My mother used to tell the story of how she was downstairs at Rita O'Hara's party talking to Tom Manning when someone started down the stairs to the party - he was wearing those two tone saddle shoes - that's what she noticed first. She asked Tom who he was, and Tom said in an aggravated voice "That's my brother Jack - I suppose you want me to introduce you."
My father, John Manning, was from Lower Mills in Dorchester. I found a copy of the Area Form from Boston Landmarks Commission prepared as part of a 1994 survey of Dorchester which states that "Lower Mills West retains the visual image of an early-mid 19th century industrial village ... it has significant historical associations with industries operating along the Dorchester and Milton shores of the Neponset River from ca 1780-1900 ... River Street, the oldest thoroughfare in the area, had been a Native American trail centuries before English settlement ... Lower Mills' identity as a manufacturing district had already emerged by the close of the eighteenth century. By 1830, Lower Mills was the most densely settled area in the town of Dorchester ... Between 1830 and 1850, the residential community of Dorchester Lower Mills increased considerably. Several new streets bounded by Washington and River were cut through loosely forming a grid including Neponset Street (now Old Morton), Church Street (now Temple Street), and Sanford and Cedar Streets ... During the 1840s and 1850s, this new residential area became a community of furniture and building trades workers who operated shops behind or alongside their houses. Some of these residents were employed in the larger cabinet and carpentry shops along Sanford and Washington streets.
"One measure of the growth in population at Lower Mills was the construction of St Gregory's Roman Catholic Church ... in 1847, Dorchester was still almost exclusively Protestant. However, by 1863, Dorchester contained a large Catholic community, made up primarily of middle class Irish and their families ... In addition, new residential development was encouraged by the annexation of the town of Dorchester to Boston in 1870 and by an increasing number of factory jobs in the Lower Mills area.
"By the early 1870s, Washington, Old Morton, Temple, Sanford, Monson and Cedar Streets were extensively built up ... In general, the new residents between Old Morton and Cedar were locally employed furniture makers, carpenters and factory workers. ( John Manning would be working for a soap making company.) ... Commuters who worked in clerical, civil service, sales and management jobs in downtown Boston lived on Richmond or Butler or on Adams street in the Lower Mills East area ... Between 1865 and 1880, numerous Italianate double houses and a few multi-unit rows were built in the Lower Mill West area. On Cedar Street, several double houses were built as rental income properties for local businessmen and carpenters, presumably for mill workers. The ownership pattern that emerges is that of Yankee Protestants who have these houses built and live elsewhere in the area or in Milton, followed by Irish owners who may live in one of the units. By the 1930s these houses seem to have been occupied largely by Irish and Italian families.
"Set out over the Cape estate between 1885 and 1889, Idaho Street represents a late addition to the Lower Mills West's Street grid. By the turn-of-the-century, Idaho Street was almost completely built up with front gable Queen Anne single family houses." (My uncle Joe Manning lived on Idaho Street.)
My father's parents had emigrated from Ireland. My father said that one grandfather, Michael Mannion, was born about 1857 and traveled back and forth from Roundstone, County Galway to New York to work on the Brooklyn Bridge which connected Manhattan with Brooklyn over the East River. Construction began in 1863 and finished in 1883. Workers were paid $2 per day for the dangerous work. I suppose that was a lot of money to an Irish laborer in those days. Mike Mannion had to pay for his digs as well. Skilled workers made much more money and sometimes had lodgings included as well. Mike probably saved his money to buy property in Roundstone. My father thought that he went back and forth for 20 years. I looked up Street Directories from Brooklyn for those years - there were several Michael Mannions as well as Michael Mannings in each one. But not knowing any more background, it would be difficult or impossible to determine if any of the listings were my great grandfather.
My sister Christine bought this postcard in New York to send to me.
This print of Roundstone is from the Lawrence Collection from the early 1900s - I bought the print during one of my trips to Roundstone.
