Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

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Sduddy
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by Sduddy » Sat Mar 07, 2020 11:37 am

I’m leaving John Considine, of the Tithe Applotments Mill Street, plus John Considine, of the handsome 1813 dowry, for now, and going back to Bank Place where Michael G. Considine was living in the 1880s.

And I think I’ve found a house in the 1911 census that might have been his house (back in the 1880s). It’s the house that Elizabeth Collins is living in in Bank Place, Ennis No. I Urban. She is aged 36, single, a Dressmaker and is living alone in house No. 6. It is the only 2nd class house among all the 1st class houses on that street (as The House and Buildings form shows). The other houses are occupied by professional people – solicitors, bank managers, etc..
Elizabeth was born on 05 Mar 1876, in Mill Street, to Martin Collins, a Tin Plate worker, and Mary O’Neil. The sponsors at her baptism were James Henty(?) and Susan Walsh. She was the last of several children.
In the 1901 census, Lizzie Collins is living in Chapel Lane. She is Head of Household, aged 22, Dressmaker, and she has a boarder, Mary OLoghlin, aged 22, Dressmaker. Elizabeth married a Michael Duggan in 1913:
14 Sept. 1913: Marriage of Michael Duggan, Painter, Fergus Row, son of Michael Duggan. Painter, to Eliza Collins, Dressmaker, Bank Place, daughter of Martin Collins, Labourer, in Ennis Cathedral; witnesses: James Kidney(?), Mary Lally.
I haven’t found any records of children born to Eliza and Michael.
Elizabeth died in Bank Place in 1944:
23 Mar 1944: Death (in Co. Home) of Elizabeth Duggan, Bank Place, Ennis, married, aged 68, Painter’s wife.
Michael Duggan died in Bank Place in 1968:
04 Feb. 1954: Death (in Co. Home) of Michael Duggan, Bank Place, Ennis, widower, aged 68, Painter.

Michael Duggan belonged to a family of painters. Before he married, he lived in Brewery Lane (I think "Fergus Row" is the same place). The 1911 census shows him there aged 25. His father, Michael, and his brother John are also painters. And a William Duggan living nearby is a painter too – as is William’s son, William [junior] aged 20. I think some of these Duggans moved to Steele’s Terrace, newly built just then. Of course, Michael Considine, Brewery Lane, son of Joseph Considine and nephew of Michael G. Considine, is also a painter. Brewery Lane was the Harley Street of House Painters.

The 1901 census shows a Mary Farrell as one of the household of Michael Considine (Painter). She is described as his sister, but I don’t think she is his sister. She is aged 60 (in 1911 she is 82), and I think she is the widow of Edmond Farrell, who was, yes, another painter: Drumcliff parish marriages shows this marriage:16 Jan. 1851: Edmond Farrell, Painter, to Mary Meaney, both of Ennis, in the presence of Michael Considine and Ellen Kennedy (“1851” is mistranscribed as “1857” on the Ennis genealogy site).
Edmund Farrell was sponsor at the baptism of Antony, the second son of Joseph Considine (brother of Michael G. Considine): 17 Dec 1845: Antony of Joseph Considine and Mary Maher; sponsors: Edmund Farrell, Ellon Keane.
The death of an Edward Farrell, aged 46, was registered in Ennis in 1866. This is Edmond, almost certainly. The image of the record is not available so I can’t say that the address is Brewery Lane, but suspect that it was.

Now back to Bank Place, but firstly I should say that Bank Place is a street that runs north from the square (Ennis). Brewery Lane runs north too but at an angle that brings it very close to Bank Place at the riverside. Bank Place is on a higher level than Brewery Lane - otherwise they would actually meet at that point.
Elizabeth Collins was not in Bank Place in 1901 (she was in Chapel Lane), and in fact it seems to be impossible to get the complete list of people who were living in Bank Place in 1901. The people who lived at the far side of the bridge (I mean the part nearest Bindon Street) are listed under Bindin Street (Ennis No. 1 Urban), as Paddy Waldron explained on this forum back in 2011 - see “Bank Place and Bindon St., Ennis, census returns on the radio”: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2665&p=4247&hilit=B ... d596#p4247
But the people who lived at the near side of the bridge (between the bridge and the Square) are not listed. All we have is Kennedy’s drapery shop, which was across the street and part of a different electoral division, i.e. Ennis No. 2 Urban.

I would have liked to know who was living in the house that was later occupied by Elizabeth. But I am pleased to have found a house in Bank Place that was lived in right up to 1954 (if not later) and might very well be the house that Michael G. Considine lived in until his death in 1884. It was demolished at some stage and a very new building, Eason’s book shop, is there now.

