Quirk Family of Tipperary

Hi Ellynmarie

my father was from Rosegreen just outside Cashel. He is buried in a graveyard now long closed and he was only interred there because of family connections.

The graveyard is called Railstown and is between Rosegreen and Fethard, very remote and you will need assistance to find it and depending on the farmer who owns the field and his crop to access the old church, remains of and stone walled graveyard dating back centuries but there are a number of Quirke headstones (old) in the graveyard. I only noticed as I have a friend called Quirke but not from there.

the fact of old headstones erected when they were rare enough indicates they may have had a certain standing and money.

If you Google Railstown and Tipperary you may find out more. While I go down occassionally I will not be down soon as I live about 125 miles away but if you wish I could take photos next time I am down but the inscriptions may be available. 

Good Luck

Pat

Hello Pat,

Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and observations. I am now very curious about this cemetery and possible connections to Thomas and Ann's families.

I will attempt to find information on Google but would appreciate photos anytime they are available.

Again, THANK YOU for your quick response!

Be well,

Ellynmarie

Hi Ellynmarie

I saw your post enquiring about Quirkes of Railstown and I wanetd to let you know that I am Eamon Quirke and I live in Railstown very close to the cemetery that you were enquiring about

If I can help your search email me back, post back or email me at eamon.quirke1@gmeil.com.

Thanks

Eamon

Ellynmarie, Pat and Eamon,

A friend thru DNA genealogy, Mike Dyer with the surname Kirk in his back ground asked me to check out this board. Mike's a descendant of KIRK. Maybe 6 of his family are DNA matching my 1C Tom Quirk and his Quirk nephew, This is Y testing to the 111th marker in most cases. 

Seems quite welcoming here because I am reading about my 2x GR GF Thomas Quirk b 1802 Tipp d 1882 Wisconsin who once married to Anastacia Hackett,  was living in Coolmoyne, Fethard Parish, Diocese of Cashel Emly for his children's baptisms. Last baptism being in 1845 for youngest Thomas. They then headed to Wisconsin. 

HIs brother Edmund lived in Tullamane for his children's baptisms. Edmund and wife Mary Harney left Tullamane with adult children to travel with the Power Group to Texas arriving in 1834, . 

Thomas and Edmund had a brother William who I think was also in Tullamane. William's son and daughter married the daughter and son of Ned Wall who inherited a large sum of $ from a cousin who struck it rich in America.

Thomas, Edmund and William had a sister Mary Quirk b 1789 Tipp d 1879 Wisconsin who married David Lonergan by 1808 in Fethard Parish I assume. The Lonergans and children were in upstate NY by abt 1842, Their oldest daughter Ellen stayed in Tipp. She was the wife of Patrick Archer. I assume Patrick's death persipitated Ellen's move to WI. She had children, Patrick Henry, David, Ellyn. Not sure if more. They all died in Wisconin. 

When the US Lonergans, descendants of Mary and David head to Tipp they go to Railstown for the family graves in the cemetery. I now take it that Railstown was not a town but rather a cemetery. The most recent Lonergans to go to Railstown Cemetery sent me pix of many Quirkes buried there.  All graves looked too recent to be of help. The Lonergans had to get permission to enter the cemetery which is fenced but within grazing land owned by a man who raises horses. 

Rev Walter Skehan RC of Tipp who died abt 1955 did a complex genealogy of the Fethard area. In it Ellynmarie's and my cousin the Rev William Quirke RC later Dean of Cashel is listed out of courtesy by Rev Skehan. Rev Quirke was the uncle of Patrick Quirke. Rev Quirk married two women to Patt Quirke who I believe was the son of a Michael Quirke and Bridget Morrissey.  

Patt first married I believe Ellen for sure Stokes. After Ellen's passing her married a Fitzgerald, maybe Catherine. Miss Stokes and Miss Fitzgerald were both first and second cousins to each other. 

