his brother in Wellingtonbridge with the message - "Come at once, Markie dead". The brother went to the shop and loaded up his car with food for the wake and funeral. When he arrived, the first man he saw was the bold Markie. "I thought you were dead", he exclaimed, to which Markie retorted, "I would have been, only you came with some grub."
NEWTOWN AND RELATED REFERENCES:
The author of this page is descended from the Newtown line, by way of Grasscur and Coolycall. He is a great-grandson of William Byrne of Newton (1805-1889), "carpenter", who married Margaret Lambert (perhaps of Long Ridge?) in 1838 in Rathangan Parish. Her parents may have been Thomas Lambert and Bridget Whitty, married 1804. Within a few years William and Margaret moved to Grasscur - their children were:
1839 Mary Byrne (sponsors John Lambert / Kitty Byrne)
1841 Ann Byrne (sponsors Watt Walsh / Ann Coughly)
1844 Patrick Byrne (sponsors Pat Byrne / Mary Poddle)
1846 Mary Byrne (sponsors Thomas Lamport / Anastasia Furlong)
1849 James Byrne (sponsors Patt Furlong / Bess Harpur)
1851 Anne Byrne (sponsors William Walsh / Ellen Butler)
1854 Nicholas Byrne (sponsors Thomas Walsh / Margaret Hayes)
In 1886, Elizabeth Lambert of Cooleycall married Thoms Derry (of Liverpool), gardener; witnesses were Thomas Harpur and Anne Byrne. Elizabeth was daughter of Henry Lambert and Henrietta Elizabeth Thomas, farmers, of Quanstown, Rathaspeck.
Of the above,
Nicholas Byrne b. 1854 married Margaret Walsh of Ballymacar in 1896; grandparents to the author of this site, they lived at Ballymacar. For an outline of their issue please use this link BYRNE & WALSH families, Ballymacar, South Wexford
Meanwhile, at Newtown / Grasscur
Patrick Byrne (1844-1909) married Bessie Dillon (1842-1889) in 1865 (witnesses Thomas Dillon and Mary Byrne) and they had issue:
1866 Margaret (a.k.a. Anne?) Byrne (born Newtown) m. 1889 Nicholas Whitty, Kilmannon (went to America?)
1868 Patrick Byrne m. Margaret Roche (see details below)
1870 William "Bill" Byrne, buried Cleariestown (m. Alice Whitty, Newcastle, Cleariestown? Son Mark b. 1912?)
1873 Thomas Byrne, bachelor, buried Rathangan New
1874 John Byrne (died young?)
1876 John "Jack" Byrne (bachelor, d. 1942, buried Cleariestown)
1877 James Byrne married Anne Eliza Rossiter
Of that generation
Patrick "Patsy" Byrne b. 1868 (buried Cleariestown) married Margaret Roche of Ballynaglogh, cleariestown in 1892 and had issue:
1894 William Byrne (died young)
1896 Patrick Byrne (died young)
1898 Elizabeth Byrne
1899 Catherine Byrne
1901 John Byrne (died young)
1906 Margaret Byrne
c. 1908 Mary Byrne
1912 Miss xxxxx Byrne
N.B. James Byrne, Rathangan, son of James, married Mary Roche of Scar, 1880
and also of that same Newtown/Grasscur generation
James Byrne b. 1877 married Anne Eliza Rossiter (daughter of Richard Rossiter, Horesland, Duncormick) in 1911 and had a daughter, Miss xxxxxx Byrne. James b. 1877 is buried beneath the iron Celtic Cross in Rathangan Old cemetery.