According to Tim Robinson in his book Connemara, "Roundstone village: Prior to the 1820s, this area was known simply as The Quay, from the little pier by the old store ... there were almost no houses and the nearest settlement was at ERRISBEG, to the west. The Fishery Board had a new harbor built in 1822-5 to the design of Alexander Nimmo ... Nimmo bought out a lease of land around the harbor, laid it out in plots and sublet, with special encouragements for tenants undertaking to build two-story houses. After his death in 1832 the village developed under John Nimmo, who was probably Alexander's nephew, and by 1841 the population was 396. Nowadays (1995) this is a favorite place with visitors, for its superb views over the bay to the mountains, and for its regattas featuring the traditional workboats, the Galway hookers."
I had never really thought about how Michael Mannion was able to buy the property in Roundstone village when he grew up on a farm in Derrada West - I assumed the area was a farming and fishing community - how many jobs could there be? I was always more interested in the family relationship - who was who - how is this one related to that one. Until this year (2022) when my son Dan and I drove to Roundstone for a very quick visit. Dan was asking me about our family history with Roundstone and later blogged that Michael Mannion worked on the Brooklyn Bridge to buy the property in Roundstone. It dawned on me that Dan was probably right - my father had thought that his grandfather had gone back and forth for 20 years to work in the US - it must have been financially worthwhile if he kept going back and forth!
Tim Robinson reported that the population of Connemara was almost decimated from the Great Hunger. Many of the landlords were bankrupt. Almost all of the Martin estate which included Roundstone was now the property of the Law Life Assurance Company London.
Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill wrote in Beyond The Twelve Bens "After the Famine, attempts were made to clear the land of tenants and replace them with livestock as the income from rents were unreliable and troublesome to collect. This was done by encouraging the tenants to emigrate with the aid of financial assistance; the peasants did not need much encouragement ... Connemara was now almost deserted ... The small numbers remaining in the area made it possible for holdings to be increased and great strides were made by the tenants, usually with the assistance of members of the family then living in America, to purchase cattle, in order to reduce their dependence on crops. Although other vegetables were added, the potato was still the mainstay of their diet ...
"The first half of the 1860s saw steady improvement in the conditions of the town (Clifden) and adjoining tenant farmers." I presume this probably applied to Roundstone as well. But in 1866 it was reported that" two thirds of the potato crop was a total loss and the remainder was almost unfit for human use ... The winter that followed was extremely severe and a great effort was made to keep the cattle alive. Cattle were now considered the principal capital and wealth of the district. When the fodder had been consumed, the oats and potatoes which would normally have been reserved for human consumption, were given to the cattle to keep them from perishing." The bad weather continued and any potatoes left to plant were given to the cattle ... Coming into the summer of 1867 the remaining cattle were said to be in a wretched condition due to cold and hunger ... During the bad weather, boats with provisions from Galway were unable to make the journey to Clifden and this resulted in great scarcity. Large numbers of people travelled daily along the Roundstone road making their way to Clifden to buy Indian meal ... in the Roundstone area, among tenants of the Assurance Company, fuel was said to be in very short supply. Normally there would be no great demand for fuel this early in the year (May 1867) but now the population was eating Indian meal which required a great deal more cooking than potatoes and there were fears that it would not be cooked sufficiently, which could result in widespread sickness."
There was another severe famine in 1879 bringing more hardship and starvation. Although the harvest of 1880 looked promising, "the exodus of Irish agricultural laborers had begun ... the people having lived on credit for the passed three years were now in debt. Rent would soon be due and perhaps last year's had still to be paid. If the harvest was plentiful there would be no relief and no employment. Part of the crop would be sold to pay their debts, leaving themselves short. Then next summer, faced with no provisions, no work and no money they would once again seek credit and once again be in debt." So Irish laborers sought work elsewhere and emigration continued.