According to Skehan Patrick was an ancestor of the late patriot of 1916 Rising Senator William Quirke of Tipperary who died about 1950. I am guessing Skehan showed Sen Bill to be a grandson or grgrandson of Patt Quirke. 

Brittans are also involved in this family. Descendants of Patt and which wife I forget had a Quirk probably a Michael Quirke marry Miss Brittan think Margaret. Her brother Mr. Brittan think Michael married Bridget Quirke, The later couple had a son John Brittan who went to Australia to run a rubber plantation. I made contact with a John Brittan in Australia who has the same info that I have. His info is in hand written notes. Mine is from the Skehan work. The info is that same. 

I have DNA tested. I was very surprised to have matched a man, young looking if it is his picture, who descends from Lonergans who descend from my 3X Gr Aunt Mary Quirk Lonergan. His first name is Tanner and he must NOT have been looking for me because he has not replied to my emails. Other Lonergans confirmed that he descends from MQL which is all I need to know.

I think that it is great that that Tanner and I share DNA that his Mary Quirk b 1789 d my Thomas Quirk b 1802 got from one of their parents. Tanner's surname is not Lonergan. 

Much information that I related is found in letters that Rev William Quirke sent to his cousin Edmund Quirk who was living in Texas. Eventually Edmund lived in Galveston where he is buried. A Texas library has the letters. In one Rev Quirke told Edmund that he had arranged for the " tomb" for Edmund and Thomas' parents. Rev Wm Quirke said that their brother William Quirke whose two children married children of Ned Wall. I WOULD LOVE TO FIND THAT TOMBSTONE. But the letter is from around 1860. I imagine it is hopeless. I assume it would says from sons Edmund and Thomas. I have no idea what their names were. 

Could someone tell me about Railstown. Was it ever a town?  

It is so very nice to have found this board thanks to Kirk researcher Mike Dyer who I know has exchanged posts with Eamon Quirke. Eamon are you related to any of the Quirkes, Lonergans, Brittans, Stokes Fitzgeralds or Hacketts that I mentioned? Have you heard of Sen Bill Quirke?  

Thanks so much,

Mary

Mary Quirk-Thompson

Wisconsin USA

Hi Eamonn

You posted your reply to my email. No problems though, as I see your email address is on your earlier reply above

Best wishes

Clare Doyle

Genealogy Support

Hello Clare, 

Eamon's email address is incorrect in the 2014 post. It is GMAIL not gmeil. eamon.quirke1@gmail.com  I just contacted him there. 

I have Quirke grave stone pix from Railshead sent to me by Lonergan cousins. Should I post them here? 

Thoughts Pat of St Peters Louth and of course you Clare, I think I can only post one pic at at time. At the time they were taken 5 years ago I did not know that Patrick Quirke ancestor of Sen Bill Quirke RIP 1950 was buried at Railshead. Lonergans sending them to me was really just a thinking of you while in Ireland. 

I only associated Railshead with Lonergans whose mother was Mary Quirk Lonergan b 1789 Tipp d 1879 Wisconsin. 

Is Railshead a town? Years back I made a Google map going from Cashel to Railshead to Coolmoyne where Ellyn and my ancestor Thomas Quirk lived when his children were baptized. Period from late 1820s to 1845. Then the emigrated. 

Railshead was shown on my map. If only a cemetery I must assume that Google would not have listed it on my map. 

Thanks for all your help. 

Mary

The current Ordnance Survey Map (street map) might show the graveyard. Just use the menu on the right of the map to navigate there between Rosegreen and Fethard.

Best wishes

Clare

Genealogy Support

Clare,

Thank you so very much.

Mary

Hi Mary

I am not sure about searching from the US but I Googled Railstown, Tipperary and often you get a hit on property in the area and it comes with a little map, here is a link to one I found, deja vu selling agents are Stokes & Quirke of Clonmel (nearby)

http://www.daft.ie/tipperary/houses-for-sale/cashel/railstown-rosegreen…;

I am assuming this will bring you to the map but if to the property read down and is says view map.