Note: a James Byrne married Johanna Rossiter in 1874 (Rathangan)
****************
The Newtown Byrnes also included:
Daniel Byrne m. Anty (Anastasia) Byrne and had issue
1818 Margaret Byrne (sponsor Mary Fowler)
1820 Thomas Byrne (sponsor James Fowler)
1822 Thomas Byrne
1825 unnamed Byrne
1829 James Byrne (sponsors James Byrne / Catherine Lambert)
Daniel seems to have had a father called Thomas and a brother, James:
James Byrne m. Mary Murphy and had issue
1846 Thomas Byrne
1847 Patrick Byrne
1850 Robert Byrne
1855 Michael Byrne
1858 John Byrne
1859 Anna Byrne
Note: My uncle mentioned a Thomas Byrne, uncle of my grandfather Nicholas (O')Byrne, in association with Ballylibernagh. Perhaps he meant this Thomas, b. 1846
Of this latter generation:
Patrick Byrne (b. 1847) m. Mary Browne and had issue
1887 Thomas
1895 Margaret
1898 James
1902 Anastasia
1905 xxxxxx (son)(settled in Moone, Co. Kildare
1910 xxxx xxxxx (daughter)
1911 xxxxxxx (daughter)
Another early Rathangan family was:
James Byrne m. Kitty Pender in 1814 and had issue
1815 Elizabeth Byrne (sponsors Nicholas & Elizabeth Byrne)
1817 Mary Byrne (sponsors John Redmond / Betty Healer ? )
1823 Patrick Byrne (sponsors Joseph Radford / Mary Hayes)
1825 Mary Byrne (sponsors James Redmond / Catherine Fortune)
1829 Catherine Byrne (sponsors Mathew / Elizabeth Redmond)
1833 Patrick Byrne (sponsors Nicholas Devereux / Mary Fortune)
1836 Nicholas (sponsors William Byrne / Margaret Cleary)
The 1834 Tithe Applotments Book shows:
Patrick Byrne at Great Newtown ("Parish of Kilcoan or Kilcowan") with 35 acres 1 rood; he was the father of Patrick who married Bessie Dillon in 1865.
Marcus Byrne at Coolycall (same parish) sharing 16 acres 1 rood 22 perches
Mary Lambert at Longridge, 15 acres
James Byrne at Muchtown, 19a. 2r. 9p
Daniel Byrne at Grascur 6a. 3r. 24p
The 1853 Griffith's Valuation
James Byrne at Newtown, (Parish of Kilcowan"), House and 3 parcels of land, total 54 acres (rented from John Burrowes)
A James Byrne of Newtown "was the son of Patrick Byrne who married a Nagle of Bridgetown", but am not sure which James it was.
Possible emigration c. 1870-80 period?
A family tradition suggests that Nicholas Byrne b. 1854 spent some years in America before returning to Grasscur (whence he married 1896); and that he had a sister-in-law Bridget Finn who emigrated and was lost sight of.
I have heard that a William Byrne m. a Bridget Finn in Ireland and that their five children included daughter Catherine who was born in Ossineke, Michigan 1873 but am not sure of a connection. Any information would be welcome.
(The 1901 Census: (Newtown, Kilcowan, Bargy)
Patrick Byrne (52yrs), his wife Mary (27yrs) and sons James (2) and Thomas (10 months), daughter Margaret (5), together with Patrick's brothers James (48yrs) and John (46yrs) in a well-appointed 8 roomed house with thatched roof.
The property was eventually sold in 1974 and the house no longer exists. I am most grateful for this photograph, showing (r. to l.) Statia Murphy, Maggie Byrne, "Mother" and Sarah. Further information and a likely date would be very welcome.
Other marriages include:
John Burne and Ellen Wilson 1822
John Byrne and Bridget Shortle 1858
Charles Byrne and Anne Sinnott 1859
BALLYLIBERNAGH REFERENCES
1824 Tithes Book shows no Byrne family in Ballylibernagh.
1853 Griffiths Survey shows Nicholas Byrne with 32a 2p 11r, tenant of Benjamin Wilson; he was survived by his widow, Catherine (1804-1894)
Margaret Byrne of Ballylibernagh (b. 1864) married Walter Kehoe (b. 1870), farmer, Ballycogley
John Byrne of Ballylibernagh (1835-1911), farmer, (son of Nicholas), married Ellen Sinnott (d. after 1911), (daughter of William Sinnott of Gibberwell, Duncormick) in Rathangan in 1893. Their issue included:
1900 Mary Catherine Byrne
1902 Nicholas Kevin Byrne (d. 1930)
1905 William Byrne
1907 Mary Byrne
1909 Mark Brendan Byrne
N.B. But in 1920 a William Byrne of Ballylibernagh b. 1900 married Mary Alice Walsh (b. 1902) of Cregg, Mayglass.
