Honora Rahilly (Riley) of Toorenamult, Rathmore, Kerry, Ireland, and Natick, Massachusetts (1840-1890)

Many thanks to Ireland Reaching Out for your efforts, and  and to everyone who helped with the website www.irishgenealogy.ie, where I found the baptism of Daniel Rahilly, Jr., with a birthdate matching the date on his naturalization petition. This enabled me to locate the origins of other members of the family, including my husbands great grandmother, and 2nd great grandparents.

My husband's great grandparents, Daniel Rahilly and Margaret Sullivan, both of Toorenamult, were married 1 February 1839 at the Roman Catholic Parish of Rathmore (Civil parish Kilcummin). Witnesses were Timothy Sullivan and John Moynahan.

Daniel Riley and Margaret Sullivan had 8 known children, and immigrated to Natick, Massachusetts, where Daniel was a laborer and died of consumption 25 July 1874.  The Massachusetts death record lists the names of his parents as Morgan and Honora Riley (Massachusetts Vital Records, 1874 Vol. 266 Page 160 reg no. 64).

Their daughter Honora Rahily was born at Toorenamult 12 January 1840, and baptized at R.C. parish Rathmore the same day; sponsors were Daniel Sullivan and Honora Kelly; the record for her baptism is indexed at www.irishgenealogy.ie

Honora Riley married John Bresnahan at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 8 January, 1874; he was previously married in Ireland, but I have not identified Irish records of the Bresnahan family. John Bresnahan and his wife Honora (Riley) Bresnahan had two children in Cambridge, and moved to Natick, Massachusetts, where John Bresnahan worked in a shoe shop, and they raised their family. Honora Riley and John Bresnahan are my husbands great grandparents. Their daughter Hannah (Bresnahan) Lucas died when my mother-in-law was a girl, and I don't have a lot of family tradition about the family.

Daniel Rahilly, son of Daniel Rahilly and Margaret Sullivan, was born at Kilquane and baptized at the Roman Catholic parish of Rathmore 8 March 1853; sponsors were Thadeus Sullivan and Mary Coffee; ceremony performed by Rev. Edmund Walsh. Daniel Riley immigrated 22 December 1865 on the "City of Washington" from Liverpool to New York. He naturalized at Boston 27 October 1882, was married at Natick, Massachusetts, 26 May 1884, to Ellen M. Buckley of Natick. Daniel Riley had a grocery store in South Natick, and he died there at the age of 43 in 1897.

 Michael S. Riley, son of Daniel Riley and Margaret Sullivan, married Ellen Bowler and they had 15 children, raised their family in Natick, Massachusetts.

I am still searching for John Bresnahan, my husband's great grandfather, son of John and Mary. He was born about 1846, and married and had a daughter in Ireland before coming to Massachusetts. He may or may not be from this parish.