Hello Mary Ellen Cecil and All, 24/September/2005
Your message indicates a link with the Shanahans of Springfield, Mass. Please advise as to what that link is.
I'm related to a Shanahan family who settled in Springfield in the mid-nineteenth century, but I believe that they had links there from previous uncles/aunts having gone there.
I have a lot of information to share on one large branch of that family, but not on the others. I can say certainly that they came from Bocarna, Bantry Bay, Ireland. The matriarch (my great great grandmother) - Margaret's maiden name was also Shanahan and she originally came from Dunbeacon, Co.Cork.
The names which kept recurring were Daniel, Philip, Timothy, Ellen and Joanne/Jane.
People gravitate towards where they had friends or relatives. (Eg: A lot of Bantry/Glengarriff people moved to the Ealing part of London where I grew up.)
It could be that one link can aid others. Both (O')Leary and Falvey are popular names in the Bantry area.
I look forward to hearing from you, or from anybody else who has useful information.
Thanks. Regards. Michael O'Shea, London.