Other Ballylibernagh deaths include:
Marks Byrne, bachelor, 1847-1903
Mary Ellen Byrne 1883-1934
OTHER REFERENCES:
Memorials elsewhere that are probably associated with the Byrne family of The Monachan include the following:
Rathangan new cemetery
Annie Byrne, Belgrove 1874 - 1959 and her brother, Laurence Byrne 1881 - 1967
Mary Byrne, Ballylibernagh 1894 - c.1970 (buried with Sinnott family of Millview)
John Byrne, Muchtown 1906- 1988
Richard Byrne, Muchtown 1915 - 1985
Thomas Byrne, Mulrankin 1910 - 1995
Ellen Stafford nee Byrne 1817 - 1887, her husband John Stafford of Baldwinstown 1748 - 1828 and their son Nicholas 1852 - 1935
The name "Nicholas" is reasonably prominent in the Newtown Byrne line, and appears in the Rathangan registers as follows:
18.09.1820 Nicholas Byrne, son of Lawrence Byrne and Anty Byrne
17.02.1836 Nicholas Byrne, son of James Byrne and Kitty Byrne
26.02.1842 Nicholas Byrne, son of John Byrne and Nancy Byrne
11.07.1854 Nick Byrne, son of William Byrne and Marg Lambert; "Grogan" (sic; Grasscur)
The name "Lawrence" may be connected with the dedication of the church to St. Lawrence O'Toole and the fact that the saint's mother was an O'Byrne.
Duncormack cemetery
Peter Byrne of Gurlin 1735 - 1815 and Eleanor nee Stafford 1745 - 1815 (who had sons Laurence and John Byrne)
Laurence Byrne 1783 - 1867 and Anastasia nee Keating 1798 - 1862 of Belgrove and their sons Nicholas Byrne 1821 - 1893 and John Byrne 1822 - 1895
Was their daughter the Ellen Byrne (1817-1887) who married John Stafford? The father of Laurence 1783-1867 was Nicholas 1753-1831 and there was a (nephew?) Nicholas Byrne 1806-1841, whose mother was "Ellen" and whose daughter was "Mary Ellen"
The above Nicholas Byrne of Belgrove (1821-1893) is mentioned in "The People" August 12th 1885, having subscribed towards "a magnificent crucifix" recently erected "in the centre of the churchyard, old graveyard, Rathangan". William and Nicholas Stafford of Baldwinstown also subscribed.
Peter Byrne of Gurlin (1735-1815) could have been a third son of John (d.1761), the "pater familias" of the original hypothesis.
Kilcowan cemetery
John Codd, Newtown House d. 1791
James Byrne of Muchtown, 1790 - 1870 with his wife Catherine 1793 - 1859 and their son John Byrne 1821 - 1904 [married to Anne Barry, Bannon] and other descendants including their son James Byrne who married Margaret Stafford of Clonmines.
Cleariestown cemetery
Annie Byrne of Newtown, d. 1970, also her brother James Byrne d. 1973
Mark Walsh, Cooleycall 1847 - 1902, his wife Francis nee Byrne 1839 - 1921 and their son Thomas 1876 - 1954 and Catherine "Mag" Walsh 1875 - 1974
BONAGRUE REFERENCES
Hilary Murphy spotted the following in the "Wicklow People"
Death of Mrs. Anne Fanning, Monalee 25th October 1912, stated to have belonged to a fine old family, the Byrnes of Bawnagrew. Chief mourners included William Colclough Byrne and Patrick Byrne, Kilmurray.