"The conditions of the tenant farmers in the West ... contributed greatly to establishment of the Land League ... It began with a series of Tenants Rights meetings organized by Michael Davitt ... Its objectives were to bring about a reduction in rents, to protect the tenant against eviction for non-payment of unfair rent and to enable, by reform in the laws, each tenant to own his holding by paying a fair rent for a number of years." Throughout the country more riots were occurring at evictions and acts of violence were a common occurrence.
"During the summer of 1881 ... evictions for non-payment of rents became commonplace; the tenants backed by the Land League were refusing to pay rents and the landlord pressed forward with evictions.
"The Life Law Assurance Company, owners of the once Martin Estate of Ballynahinch had sold out to a Mr Berridge of London. George Robinson remained on as agent and was now living in Roundstone." Like the rest of Connemara, the tenants were in arrears with their rent and they attempted to negotiate with Mr Berridge who agreed but had several conditions - the tenants refused the conditions. In the middle of January 1882 Roundstone Bay was visited by gunboats and thirty two families were evicted. The Parish Priest Reverend Joseph Malone described the scene for the newspapers. "The shots were fired not at the tenants but at their livestock who scattered and were promptly chased by the soldiers 'into the sea - they rush to render captive the victims of their buckshot; namely the geese which they wantonly killed and which belonged to the honest though poor, industrious evicted tenantry' ... more evictions were expected to take place in the coming days.
"Sub-Sheriff Mr Reddington spent the first two weeks in May 1892 carrying out evictions on the property of Mr Berridge" and others. Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill goes on "The Sub-Sheriff was accompanied by a large force of the 84th Connaught Rangers under the command of Major Pope. They traveled aboard the Seahorse which was accompanied by the gunboat Redwing. They evicted by day and returned to the ship by night ... The evictions were said to be of the most extensive character, one hundred and fifty families in all having been evicted. Once again Berridge's tenants appeared to make up the greater number. At Carraroe the Sub-Sheriff and his escort had to walk over ten miles inland to carry out their work. There were many emotional scenes as many of the families were very poor but the military were not opposed."
- Fair rents would be fixed by land courts for a period of 15 years.
- Fixed tenancies gave rights of land to the tenant. They could only be evicted if they did not pay rent.
- Free sale of his lease would be permitted to a tenant who wished to give up farming."
The Arrears Bill helped stop some of the evictions as tenants agreed to pay what they considered a fair rent. Lord Ashbourne's Act in 1885 authorized a state-assisted scheme of Irish land purchase. It was a modest reform but provided the basis for tenants to purchase the land they were renting.
Employment improved in Connemara when it was decided to build a railroad from Galway to Oughterad and on to Clifden. The local people and the Midland Great Western Railway Company wanted the railway to run from Oughterad south along the coast through Spiddal, Carraroe, Roundstone, and on to Clifden - this area is where the majority of the population lived, but the government decided to have it run through the bog lands of central Connemara - perhaps because it was less expensive. Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill wrote "On May 11 (1891) works were opened and men employed in the Roundstone area." I don't know if this affected anyone in our family.
If he was born around 1857, Mike Mannion was a young man growing up during these hardships - I suppose this is why he chose to travel back and forth to the US - he was probably supporting his family to avoid them being evicted. He married Bridget King in the Catholic Chapel of Roundstone in the Regisrar's District of Roundstone in the Union of Clifden in the County of Galway. They were married December 19, 1880. Mike was a 22 year old bachelor - he was a farmer in Derrada West - his father was also Michael and was alive - he was also a farmer.
Bridget King was a 26 year old spinster - she was a dressmaker and lived in Roundstone - her father was Stephen King - he was alive and he was also a farmer. The priest who married them was Joseph Maloney, PP (Parish Priest.) Witnesses were Bridget King and Michael Price who could not write and made his mark.
