Denis Macnamara 1808 : Short Biography

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I too am looking for MacNamara in this vacinity.  Last known place they lived was Lehinch(lahinch).  I have a Denis MacNamara in my tree...my gr Grandfather, BUT he was born in circa 1856, perhaps you Denis's relative??  We think they may have come from Miltown Malby, but have not found verification.  On his marriage to my Gr Grandmother...Susan O'Connor, Denis's father is listed a Michael.  Is there a Michael among the siblings or uncles?  My Denis MacNamara's brother Michael married Susan O'Connor's sister...Kate O'Connor.  2 of their sons were involved heavily in the Lahinch Country Club.  Willie MacNamara in Lahinch, and John in Limerick CC.  Williw lived his life in Lahinch, with sister Mary Kate adn her husband Jack.  There is another branch of the family...probably from Limerick as there is a John (Jack) MacNamara that married his 2nd? cousin (daughter of Kate O and Michael Mac's ...named Mary KAte, who ended up owning the Pub/ spirit grocer on Main St in Lahinch...now the Corner Stone Grill. ) We know the Denis and Michael probably went to Australia fro a time (we think during the gold ruch days) but did return...apparently with the spoils becasue they built the pub shorly after.  Would love to connect and see if indeed we are connected.  I too am running inot brick walls going back any father than Denis and his brother Michael.  There is another branch of the MacNamaras we know are cousins of above mentioned Willie and John....Tom MacNamara who moved to the USA and became instrumental in started por golf in the US in Boston area and eventually in Westchester NY.  An articel I found in newspaper here, mentioned Tom's cousin Will Mac in Lahinch...my name is Charmaine if you want to touch base

 

 

user_153202

Thursday 16th January 2020 05:43PM

Hi Charmaine, so sorry it's taken me a long time to get back to you.  I've not had a good year illness wise.There are many similarities with what you say definitely.  I do have a Denis McNamara around the same era but mine is born in circa1865, Dunsallagh East Milltown Malbay.  My Denis married a Margaret O'Connor in Queensland, Australia on 30 July 1902.  My Denis does have a brother Michael born circa 1874.  My Denis however has a different Father's name than youra, Thomas McNamara and Ellen Griffin.  It's possibly a family connection though as in cousins.  You may have sourced a lot more information by now, I hope so as my Irish ancestors have been the hardest to trace especially prior to 1850.  I would be interested to know how you've gone since January, keep ion touch, Regards, Charmaine.

 

Tuesday 1st September 2020 01:14AM

Ladies, hello, Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year !! I am in the US looking for my Irish Family..unfortunately I am the oldest surviving member on either side an NO family history was passed down. I have found (I believe) my paternal great grandmother's name as "Anna (e?) McNamara born about 1854 and married to Denis Byrnes.(abt.b1849).His son and my paternal grandfather, John Joseph Byrnes (abt.1888) came to the US in 1901, and he died befroe my birth and my father died before I was 10...so you see, I am late to the party to try to find family but feel it soooo deeply, this need to find.Any info on the Bynres' would be greatly appreciated...Cathy

 

 

 

 

Cathy

Tuesday 29th December 2020 11:23PM

Hi all, I realise this thread is now a couple of years old. However, it’s a fascinating set of histories, I’m new to this Mc Namara side of the family and trying to work it all out! 

I see that there is Willie McNamara a Golf Pro at Lahinch, Co Clare 1899-1927 and his brother John McNamara who was a Pro Golfer at Limerick CC from 1891.

I understand that their cousin was (from a Golfing article) Thomas Lawrence McNamara, the Golf Pro in the USA. This much is well documented. I know Thomas L McNamara’s parents were Thomas McNamara (1836/41-1909) and Maria/Mariah Curry/Curry (1851-1940), but I’m trying to work out who Willies and John’s parents were!

Obviously if they were first cousins  to Thomas Lawrence McNamara, then Willie and Johns father is the brother of Thomas McNamara’s (1836/41-1909), but from the above information Charmaine kindly shared…is that Michael and Kate O’Connor, or Denis and Susan O’Connor? Or is there another brother? I’m getting myself in a tangle! Then if Michael (with Kate O’Connor) and Denis (with Susan O’Connor) father is also a Michael…it must be that senior Michael who is brother of Thomas McNamara (1836/41-1909) who went to the US. 

Am I correct in working out that if Willie lived in Lahinch with his sister Mary Kate and her husband Jack…that she/they is/are the ?2nd cousins marrying each other, the ones Charmaine mentioned, John ‘Jack’ McNamara being from a connected tree from maybe Limerick!?