If on Irish map on OSI take Clonmel road out of Cashel until you reach Rosegreen crossroads (not a lot more to Rosegreen) and take a left on the L1409 a small side road and travel towards Rathsallagh, take the first left and pass the first right turn, the house is marked shortly after that and a bit further on is another right turn which appears to end in thin air, that if memory is correct is your turn, here called a boreen but a cul de sac, it will only take one vehicle at a time, if you meet another car, someone backs up, unlikely as I think only one person/family lives down there the graveyard is in a field to the right at the end of the boreen, the church is gone bar a few stone walls and hte small graveyard and church are surrounded by an old stone wall, you have to park at the gate and walk but there is a mass ceremony held there once a year I think.

It can be worth checking property for sale in an area or townland as there is nearly always a map supplied, I doubt the Google street view car went too far up this road though (it is not really a road, more a private driveway).

Pat

Hi Pat of St. Peter's Louth,

I did not check out the much appreciated map. Instead what I did is smile. 

I am aware that Stokes and Quirke are my relatives. I found the information in a Tipperary genealogy entitled Rev Walter Skehan Notes. The Notes list a Patrick Quirke who married a Ellen Stokes. After having two children Ellen died. Patrick then married a Catherine Fitzgerald who was a first and second cousin of Catherine Stokes. More children were born. 

The Skehan Notes were done by an RC priest. Rev. Walter Skehan made special mention of Patrick Quirke's'uncle the Rev Wm Quirke who was buried at Cashel where he had been Dean of Cashel.

The Rev Walter Skehan (d abt 1971 Tipperary) is held in high regard because his 202 pages of "notes" is said to be a very helpful Tipperary genealogy. Just sorry it is not formatted like a "regular" genealogy. 

That Rev Wm Quirke twice performed a marriage for his nephew Patrick Quirke. His wives and descendants are in the Skehan Notes which end about 1950. 

Rev Wm Quirke also corresponded with his cousin Edmund Quirk who sailed to Texas with the Power group of Irish families and single men. The Power Group gathered in County Wexford. The people were from all over Ireland.

The Power group had a land grant from the King of Spain. They arrived in Texas in 1834. Edmund;s wife Mary Haney died on the shore of the river where the ship landed. They had a large family. They also brought along a nephew Thomas Quirke. Thomas was the son of William Quirke. Thomas died in at the Battle of Goliad Texad in 1845. That battle occurred just after the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio TX which most Americans have heard of. 

A few of Dean Quirke's letters to his cousin Edmund Quirk are held by a library in Texas. They were written in the 1850s and 1860s. One letter mentioned Edmund's brother Thomas Quirk in Wisconsin. Another letter again to Edmund Quirk is from Edmund's nephew Michael Lonergan of Wisconsin. It mentions his Uncle Thomas. Michael was the son of Mary Quirk Lonergan who was the wife of David Lonergan. 

The Thomas Quirk in Wisconsin who was the brother of Edmund and uncle of Michael Lonergan was my 2x GrGf. 

I was recently in contact with a DNA match in Melbourne Australia. The researcher compared my DNA results as shown at GEDmatch to those of her husband. Quirke has been a "side family" in the research of her husband's family tree. She mentioned that she was thinking of contacting Stokes and Quirke. The surname she is following is something like Davin. It is a name I do not know. 

Going back a year to 2015,from the Skehan tree, I created a small Quirke tree for Ancestry. I connected with an Ancestry tree owner who put up the information that she had from her dad's hand written notes. It was a very small tree. It showed that the children of Patrick Quirke and Ellen Stokes were Michael Quirke and Bridget Quirke. Michael married a Margaret Brittan. Bridget Quirke married John Brittan the brother of  Margaret Brittan the wife of Michael Quirke.