Sheila

Sduddy
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by Sduddy » Sun Mar 08, 2020 11:30 am

Hi Jimbo

Just above I mentioned that Edmond Farrell married Mary Meany in 1851 and I’m pretty sure that Mary Meany is the Mary Farrell aged 60, widow, who is one of the household of Michael Considine (1843-1924; Painter) in Brewery Lane in 1901. She is described as sister to Michael, but I don’t think she is. I don’t think she is even a sister-in-law, but maybe she is a cousin. There’s a headstone in Drumcliff old graveyard inscribed: “Here lies the body of Mary Considine alias Meany, who dept this life on 20 of October 1835 aged 48 years. Erected by her beloved husband Anty Considine. For him and posterity. May she rest in peace amen” (grave no. 890 online: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... rname1.htm

Mary Farrell (née Meany) was probably aged about 20 when she married Edmund Farrell in 1851, so was born about 1830 - this tallies with her age (82) in 1911. Mary Considine (née Meany), who died in 1835 aged 48, was born about 1787 and probably married about 1810. It’s possible she was an aunt of Mary Farrell (née Meany). For a lovely moment I thought that Anthony Considine and Mary Meany might be the parents of Michael G. Considine and his brother Joseph – that would explain Joseph’s naming his second son Anthony – but then I remembered that we are told that the “G” in “Michael G.” stands for Griffy (in the article in the Clare Champion), plus the record of his death gives his name as Michael Griffy Considine, and so we can assume that his mother’s name was Griffey.

Griffith’s Valuation shows an Anthony Considine leasing Lot 40, a house and garden, in Borheen, in the townland of Lifford (Drumcliff parish), from Francis Gore. Right beside him is Bridget Meaney leasing Lot 39 ( a House "dilapd." and garden).
An Anthony Considine died in 1868 aged 88 and might be the same Anthony, and indeed might be the husband of Mary Meany who had died 33 years previously. I will send for the record, but I suspect that it will just say that he died in the workhouse and will give no address.
The G.R.O. site (irishgenealogy.ie) shows some Ennis marriages (starting at 1845) that took place according to the rites of the United Church of England and Ireland (Protestant) and among those is the marriage on 23 July 1845 of Thomas Faulkner, Soldier, The Barracks, son of John Faulkner, Labourer, to Cath. Considine, Ennis, daughter of Anthony Considine, Tailor, in Parish of Dromcliff, according to the rites of the United Church of England and Ireland; Charles Ward Curate; witnesses: John Roughan, George Rochford. I found no other children of an Anthony Considine, but if some were married in a Catholic Church, the only record of it would the one made by the priest, and the priest did not usually give the father’s name. The Drumcliff parish (Catholic) baptisms show the baptism of a daughter of Catherine Considine and Thomas Faulkner: 08 Mar 1858: Catherine of Thomas Faulkner and Catherine Considine, Borheen; sponsor: Eliza Casey. G.R.O civil records show that a Catherine Faulkner died in 1868, aged 9 – most likely the same child.

Griffith’s Valuation (1856) shows some Considines living in The Borheen (in the townland of Lifford, Drumcliff): Martin in Lot 11; Patrick in Lot 18; Thomas in Lot 27; Anthony in Lot 40 next door to Bridget Meaney and Michael Considine in Lot 41. Winifred Considine in Lot 63 is leasing a very low value house (2 shillings) from Patrick O’Loughlin. The Borheen was in the outskirts of the town (going north from Ennis) and these houses probably resembled the lines of houses in The Turnpike on the other side of the town, photographed 50 years later: http://clareherald.com/2014/09/old-imag ... nnis-1912/, though I doubt very much that the Borheen houses of 1856 had those nice brick chimneys.

The Drumcliff baptisms show that four or five families of Considines lived in Borheen in the middle of the 19th century. There were none there in 1901. For anyone interested in the Borheen Considines, I have put together these few bits I have found mainly by looking through the baptisms (note: The baptisms start at 1841, but addresses were not given until 1849):

(1) Thomas Considine and Mary McNamara, Borheen
Baptisms:
13 Oct 1846: Michael of Thomas Considine and Mary McNamara; sponsors: John Guerin, Mary H(?)s.
21 Sept 1849: Patrick of Thomas Considine and Mary McNamara, Borheen; sponsors: Thomas McDermot, Kate O’Neil.
25 Aug 1851: Mary Anne* of Thomas Considine and Mary McNamara, Borheen; sponsors: Terence O’Loughlin and Anne Melican.
04 Jan 1854: Catherine of Thomas Considine and Mary McNamara, Borheen; sponsors: John Melican, Catherine Considine.
26 May 1856: Anne of Tom Considine and Mary McNamara, Borheen; sponsors: Pat Halnan, Margaret Joice.
15 Nov. 1858: Jane* of Tom Considine and Mary Mac, Borheen; sponsors: John O’Loughlen, Anne Molony.
27 Apr. 1861: John of Thomas Considine and Mary McNamara, Borheen; sponsors: Thomas Joyce, Mary A Doherty(?) (a John Considine died in 1865, aged 4.)
8 Sept. 1863: Lizzie of Thomas Considine and Mary Mack, Borheen; sponsors: Michael O’Brien, Mary Joyce ( a Lizzie Considine died in 1865, aged 1).
08 Jan. 1866: Eliza of Thomas Considine and Mary Mack, Borheen; sponsors: Michael Naughten, Honor Kerin. (Civil registration began in 1864 but this birth was not registered).