Roundstone Church built about 1832
Michael Mannion
My father said that his grandfather, Michael Mannion, was over 6 feet tall - he was active in Connemara and was on the County Council in Clifden. A Johnny Barrett who worked with my father at the Brighton Abattoir told my father that Mike Mannion was a vet - he was great with animals and was called any time an animal was in trouble. A cousin Winnie Keefe told my father that Mike Mannion was called "the Mayor of Roundstone."
Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill wrote that "Under the Local Government Act 1898 the grand juries were replaced by publicly elected County, Urban, and Rural District Councils ... The rural District Council held their monthly meetings in Clifden ... The names of the first Councillors are unknown, but on August 20 1902 the following list of members was published in local newspapers." There were 18 Councillors including Michael Mannion! I don't know if this is our Michael Mannion, but ......
One of these ladies is Bridget King.
I have my cousin Skip Carr to thank for the old pictures - his grandmother was Mary Mannion Carr - the baby born at sea!
The red icon below shows Derrada West in relation to the main Clifden road in yellow and Roundstone at the bottom.
My cousin Mary King gave me this picture of the original Mannion homestead in Derrada West in the early 1980s.
Aerial view of Roundstone where Bridget King lived.
1) I guess Mike and his wife Bridget King were on the SS Abyssinia on their way to New York when their daughter Mary E Mannion was born on board on 6 September 1881/1882. The story I heard was that they left the child in the US when they returned to Roundstone. Mary eventually married Francis Carr and lived in Concord, Mass. A group of us met up with Mary's grandson in Concord in the cemetery where she is buried.
I went back onto www.familysearch.org on June 14, 2022 and found a notation for a baptism for Mary Mannion. No document was available. Interesting that it says the Christening took place in England.
Cousin gathering below at Mary Carr's grave in Concord, Mass.
2) Mike and Bridget returned to Roundstone. Then Bridget gave birth to Michael Francis Mannion on 10 October 1884 in Roundstone. And his father Michael Mannion was back in Brooklynn, US America. Mother was Bridget Mannion - maiden name King. Father was a laborer. Bridget Mannion of Roundstone was the Informant. The birth was registered the third of December 1884.
I have an old note that says that Michael Francis Mannion was born 29 September 1884 and baptized 5 October 1884 - sponsors were Martin Devaney, Cecilia Connor. I'll have to check with my cousin who has done so much research on our Mannion/Manning family history - I'm sure she has the correct information.
Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill in Beyond the Twelve Bens reports that the Allen ship line did make some stops at Galway on its voyages to America. My father had thought that his father John J Mannion had immigrated from Galway - perhaps his grandfather Michael Mannion was the one who had boarded ship in Galway before his son Michael Francis was born - the Allen Line did sail to New York.
Much later the 1910 US Census of Boston listed young Michael (Francis) Mannion boarding at 38 Cedar Street with the Kernells.
Harry Kernell was the 40 year old head of the family. This was his first marriage. He was born in Pennsylvania - his parents were born in Ireland. He was working as a flagman for a steam rail road. He had not been out of work. He owned his home and had a mortgage on it.
His wife was 36 year old Annie E Kernell. This was also her first marriage - they had been married for 17 years. Annie had had 5 children - 4 were living. She immigrated from Ireland in 1890.
Their children were all born in Massachusetts and were attending school. M Henry was 15, Cecilia was 12, Charles E was 10, and Carrie A was 4.
Harry's mother-in-law Cecilia King was a 62 year old widow. She had 2 children and both were living. She immigrated from Ireland in 1894 - she was not working - she did not read or write.
Mary E O'Brien, a niece, was 19 and was born in Massachusetts. Her father was born in Massachusetts; her mother was born in Ireland. She was a saleswoman in a candy store. She had not been out of work.
Michael Manion was a 21 year old boarder - he was single. He immigrated from Ireland in 1907 - he was an alien. He was a laborer for a contracting company. He had not been out of work.
