Gallagher from County Mayo 1830-1899

I am researching my GG grandmother Ellen Gallagher born 1830 in Derra or Derry Lower, Co. Mayo Ireland. There is nothing on her birth or census and I've hit a brick wall. She married John Walsh 1861 and had 9 children. She died in County Mayo in 1899. I have very little information on where she was from and I have no idea who her parents were. I do believe she had a sister Margaret who married a Pat Walsh in Eskeragh, Co. Mayo so two brothers married two sisters. Any help would be very much appreciated. 

All the best

John Carolan
(E-Mail Address removed by Administrator)

Hi John,

It's great to hear that you are researching your Irish roots. It certainly can be tricky when you back to the first half of the 19th century. This is because before 1864 records were kept in the form of church and parish records; while some of these have regrettably been lost over the years, all the surviving records have been sorted into county-based genealogical centres.

It was only in 1864 that civil registration was introduced in Ireland, which is when we started seeing the formal registration of births, marriages, adoptions and deaths. These records have been kept at the General Register Office of Ireland (GRO), to this day.

As your GG grandmother lived in County Mayo, it may be helpful to check out the genealogy resources available from Mayo County Library. Other members of the Community may also be able to shed some light for you.

Regards,
Eoin