My County Roscommon - County Mayo, Ireland Connection and Surnames Brennan, Corcoran, Coffey and Gahagan
My County Roscommon - County Mayo, Ireland connection involves four Irish surnames: Brennan, Corcoran, Coffee (Coffey?) and Gahagan. My third great grandparents were Michael Brennan and Biddy Coffee and Patrick Corcoran and Mary Gahagan. According to the marriage record for their children, Martin Brennan and Catherine Corcoran (my second great grandparents), Michael and Biddy Brennan were residing in County Roscommon in November 1849.
The West Yorkshire Archive Service, Kirklees provided the following image (Reference number KX322) of Martin Brennan and Catherine Corcoran's Marriage Record from St. Patrick's Church, Huddersfield, England. They were married on November 26, 1849 and resided at Castle Gate in Huddersfield. Their parents were Michael and Biddy Coffee (residence County Roscommon) and Patrick and Mary Gahagan (residence County Mayo). Patt Renols and Ann Fili (both residing at Castle Gate in Huddersfield) were their witnesses.
Hilary Marland described conditions at Castlegate and Windsor Court in her book "Medicine and Society in Wakefield and Huddersfield 1780-1870":
"Slum conditions remained confined to streets, courts and smaller districts, such as.........Huddersfield's Hell Square (at the junction of Upperhead Row and Westgate), Windsor Court and Castlegate."
Martin and Catherine had moved from Castlegate to Windsor Court when the 1851 England census was conducted.
Michael was listed as deceased on the England government record office official marriage record for November 26, 1849. This is the first time I have heard any mention of a connection to County Roscommon. Family verbal history and an obituary for Catherine Brennan indicated that they were from County Mayo. Patrick and Mary Corcoran were listed as residing in County Mayo and Patrick was listed as a laborer on the England Government Record office marriage license. Two years later when the Huddersfield England census was conducted in 1851, Mary Corcoran is listed as widowed, living with Martin Brennan, his wife Catherine Corcoran and their daughter Mary. So the question is did Patrick Corcoran die between 1849 and 1851 when the census was conducted or was he deceased when Martin and Catherine were married and it just wasn't listed on the England GRO marriage record?
With Michael Brennan and Biddy Coffee residing in County Roscommon and Patrick Corcoran and Mary Gahagan residing in County Mayo, my first thoughts were that they most likely lived in one of the border parishes between County Mayo and County Roscommon. Portions of Costello Barony in County Mayo (Castlemore and Kilcolman Civil Parish in the far eastern tip) were transferred to County Roscommon in 1898.
On the County Mayo side of the border, of particular interest is that there were Brennans, Corcorans, Coffeys and Gahagans in Kilcolman Civil Parish when Griffith's Valuation was conducted for County Mayo in 1856. In Kilmovee Civil Parish there were Brennans and Corcorans, but only Brennans in Aghamore, Annagh and Bekan Civil Parishes. The far tip of Kilvine also borders County Roscommon but none of the four surnames were present in that Civil Parish when the Griffith's Valuation was conducted.
The Civil Parishes on the County Roscommon side of the border are Castlemore, Tibohine, Kilkeevin and Kiltullagh. There were Coffeys and Geoghegans in Castlemore, Brennans, Coffeys, Corcorans and Geoghegans in Tibohine, Brennans, Coffeys and Corcorans in Kilkeevin (one small portion borders County Mayo) and Brennan, Brannon, Coffey and Corcorans in Kiltullagh.
With all four surnames being present in both Kilcolman and Tibohine Civil Parishes, they would appear to hold the greatest likelihood of a match. The four surnames are also present in the Griffith's Valuation for Cloonfinlough (a centrally located parish in County Roscommon) and St. Peter Civil Parish (in the southern tip of County Roscommon).
The following sections contain a more detailed look at my Irish Family Tree:
| My Irish Descendancy Chart |
| The Martin Brennan and Catherine Corcoran Family in Church Records: St. Patrick's Church, Huddersfield England, Sacred Heart Church, Notre Dame and St. Joseph Church, South Bend, Indiana (New) |
| The Martin Brennan and Catherine Corcoran Family of Huddersfield England: An analysis of their Migration from Ireland to Huddersfield England to South Bend, Indiana (New) |
| The William H Brennan and Mary Adelsperger Family - great grandparents, South Bend, Indiana |
| The William F Brennan and Rhoda Williams Family - grandparents, South Bend, Indiana |
| Robert Brennan and Geraldine Niebauer, parents, South Bend, Indiana |