Indeed Michael was not just a boarder but also a cousin of Annie King Kernell through his mother Bridget King. I think it was Joe Manning who said that everyone came to Annie King when they immigrated to the US because she knew what they should do.
I have a note that says young Michael Mannion was a blacksmith. My father said that his uncle Michael went back and forth to the US - he said "Mikey" had itchy feet - he would stay in the front bedroom on Cedar Street in Dorchester that the Mannings kept for boarders. He chewed Juicy Fruit gum - my father would steal it from his pockets as a kid. He went back to Ireland - my father thought he married a woman from Ballyconnelly. Then he came back out to Dayton, Ohio to work in the rubber plants making rubber tires. My father said he was in high school when Mikey stopped in Boston on his way back to Ireland. My father said Mikey was killed in an automobile accident in England after WWII.
I found the marriage record for Michael F Manning and Mary E Joyce on November 1, 1914 in Brookline. He was 29; she was 27. It was the first marriage for both of them. He was living in Mattapan; she was living in Brookline. He was a blacksmith; she was a laundress. They were both born in Ireland. Michael's father was Michael Mannion - his mother was Bridget King. Mary's father was Festus Joyce and her mother was Mary O'Donald. The priest who married them was Thomas F McManus, 774 Boylston Street in Brookline.
According to the website for St Mary of the Assumption Parish, "When St. Lawrence Parish, in the western part of Brookline, was carved out of St. Mary Parish, Fr. Morris erected the attractive wood-stone church on Boylston Street and named it in honor of St. Lawrence, his own patron saint. It was opened on May 2, 1897 and Reverend Thomas F. McManus was named pastor of the new parish on December 23, 1897. In the early 2000s, St. Lawrence was slated to be closed in late 2004. However, it was eventually decided to keep the church open as a second worship site of a large parish. In June 2005, St. Lawrence Church was reopened as part of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish."
My father remembered that Mikey's son Jim Mannion came out in 1949 to Boston and stayed with his family on Cedar Street, but it was too crowded so Jim stayed with Aunt Margaret Mannion Joyce. My father said that a seanachie in Keogh's Pub in Ballyconneely told him years later in 1977 that Jim Mannion had come back to Ireland but only stayed a couple of days - he didn't know where he went. My friend Beth McCusker and I were with my father at Keogh's that day in June 1977 - unfortunately I wasn't that interested in family history so took no notes and couldn't understand what was so interesting. But my cousin and I more recently found out that Jim went to Chicago and became a policeman. Jim had 2 sisters who were nurses - my father said that they came out to the US around WWII and went to Florida. Dad's sister, Catherine Manning Walsh, told me that one sister returned to Ireland - married - was living in Ballyconneely.
Years later my cousin and I made contact with Jim's daughter in Chicago. We are friends on Facebook now.
We also made contact with another cousin. He emailed me Wednesday, April 22, 2009 that he remembered "my Mother saying that her father, Michael or Mikey, did live in Boston for a time where he met and married Mary Joyce." Jack said that his "Uncle Jim Mannion told him that there was an uncle in New York who was very good with horses and that he was an officer in the US Army in WWI. I cannot remember the name. He is the one who told me that his Grandfather married 3 times ... My grandfather Michael left Boston and they ended up in Scotland for a few years. As I said Mimi was born there and my grandmother came back and my mother was born in Scrahalia. I guess my grandfather came back from Scotland and they lived in Doohoola. My mother and her sister Nan went to London during WW2 and became nurses. Mikey and the rest of the family came to England during the war. It was shortly after the war that Mikey died in an accident. His son Michael (Festus) stayed in England and lived in Lincoln. Nan married an American Ranger from Alabama and moved to Florida. They moved around a lot but retired in Florida. She died several years ago. Her son Pat Cain lives around Jupiter, Florida and her son Kevin Cain lives in the panhandle around Tallahassee. My mother came over here and ended up in Chicago where she married my father. I know my mother, Peggy, came to Boston when she first arrived in the US. She stayed with some relatives I think named Barber. I don't know if they were on the Joyce or Mannion side. Next time I am in Ireland I will make it a point to go to Roundstone and have a pint in King's pub."