John Brittan and Bridget Quirke had a descendant probably their son. Maybe their grandson.  For sure the man was named John Brittan. John went to Australia to manage a rubber plantation. The woman from the Ancestry tree connection descends from that John Brittan. I have PMed her father on Facebook. She is really not interested in genealogy. 

The information I posted that matched the woman in southern Australia is same information as is found in the Rev Walter Skehan Notes. 

Going back to Michael Quirke the son of Patrick Quirke and Ellen Stokes: Their descendant at least down to a grandson maybe a great grandson was the late Senator William Quirke d 1950 who represented part or all of Tipperary in the Dail. All connected to him just call him Senator Bill.

The gal in Melbourne has a picture of Sen Bill attending a wedding of her husband's "Davin?" ancestors in Ireland. One family name connected to that wedding was Morrissey.  

I apologize for not giving dates and being unsure of the first name of the first Mr. Brittan the mentioned. And actually it is just as likely that they spell the name Britton. 

The other day I DNA matched Mary Quirk Lonergan's descendant at the Ancestry DNA test. Fourth cousin range Good. While that man has not replied to me, his close cousin confirmed he is her cousin and therefore mine as we show on family trees. 

I thought that Dean Wm Quirke was my key to finding my Tipperary Quirkes.Later I thought that Senator Bill Quirke would ring a bell with Quirkes in Tipperary.  But the question is, do they want to be bothered? 

A Kathleen Fanning has the Skehan Notes on her Internet research pages. I Google those names and it comes up. It was initially posted there in 2014. In 2010 I was told to go to a Tipp library to find my family because it is in the Skehan Notes. It was Fethard or Thurles. Think former. Was happy to see it at Kathleen's site. 

Now if a Quirke or Stokes reads this and tells me s/he would love to make contact, that would be quite good. I would prefer connecting with someone who does genealogy rather than bothering someone. 

Thanks for reading all this. 

Mary

Wisconsin USA

Hi Mary

delighted I could give you a smile, the world really needs a good smile at times. I got a smile at the structured way you got that information out on paper, I tend to jumble mine in a rush ot get it out. I have never done the DNA bit. 

As regards Fethard and Thurles, Thurles is the library HQ so records are probably there, http://tipperarystudies.ie/genealogy/ 

Some interesting stuff there. 

I know you could do this yourself but here is a link to the real estate site and there is an email so you could always sound them out, being auctioneers they will know a huge amount of locals with knowledge as should the Quirk man who left his email above. https://www.realestatealliance.ie/branches/details/9497 Also it will give them something to say, they are in sales after all.

The name Davin is a Tipperary name according to McLysaghts book of surnames and it is from the Gaelic "damh" meaning ox or stag. The name is not to be confused with Devine. A new book of Irish Surnames was published last week but it is a reference only as the cost is over $500, if you buy 2 send me one!!!

Finally I have been in email contact with a few people in Wisconsin, believe I have relatives there myself somewhere, but a man in Janesville I think was researching Quirk but in around Nenagh in Tipperary, the other side of the county really, I have mentioned Railstown to him but he did not think there was a connection. I have not been in touch for a couple of years, he was quiet ill and I am not sure of his prognosis now. His name was not Quirke and I do not like putting peoples names online if they are living or recently deceased.

By the way as Mary are you the original poster Ellynmarie. As I said in an earlier post I am not from Tipperary but my father was and I live a distance away. 

Do not confuse me with St Peter, that is the parish name I volunteer for and I cannot do miracles.

Regards
Pat

Mary

was cleaning out various old papers and see the attached piece circa 1992 on Railstown and a Fr Quirke, I had a card about him but it is mislaid again, I scanned in two items that came together, not sure what the 2nd one is for but interesting if nothing else.

My scan was a bit poor and a small bit missing, 2nd column finishes as " Cistercians were established at Hoare Abbey, during the" and 3rd column reads " Caherconlish in County Limerick".

Hope you find it interesting at least.