Monalee is in the parish of Kilanerin, north Wexford; there is a Kilmarray in Gorey/Arklow area.
The Byrnes of Newtown / Grasscur have a tradition that they are linked with both Bonagrue and Ballycapple Byrnes; the Ballycapple Byrnes, famously, are Colclough Byrnes but do not know of a connection with Bonagrue - William Colclough Byrne's position as chief mourner is therefore an interesting discovery.
Death of Edward Byrne, Bonagrew, 11 July 1817, stated to have belonged to an old county family. Buried in Templerainey old cemetery, Arklow. Chief mourners included Michael Byrne (son), Moira (daughter), Ellen and Mollie (sisters), James Murphy (uncle, member of Rathdrum District council), Turlough O'Reilly and John Byrne, Wicklow (cousins).
The author of this site was told of three brothers, Edward Michael and Patrick Byrne of Bonagrew, Edward being with other Byrnes in Arklow graveyard and the other two in "Ballylichael ???" - he missed the name but at Arklow found a grave on the left near the gate:
"Erected by Edward Byrne, Killahurler, in memory of his father Edward Byrne, Bongrew who died July 6th 1868 aged 80 years; also his son John Alphonsus who died 8th April 1878 aged 2 years; his mother Anastasia Byrne died 5th December 1890 aged 92 years. Underneath are also interred the remains of the above names Edward Byrne who died 16th June 1902.
FOOTNOTE:
An indication of the distribution of Byrne households is available from the 1853 Occupiers as listed by Griffiths. Since these are heads of households it is possible that the limited range of christian names is significant.
James Byrne at Scar (Duncormick)
James Byrne at Muchtown (Kilcowan)
James Byrne at Newtown Big (Kilcowan)
James Byrne at Cloghulatagh (Taghmon)
James Byrne at Taghmon Town
John Byrne at Doonooney (Doonooney)
Nicholas Byrne at Newtown (Adamstown)
Nicholas Byrne at Ballylibernagh (Mulrankin)
Patrick Byrne at Cloonerane, (Taghmon)
Patrick Byrne at Poulmarl (Taghmon)
Patrick Byrne at Taghmon Town
Richard Byrne at Cloonerane (Taghmon)
Richard Byrne at Raheen (Taghmon)
The information given here has been gleaned from many sources, including the invaluable publications of Taghmon Historical Society.
"In Loving Memory
Cleariestown Remembers" is a splendid publication (1999) with all inscriptions of Cleariestown, Ballyconnick and Kilmannon Cemeteries, whilst "Loves Greatest Gift
Remembrance" is equally impressive and was published by Richard Lambert in 2000, giving all inscriptions from Rathangan, Duncormack, Kilcowan, Killag and Ambrosetown.
Many friends and relations have provided invaluable help, and I am most grateful to Dorothy and Patrick Drayton-Byrne for the archive material that they have amassed and made available to me.
In particular, I am hopelessly indebted to Hilary Murphy for his indefatigable research. As a resident in an exceptionally remote Hebridean island, I could have made little or no progress without his invaluable support.
INFORMATION posted in January 2010:
Daniel Byrne-Rothwell discovered a list of Commonwealth War Dead memorialised in Taghmon (St. Munna's) and Alan Davis kindly researched them, 20 January 2010, at the request of Kevin Byrne. The 12 persons named below all lost their lives, and at least 6 came from Wexford. Many more Byrnes must have served, perhaps about 36 in all, since the average death rate for Irish soldiers in WWI was 1:6. I have no idea if any of these persions had a connection with my "own" family, but I include the information in case it is of help to others. Further information would be welcome - one wonders why these persons were all remembered at Taghmon? Where they connected with local families?