* Familysearch.org shows the marriage of Mary Anne in Hampden, Massachusetts: Mary Anne Considine born 1856, married 28 June 1881 to Thomas S. Maxwell, in Chicopee, Hampden, Massachusetts, U.S.; parents: Thomas Considine, Mary McNamara.
*Familysearch.org shows the marriage of Jane Considine in Lowell Massachusetts.:
Jennie Cole Considine, born 1868, married on 08 April 1902 to James Meade, Lowell, Penobscot, Massachusetts, U.S; parents: Thomas Considine, Mary McNamara.
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(2) John Considine and Catherine Casey, Borheen
Baptisms:
29 May 1855: Bartholomew of John Considine and Catherine Casey, Lifford; sponsors: Pat Considine, Mary Considine.
30 Aug 1856: Kate of John Considine and Kate Casey, Borheen; sponsors: Anthony Considine, Kate Considine.
21 Jun 1859: Mark of John Considine and Catherine Casey, Borheen; sponsors: John Considine, Maria Considine.
01 Apr. 1862: Anne of John Considine and Catherine Casey, Borheen; sponsors: Anthony Considine, Mary Considine.

G.R.O Civil Records.: 07 Apr 1878: Death of John Considine, Borheen, Ennis, married, aged 44, Pensioner; informant: Elizabeth Considine, present at death, Borheen.
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(3) Patrick Considine and Nora Silk, Borheen
Baptisms:
11 Apr 1853: Batt of Patrick Considine and Honor Silk, Borheen; sponsors: Martin Geurin, Mary Loughnane (a Bartholomew Considine died in 1870, aged 17.
08 Feb 1856: Mary Anne of Patt Considine and Honour Silk, Borheen; sponsors: Thomas Considine, Mary Meaney.
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(4) Matthew Considine and Margaret Whealan, Borheen
Marriage:
16 ?? 1842: Matthew Considine to Margaret Whealan in the presence of Michael Malone and Mary Sheehan.
Baptisms:
29 Nov 1848: Jeane of Matthew Considine and Margaret Whealon; sponsors: John Considine, Bridget Considine.
27 Jan 1854: Margaret of Mat Considine and Margaret Whelan, Borheen; sponsor: Mary Flanagan.

G.R.O. Civil Records: 09 Oct 1888: Death of Matt Considine, Bell man, aged 80, widower, in the workhouse (no home address). This may be another Matt Considine.
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Note: There are two boys named Bartholomew, one born 1853 to Patrick Considine and Honor Silk, and one born 1855 to John Considine and Catherine Casey. They were probably called after a Batt Considine, one of the Considines listed in the Tithe Applotment Books as living in Lifford.

The Considines in Borheen would seem to have been poor, but I think they were rich in another way: Michael Considine, who was a scribe in the Irish language in the early part of the 19th century, lived in Borheen. All of my information on him is thanks to Eilís Ní Dheá and Luke McInerney, both of whom mention him in articles in The Other Clare:
‘Na Consaidínigh Grafnóirí an hInse sa 19ú haois’, ag Eilís Ní Dheá, in The Other Clare, Vol. 26, 2002. (my translation: ‘Considine scribes of Ennis in the nineteenth century’ by Eilís Ní Dheá) includes a short piece at the bottom of page 74 on Michael Considine from Bothreen, Ennis, who flourished 1818 - 1824. This piece is headed, ‘Mícheál Mac Consaidín ón mBóithrín, lámh le hInis (fl. 1818 – c. 1824)’. Eilís Ní Dheá writes,
Ar an mBoithrín i bParóiste Dhrom Cléibh a bhí Mícheál Mac Consaidín ag saothrú na Gaeilge taca an ama 1818 – 1824 [nota 52: Inis Ls I, lch. 90. ‘Miocael Mac Consaidin on mBoithrín (Moithrinn) lámh re Inis’ le leamh ar RIA 23 M 40 (f. 108) a scríobh ‘Conchubhar Mac In Oirchinne’ ón ‘mBaile Bán’, Inis c. 1816-17]. Trí lámhscríobhinn (agus dha roinn i Ls. 3) atá again óna láimh agus is í Leabharlann De Valera in Inis atá siad sin chun coimeádta. Ghraf Mac Consaidín Ls. 2 díobh sin sa bhliain 1818 agus is é atá inti nábailiúchán mór de laoithe Fiannaíochta agus de dhánta le filí an Chláir. Sa bhlian chéanna, 1818, rinne sé cóip de ‘Cúirt an Mheadhon Oídhche’ fara a thuilleadh dánta agus laoithe (Ls. 3, cuid I) agus lean sé air sa dara cuid den lámhscríbhinn sin le bailiúchán de scéalta Fiannaíochta. (Tá Ennis Novr. 27th 1824 / Michl. Considine’ le feiscint ar clúdach an leabhair seo). Cóip de ‘Comhrá an Bháis leis an duine tinn’ agus cóip den scéal ‘Cath Gabhra’ srl. atá i Ls I in Inis a scríobh sé sna blianta 1818 – 1821. Níor tháinig mé ar aon cheo eile ó láimh Mhichíl Mhic Consaidín in aon institiúid eile anseo in Éirinn, nó in aon leabharlann thar lear.
Here is my attempt at translation: It was in Bothreen in the parish of Drumcliff that Michael Considine produced work in Irish from about 1818 to 1824 [see note 52 below*]. Three manuscripts (and two parts in Ls. 3), written by Michael Considine, are in the DeValera Library in Ennis. One of the manuscripts was produced in 1818, and consists of a collection of lays of the Fianna, and works by Clare poets. In that year, also, 1818, Considine made a copy of ‘Cúirt an Mheadhon Oidhche’ [The Midnight Court] along with more poems and lays (Ls. 3, cuid I) and he continued in the second part of that manuscript with a collection of stories of the Fianna. On the cover of this book is written, ‘Ennis Novr. 27th 1824 / Michl. Considine’. Ls. I consists of ‘Comhrá an Bháis leis an duine tinn’ [Death speaks to the sick person] and the story, ‘Cath Gabhra’ [the Battle of Gowra] etc., copied in the years 1818 – 1821. I [Eilís Ni Dheá] haven’t found anything else from the hand of Michael Considine in any institute in Ireland, nor in any library abroad.