Which would mean that Willie, John and Mary Kate are siblings and children of Michael (junior) McNamara and Kate O’Connor? 

Which makes their Grandfather Michael McNamara the brother of Thomas McNamara who goes to the USA and marries Maria Curry/Currie and has Thomas Lawrence the famous Golf Pro and his sibling Daniel is also a Golf Pro and Instructor. So Willie and John are 1st Cousins 1x re,moved from Thomas Lawrence…do you think? 

John ‘Jack’ McNamara comes from another branch line. Phew..

I’d love to know more…and have some clarification. Also does anyone know where Thomas McNamara (1836/41-1909) came from originally in County Clare? 

Thank you and best wishes, Lynn 

Lindy

Tuesday 11th October 2022 07:09PM

Hi Lindy,

 

Great that finally someone has picked up on something I posted!  And it appears that you have got it all straight...which is quite a feat!  

 

All the golfers. Willie, John Mac(brothers) and Thomas (Lawrence) have lots of paper trails.  The problem is, that none of them document where EXACTLY they are from, except Ireland.  I have paper trails for the Michael Mac that is father to Willie and John of Lahinch.  And numerous articles mention that the Thomas Mac that came to USA, was a first cousin to Willie and John Mac.  Making then, Willie and John's father Michael married to Kate O'Connor(I have documentation of that, specifically census and marriage info) brother to Thomas Mac SR, father of Thomas Lawrence Mac golfer.  What I CAN'T find is where they ((the MacNamara brothers, Michael and Denis and Thomas)came from or any sort of paper trail from them, which town in Clare they came from. 

 

 I know that Michael Mac & Kate nee O'Connor lived in Lahinch as did their family(children), Kates sister Susan and her husband Denis( my great grand parents) and their children.  I have census, marriage and other info supporting that. And also know from stories my mother shared, often.   There are sooooo many similar names and pairs of brothers Tom & Michael, it's impossible to know town of birth. 

 

Two sister's Kate and Susan O'Connor, married 2 brothers, Michael and Denis MacNamara, respectively.  Michael Mac Sr, is listed on their marriage certificates as their father. 

 

Kate MacNamara(jr) did marry a Jack MacNamara...a cousin....yes you are correct.  BUT I can find no documentation of their marriage to see who Jack's father was or where he came from.  Could he be related to Thomas?  There were some things from Ennis or Limerick for Jack, but nothing that proves anything.  

 

So, if anyone out there can shed any light on this family, please chime in!

 

Charmaine

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user_153202

Tuesday 15th November 2022 04:53PM

Hi Charmaine, 

Thank you for your response and the updates, its great to hear from you. Sorry I’ve got to be brief for now!

Reading it all through again, and trying to draw out a quick tree to get the idea of positioning etc, as soon as I get a chance I will see if I can find anything more out about them and in particular the puzzling bits. Hopefully, as the years roll over more documentation and well researched Trees are coming online to help us out..fingers crossed! 

So I believe we’re looking for the parents of the three brothers Denis (married to Susan O’Connor), Michael (married to Kate O’Connor) and Thomas McNamara (married to Maria Curry) and also where they were born in Co Clare. 

Plus we’re looking to find the parentage of John “Jack” McNamara who married his cousin Mary Kate McNamara (sibling to the above Denis, Michael and Thomas), I see you wrote earlier that John “Jack” married his  ‘? 2nd cousin’…so I no one is really sure of what level of Cousins they were..first, second, removed etc. 

Are there any more known or suspected siblings for Denis, Michael and Thomas McNamara (or MacNamara), who could be the parent of John “Jack” (married to his cousin Mary Kate McNamara).  Or I suppose he could come down from the layer above the three brothers Denis, MIchael and Thomas…making the Cousin relationship more distant. (Sorry thinking as I type). 

I presume, as you know the children from the Denis and Susan O’Connor marriage, that you know that John “Jack” is not one of their children? 

I do love a good Puzzle😂, but sorry I must stop for now. 

Best wishes to all, Lynn 

Lindy

Tuesday 15th November 2022 06:14PM

Sorry I made a Mistake in my last message…the correction is…so we are looking for the Grandparents of the three siblings Willie, John and Mary Kate as we known their parents are Michael and Kate O’Connor, and the same Grandparents for their cousin Thomas whos parents are Thomas (brother of Michael) and Maria Curry.

I’ll start looking 😊

 

Lindy

Friday 18th November 2022 03:28PM

Hi Charmaine, I’ve just started to look and I’ve had one of those weird things happen…where my previous searches in the McNamara name are sat on the table next to me in paper note form, on a supposedly different McNamara line when suddenly a couple of names look familiar and I’ve found a match up with ‘some’ details in your line that you've given me above!!! 

