Hi, I'm Stephen Cassidy and I'm in charge of updating the Cassidy Clan
website. I hope all of you have had a chance to take a look at the
site, at
www.cassidyclan.org Each month I want to add new material to
the site, which in large part depends upon receiving submissions from
Cassidys around the world. Do consider it your website also and feel
free to send me submissions (although we are not going to post
genealogical requests as other sites and this email list performs that
task quite well). Of note, the website now has the program for the 1999
Clan Rally posted, along with a more detailed history of Devenish
Island, an important monastery in Ireland and linked to the Cassidy
family.
I'm also searching for my lost Cassidys. Actually, I know who they are,
I just at a dead end in the 1850's. They lived on the Dooros Penninsula
that juts 7 miles into Lake Corrib, the largest lake in the Republic
close to Joyces Country in Galway County and next to the border with
Mayo. The largest nearby town is Cong (known for Ashford Castle and
where the movie the Quiet Man was filmed); Clonbur is closer but smaller
than Cong. At the top of the penninsula is the village of Cornamona.
My great, great grandfather was James Cassidy and his family lived in
the middle of the penninsula. From the 1901 census, the parish was
Cong, the barony Ross, the townland Dooros, and the district electoral
division was Cong. James had already died, but his wife, Sarah Cassidy,
was the head of the household. She was born in 1843, and James about
the same time. Sarah Cassidy's maiden name was Coyne. She had 4
children, James here oldest son is my great grandfather. Only James
married, and he came to America and lived in Saratoga Springs, New York.
That is were my grandfather (John) lived and my father (Paul) was born.
The other children of Sarah were Michael, Mary and John. Michael and
Mary lived on the farm on Dooros (which often has various spellings,
including Doras) until their deaths around 1950. Then the farm passed
into the harms of Bridget Coyne and her son, Tommie, now lives on it
with his wife and daugther. This is the same Coyne family as Sarah
Coyne Cassidy born in 1843. I visited them and the area in 1995.
What I'm searching are other Cassidys that lived in the area and in
particular on the Dooros Penninsula. I found a reference to a Diana
Cassidy in the 1850's on land valuation records living their. I assume
I'm related to her, but don't know the precise connection. I looked at
the local parish records, visited the records center in Galway City
(where I obtained the marriage license for Sarah and James Cassidy), the
National Archives and Land Valuation Office in Dublin. I don't know how
to go back any further.
I'd also be interested if anyone has insight into the migration around
Ireland of the Cassidys (which also could be an interesting article for
the website).
What was wonderful was using letters from the 1930's and 1940's to my
grandfather in America from his uncle Michael in Ireland to go back to
Ireland in 1995 and discover the family farm, and amazingly meet cousins
of mine still living there. Tommie Coyne took me to Clonbur, which has
the cemetary used by everyone in the area, and I saw the gravestones of
my ancestors. I was able to letters from America last year in also
sucessfully tracking ancestors on my mother's side (a Boyle from County
Donegal).
Thanks for any assistance.
Stephen Cassidy
stephen_h_c(a)hotmail.com
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