Regards
Pat

Mary

was cleaning out various old papers and see the attached piece circa 1992 on Railstown and a Fr Quirke, I had a card about him but it is mislaid again, I scanned in two items that came together, not sure what the 2nd one is for but interesting if nothing else.

My scan was a bit poor and a small bit missing, 2nd column finishes as " Cistercians were established at Hoare Abbey, during the" and 3rd column reads " Caherconlish in County Limerick".

Hope you find it interesting at least.

Regards
Pat

Hi Mary

I am related to Cath Fitzgerald (born Buffana) who married Pat Quirke.  My 2xgreat grandmother was Mary Fitzgerald of Buffana (I believe she was Cath's aunt).  Cath Fitzgerald Quirke's sister Mary was married to Richard Toppin of Buffana who was murdered in 1869.  Three brothers,Thomas, William & James Fitzgerald of Buffana, cousins of Cath Fitzgerald Quirke & Mary Toppin were arrested for the musrder. Newspaper accounts of the murder indicated that the arrests were made merely on the grounds of suspicion & at least one of the brothers, Thomas was released but I have been unable to ascertain the fate of William & James.

Mary Fitzgerald Quirk had a brother James who was a Priest & who is commemorated on a plaque in Moyglass church Killenaule.

I have the names of Cath's other siblings if you would like them.

Regards

Doreen

Hi Doreen.

I was sorry to read another example of native Irish being mistreated. But such a story ought to lead to newspaper converage. Since I have no experience with Irish newspapers I won't jump in to share my brilliance. 

I thought that the Rev Walter Skehan Notes kept in Fethard would lead to some contacts. 

I will make a special note that Mary Fitzgerald's priest brother James is commenmorated on a plaque in the Church of Moyglass in Killenaule. One never knows when family is visitng the area. 

Just this morning I received a fragment of 1821 Tipp census fragment. Killenaule is a very new name for me and here it is on the fragment. Do you know if this is in the same area as the area you are speaking of. I assume names can be used for a townland here and a parish there and have nothing to do with each other. 

Parish of SLIEVEARDAGH. Townland of Kilenaule
25    Quirke    John    30    head    Labourer    3/4 acre
          Margaret    38    wife          
          Judith    8               
          Kate    5               
          James    3               
          John    1.5     

Whatever map I need to get to understand the townlands, civil parishes and ecclesiastical parishes has aluded me. 

I would very much like the names of Catherine's other siblings. A man in WI where I lived copied all the Fitzgeralds from the Skehan notes. Your info wd give him more Fitzgerald info. 

Thaks so very much, 

Mary 

Milwaukee Wisconsin

Here is a general comment. 

These are the four links which I was sent this morning. They include Quirkes. 

http://www.igp-web.com/tipperary/census_1821.htm

http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/tipp/KillenauleTithes.htm

http://www.irelandgenweb.com/irltip/Records/1766ReligousCensus-Q.htm

http://www.irelandgenweb.com/irltip/Records/1766Fethard.htm

Mary

Hi Mary

Thanks for the links I haven't had time to study them but I will later today.

The Fr. Skehan Papers are held at Thurles Library (actually on the floor above the library), The Source Arts Centre.  Last year my husband  photographed some of them whilst we were visiting Ireland but unfortunately lost his phone a few days later!

Catherine Fitzgerald Quirke's  siblings were:

James (29.5.1825 Buffanagh)  Thomas    (22.1.1826 Buffanagh)  Mary (10.8.1828 Buffanagh)  Pat (8.5.1833 Buffanagh)  Martin (2.2.1835 Buffanagh)  Ellen (4.5.1837 Buffanagh)  John (5.4.1841 Buffanagh)  Edmund   (25.2.1843 Buffanagh)   

The Baptism dates are given in brackets & they were all born at Buffanagh, very often spelt as Buffana.