I know everyone of the Watertown Mannings enjoys a trip to Roundstone and a pint in King's Pub!
3) A daughter, Margaret Mannion, was born to Michael Mannion on 15th July 1888 in Roundstone. Her mother was Bridget Mannion formerly King. Her father was a farmer. Her mother registered her birth on 29 September 1888.
I don't remember hearing anything about this Margaret Mannion. I'll have to check with my cousin to see what history she has for this Margaret Mannion.
4) Another son, Stephen Mannion, was born on the fifth of July 1890 in Roundstone. His father was Michael Mannion of Roundstone; his mother was Bridget King Mannion. Michael Mannion was a farmer. Bridget Mannion, mother, of Roundstone registered the birth on the fourth of September.
I found what might be a marriage record for Stephen Mannion - it took place in the Church of Ballinafad in the Registrar's District of Roundstone on 2nd February 1944. Stephen Mannion was of full age - bachelor - farmer - residing in Roundstone - his father, Michael Mannion, was a farmer. Anne Walsh Conneely was of full age - a widow - residing in Cushatrower - her father, Patrick Walsh, was a farmer. Witnesses were Brian King and Mary Keane.
The red icon shows where Cushatrower is located.
Church of Ballinafad
Stephen Mannion adopted Mary King - she took care of his wife, Ann Walsh, who was blind at some point. My father thought/wondered if there was a relation there between Shephen or Ann and Mary. Mary married Joe King, a bus driver.
My father said that Stephen Mannion reminded him of Michael Mannion - Stephen had a roundish face with a handlebar mustache.
5 and 6) Twins #290 Thomas and #291 John Mannion were born the 19th of June 1893. Their births were registered in the Superintendent Registrar's District of Clifden - Registrar's District of Roundstone No 1 - Births Registered in the District of Roundstone No 1 in the Union of Clifden in the County of Galway. Their father was Michael Mannion of Roundstone - their mother was Bridget Mannion - formerly King - their father was a farmer - the Informant was Michael Mannion - the births were registered 27th June 1893. The Registrar noted that the hour of birth was omitted(?) - "twin of No 290" was noted beside John Mannion.
"Parish of Roundstone, Co Galway, Ireland - Diocese of Tuam - It appears from the Register of Baptisms of above Parish that John Mannion of Michael Mannion and Bridgid King was born on the 19 day of June, 1893 and baptized according to the rite of the Catholic Church on the 25 day of June 1893 by the Rev. George A Moloney, PP (Parish Priest,) the Sponsors being Michael King and Brigid Connelly.
Given this 25 day of April 1959, William Diskin(?) Admin, PP.
"O’Dowds Seafood Bar, Restaurant & Cafe is located in the centre of Roundstone village overlooking the harbour with panoramic views over Roundstone Bay & the Twelve Bens. It has been run by the O’Dowd family for four generations since 1906. A bar has been operating on the premises since 1840 and it is widely regarded as the oldest pub in Connemara. It is now famous for its excellent fresh local seafood and it has one of the best pints of Guinness in the locality.
O’Dowds has been serving both locals and visitors since 1840. Originally known as “Kelly’s Hotel” it became O’Dowds in 1906 and has retained that name ever since. For most of that time it was a combined Bar and grocery shop, only ever changing temporarily to a Funeral Parlour during the making of the movie ‘The Matchmaker’ in 1996.
The grocery shop is now gone – although you can still see the hooks in the ceiling for hanging meat- Wood paneled walls and open turf fires give it an atmosphere of warmth and friendliness."
O'Dowd's in 2020 - it now extends next door to the two story building.
My father behind the taps in O'Dowd's.
