Patrick Guilfoyle, b. 1880 in Driminure, Aughrim, Tomgraney.

[Sduddy]

I’ve been reading an article by Mark Holan on the ambush at Feakle Post Office on 7 Oct 1920: “Feakle ambush & reprisals: Multiple views of an event”: https://www.markholan.org/archives/9036. This includes some of the testimony given by Patrick Guilfoyle, on 10 Dec 1920, to the American Commission on Conditions in Ireland: Interim Report, 1921 - see endnote 2 for the full testimony: https://archive.org/details/evidenceonc ... Pittsburgh

Patrick had visited Feakle at the time of the ambush (7 October) and was able to give a clear account of it in December. He does not mention his birthplace, and, while he refers to his wife’s relatives in Feakle, he does not give her maiden name.
The article by Mark Holan tells us that Patrick born in Scarriff on 29 Mary 1880 and had emigrated to the U.S. in 1900, aboard the Celtic (see endnote 10). I found some further details: Patrick was born in 1880 in Driminure, in the townland of Aughrim, in the parish of Tomgraney, to Patrick Guilfoyle and Mary Burke. Patrick Guilfoyle (sen.) had married Mary Burke in 1876. They had four children: Mary in 1877, Thomas in 1878, Catherine in 1879, and Patrick in 1880. When Patrick was born his father was already deceased. His mother then married John Jones, a farmer in Aughrim, in 1882. They had four daughters. In the 1901 census John Jones is a widower, Mary having died in 1895. The Guilfoyles, Mary’s children by her first marriage, are not living at home in 1901. Her daughter, Catherine, had died aged 7. We know that Patrick had emigrated and I suspect that the other two had also emigrated. John Jones married again in 1908, but had no more children.

Patrick Guilfoyle mentions his wife’s family as the reason for their visit to Feakle. I think she was Kate Rodgers, daughter of Timothy Rodgers, Cloonusker, Tomgraney parish. Looking at Tom McDowell’s list of emigrants, I see that a Julia Rodgers, born 1892, emigrated on 20 Sept 1915, aboard Philadelphia; her nearsest relative: Father, Timothy Rodgers, Clonusker, Scarriff; her destination: Sister Mrs. P. J. Guilfoyle, Morgan House, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... grants.htm. Julia Rogers, aged 9, was living at home in Cloonusker, Tomgraney, in 1901. Also her sister, Annie, aged 14: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... r/1085044/. In 1911, they are both living in Feakle town, aged 19 and 24: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... wn/368047/. Anne is a dressmaker. I believe this is the sister-in-law that Patrick Guilfoyle refers to in his evidence. And I think she is the Annie Rogers, who emigrated, aged 32, on 19 Sept 1921, aboard Baltic; nearest relative: Mother, Mrs. Bridget Rodgers, Clonusker, Scarriff; destination: Sister, Mrs. Kate Guilfoyle, 1248 Irwin Ave., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Scarriff Parish register of baptisms gives the date of Catherine’s baptism as 31 Dec. 1876, The civil record of her birth gives 1 Jan. 1877: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 106336.pdf

Patrick died in 1946. Mark Holan says that his obituary does not mention his testimony to the Commission. So he is owed this mention on Clare Past Forum.

Sheila

[darrenoconaill]

Hi Sheila
I just stumbled upon Mark's excellent article on the Feakle ambush and Patrick Guilfoyle. There is a further connection between the Guilfoyles and Rodgers later in Patrick's testimony to the Commission.

Patrick mentions the Scariff Martyrs shot on the bridge in Killaloe during the War of Independence and says that one of these men, Alfie Rodgers, was his cousin. I wonder does he mean cousin through marriage or an actual cousin? I will try to untangle.

The Guilfoyle and Rodgers surnames are still famous in Feakle and Scariff especially in relation to Clare hurling.
Regards
Darren

[Sduddy]

Hi Darren

I think you are right in guessing that it was Patrick’s wife, Kate Rodgers, who was related to Alfie Rodgers, rather than Patrick himself.
Nevertheless I looked the Scarriff baptisms (1852-1872) for a Guilfoyle-Rodgers connection and found this one: the baptisms of two children of a Thomas Kilfoyle (variant of Guilfoyle) and a Mary Rogers: Thomas baptised 1 May 1859, and Kate baptised 3 Mar 1855.
A Thomas Kilfoyle died in Aughrim on 5 Jan 1871, aged 67: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 289696.pdf. I noted that Thomas lived in the same townland as Patrick Guilfoyle (Aughrim). But I got no further. Thomas had married Mary Rogers prior to civil registration (1864), so there is no record of her father’s name. It is possible that she was a sister of Alfie’s grandfather (Edward Rodgers), but I have no way of finding out.

Here is the record of the birth of Alfie:
11 Feb. 1897, Scariff: Birth of Alphonsus Edward Rodgers to Edmond Rodgers, Grocer and Publican, and Norah Scanlan: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 807592.pdf

Alfie’s mother, Hanora Scanlan, was from Lacarrow, Tulla parish:
18 Feb 1896: Marriage of Edward Rodgers, Shopkeeper, Scariff, son of Edward Rogers (dead), Farmer, to Hanora Scanlan, Farmer, Lacarrow, Tulla, Co. Clare, daughter of Edward Scanlan (living), Farmer, in Drumcharley chapel; witnesses: Jerome P(?) Boland, Teresa McDermott; celebrant: Patrick J. Scanlan C.C.: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 817920.pdf

Sheila