Matthew Ryan (1857 - 1953)

Matthew Ryan is my Great-Grandfather and has been a difficult subject. He is why I first got into genealogy. I was visiting family in Ireland some 30 years ago and visited a graveyard in Nenagh and found many Ryan's and no one knew which ones were "ours". After finding it very difficult to navigate local resources and trying to extract useful information from background noise, I switched gears and since then have focused mainly on my American ancestors. Below is the scarce information that I have been able to collect on the Ryan's thus far.

1. John RYAN m. 21 Feb 1841 in Killaloe Co. Clare while living in Glenymullone, Co. Clare d. 1892 Cloneybrien
  + Anne HARTNEDY (HERTNEDY and HARTNETT) from Ballycurragan, Co. Clare, d. 1896 Cloneybrien
    2. Matthew RYAN bapt. 05 Apr 1857, Cloneybrien, Tipperary, Ireland d. 1953
      + Mary Anne MCCORMACK b. 3 Jul 1868 of Garrybeg(Curragh), m. 27 Feb 1886 in Portroe Parish d. 1947

        3. Annie (Anne) RYAN, b. 30 Nov 1886, Cloneybrien d. Cloneybrien
          + RYAN
             4. Mary RYAN
               + O'DWYER
             4. Matthew RYAN
             4. Sean RYAN
             4. Christopher RYAN
        3. John RYAN, b. 07 Apr 1888, Cloneybrien d. young, Cloneybrien

        3. Michael (Mike) J RYAN, b. 06 Jul 1889, Cloneybrien d. USA
          + Elizabeth (Lizzie)
            4. Living Male RYAN
            4. Living Male RYAN
            4. Living Male RYAN
            4. Living Female RYAN
            4. Living Female RYAN
            4. Living Female RYAN
            4. Living Female RYAN            

        3. Daniel RYAN, b. 25 July 1891, Cloneybrien d. young in Slate Quarry, Cloneybrien

        3. Patrick RYAN, b. 06 July 1893, Cloneybrien d. USA

        3. Denis Christopher RYAN, b. 17 Dec 1894, Cloneybrien d. 26 Aug 1991, Burbank California
          + Dorothy Francis DENNERLIEN b. 7 Nov 1906 m. 17 Jun 1932 d. 14 Feb 1988, Los Angeles California
            4. Denis  Christopher RYAN, b. 03 Apr 1935, New York d. 4 Aug 2014, Stella NC 
            4. Living Male RYAN
            4. Living Male RYAN
            4. Living Female RYAN
            4. Living Female RYAN

        3. Margaret (Peggy) RYAN, b. 15 Mar 1897, Cloneybrien d. USA

          + O'CONNOR 

        3. Mary RYAN, b. 24 Aug 1899, Cloneybrien d. young, Cloneybrien

        3. Norah RYAN, b. 24 Aug 1899, Cloneybrien d. young, Cloneybrien

        3. Mary (May) RYAN, b. 22 Dec 1900, Cloneybrien d. abt 1988, Cloneybrien
          + William MENOGUE 

        3. Matthew Joseph RYAN, b. 25 Apr 1903, Cloneybrien d. abt 1968, Cloneybrien
          + ???
            4. Mary RYAN

        3. Martin RYAN, b. 01 Jul 1905, Cloneybrien d. 9 Feb 1971 Brooklyn NY
          + Teresa O'BRIEN b. Tipperary
            4. Matthew Lancelot RYAN, b. 1947 d. 11 Sep 2001, New York
            4. Living Male RYAN 
            4. Living Male RYAN 
        3. Sarah RYAN, b. 03 Jan 1908, Cloneybrien

          + Tom SEXTON
     2. Margaret RYAN, b, 31 May 1859, Cloneybrien d. aft 1930, New Britain, Connecticut
      + Patrick KEOUGH
        3. Mary KEOUGH, b. 11 Nov 1885, New Britain, Connecticut, d. 26 Feb 1889, New Britain, Connecticut
        3. Michael Joseph KEOUGH, b. 18 Feb 1888 , New Britain, Connecticut, d. 19 Jul 1977, Wallingford, Connecticut
          + Margaret D., 
            4. Living Male KEOUGH (assumed)
        3. Francis Patrick KEOUGH (Bishop), b. 30 Dec 1890, New Britain, Conn., d. 6 Dec 1961, Georgetown, Maryland

Matthew Ryan lived in Cloneybrien his whole life. Born in 1857 there and dying in 1953 at 96 y.o. First occupied as an "Engine Driver" (until 29 y.o.) then as a farmer. 

