Cunningham Family

Hello,

I am trying to research my Irish family history. My 2nd Great Grandfather was Robert Cunningham christened in Dublin (St Nicholas - not sure if within or without) on 9 September 1846. He had a brother, Joseph, also christened on the same day (so I am presuming that they were twins, but don't know for sure). 

Their father's name was Dennis and their mother was listed as Eliza Daniels. The christening record was found by another member of Ancestry who posted this information on a message board to me, as before this I didn't know that he had a brother or his mother's name. I just knew that his father's name was Dennis (from his marriage certificate).

It states that his father was deceased in 1875 when he married in Bristol - however the story goes that he was so angry with his father, that he disowned his Irish family, because when he asked his father to buy him out of service (from the 61st South Glocuestershire Foot Regiment), presumably so he could marry, his father refused. So I don't know if his father was actually dead or whether he just stated that because he had disowned them. I have no idea how much of this story is true. He was based in Horefield Barracks in Bristol in 1875 and by 1881 he was a Cellerman (there is another story which said that Robert died by drowning in a vat of Guiness - but his death certificate states he died from a "general paralysis of the insane" in Bristol Lunatic Asylum (not a good end I think)). 

I do know that his father, Dennis, was in the pipe making industry and I have found an attestation paper for Joseph Cunnigham, born in Dublin, a pipe maker, attested on 31 August 1866. I don't know when Robert joined, but it could have been at the same time as his brother. Their is also some speculation that before he joined the 61st, Robert was in the Enniskillen Fusilliers.

I am interested in finding out how I can move forward with my research for this branch of my family as I know nothing about Joseph or Dennis & Eliza and whether I have any living relatives.

I would be interested to research and learn what made them join the army, what the life would have been like (I beleive that the pipe making trade was a big one in Ireland at that time), if the politics of the time had any influence on their lives. What became of Dennis, Eliza and Joseph etc.

Any help that anyone can provide in my research would be very much appreciated.