In further explanation of my posts in 2018 and earlier this year, 2019, I am related to, and have researched, heaps of families from the Dunmanway parish, where my gg grandparents, and many other relatives resided prior to their exodus in the thick of the famine. I am a Collins and have traced back to mid 1700's in Dunmanway. Were there records to be had prior to that, I suspect they'd show their existence in that area of West Cork for countless decades before 1800. My ancestors, and many, many others from the Dunmanway region made the voyage to North America (Ontario,Canada) and settled primarily in the counties of Middlesex, Elgin and Kent. Those in my tree, most of which are related by marriages over the centuries, include these: Breen, Collins, Coughlin, Coveney, Crowley, Deasy, Daly, Donovan, Grace, Hooley/Whooley, Hurley, Leary/O'Leary, Mahoney, Maloney, Manning, McCarthy, Murphy, O'Brien/Brien, Regan, Ronan, Sullivan/O'Sullivan and Sweeney.
The principal townland many of the above families lived in was the small (462 acres, or so) town of Derinasafa/Derrynasafagh. Several of these families lived on the Donovan farm in Derinasafa, which is still owned by Donovans to this day. The principal families on the Donovan farm, denoted in the parish records of St. Patrick's, were Collins, Coveney, Donovan, and Hooley/Whooley and Manning. Additionally, each of these families co-existed and lived near and among each other after their arrivals in Canada, primarily 1840's-1870's.
My educated guess is some of these families had members who left Ireland in the 1823-1825 voyages under the settlement program established primarily by Peter Robinson. Many of the same surnames named above were among the Peter Robinson Settlers to Canada, and likely they encouraged their families to follow suit. I have linked several of the PR Settlers to my ancestors, their friends and kin.
I welcome emails from any interested persons, at my personal email addresses as follows: micealcol@aol.com & micealcol@gmail.net
Michael Collins, Avila Beach, California, USA