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Sources:
1. Griffiths Valuation (1848-1864)
2. 1901 Census of Ireland
3. 1911 Census of Ireland
4. General Vital Records from RootsIreland.ie
     1857 Matthew Ryan Baptism
     1868 Mary McCormack Birth
     1886 Matthew Ryan and Mary McCormack Marriage
     1886 Anne Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1888 John Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1889 Michael Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1891 Daniel Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1893 Patrick Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1895 Denis Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1897 Margaret Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1899 Mary Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1899 Norah Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1900 Mary Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1903 Matthew Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1905 Martin Ryan Birth and Baptism
     1907 Sarah Ryan Birth and Baptism
5. 1930 US Federal Census - Holyoke Mass - Michael Ryan and Family
6. 1940 US Federal Census - Bronx NY - Denis Ryan and Family
7. Find-A-Grave: Martin Ryan; Teresa O'Brian

Notes:
1. The only supporting evidence for the Baptism Record with the presumed Parents is that the date is close and it is the only Matthew Ryan born to a John Ryan in Cloneybrien in that timeframe)
2. No middle names used in the documents.
3. One mystery is the Mary-Norah-Mary situation. The 2 Mary's have birth documents and Norah just has a Baptism document. The first Mary and Norah are either twins or the same person, perhaps with the full name "Mary Norah Ryan" or something similar. Then did this child die and they named the next girl born 13 months later Mary as well?

Verbal History (interviews with family from 1983-today):

1. My G-Grandfather's name was Matthew Ryan
2. My G-Grandmother's name was Mary McCormick (now believed to be McCormack)
3. They had 12 children including my Grandfather Denis, Martin, Ann, Matthew, John, and Michael.
4. Many of the male children were killed in Quarry accidents (Actually one, Daniel Ryan - other Ryan and McCormack cousins also died)
5. Matthew Ryan Sr.'s fathers name was thought to be John Ryan
6. The family is from Cloneybrien, Tipperary but has scattered to Nenagh, Killaloe and the US.
7. Annie, Mary and Matthew stayed in Ireland
8. Michael, Margaret, Patrick, Denis and Martin came to the US. In that order.

Cloneybrien

I will use this space to document the historical families in around Cloneybrien Portroe Tipperary. My line is just one of the Ryan lines prevalent in the area.

Cloneybrien (sometimes written as Cloney Brien) is a small community (called a townland) of just over 800 acres in Northern Tipperary on Lough Derg (The Red Lake) in the Arra Mountains. Most of that acreage is on the eastern flank of Laghtea hill, although there is also some lowlands that tend towards bog. The gaelic name is Cluain ui Bhriain which translates to O'Brien's Meadow. Previous to about 1318 the clan O'Donegan was in control of part of the Arra mountains but as a retreating faction of the clan O'Brien came across the Shannon they easy took the lands. The O'Briens then controlled the lands until the Cromwellian advance in the 1650s.

The other nearest townlands are Drum, Loughtea, Townlough Upper, Killoran, Corbally, Ballingeer, Coolbawn and Derrybeg. The nearest villages are Castletown, Portroe, Newtown, Gerrykennedy and Grange. The nearest towns are Nenagh and Killaloe and the nearest city is Limerick.

In Griffiths Valuation of Ireland (1848-1864) and the 1901 Census of Ireland, Cloneybrien is considered to be in Castletownarra Parish. In later documents it is often cited as being in Castletown, Portroe or Nenagh Parish (either civil or ecclesiastical).

Cloneybrien Hill (part of the Laghtea Hill complex) is most widely known for the crosses that have adorned it. In 1932 a stone cross was erected to commemorate the Eucharistic Congress. In 1945 the cross was broken when struck by lightening. In 2002 a new stainless steel cross was erected on the opposite side of the hill top.

Some landmarks of the area would be:

Cloneybrien House: A large historic home that has been home to many families including the manager of the Imperial Slate Mining Company and some Ryans (relation unknown).

Patrick's Well (not to be confused with St. Patrick's Well that is in Clonmel, Tipperary): A spring that used to be used for blessings.

St. Patrick's Rock  "It is said they were made by St. Patrick's mule & hound on the occasion on which he rested at the well in Cloneybrien."

Colley's Cowl: The remains of a small house up on the hill under the cross that could've been used as a shelter while hearding or as a hermit's haunt.

Sally's Rocks: An outcrop of stones that local Historian, Michael Joy, suggests were named for a Sally Carroll that inherited the land that had little else of note.

Cillín or Infant's Burial Ground (Killeen or Kylenabaustee): Now something of a thicket, this was the unconsecrated land for the burial of the unbaptized. These can be found all over Ireland. There is a deep controversy regarding this practice and many book written about it.  

The Gap and the Gap Slate Quarry: A very old quarry (pre-1840) that is small in comparison to Garrybeg/Curragh/Corbally next door but was said to be significant and produced high quality slates. The quarry is also the source for a small stream that was the main water source for Portroe for 50 year (again, according to Michael Joy).

Knockaunreelyon and the Graves of the Leinster Men in Coolbaun: Probably the biggest tourist draw in the area, there are a number of stories or versions of the same story that exist. I wont debate these but a common theme seems to be that after a battle in Coolbawn where the Leinstermen were defeated (The Graves) by the army of Brian Baru, King Brian and/or his men,  granted the King of Leinster's final request and took him up to the gap to be killed and buried within sight of his lands as Leinster can be seen just to the north and east of here (out over Nenagh). It is an interesting story and I suggest further reading on it.

General Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portroe

Maps:

Google

Townlands

Satellite

Griffiths Map

Thanks to Joann Hinz for helping me with some of the terminology and landmarks and of course to Michael Joy for his diligence and dedication to the parish.