Picture above is from 2020. From the right - green building is where McDonagh the butcher was located, little white house belongs to Valentine Mannion's family, yellow building is the old Mannion house and pub, the next green house is where Mary King lives now.
Picture above is from 2022 - Notice the construction on the Valentine Mannion house.
My father said that his uncle Tommy (his father's twin) came out to the US about the same time as Martin Joyce - they joined the US Army. Tommy was gassed in WWI. After the war, Tommy was working around Boston and staying at my father's house on Cedar Street. Tommy was smart - he had technology books.
I found a passenger list for the SS Cymric sailing from Queenstown on May 24th 1911 - arriving at the port of Boston on June 1, 1911.
Thomas Mannion was 19 - he was a laborer - his last permanent residence was Roundstone - his nearest relative in Ireland was his father Micheal of Roundstone, Galway - his final destination was Mattapan, Massachusetts. He does not have a ticket to his final destination - his brother paid his passage over. It looks like he had $10 but it is crossed out and replaced with $9. He is joining his brother Michael at 38 Cedar Street in Mattapan. He is 5' 7" - he has a fair complexion - brown hair - grey eyes - he was born in Roundstone.
My father said that his uncle disappeared one day - my father went to school and that was the last he saw of Uncle Tommy. He thought Tommy might have gone to Minneapolis. Later the family heard that he got married in New Jersey. My father said that Tommy had big hands and a "walrus" face - a handlebar mustache. He died in New Jersey of pneumonia and was buried in Jersey City Cemetery. My father said the 2nd or 3rd time he was in New York, Uncle Valentine said that he had found Tommy's grave.
Bridget King Mannion died a couple of years after the twins were born. I found a death record that could be hers.
Line #271. Date of death: 1896 Nineteenth December - Roundstone - Bridget Mannion - married - 46 years old - wife of Michael Mannion, a farmer & a butcher - cause of death: primary icterus, secondary ??? - death was certified - duration of illness was 4 days - informant was Michael Mannion, husband, of Roundstone who was present at birth - registered 22nd December 1896.
Icterus is jaundice - a yellowing of the skin and yellowing of the white of the eyes. It can be caused by infection, blood diseases, hepatitis, cirrhosis, among other causes. I couldn't make out the 2ndary cause of death.
Widower Michael Mannion married again shortly after Bridget died. I found a marriage record that could be theirs. The marriage was solemnized at the Roman Catholic Chapel of Ballinafad in the Registrar's District of Roundstone No 1 in the Union of Clifden in the County of Galway. It took place on the 20th of June 1897. Michael Mannion, 38, was a widower. He was a farmer living in Roundstone. His father was also Michael Mannion and was a farmer.
Margaret Joyce was a 38 year old spinster. She was living in Shanakeela. Her father was Michael Joyce who was a farmer. Witnesses were Joseph McCullough and Bridget Joyce.
My father had thought that Michael Mannion's 2nd wife was a Connelly - he said he was always going to Connelly wakes in South Boston. I remember in the 1950s my father driving us to Charlestown on the hill near the Bunker Hill Monument - he left me, Johnny and maybe Patty in the car while he went into a wake.
The red icon shows where Shanakeela is located.
7) I'd say Margaret Joyce was pretty brave taking on this large family. But it soon grew even bigger when Margaret Mannion was born on 19th February 1898 in Roundstone. Father was Michael Mannion of Roundstone; mother was Margaret Mannion formerly Joyce. Michael Mannion was a farmer. He was also the one who registered the birth on 9th September 1898.
Margaret Mannion emigrated to the US where she married Martin Joyce from the Recess area of Galway. I don't remember where I got these pictures - Skip Carr? One of my cousins?
Margaret "Maggie" Mannion Joyce
Below is John "Franny" Joyce and his mother Margaret Mannion Joyce.
8) Another child came along in 1900. Joseph Patrick Mannion was born on the 16th of February 1900 to Michael Mannion of Roundstone and Margaret Mannion formerly Joyce. Michael was a farmer. Margaret registered the birth on 26th March 1900.
