Hi Martin:
I'm going to add more information in hopes that something might stand out that could help us find more information.
Unfortunately, I don't know his county of birth. The only thing I am pretty positive of is his birth year of 1827, and he was definitely Roman Catholic. My dad's Ethnicity Estimates on Ancestry suggest South Down & North Louth.
I found the following Catholic Registers on Ancestry, but can't confirm.
Name: John Ronane Birth: 1827 Baptism: 20 Dec 1827, Cork, Ireland Parents: Tim Ronan & Jane Regan
Name: John Ronane Birth: 1827 Baptism: 4 Mar 1827, Kilkenny, Ireland Parents: Michael Ronan & Catherine Burk
*Name: John Ronan Birth: 1827 Baptism: 29 Apr 1827, Westmeath, Ireland Parents: John Ronan & Catherine Seally
I found this one as well, listing Gilbert Ronan as his father on some other trees. But if 1827 is most likely his birth year, I highly doubt this is correct. Name: John Roonane Birth: 1829 Baptism: 28 May 1829, Galway, Ireland
I know he was educated because he could read and write; in America he held several township offices; and he was the enumerator of the 1880 census for his township. A county biography for Alicia's son states the following: Her father, John Ronan, was a miner and a man of considerable prominence at Dudley, where he served on the School Board, and as its secretary, for thirty years. This confirms the newspaper articles I found stating the offices he held.
I don't know when he arrived in America. There are so many ship manifests for John Ronan, it's hard to narrow the correct one down.
He married in America 24 November 1857. The witnesses were Felix Toole (O'Toole) and Julia Maher.
One last bit. . . There was a family of Ronan's living in a near by town (Altoona, PA) who may or may not have been a brother or cousin. I haven't found the connection, but to have two families living within close proximity of each other with an uncommon name (for the area), I tend to suspect there may be a connection. The first family was Patrick Joseph Ronan b. about 1841 in May County who married Bridget Henehan also from County Mayo. Their children: William, Marin, Mary, Ellen, Patrick. William was the immigrant many of his children have the same names as my family's names. The other family was Martin Ronan (Ronayne) b. 22 June 1822 County Mayo who married Bridget Mullen born 1829 same county. This family arrived in 1851. Children: William, Ann, Michael, Mary, Bridget.