Haire-Irwin family in Ardmoyle

Dear Jane

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

One avenue you could consider for tracing this family from the time of the Griffith's Valuation you mention, would be through the Cancelled/Revision Books. You can read more about them here:

http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/revision-books.html

Unfortunately the books for the Republic of Ireland are not digitised and so you would (1) need to hire a researcher or (2) go to the Valuation Office in Dublin to consult them in the office there. You use the Books to trace who stayed on the plot and paid the rate from the first reference to the family in Griffith's up to the 1960s and 1970s in some cases, thus taking you beyond the 1901 and 1911 Census. If the plot changed hands this will be reflected in the Books, where one name will be cancelled or revised and the other, new name added. In rural areas those who were listed in the 1960s and 1970s would likely still be there. If you got that far, you could just write a letter using the townland information you have as an address - something to think about.

Best wishes

Clare Doyle

Genealogy Support 

Hello Jane - I came across your post about the Haire - Irwin family.  I recently did the Ancestry DNA test and a 4th cousin match came up with someone whose username is hfelipe75 on Ancestry.com  Her public family tree lists her furthest back ancestor as Johnston Haire b 1847 d 19095 m Catherine Monson in Boyle Roscommon in 1876 - they lived at Ardmoyle and are in 1901 census with several children and 1911 Catherine (widow) and only 3 children.  Their son Archibald b 1877 emigrated to US about 1898 to Ohio.

I think that maybe your Sarah Jane must be the sister of Johnston Haire.  Several of the children of Johnston Haire seemed to have remained in Ireland - William, Robert and James and a sister Mary Ann who only died in 1979 according to this family tree.  You may even find that the family is still farming on the same townland today.  If you look up the telephone book (in a library) you may be able to find descendants.

I would be interested as well because there must be a connection somewhere further back with my own family who were also farming in that area during the 19th century and I still have distant relatives there,

All the best Joanna

Hi Joanna, thanks for your reply! Both your idea and Clare's suggestion for further research are good ones. Your info on Johnston Haire b. 1847 reflects what I've found. I've also found quite a few records on this family through RootsIreland and I would conclude that Johnston was the son of Archibald Haire and Eleanor Irwin. Their marriage record states Archibald's father as another Johnston Haire, but so far it's difficult to go back and identify much more about him. Too many Archibalds and Johnstons in this family - it gets a bit confusing!

If you find your connection, I'd be curious to know. I'm on Ancestry as well.

Happy New Year,

Jane