Announcement: The Kerry Chronicles

My brother Patrick at the Rathmore cemetery in Kerry, Ireland in spring of 2019

For decades we have been collecting our ancestor's stories by tracking their footsteps since they first arrived in Canada and America in the early 1800s.

In 2019, our brother Pat Moynahan sponsored our very first trip to Ireland so that we could  search for our ancestor's stories there.  We have many stories to share and will start with "The Kerry Chronicles" (and later the Galway, Clare, and Cork Chronicles ).

We are launching "The Kerry Chronicles" because we found new information in large part because of an unplanned stop at O’Carroll's Cove Beach Bar & Restaurant.

 The Moynahans, Moynihans, and Ó’Muineacháins

In June 2019 we stayed one night in Kenmare, Co. Kerry and we decided earlier to take a drive along Kenmare Bay. We eventually stopped at O’Carroll's Cove Beach Bar & Restaurant  for supper. (O'Carroll's was established in 1984 by the O’Carroll family and to this day is still owned and managed by them! https://www.ocarrollscove.ie/)

Driving from Kenmare to O'Carroll's Cove Beach Bar & Restaurant

The owner told us stories about other visitors to O'Carroll's who were in Kerry to also locate their ancestors and when he heard that we were looking for (among many names) the "Moynahans", he said "You won't find Moynahans around here. You should visit Rathmore - that's where all the Moynahans are!"

Kilcrohane, Kenmare and Kilcummin in Co. Kerry. The adventure begins!

When our 3rd-great-grandfather Denis Moynahan married Catherine Roach in Detroit in 1833, the french records recorded his birthplace as "Kilcrohane" and "Himeguenay" which I believed to have meant Kilcrohane near Sneem (see red box above) .... thus our drive along Kenmare Bay.

When the O'Carroll's directed us to Rathmore (which is situated in the parish of Kilcummin in the Barony of Magunihy), it became immediately clear at our first stop (the Rathmore cemetery) that we were definitely in Moynihan territory!  Could it be that "Kilcrohane" was supposed to be written as "Kilcummin" and "Himeguenay" was supposed to be "Magunihy"? So it seemed.

The Kerry Chronicles

The "Kerry Chronicles" will be the file where we will keep all of the stories that we have collected while visiting the Co. Kerry in 2019 as well as stories that have come to us since.

Two important sources of information and research will be the National Folklore Collection of Ireland and " O'Kief, Coshe Mange, Slieve Lougher and Upper Blackwater in Ireland". (16 vols.by Albert Casey)

Both Dr. Casey and the National Folklore Collection are treasure troves of information from the areas of County Kerry where there are many Moynihans and Ó’Muineacháins and many others.

Dr. Casey collected stories in the area that our ancestors lived.

 

Collecting Irish Folklore using an ediphone. Spuncán, An Coireán, (c.1936.) in South Kerry
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/20687

Stories Collected While Visiting Kerry

The three cemeteries that we visited June 2019

We visited three cemeteries when visiting in June 2019 and we will be posting the photographs over the next few weeks:

1. Visiting Rathmore Cemetery: To be posted
2. Visiting Freemount Cemetery: To be posted
3. Visiting Nohoval Cemetery: To be posted

 Stories Collected About Kerry Folk 

The Folklore Collection has many Moynihan stories

1. OTD: Bernard Moynihan: Shot June 30, 1921
2. Folklore: Hedge School: “There was a hedge school in Shanballa. It was on Jer Moynihan’s Farm. The teacher of this school was called Moynihan “Master”. He was born in Shanballa ..... Some of his people are buried in Nohoval graveyard.” (To be posted)
3. Folklore: Macha an t-Samhraidh “Summer Milking Place” Co. Kerry  (To be posted)