Ruth Toner (nee Mungovan) contacted me for possible leads to her great great grandparents who emigrated to the USA, Illinois, leaving behind her great grandfather who was raised by his uncle Paddy Mungovan a blacksmith. I replied:
Dear Ruth
Have spent some time looking at the info you sent me and looking through the letters people have sent to me in the past. You have a similar problem to me in that each generation has the same christian name, in my case James and in yours Patrick, and then at about the same time the records run out.
Working backwards from your own birthdate and allowing 30+/-5 years for each generation makes Pat Mungovan and Winnie McMahon your great great grand parents not great grand parents.
From the 1901 Census you know that Patrick was born in 1831 and Winnie also 1831 and that Patrick is a blacksmith. So before you go anywhere you can establish, by phone or internet, what RC church records exist for Knocknaboley/Cloonlaheen.
Remember church records are only just starting at that time so you would be looking for your gg grand parents christening records.
You may be lucky and find a candidate for Patrick but there are loads of Mc Mahons in the area so just how you would identify yours is a problem. You should keep looking for church records first as these often have details of home townland and godparents.
Don't forget some of the lists for the commencements of church records are Church of Ireland so make sure you are enquiring about RC records.
The easiest way to get the information, if it exists, is to go to the Clare Heritage Centre at Corrofin (+35365 6837955 clareheritage@eircom.net ), they charge for doing a search but might tell you if RC records exist for your area for that period. I would not be persuaded to pay for a preliminary search unless there are definitely records covering that area. People sometimes travel to the next parish for christenings or they may not actually have been resident in Knocknaboley in 1831. Records start 1839 Kilmurray Ibrickan, 1849 Kilmihil, 1850 Inagh but 1829 for Kilmaley. For records for Ennis I went directly to the Procathedral Office and they gave me free access to a book with transcribed records in it. It would be worthwhile making a personal visit to the RC Church at Kilmaley, Its worth pointing out that the Tithe Applotment Records and Griffiths Valuation are not organised in the same way . Townlands get split up in the books or appear in a neighbouring parish, all very confusing.
In 1855 one Patrick Mungovan (Muggevan) has a forge at Cloonlaheen West. Patrick sublets the house to Patrick Morony and nearby in the townland of Tiltumper Mary Mungovan lets out a smithy to Patrick Morony and within that group of Mungovans is listed a Patrick Mungovan senior. I know that Knocknaboley is nearer to Cloonlaheen East rather than Cloonlaheen West and that Cloonlaheen itself is further away near Kilmaley. But people did move, often enforced. So its possible that the father of Pat who emigrated was also Patrick. In 1825 there are no Mungovans recorded at any on the Cloonlaheens. So maybe they moved eastwards from the west coast after 1825.
Regarding Pat's emigration, why did he go to Illinois ? There are other Mungovans who also went there so perhaps they were related. I don't know much about early records in the USA and what was recorded but you might find somebody who does if you put a posting on the Ancestry.com Mungovan message board.
The other place to go for help and information for free is the Local Studies Centre at The Manse near the Library in Ennis. Maureen Comber is very helpful and knowledgeable. When I went there in 1996 I found in the General Valuation of Ireland for the Barony of Ibrickan for 1878/82
Cloonlaheen West Patrick Mungovan Land
Cloonlaheen West Maurice Mungovan House and Land
Cloonlaheen West Patrick Mungovan Jnr House and Land
Cloonlaheen West Maurice Mungovan Land
Cloonlaheen West Patrick Mungovan Land
Finally at http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/lack_school... there's details of Mongovan's Forge operated by one Paddy Mongovan a blacksmith from Kilkee who married Margaret Kelly. While there is no direct connection to your Patrick it would seem that blacksmithing was a trade associated with men named Patrick Mungovan.
Best Wishes
Chris Mungovan

So if anyone out there has Mungovan/McMahon/Blacksmith/Illinois connections please help by putting a posting on this board.
Thanks
Chris Mungovan

Ruth has asked me to remove this posting as it is misleading because Patrick Mungovan and Winifred McMahon DID NOT EMMIGRATE to the USA. I don't know how that misunderstanding arose and unfortunately Ancestry com does not seem to facilitate the removal of postings once submitted. We have had no follow ups so far and do not want to misinform or mislead anyone but if it now makes more sense and someone can add to our knowledge of this family please post some information.
Chris Mungovan