I CAN”T  yet say this is a definite match ( so please don’t think its sorted) but its very interesting…I already have notes about a Thomas McNamara b 1836-1909 who married a Mary (maria) Curry and I have his parents as Thomas McNamara (b.1810) and Maria (Mary) Kelley (b.1814-1890) with their children being Catherine/Kate (b.1832), Nora (b.1834), Thomas (b.1836-1909, James (b.1839-1839) and another James (b.1840).

However, what this tree doesn't have at the moment is the two men you have, Denis (b.abt 1856) who marries Susan O’Connor  and Michael (b.?)  who marries (Susans Sister) Kate O’Connor. But if you know their brother is Thomas b1836 and he married Maria/Mary Curry…then it looks like two parts of the same line! 

So if this is ‘Two parts of a whole line’, then the Parents of Denis, Michael and Thomas are Thomas McNamara (b.1810) and Maria/Mary Kelley (b.1814-1890). Most of the time the Church Records for these people are in the Newmarket on Fergus area in County Clare, but the wife of this Thomas (b.1810) ie. Maria/Mary Kelley is buried in Ennistymon which is not very far from Lahinch! So there looks like some possible connection/migration to the Ennistymon-Lahinch area.  

I don’t want to say we’ve found them, as like you say there are so many McNamara-MacNamara men and women with the same names and almost identical DOB’s… but the fact that Thomas Lawrence McNamara born to the same correct parents is in my searches already is very interesting…

Maybe you could look into these new people I’ve mentioned and see if you find the same links. 

I’ve got to stop for now but I will check it all thoroughly another time, I just wanted to tell you asap.😊

Happy searching! 

 

Lindy

Friday 18th November 2022 04:19PM

Hi Lindy, Sorry have not had a chance to look at my email lately. You may be on to something. I contacted a woman some time back who was a relative of the Thomas Lawrence MacNamara, golfer, who came to the USA. She did have Newmarket on Fergus as the area that he came from. BUT I have some things that don't fit also. I am positive of the Michael (b abt 1846 ...age is 55 on 1901 census) and Denis b. abt 1856 in my line as I have marriage and census info for both. BUT the big key is that both Denis and Michael list MICHAEL as their father's name on their marriage certificates! (I can't find info on him). But he is listed as dead on daughters marriage cert in 1880, so dead prior to their marraiges. Michael Sr has died between 1880 & 1886 as he is alive for Kate's marriage but not for Susan's to Denis. I know Denis dies in 1910 as I have will information. Denis & Susan owned what is now the Corner Stone Bar on Main St in Lahinch. It was passed on to Nan (Ann)MacNamara, Susan's daughter and then she passed it on to my Uncle Sean Hogan, brother of my mother. He owned it for years and we visited there a number of times. Susan O'Connor and Denis Mac married in 1886, are my great grandparents. Lahinch is listed as residence for both couples at the time of their respective marriages. Her father was Thomas also.....he's on marriage Cert also. Kate O'Connor (b abt 1856? 45 on 1901 census)and Michael Mac married 1880, are my great Aunt and Uncle. They are parents of the golfing brothers, Willie b 1882, John, b1881 Thomas, b 1885 ( also had Mary KAte b 1889, Michael b 1894 and Patrick, b 1888(may or may not be golfers)( all from 1901 census...if they didn't lie!) Marriage info on the Mary Kate who married "Jack MacNamara, the cousin match up, married June 8th 1827, HIS father listed as JOHN a "commissioner Agent".( I don't know what that is) Her father , Michael( husband of Kate) listed a "builder" which holds true with the "mason" from other records. "Jack's" residence is listed as Limerick, and he is listed as an accountant...but all that difficult to read. Thinking as I write as well, i guess I am wondering if your Thomas b. 1810 m to Mary Kelly 1814 is BROTHER to Michael MacNamara FATHER to my Denis & MIchael because they both list a Michael as their father. And then maybe Thomas is the father the SR Michael MacNamara (father to my Denis and Michael Jr?) Ennistymon is certainly a lot closer to Lahinch. And all my marriage and census reocrd are from Ennistymon. I know Denis and Michael and their father, Michael are listed as Stone Masons and marriage certs for both. Have I muddied the waters? I will look into the Newmarket on Fergus records when I get a chance. Maybe we can unravel this puzzle yet! Look forward to hearing from you again. Happy hunting Charmaine

user_153202

Friday 25th November 2022 08:25PM