Hello Michael Gilmer, Nancy Hayden, Michael Shanahan & Co. 23/September/2005
I'm reading these messages about Dunbeacon Shanhans and it's got my pulse racing, because there might well be a connection.
My great great grandmother Margaret Shanahan was born in Dunbeacon in the 1820's. She married a Daniel Shanahan in Bocarna, near Glengarriff in Bantry Bay and they had a large family born between the 1840's and 1860's. Later, after being widowed, she joined her grown children in Springfield, Mass, USA, and lived to over a hundred there.
Her son Timothy (approx.1852-1935) also lived for years there before settling back in Ireland. He, alone, has approximately four hundred direct living decendants, approximately half of which are stateside and half, including me, are split between Britain and Ireland. I could give a lot of information about that large branch, but it's his siblings and uncles and aunts and their descendants of which I know little.
He had a brother Philip, which wasn't such a usual name in Irish circles, and his other siblings included Jane/Joanne, Ann, Ellen, John, Jeremiah, Daniel and possibly Mariane. And I believe that most of them went to USA, and most of those settled in Springfield.
I haven't heard of a connection with Oswego previously, but if one existed I wouldn't expect to have heard of it. All it needs is for one (gg+) uncle or aunt to go to a particular location early on for parralel histories to develop.
The other pieces of information which I have are slim.
One is that Margaret Shanahan had at least two sisters - Mrs. Connolly and Mrs. Cocklin (or Coughlan) in the Dunbeacon/Bantry area. And another is that we had connections to Moylans in the Springfield area, and possibly police connections too? Slim pickings.
And everybody in the West Cork area has connections to O'Sullivans. I have several separate connections.
I'd appreciate any information which you may have.
Thanks. Regards. Michael O'Shea, London.
rosnos@hotmail.com