Below are the marriage details of Cath Fitzgerald & Patrick Quirke from the Killenaule Parish Register:

24.5.1864 Cath Fitzgerald  Buffanagh & Patrick Quirke Witnesses: James Quirke Ellen Fitzgerald

In 1837 a Cath Stokes was godmother to William Fitzgerald (one of the brothers arrested for Richard Toppins murder).

My email address is dopreston@hotmail.com & if you contact me I can let you have the newspaper cuttings re the Toppin murder & also a photograph of the plaque commemorating James Fitzgerald in Moyglass Church

You might like to pass my email address on to the man in WI who has collated Fitzgerald info, as a few years ago I was given access to indexes of the Killenaule Parish Registers, which were compiled by a Bishop around 1900 & I have set up a database of Fitzgerald & Mahony marriages & baptisms in Killenaule, dating back to 1743. 

Doreen

My email address is dopreston@hotmail.com & if you contact me I can let you have the newspaper cuttings re the Toppin murder & also a photograph of the plaque commemorating James Fitzgerald in Moyglass Church.

Hi,

I'm not very up to speed on computers, but amwilling to give any help i can . I live in Railstown very near the Graveyard that you are referring to. There is a Tombstone erected there to the memory of Thomas and I think Edmund Quirke that immigrated to America, Wisconsins and ILLonois are mentioned on it, also it says that the stone is never to be removed.

Davins still live in the local area, I must enquire about the Fitzgeralds as Moyglass is only five miles away. All the names mentioned are familiar to me. Senator Bill Quirke was to be buried in Railstown, due to a last minute change of mind he was laid to rest in Sutton Graveyard in Dublin.

Eamon Quirke

Dear Eamon Quirke of Railstown from whenced my 3x great Mary Quirk's husband David Lonergan b 1767 I believe and to where the Lonergans still go to visit their graves you are a very kind man. I am sure that you do not care a wit about genealogy but you are willing to share to help us in the United States find our ancestors. I am sincerely very grateful.

I assure you that I share all the info I get with two lines of Quirks Edmund's now in TX and Thomas' (mine) in Wisconsin and now scattered and Lonergans scattered but in touch with me. This email when forward will thrill genealogist Monican Lonergan who has worked for decades on her Lonergan genealogy. I cannot attend her Lonergan gathering upcoming in IOWA and possibly she cannot either due to a bad second fall. She will be so happy to know that there might be a stone. 

Who knew that one could put, 'this stone is to never be removed"?. 

It is Edmund and Thomas. Is there any chance that the name of the parents have survived? Just wondering while typing. If you could please take a pic of the stone even if the writing is not clear and post it here or send it directly to me as you have my direct email address plus I will reemail you so it is handy to see if. No rush I guess except for Monica because she is 85 and the fall was nasty. But one can do what one can do. 

I am always happy to have all my info on a message board for others to come across because message boards for over a decade have helped me greatly with expand my knowledge of my many families. 

Cheers to you Eamon and cheers for Ireland Reaching Out. 

Mary being genuinely and sincerely enthusiastic,

Milwaukee WI 

Major point: message boards stil serve a great purpose for genealogists. It is wonderful that "Reaching Out Ireland"  has given us this message board. I met descendants of Edmond Quirk bro of my 2 X Gr Gf Thomas Quirk after reading a post made in 1999. I read it in about 2002-05. That was at RootsWeb on the Quirk message board. 

Hello Quirk Family in or reading "Quirk Family of Tipperary" "thread" started in Jan of 2014.

I am replying to my own June 2017 post so assume that I am pretty pleased. Eamon Quirke, not a genealogist but a generous person walked a mile from his home to the cemetery where his own Quirke family is buried. He took many Quirke pictures some of which I have yet to review. I will be meeting his close deceased family through those pix.

Since Eamon and I know we each are related to a certain person named Quirke I assume that we are distantly related to each other. But figuring out how looks like too much work for either of us. 

