Finding Riordan/Connell

I'm trying to find out information on my Irish ancestry especially Patrick Riordan who married Ellen Connell or O'Connell.  I'm not sure when they were born or married but they did have a son Patrick born in 1851 County Kerry(from his death record) but my grandfather always thought his family were from County Cork.  Patrick (1851) married Bridget Moriarty who's parents were Jeremiah Moriarty and Mary Connor/O'Connor.  They moved out to New Zealand and their surname changed to Reardon which has made searching difficult.  I just don't seem to be able to find anything on his parents and would love to see if anyone has any information.  I'm bringing my mum to Ireland next year to see if we can find out any links.

Hi Susan,

Knowing the county where records could be held is very important before 1864 as records were kept in the form of church and parish records, So, all the surviving records have been sorted into county-based genealogical centres, making County Kerry records best searched using Irish Genealogy's website.

As neighbouring counties, it is entirely possible that they lived along the border towns and would have registered the birth accordingly or even relocated as tenants sometimes did.

There are two centres for records for County Cork which may hold some information, Skibbereen Heritage Centre and Mallow Heritage Centre. Please take a look and see if they can help if only to narrow your search away from County Cork!

It would be lovely if you and your mum could maybe visit the area where your family originally lived before taking the big step to migrate to lands far away.

I hope this gives you some inspiration, and hopefully, your fellow members and some industry partners will be able to add to this list!

Martin

Hi Susan, I had a quick look on the church section of www.irishgenealogy.ie and found a transcription of the marriage record of Patrick Riordan and Bridget Moriarty!

They married on 14 February 1874 at Dingle Roman Catholic Church, County Kerry. (Dingle Peninsula is absolutely beautiful). 

Patrick's parents were recorded on this church record as Patrick Riordan and Mary Connell; Bridget's as Jeremiah Moriarty and Mary Connor. 

Patrick was living in  Crow Hill (this appears to be in Ballynacourty townland, Ballynacourty parish, east of Dingle, near Annascaul); Bridget in Ballybog (this might be Ballybeg, a townland on the outskirts of the town of Dingle).

You will be able to obtain an image of the civil record of this marriage on the civil section of www.irishgenealogy.ie which will contain additional details. This website will also have the birth record of their first son Daniel in 1875. 

I hope you have a wonderful trip next year.

Best wishes, 

Gillian Hunt
Research Officer
Ulster Historical Foundation

Thanks Martin and Gillian,
Martin I have checked both those sites out since you told me about them and it seems there is no record of my ancestors which I assume means that they were not from County Cork and are from County Kerry.
Gillian thank you for your information, I had found this while I have been searching - Patrick and Bridget came out to NZ when 1875 and had another 12 children in NZ one being my great grandfather.  The tour we are doing next year spends two days in Dingle so hopefully we may visit the Catholic church there (do you know how many catholic churches there are in Dingle.  I would really like to find more out on their parents but it is so confusing.  On Patrick's death certificate it states his mother's name as Ellen yet on his birth information on (www.irishgenealogy.ie) as Mary.  I wish that I had taken an interest in my family earlier as by the time I did both my grandparents had past away, not that they ever really talked about their extended family.  Thank both so much for your help.

Hello Susan, 

Gillian has already been a huge help, and hopefully she'll be able to provide you with even more helpful information. It's wonderful that you were able to find the marriage certificate of Patrick and Bridget. 

In the meantime, you can find a list of the three churches in Dingle on the website of the Diocese of Kerry, including contact details if you'd like to reach out to them.

In many families a child was baptised with a name but the family often chose to call them by a different name they liked. Also, a child could be called by their second christian name to distinguish them from a parent or grandparent. Like for example, Bridget Mary could be the mother called Bridget, and Bridget Mary the daughter would be called Mary.

Have you been in touch with GRO yet by any chance? They might be able to shine some light on it. 

Keep us posted on your findings, and we're always here if you have questions! :)