*note 52: Ennis Ls. I p. 90. ‘Miocael Mac Consaidin on mBoithrín (Moithrinn) lámh re Inis’ is written on RIA 23 M 40 (f. 108), a manuscript by Conchubhar Mac In Oirchinne [McInerney] from Baile Ban, Inis [Ballybane, Ennis], about 1816-17.

Luke McInerney, in his article “Conchobhar Mac an Oirchinnigh and the Gaelic scribal tradition of County Clare” first published in The Other Clare and later donated to Clare Library, also mentions this note written by Michael Considine (‘Miocael Mac Cunsaidin’) in the margins of a manuscript by Conchubhar Mac In Oirchinne: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... nerney.htm

Although the name Considine had died out in Borheen by 1901, there may be plenty of descendants of female Considines, of course.

Sheila

Sduddy
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by Sduddy » Mon Mar 09, 2020 10:46 am

Well, I’m back once more in Bank Place - a bit like that opening line of Rebecca, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again".
I’ve found a man, Garrett Stack, from Co. Kerry; occupation: Tailor, who believed that he was living in Bank Place although the civil authorities (Registry officials and Census Enumerators) insisted that he was living in Brewery Lane (also called Fergus Row). I’ve come to the conclusion that there was a house at the end of Brewery Lane that had an entrance from Bank Place.

Ennis parish genealogy (https://www.ennisparish.com/genealogy/) lists 8 children of Garrett Stack and Ellen Halloran. The original entries in the Drumcliff parish register (https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls ... 1/mode/1up) show that the first 3 children were born in Mill Street and that the next 2 were born in Fergus Row. The remaining 3 children were born in Bank Place, or at least that was the address accepted by the priest. At the registration of the births of those 5 children, however, the registrar wrote Brewery Lane every time.
Here are the baptisms:
23 Jun 1861: Mary Anne of Garret Stack and Ellen Halloran, Mill Street; sponsors: John Halloran, Mary Brookes.
22 Jul 1865: Robert of Garret Stack and Ellen Halloran, Mill Street; sponsors: Michael Lillis, Ellen Malone.
21 May 1868: Eliza of Garret Stack and Ellen O’Halloran, Mill Street; sponsors: Thomas Scanlon, Mary Ryan.
14 Sept 1870: Garrett Joseph of Garrett Stack and Ellen O’Halloran, Fergus Row; sponsors: Martin Casey, Mary Ryan.
08 Feb 1873: Margaret of Garrett Stack and Ellen O’Halloran, Fergus Row; sponsors; Michael Doolan, Margaret Stack.
07 Apr 1875: John, Bank Place, of Garrett Stack and Ellen O’Halloran; sponsors: James Healy, Emily McGrath. (a John Stack died in 1876, aged 0).
13 Dec 1877: John Francis, Bank Place of Garrett Stack and Ellen O’Halloran; sponsors: Michael Stack, Mary Anne Stack. (John Francis died in Brewery Lane in 1880, aged 2)
16 Jan 1879: James of Garret Stack and Ellen Halloran, Bank Place; sponsors: Robert Stack, Elizabeth Stack.

The 1901 census shows Garret Stack, aged 55, Master Tailor, and wife Ellen aged 50, and their 6 surviving children, living in Brewery Lane. The house is described as a 2nd class house.

The 1911 census shows Garrett Stack, aged 72, living in Chapel Lane with his son Robert and Robert’s wife Annie [Tierney]. Robert’s occupation is Tailor.
But while Garrett is in Chapel Lane, his wife, Ellen, aged 64, is still living in House 6 in Brewery Lane, where her son, Michael, aged 45, single, Tailor and Cutter, is head of household. The house is described as a 1st class house (According to that census Ellen is married for 51 years, has had 9 children born to her, of whom 3 are alive).
Garrett died in the workhouse 1912, but his address is not given: 19 May 1912: Death Garrett Stack, from Ennis, aged 74; occupation: Tailor.
Ellen died at home in 1914 and her address is given as Bank Place: 05 May 1914: Death of Ellen Stack, Bank Place, widow of a Tailor, aged 73; informant M. Slattery, Bank Place. Upon her death, Ellen had "arrived" in Bank Place.
I don’t know if Ellen’s son, Michael Stack, continued to live in Brewery Lane/Bank Place. He died in the Co. Home in 1944, a bachelor, aged 80; occupation: Tailor. But no home address is given for him, which is a pity.