Eamon took a number of pix of the same stone that my 2 X great grandfather Thomas Quirk and his brother Edmond paid "10 pounds silver" for in 1864,  They added that the stone is never to be removed. It is standing and pix of it are almost perfectly legible once a few tricks from Picassa and some young eyes used to reading Irish grave stones are added to the mix. Those eyes came from Australia, a connection I made through DNA testing results being uploaded to GEDmatch. 

We knew what to look for because years ago MB a Houston Texas descendant of Edmond Quirk found a letter in a library from Rev Wm Quirke to Edmond. the relevant part is:  

"Tipperary October 24th 1864 

Mr. Edmund Quirk

My dear Cousin, 

I procured the tomb for your parents as you directed. I paid the stone cutter 10 pounds silver when it was done in ___ of your brother William wh--- testimony to its being well executed. I sent you the inscription, but for now ___ was exactly as you directed and bears your name and that of your brother Thomas. 

I hope to hear from you soon again and may God preserve you and to stop this unnatural War. 

I am your affectionate Cousin, William Quirke"

(Source: Copy of original letter from files of M B)

A week ago I commented that the Rock of Cashel is limestone. If that grave stone is limestone, it cannot be there. (We had no clue the stone said never to be removed. But it could have been in chunks.)

The stone still stands at the Railshead, Tipperary cemetery. I am waiting for the descendant of Edmond, MB,  to announce to the family the new names discovered. We have a new generation going back. Regret that the dates are not clear. The deceased are the parents of Edmond died Galveston TX abt 1880,  Thomas died Wisconsin 1882 and their sister Mary Quirk Lonergan died Fond du Lac Wisconsin 1879.  The Lonergan descendants always headed to the Railstown cemetery for their Lonergans! 

The stone does say their father was from TULLAMAINE. So we have a new location written in stone for my Thomas. Edmond was living in Tullamaine when his children were baptized. William (the bro of Thomas, Edmond and Mary Quirk) lived in Tullamaine. That was per another letter from Rev Quirke that also said that a son of William married a daugter of Ned Wall. And a daughter of William Quirke married Tony Wall, the son of Ned Wall. 

Mary

Wisconsin

Dear Mary:

Many thanks for your post and with the additional information that you have received for your family tree!  It is also great to hear that a local person (without an interest in genealogy) was so helpful to you, but that is Irish hospitality which many of us have experienced time and again!

Please keep us posted as to your family research and updates.  If you would like to add an ancestor to the XO Chronicles, that would be wonderful as many of our members read the updates sent every week and you may find more information becomes available. 

Again, thanks for your interest in Ireland Reaching Out and it was so good to hear how successful the message board was for your research!

Kind regards,

Jane.

Hello again,

I have no idea what I hit that got me into this thread. But oddly enough I was thinking about the grave of Michael Quirke of Tullamaine and wife Catherine Keating parents of Edmond of Galveston and Thomas of Wisconsin. Guess my cursor knew what I was thinking. 

A Kirk who is a DNA match to my Quirk male cousin (Y test at FTdna) just got back from a visit to Ireland. He spent a day at Cashel and got to the Railstown cemetery. He took a video of the Quirke graves and the wall from the ruined church that so many use for a background in pictures. 

He was able to meet a local Quirke. He says that visit was the highlight of his trip.

The resaon that the stone could be indentified as that of the parents of my 2X Gr Gps is that it is described in a letter from Rev Wm Quirke to my 3x Gr Uncle in Galveston TX. The letter is in a Texas library. 

Since Rev Quirke was Dean of Cashel after the letter was written I thought that there should be a marker at his grave or someplace. I asked people who went to Cashel & no one found anything. I suspect no one looked. The pubs can be a draw too. 

Well the Kirk who matches Quirk going back so far that you would never find a family pic, well over 20 generations, took a pic of the memorial.

Rev Wm Quirke is mentioned twice in the book, CASHEL history and guide by Denis G.Mamane. I will attempt to upload it here. 

I see the link. Here's hoping it opens. 

Mary