GARRET BYRNE , Private, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 1 st Bn., Service No. 10096 ; Killed in Action Gallipoli, 30yrs, 27th April 1915; Son of Peter and Mary Byrne, of Rathpierce Cottage, Ballyfadd, Gorey, Co. Wexford; Grave/Memorial Reference: Special Memorial A. 14 Cemetery: V BEACH CEMETERY
JAMES BYRNE , Private, Royal Irish Regiment, 1 st Bn., Service No. 4204; Killed in Action France, 22yrs, 16th March 1915. Ballyoughter.; Son of John Byrne, of Ballyhast, Leakinfere, Gorey, Co. Wexford; Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 33 Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
JAMES BYRNE , Private, Welsh Regiment, 15 th Bn., Service No. 53948; Killed in Action France , 28 th July 1917. Ballintray.; Grave/Memorial Reference: XXV.F.8 Cemetery: NEW IRISH FARM CEMETERY
JOHN BYRNE , Private, Irish Guards, 1 st Bn., 38yrs, Service No. 1462; Killed in Action France, October 30th 1914. The Hook. Son of Michael and Bridget Byrne, of Hook, Co. Wexford; husband of Mary Byrne of Arthurstown Co. Wexford.; Grave/Memorial Reference: III.B.13 Cemetery: BOULOGNE EASTERN CEMETERY
JOHN BYRNE , Private, Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), 1 st Bn., Service No. S/10203; Killed in Action France October 3rd 1916, 25yrs. Gorey.; Son of Joseph Byrne, of Ballycanew, Gorey, Co. Wexford; Grave/Memorial Reference: III.E.8 Cemetery: ST. PATRICK'S CEMETERY, LOOS
PATRICK BYRNE , Rifleman, Royal Irish Rifles, 2 nd Bn., Service No. 6699; Killed in action France November 11th 1916. New Ross.; Grave/Memorial Reference: C.8 Cemetery: HYDE PARK CORNER (ROYAL BERKS) CEMETERY
Church Memorial : PATRICK BYRNE 6731 Private 2nd Leinster Regiment Killed in Action France October 20th 1914 Enniscorthy; Military Records : PATRICK BYRNE , Private, ALIAS, 39yrs, 20/10/1914 Service No. 6721; See CARTON , the true family name. Memorial: PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL
PETER BYRNE , Lance Corporal, Irish Guards, 2 nd Bn., Service No. 6723; Killed in Action France June 20th 1916, 20yrs. Wexford.; Son of Peter and Mary Byrne, of Ballinacarrig, Co. Wicklow; Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 11 Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
SAMUEL BYRNE , Private, Royal Irish Regiment, 1 st Bn., Service No. 8995; Killed in Action France May 5th 1917, 27yrs. Ballymitty.; Son of John and Lucy Byrne, of Ballinglee, Ballymitty, Co. Wexford; Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 33 Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
THOMAS BYRNE , Private, Royal Irish Regiment, 6 th Bn., 05/08/1917 Service No. 1900; Killed in Action France August 5th 1917. Rowe St., Wexford; Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 33 Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
WILLIAM BYRNE , Private, Irish Guards, 1 st Bn., Service No. 2894; Killed in Action Flanders December 1st 1914, 29yrs. Killivaney.; Son of Tobias and Mary Byrne, of Ballythomas, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow; Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 11 Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
JOHN FRANCIS ROTHWELL , Private, Royal Irish Regiment, 7th (South Irish Horse) Bn., 24 yrs; Died on 21 st March 1918 in France. Service No. 5624; Son of Matthias and Sarah Rothwell, of Growtown, Taghmon, Co. Wexford; Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 30 and 31 Memorial: POZIERES MEMORIAL
12th July 2010: there is further information upon WWI casualties in an excellent article at http://homepage.eircom.net/~taghmon/histsoc/vol3/chapter6/chapter6.htm
This site is something of a long shot, but the author will happily alter and/ or expand it in the light of better information. If you can make a contribution, please contact
Kevin Nicholas Byrne at colonsaybyrne@gmail.com