So there was at least one house in Brewery Lane that backed onto Bank Place. Michael G. Considine gave Bank Place as the address when registering the death of his wife, Mary, in 1883. Was his house also in Brewery Lane/Fergus Row? Fergus Row was the address given by his nephew Michael when Michael G. himself died in 1884.

Sheila

Jimbo
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by Jimbo » Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:41 am

Hi Sheila,

I tried to follow your research using google maps. Brewery Lane and Bank Place in Ennis run parallel. And if you are facing Dan O'Connells' Bar on Abbey Street, to the left is Brewery Lane including a sign posted on the wall saying as such. Brewery Lane appears to be fairly short in today's map and ends at Abbey Street. There were 16 households on Brewery Lane in the 1855 Griffiths Valuation. Here is some fairly grim evidence that back in the day Brewery Lane went all the way down to the River Fergus:
DRUNKARDS BEWARE — A man name James Pinn, while in a state of inebriation, walked into the river at the bottom of Brewery-lane in Ennis on Sunday night about six o'clock, and the current being exceedingly strong his body was carried down the stream, and has not yet been found. On the same evening (Sunday) another drunken man walked into the river at Parson's-quay, Mill-street, and were it not for an alarm given by a girl, who drew the attention of Mr. Benjamin Parsons to the occurrence, would likewise have been attended with a fatal results.—Clare Journal.

The Freeman's Journal, Dublin, Saturday, 30 December 1854
TWO ATTEMPTED SUICIDES IN ENNIS.

On Sunday afternoon a young girl named Brigdale was remanded on a charge of attempted suicide by throwing herself into the Fergus on Saturday night. Yesterday (Monday) morning an old woman named Steele, lately an inmate of the Clare Lunatic Asylum, jumped into the river at Brewery lane, but was at once pulled out by a man named Collins. She was committed to the lunatic asylum.

The Freeman's Journal, Dublin, Tuesday, 24 November 1896
After transcribing these two articles to show that Brewery Lane used to be much longer than it is today and went down to the River Fergus, I see that you already discussed this on page four:
This Michael Considine (1843-1924) was living in Brewery Lane in 1901 and 1911, and died there on 21 May 1924. He may not have lived there at first. The baptism of his sister, Catherine, in 1852, gives the address as “Slipway”, but I think this might be just another name for the river end of Brewery Lane*. Brewery Lane was a continuation of Hunt’s Lane. It ended at the south bank of river Fergus. What remained of Brewery Lane, and all the other lanes near the river, was converted to a car park in the late 20th century, but Hunt’s lane and the other lanes closer to Abbey Street are still there. Hunt’s Lane goes from the present day O’Connell bar to the carpark.
It is a pity that Fergus Row is not mentioned the listing of streets (pages 11 to 14) in Irish Historic Towns Atlas: Ennis, by Brian Ó Dálaigh.
https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/asse ... s_Text.pdf

Perhaps Michael Considine stated on the death record for his wife Mary in 1883 that they lived on Bank Place, and not Brewery Lane, because he was a life time member of the Temperance League? Brewery Lane may have had a seedier reputation, given the connection to alcohol as well as frequent drowning and suicide attempts. People, especially realtors, upgrade their addresses all the time, usually by adding the term adjacent.

deirdre carroll
Posts: 37
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by deirdre carroll » Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:45 am

Hello,

Deirdre Carroll here, daughter of Joe Carroll (1916 to 1999) who lived at 44 Abbey Street and later in the Borheen, son of Michael Carroll, club steward. I have been following this interesting discussion intermittently and recall that my father often mentioned over the years his various good friends in Ennis, including one with the surname Considine. I did a thorough search of all my papers, photos etc...and find that shortly before my last Carroll aunt died I went through the old album with her and she identified ? Considine whose father ran a confectionery shop in O'Connell St Ennis. My initial search of Findmypast.ie records didn't yield much but I kept at it for some days, trying different first names etc...I then found the 1911 census records of Michael Considine, vintner AND confectioner, O'Connell Street, born in 1866 with large family and various employees, the latter giving the clue to the confectionery business. His wife is Elizabeth. The address is 24 O'Connell Street. I then found the baptism of Michael Considine in Ennis parish/Drumcliffe to Patrick Considine and Lizzie Rickard of Mill Street/sponsors William and Mary Anne Rickard. Henry and Coughlan's Directory of 1867 shows under Grocers and Spirit Dealers Michael(Brewery Lane) and Patrick Considine Mill Street. Through irishgenealogy.ie I found the marriage of Michael Considine and Lily Cronin on 25 April 1894. Both resident in Ennis. He is a shopkeeper/merchant. His father is Patrick Considine, shopkeeper/merchant, deceased. Her father is James Cronin, victualler. Witnesses are MJ Ryan and Helena A. Considine.

On 23/7/1935 Michael Considine of 24 O'Connell Street died aged 69, widower and merchant. His son JR? Considine was present.

My search for the first name of my father's friend yielded the name Tony (Anthony) , based on another note I found. There is a birth noted in the records for Anthony for 1915 but the mother's name is Foudy. I note also that an Anthony was baptised 17/12/1845 to Joseph Considine and Mary Maher/ sponsors Edmond Farrell and Ellen Kennedy? I also noted (think you will have) John 9/7/1869 to John Considine and Susan Rickards, Church Street/ sponsors James Ryan and Mary Anne Rickards.

