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Note: [Mcananey.FTW]
June 1, 2003
Tracking the McAnaneys:
In this episode we find Kate and Patrick McAnaney in Counties Tyrone and Armagh in Northern Ireland, looking for McAnaney gravesites (and of course any living descendants) in the �Clonmore region�. William McAnaney stated, in a church record in Rochester, NY that his birthplace was Clonmore, County Armagh. Clonmore, meaning �big meadow� is the name of several places in Ireland, so it was our good luck that William also mentioned the county. However, the townland of Clonmore is so close to the border of County Armagh and County Tyrone, that data can be found in the records of both. (The McAnaneys have never proven to be an easy lot to track!) The Catholic Parish of Dungannon laps over both counties and includes Clonmore.
Kate had �done her homework� before the trip and had even talked to Tommy Tierney, the gravedigger for Clonmore Chapel cemetery. He said the name McAnaney didn�t sound familiar, but he would ask around for an older cemetery. On a subsequent call, he had indeed located the older cemetery, Churchill (aka Mullenakill), not far from Clonmore. With that information and frequent flier miles accrued, Kate figured there was nothing to lose by heading over to Ireland and tramping through some graveyards.
In Dublin we claimed our rental car and headed towards our destination of Northern Ireland. The plan was to drive as far as Pat felt he could go on this first day. Distances look short on a map in Ireland, but negotiating the roadways and watching for unfamiliar exits makes every route take longer. Adding to that, there was major reconstruction being done to the motorway (freeway) around the airport so we were funneled into one-lane passages of stop and go traffic. Pat did a remarkable job, not only in staying awake to drive, but in figuring out where to drive and in adjusting to right-side steering on the left-side of the road!
We made it as far as Carrickmacross. It is a colorful town with buildings painted purple, or orange, or green or yellow. Pat parked in a �car park� and set off to find some lodging. He had to ask at several places before he was directed to a B&B down a side street. When we drove down the street we noticed a pub that said �McEnaney Bros.�. Pat had caught a glimpse of the door earlier, but hadn�t realized the full impact: Our first stop in Ireland and we by chance landed in a town with McEnaneys! It seemed to be a good omen for this Genealogy-themed trip!
We settled into our room and set out to find food. Our first stop of course, was the McEnaney Bros. Pub. The publican informed us that we could find the McEnaney�s at their restaurant, The Fiddler�s Elbow, on the main street. They said we should ask for Frank McEnaney. Fiddler�s Elbow turned out to be the big purple building we had admired on the way in to town. It is a noisy, friendly, family place. Kids were running up and down the staircase. Adults having lively conversation were watching the �football� (soccer) championship game on television in the bar. We had a wonderful meal and got to meet Frank McEnaney. He has five brothers and one sister and apparently they own several businesses. One of his brothers is a well-known soccer referee name Patrick McEnaney, whom Pat had read about on the internet. His famous quote is �You kick one of the McEnaney�s and they all develop a limp.� Frank laughed and said that sounded just like his brother. We traded genealogy data, and determined we probably aren�t related unless you follow the name back several hundred years. He said he has encountered many McEnaney�s, even some nearby, who are not related to his family. It was still fun to meet him. And still a good omen!
The next morning we started off early and soon were in County Armagh, southern-most of the five counties that comprise the country of Northern Ireland. Ireland was divided in 1921 in an attempt end the bloodshed between Catholics and Protestants that had been rampant since the 1600�s when the English �planted� the Scots in Ireland to �settle down� the Irish. The Irish Catholics were primarily �unsettled� because the English kept coming over and appropriating land, trees, and people! Sadly, the division did nothing to end the bloodshed, as we all know.
When McAnaney ancestors lived in Ireland in the 1800�s, �northern Ireland� was only a geographical reference, not a political one. After the division they just happened to end up on the British side of the line (however we still haven�t determined if any of our McAnaney�s were even left in Ireland at that time).
So, in a short drive, we changed countries, and changed currency. Both the Republic of Ireland in the south and Northern Ireland (UK) are members of the European Union, which has created a common currency, the Euro. The UK however has declined to make the switch and still uses the British pound. The countryside was still the same rolling green hills, but the towns were noticeably different. No more color on the buildings. Gray was everywhere. Unfortunately for us, even the weather turned gra
Our B&B in the little town of Moy was very charming and comfy. The interior was colorful, painted in soft blues and greens and pinks and was furnished with beautiful antiques. The couple who owned it also had an antique store in the next building. The setting was perfect for us. From our tiny bathroom window we could see out over the countryside...country side that we were anxious to start exploring.
We dropped our bags and set out immediately to find �Clonmore�...the �townland� where William McAnaney was born in 1830 and from whence he emigrated around 1850. Our host drew us a little map on the back of his business card. We soon learned that �townlands� are hamlets at best and more often just neighborhoods. You could drift from one townland to the next without ever distinguishing any town at all! Clonmore sits a mile off the main motorway that leads to Belfast to the east and Dungannon to the west. It was easy to find the little Catholic Chapel since I had seen a picture on-line. We eagerly slipped around the corner of the building and into the tiny graveyard behind. A quick look told us that most of the stones were far more recent than the McAnaneys we were looking for. That wasn�t too much of a surprise since Tommy Tierney the grave digger had said he didn�t recognize the name. I took photos of the stones that were there and we �claimed� one of the older stones on which the inscription had worn away, as a possible McAnaney gravesite. Then we set off to find Tommy Tierney and get directions to the graveyard at Churchill.
It was easy to find Tommy�s house...there are only half a dozen houses in Clonmore! Some, like Tommy�s, are newish--plain gray stucco, unadorned. Others are far older, with crumbling stucco revealing earlier brick, and brick giving way to yet older clay. All of these were along the same short stretch of road that ran through Clonmore. In my daydrea
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