I have a Declaration of Passenger to Canada for 1923. The SS Doric sailed 3/8/23. Joseph Mannion was 23 - single - he was a farm laborer - intended occupation was harvesting. He was born in Roundstone, Galway - Irish race - British citizenship - Roman Catholic. He intended to remain permanently in Canada. He had 5 British pounds. He can read - he speaks English. Jospeh paid his own passage and was never refused entry or deported from Canada. His destination was Winnipeg, Manitoba.His father Michael Mannion of Roundstone was his nearest relative in Ireland. Neither he or any member of his family was mentally defective, he did not have tuberculosis, he was not physically defective, and had not been debarred under Canadian Immigration Law. Joseph Mannion signed the form.
Joseph eventually made his way to Boston where he later died on June 12, 1925. He was single - his age was 24 years 3 months and 27 days. He was residing with my grandfather, John Manning and family, at 11 Cedar Street, Boston. He was a laborer. He died at Boston City Hospital. He was born in Ireland - his father was Michael Manning born in Ireland. His mother was Margaret Joyce born in Ireland. Cause of death was A - Aortic Regurgitation (years) and B - Acute Bacterial Endocarditis. He was buried in New Calvary Cemetery in Boston. Date of the record: June 16, 1925.
My cousin obtained copies of the death certificate.
The 1901 Irish Census of County Galway, Connemara Parliamentary District, Poor Law Union of Clifden, Electoral District of Roundstone, Townland of Roundstone, Constabulary District of Roundstone, Sub-district of Roundstone, Village of Roundstone, Barony of Ballynahinch, Parish of Moyrus listed our Mannions in house 51. Michael Mannion was the head of the family - he was Roman Catholic - he read and wrote - he was a 43 year old shopkeeper and farmer - he was married - he was born in Galway - he spoke Irish and English.
Margaret Mannion was his wife - she and the rest of the family were Roman Catholic - she read and wrote - she was 40 years old - she was born in Galway - she spoke Irish and English.
Michael Mannion was Michael's 16 year old son - he read and wrote - he was a scholar - like his brothers and sisters he was born in Galway - he spoke Irish and English.
Stephen Mannion was Michael's 10 year old son - he read and wrote - he was a scholar - he spoke Irish and English.
Thomas and John Mannion were Michael's 7 year old twins - they read and wrote - they were scholars - they spoke Irish and English.
Young Margaret Mannion was Michael and Margaret Mannion's 3 year old daughter, and Joseph was their 1 year old son.
Michael McDonagh was a boarder - he was a Roman Catholic - he read and wrote - he was a 50 year old fisherman - he was not married - he was born in Galway - he spoke Irish and English.
The House and Building Return of the 1901 Irish Census showed Michael Mannion as the landholder for 2 properties. #50 was a shop and lodging house with 1 outbuilding. The walls were made of stone or concrete - the roof was likely slate but might have been iron or tiles. There were 6 windows in the front of the building. It was a first class house. Thomas Gorham and 7 family members resided in 6 rooms while Charle Toole and 5 family members resided in 4 rooms. Building #51 was a public house - with stone or concrete walls and a slate, tile or iron roof - with 4 windows in the front. It was a 2nd class dwelling. Michael, his wife and 7 children occupied 7 rooms.
Below, the end of the block was McDonagh the butcher's, then Val Mannion's house, then the house and pub, then the house where Mary King lives.I took the picture from Roundtone Harbor back in the late 1990s. The Postcard below is about 100 years old. Can you pick out the Manning buildings?
The Irish censuses do not come with any maps. But I did find a map of Roundstone village from the early 1850s when Griffith's Valuation was carried out. There were no Mannions in Roundstone village or Derrada West at this time. The only ones I found were in the townland of Lettershina. Anyway here is the map. You can see the quay that was built per Alexander Nimmo's instructions.