Hope the above useful,

Deirdre Carroll

Sduddy
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by Sduddy » Tue Mar 10, 2020 12:26 pm

Hi Deirdre

I’m delighted that you are finding some of the above postings interesting. Thank you very much for checking up on the Considine man that your father spoke of. All of the records you found fit perfectly with records that Jimbo and I have found so far. Michael Considine, who had a confectionary shop in O’Connell Street (it was a public house for a number of years), was the son of Patrick Considine whose pub in Mill Street still carries the Considine name over the door. Considine’s in O’Connell Street later became Hogan’s and I remember being treated to a hot port there after a visit to Dentist Dowling – it was most comforting. Now it is Brogan’s pub and restaurant. In the meantime Michael Considine’s son took over the pub in Mill Street. I think it was called “Faffa” Considines locally.

The Anthony Considine, whose mother was Foudy, is a great grandnephew of Michael G. Considine, the subject of this thread. These Considines are a different family from Considines of Mill Street and O’Connell Street. Starting at the end and going back: Anthony born in 1915 is the son of Joseph Considine and Ellen Foudy. Joseph was the son of Michael Considine and Susan Hogan. Michael was the first son of Joseph and Mary Maher. This Joseph was a brother of Michael G. Considine. The Anthony who was baptised in 1845 was the second son of Joseph Considine and Mary Maher.
If you have a copy of A Terrace of Houses - Passion of People, by Brian Dinan, you will see some photos of the Considines who lived at No. 25 St. Flannan’s Terrace and of the Burkes who lived at No. 28 St. Flannan’s Terrace. These were the descendants of Michael Considine, who kept Michael G. Considine's green coat (now in the Ennis museum), and of his wife Susan Hogan.
Deirdre, I was interested to hear that one of your resources is Henry and Coughlan’s Directory of 1867. Did you find that online?

Sheila

Sduddy
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by Sduddy » Tue Mar 10, 2020 12:39 pm

Hi Jimbo

Yes, Bank Place is a very desirable address. And maybe calling Brewery Lane “Fergus Row” was an attempt to improve the image of that lane. You include the link to the Irish Historic Towns Atlas – Ennis, by Brian Ó Dálaigh, and you’ve probably noticed that there’s a photo of Arthur’s Quay at the bottom of page 21. Arthur’s Quay was at the end of Brewery Lane. The photo was taken from the bridge on Bank Place (Carroll’s Bridge). The photo is very small, but you may able to see a little bit of the parapet of the bridge at the bottom right-hand corner. And you can see the gable of a house that faces Brewery Lane, and my theory is that it backs onto Bank Place and has some kind of entrance from the second storey onto Bank Place. But I’m not sure that this particular house was the one where either the Stacks or the Duggans lived: I’ve been re-reading Bindon Street and Bank Place, by Lucille Ellis, and I see that on page 54, she gives an account of a house on Bank Place, which she calls House No. 5, and she says that this was demolished in 2004 and was replaced by a building which is now Eason’s bookshop. Eason’s bookshop is on the near side of Carroll’s Bridget (I mean it is near the Square). She says that a Patrick J Neylon, from Kilmaley, took over House 5 in 1930. At first I thought that maybe House 5 had been Stack’s house previously, but when I looked at the 1933 Ennis Voting Register: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... is1933.htm , I saw in Urban 3 that Michael and John Stack were still living in Brewery Lane, and I saw that that Patrick Neylon was in Urban 1. I was pleased to see that Michael Duggan and Elizabeth Duggan (née Collins) were in Bank Place (see Urban 3) – so her house must have been between Patrick Neylon’s and the Bank of Ireland. I think that if there was any house in Bank Place that could be described as having once been Michael G. Considine’s shop, it is Duggans (now demolished).

Thanks, Jimbo, for taking an interest in such a seemingly small matter as the point where Brewery Lane touched shoulders with Bank Place. It’s really all about trying to identify where Michael G. lived (in later life). We have assumed that the Michael Considine who is listed in Griffith’s Valuation as leasing Lot 10, High Street, jointly with Patrick Barry, is our Michael G.. High Street formed one side of the Square* at the centre of the town while the courthouse (at the time) formed another side. In Peasants into Patriots**, Caroline Maguire has also identified High Street as the home/shop of Michael Considine; she writes:
Considine‟s shop in High Street (at the top of the main street of the town) was ideally located, and it was where in 1858 he rallied crowds from atop a sugar barrel to initiate the construction of a monument in memory of Daniel O‟Connell[note 17]. Considine‟s influence was evident from retrospective oral accounts and contemporary visual display – shops sold his portrait and local song commemorated his role in the construction of the O‟Connell monument. More significantly, he appears to have completely dominated the body known as the Ennis Trades whose role (only vaguely explained in the sources) seems to have been more as a political pressure group dedicated to preserving the memory of O‟Connell than as a group of trade unions in the labour sense [note 18]
note17: CI, 5 January 1878; CF, 8 July, 7 October 1865, CJ, 27 August 1860; Griffith’s Primary Valuation of Tenements (cited hereafter as Griffith‟s Valuation), Ennis Union, p. 148; Clare Election: Minutes of Evidence Taken Before the Select Committee on the Clare County Election Petition; together with the proceedings of the Committee (1853), H.C. 1852-1853, IX, pp 127, 230. Michael Considine High Street, Ennis, valuation of property seven pounds, rent of property seven pounds per annum. Since Ennis was the polling centre for the county until 1852, the location of his premises beside the courthouse must have made it a busy hub of political discussion during parliamentary elections in which Considine, in his role as secretary of Trades, always played a conspicuous part.
note 18: Irish Folklore Commission, Schools Collection, Reel 175, Stiofán MacCluin and Treasa MacChonmara, An Daingean, Quin, p. 289, Fenian Papers, Box Thirteen, 6452R. The picture represented him standing on a tub near the O‟Connell monument in the square of the town, dressed in green, a cock red hat, and waving a flag.
* http://clareherald.com/2015/09/old-imag ... -1820-980/
** https://dspace.mic.ul.ie/handle/10395/1024

