I have always confused Charles Bianconi (1786-1875), the Italian-born founder of public transportation in Ireland (who married an Irishwoman and settled in Ireland) with Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937), the Italian-born developer of wireless telegraphy (who was the daughter of one Irishwoman and married another).
This week's episode of Who Do You Think You Are dealt with Marconi's first cousin three times removed, Ivan Yates (see http://www.rte.ie/tv/whodoyouthinkyouar ... yeats.html). That got me thinking of the Clare connections of both Bianconi and Marconi:
Bianconi's son Charles Jr. married Eily O'Connell Fitzsimon, granddaughter of Daniel O'Connell, Member of Parliament for Clare 1828-1830.
Marconi himself married Beatrice O'Brien, great-niece of William Smith O'Brien, Member of Parliament for Ennis 1828-1831.
No wonder I get the two Italians confused!
Famous Italians with Clare connections
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smcarberry
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Re: Famous Italians with Clare connections
Yes, Paddy, we on the McMahons of Clare YahooGroup have also discussed Bianconi a bit, because there is a connection to McMahon and Coppinger there as well. Running any of those names through the Google Books search engine will bring up lots of material, much of which is in full view online.
Below are the highlights from our YahooGroup discussion, with Freeman's Journal articles placed online by Declan Barron.
Sharon Carberry
The Last Colonel of the Irish Brigade: Count O'Connell, and old Irish life at home and abroad
By Mary Anne Bianconi O'Connell
genealogy provided on p. 356; reference to McMahons on p. 319
p. 84: details of Carlo Bianconi's early life provided in this Google book
100 Irish lives
by Martin Wallace
Feb. 21, at the Church of the Catholic University, Morgan John O'CONNELL, Esq., of Ballylean Lodge, county Clare, and the Temple, London, to Mary Anne, only surviving child of Charles Bianconi, Esq, D.L., Longfield, county Tipperary.
Freeman's Journal 22 Feb 1865
July 2, at Longfield, Cashel, the residence of Charles Bianconi, Esq., in the 64th year of his age, Morgan John O'CONNELL, Barrister-at-law and former M.P. For Kerry, of Ballyleane Lodge, county Clare.
Freeman's Journal 5 Jul 1875
p.5: statement of Stephen Coppinger on the 1828 effort of a RC bishop in North Carolina (USA) to organize an army of 40,000 men ready to invade Ireland in support of Catholic emancipation.
The life, times and correspondence of the Right Rev. Dr. Doyle
by William John Fitzpatrick, 1880
Below are the highlights from our YahooGroup discussion, with Freeman's Journal articles placed online by Declan Barron.
Sharon Carberry
The Last Colonel of the Irish Brigade: Count O'Connell, and old Irish life at home and abroad
By Mary Anne Bianconi O'Connell
genealogy provided on p. 356; reference to McMahons on p. 319
p. 84: details of Carlo Bianconi's early life provided in this Google book
100 Irish lives
by Martin Wallace
Feb. 21, at the Church of the Catholic University, Morgan John O'CONNELL, Esq., of Ballylean Lodge, county Clare, and the Temple, London, to Mary Anne, only surviving child of Charles Bianconi, Esq, D.L., Longfield, county Tipperary.
Freeman's Journal 22 Feb 1865
July 2, at Longfield, Cashel, the residence of Charles Bianconi, Esq., in the 64th year of his age, Morgan John O'CONNELL, Barrister-at-law and former M.P. For Kerry, of Ballyleane Lodge, county Clare.
Freeman's Journal 5 Jul 1875
p.5: statement of Stephen Coppinger on the 1828 effort of a RC bishop in North Carolina (USA) to organize an army of 40,000 men ready to invade Ireland in support of Catholic emancipation.
The life, times and correspondence of the Right Rev. Dr. Doyle
by William John Fitzpatrick, 1880
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smcarberry
- Posts: 1282
- Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 4:31 pm
- Location: USA
Re: Famous Italians with Clare connections
Curiously, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, has the original petition of Charles Bianconi regarding naturalization in 1828, signed by numerous Grand Jurors of the Clonmel (Tipperary) Spring Assizes. The book listed in a prior posting, !00 Irish Lives by Martin Wallace, states on p. 87 that Bianconi was naturalized in 1831, without mentioning a location. Wallace stated on p. 84 that Bianconi was born in 1786 and arrived in Ireland when age 15 in order to study a trade, which varies from facts given by Bianconi in his 1828 petition, that he arrived in Ireland from his native city of Milan at age 14 in order to avoid conscription into the Italian army.
Even more curious is the location of the 1828 Bianconi petition in a collection described as the family papers of William Gregory, who had served as Under-Secretary in Dublin Castle, not involved in judicial business. His principal properties were located in Galway, although he apparently had some some property in Tipperary. I will be doing a separate posting on the extent of the Gregory papers held at Emory, which I viewed yesterday.
Sharon Carberry
Even more curious is the location of the 1828 Bianconi petition in a collection described as the family papers of William Gregory, who had served as Under-Secretary in Dublin Castle, not involved in judicial business. His principal properties were located in Galway, although he apparently had some some property in Tipperary. I will be doing a separate posting on the extent of the Gregory papers held at Emory, which I viewed yesterday.
Sharon Carberry