I agree and I do believe that Michael’s shop was in High Street, not many doors away from John Considine’s Tobacconists and Newagents. Sometime in the late 1850s, a part of High Street, and all of Bow Lane behind it, were demolished to make a junction with Bank Place. I’m not sure when exactly all this happened – it may have been piecemeal. I suspect that both John Considine’s shop and Michael’s shop were demolished sometime between 1855 and 1875. I’m choosing the year 1875, because we know that the Bank of Ireland (now Carraig Donn) was built by 1875. I have a theory about John Considine’s shop which was valued at £19. I think it was at the front of quite a large building that went right back to Friary Lane (which ran along the riverside) and that the John Considine who is leasing an office (probably a storing-place) and yard on Friary Lane (Lot 5) is the same John Considine. I think that the John Considine who is subletting Lot 8 to Margaret Shaughnessy is the same John Considine. And I think that Mary Considine who is leasing Lot 1, jointly with Anne Conlan, is a relative of John’s. (Friary Lane is at the bottom of the same page as Brewery Lane and High Street (page 148) and continues on page 149). I also think that the Michael Considine, who died, aged 34, in Brewery Lane in 1878, may be related to him. If we take all these Considines as a cluster (and that’s a big, big IF) then Michael G. fits in somewhere there, and your theory that John the Tobacconist and Newagent is the most likely of all the Considines to be a brother of Michael G. would fit with this. I wonder what happened to the tenants of the building that stood where the Bank of Ireland was built in the 1870s? I suppose they were just given notice to quit. Did they move to the rear of that site, and is that how Michael G. Considine came to be in Brewery Lane? Bernard H. Becker visited his shop in 1880, but I think the shop was no longer in High Street then – I think it was in Brewery Lane and backing on to Bank Place.

Sheila

deirdre carroll
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by deirdre carroll » Tue Mar 10, 2020 1:36 pm

Hello Sheila,

Thanks for reply. I replied an hour or so ago and message appeared and then disappeared. Here goes again. Yes, Henry and Coughlan's directory available in findmypast records. My father's friend is clearly a descendant of Patrick Considine and Lizzie Rickard - see baptism of Michael, date 9/1/1866, the man in the 1911 census. From earlier notes in this discussion, is the Rickards connection to Michael Considine, the subject of the discussion, now ruled out?

Deirdre

Sduddy
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by Sduddy » Tue Mar 10, 2020 3:03 pm

Hi Deirdre,

Thanks again. No, a connection with the Rickards is not ruled out, and I’m sorry I gave that impression when I said that the relatives of Michael G. were a different family of Considines. It’s just that such records as we have (so far) for the relatives of Michael G. give no indication of a connection with the Rickards or with Patrick Considine of Mill Street (later Parnell Street). Also there would seem to be a difference in social status between Michael G.s relatives and the Mill Street Considines. Patrick Considine of Mill Street had been deemed a suitable husband for Eliza Rickards, the daughter of the prosperous William Rickards. But of course well-off families often have poorer relatives, so, no, the Rickards and the Mill Street Considines are not ruled out.
Yes, the Michael Considine that your father remembered is definitely the son of Patrick and Eliza. Michael was buried in a vault in Drumcliff - I don't know if his relatives in Mill Street were buried there, or if it was for his own immediate family.

Thanks, by the way, for the information about the Directory.

Sheila

deirdre carroll
Posts: 37
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by deirdre carroll » Tue Mar 10, 2020 5:27 pm

Thanks Sheila,

I'm finding it difficult to see any significant difference in social standing between Michael G. and Patrick Considine of Mill Street, grocer and spirit dealer in 1867 per the Directory - big? deal then to appear there? He and his family consistently describe themselves in the records as "merchant". Maybe I am missing some nuance,

Deirdre

Jimbo
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Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by Jimbo » Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:40 am

Thanks Deirdre, especially for your contribution that a Michael Considine was listed as a grocer at Brewery Lane in the 1867 Henry and Coughlan's Directory. By the 1870 Slater's Directory for Ennis, Michael Considine was not reported.

The 1867 Directory is simply a listing of names and professions. It would be difficult to determine status just from this one small bit of evidence. And we shouldn't confuse social and political status with wealth. Clearly, despite not having great wealth, Michael G Considine had greater political influence, certainly on Ennis election campaigns, compared to Patrick Considine, an Ennis Town Councillor. Here is an excerpt from Bernard Becker's Disturbed Ireland of 1880 describing Michael G Considine:
Now this model patriot, whom every one must perforce respect for his perfect honesty and disinterestedness, keeps a wretched little shop in a trumpery cabin. His stock-in-trade consists of a few newspapers, his pantry holds but potatoes. Yet he is a great power in Ennis, and the candidate for that borough who neglected him would fare badly.
Now, I suspect that Becker has exaggerated the poverty of Michael G Considine. Just like I don't believe the "romantic legend" of how he was given the nickname of "Dirty Mick".

However, by a large multiple Patrick Considine of Mill Street (as well as John Considine of Church Street) had greater wealth. Prior to their marriages with the Rickards sisters they were Ennis electors which had a property requirement. At the death of their father-in-law William Rickards, who according to an 1894 Freeman's Journal article "had amassed a considerable wealth before his death, and was the owner of some house property in the town of Ennis", Patrick Considine would have inherited further property. Deirdre, if you still have access to findmypast.com, a search for "William Rickards" in the Irish Petty Sessions reveals dozens of cases where he is the complainant against non-paying tenants. As mentioned previously, the Rickards estate papers (500 + pages) are included with the McMahon collection at the Clare library:

http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/archiv ... ection.pdf

deirdre carroll
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:43 pm

Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by deirdre carroll » Wed Mar 11, 2020 12:00 pm

Many thanks Jimbo for all that information and perspective.

On a gentle note, I am not confusing political and social status. I worked with politicians for much of my life and they come in all forms of social and wealth status but high political clout and achievement do not rule out a biological relationship with another person. On a separate note, are there any living relatives left in Ennis or its hinterland who might know of the various connections between the Considines? Some years back I spoke to people there with the surnames Hogan and Kerin who had an encyclopaedic knowledge of Ennis family connections going back generations. Perhaps this route has been followed. Well done on the great story you have all brought together on such an intriguing person as Michael G.

Deirdre

Sduddy
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Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by Sduddy » Wed Mar 11, 2020 5:16 pm

Hi Deirdre

Yes indeed, I’m sure there are descendants of Michael’s brother, Joseph Considine (who married Mary Maher), who are living in Ennis today. Joseph’s eldest son, Michael (1843 – 1924), married Susan Hogan and they had two children. Joseph’s second son, Anthony (1845 - ?), I have found no records for. Joseph’s daughter, Catherine (1852 – 1938), married Michael Flynn and they lived in Ennis and had a large family. I have given the descendants of Michael (1843 -1924) and of Catherine (1852 –1938) on page 5 of this thread – it’s about half way down. The Tony you mentioned (b. 1915) is probably still remembered by some people in Ennis - likewise his brothers and sisters. And I’m sure many of these married and have children who are living in Ennis.

Deirdre, I may be very wrong, but I suspect that these descendants do not know of any siblings of Michael G. (b about 1814) and Joseph (no dates found). I feel sure that the person who wrote the piece for the Clare Champion in 2014 gave as much information as he could find. He seems to have relied mostly on research done by Larry Brennan - see: https://astheywere.blogspot.com/2014/04 ... otten.html. You will see that a descendant of Mary Kate Considine, daughter of Joseph Considine and Mary Maher, gave Larry Brennan information on her branch of the tree. She visited Ennis in 2005 and again in 2012.

I’m very pleased that so much information has been made available both in that piece in the Clare Champion and in Brian Dinan’s book. Certainly, if there’s any more information out there, I would welcome it. I don’t live in Ennis, but go there occasionally. I should explain that I’m not related to Michael G. Considine at all (at least, not as far as I know!). I encountered him when I was reading the Bernard H. Becker book, Disturbed Ireland, and was so annoyed by the sneery description of him that I wanted to know a bit more about the man.
In the course of trying to do that, I have learned a lot about the history of those times and I have developed an interest in the early 1850s especially. Plus I'm well on the way to being world expert on the Ennis Considines.

Sheila

deirdre carroll
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:43 pm

Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by deirdre carroll » Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:49 pm

Thanks for that Sheila - you have covered a lot of points which show indeed the depth of the research you have done. Maybe you might write it up sometime for a wider public. I am a member of the Genealogical Society of Ireland who are always looking for interesting material like this (www.familyhistory.ie).

I do not live in Ennis either but must check over any old notes I have on people who may still be around and might have knowledge to impart. One such person lives here in Dublin - I will contact him - may take a week or two with competing duties and events!

Deirdre

deirdre carroll
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:43 pm

Re: Michael G. Considine and Daniel O'Connell

Post by deirdre carroll » Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:59 pm

Thanks for that Sheila - you have covered a lot of points which show indeed the depth of the research you have done. Maybe you might write it up sometime for a wider public. I am a member of the Genealogical Society of Ireland who are always looking for interesting material like this (www.familyhistory.ie).

I do not live in Ennis either but must check over any old notes I have on people who may still be around and might have knowledge to impart. One such person lives here in Dublin - I will contact him - may take a week or two with competing duties and events!

Deirdre

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