Exploring Galway Roots and the 1916 Easter Rising

Thank you to my dear friend, Judy Dundas, for allowing me to use her artwork this
St. Patrick's Day.  Four-leaf clovers were Celtic charms, offering magical protection
and warding off bad luck.

Thanks to a post from a fellow blogger, Linda Stufflebean, at Empty Branches on the Family Tree, this Saint Patrick's Day week, I have been exploring the fascinating archives provided by the National Museum of Ireland and the Irish Community Archive Network (iCAN).

Drumharsna Castle, built sometime in
the 1500s, was occupied in 1920 by the
Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish
 Constabulary (the Black and Tans)
This castle was near the Quinn home.  

Bill and I have visited the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, but their digital collections offer even more to discover online. Plus, the Museum’s YouTube channel is fantastic!

iCAN was completely new to me, and I was excited to find numerous links to community archives in Clare and Galway—areas of particular interest to me. As Ireland’s leading organization supporting digital community archives, iCAN has already helped create 46 online archives across Clare, Cork, Galway, Mayo, and Wicklow and is expanding to include other areas. 

If you’re just starting your Irish genealogy research, Introduction to Your Galway Genealogy from the Galway County Heritage Office provides a great starting point—not just for Galway, but for Irish research in general. From there, I recommend checking out the links to videos on that page, which guide you step by step through Irish census records, Tithe Applotment records, civil and church records, and the Primary Valuation.

William Joseph Quinn
1894-1959

I’m particularly interested in the 1916 Easter Rising and the events in County Galway during that time. My husband’s grandfather, William Joseph Quinn, was a member of the Kinvara Company Irish Volunteers. While exploring iCAN, I found his name on a participant list and also found a map of the 1916 Rising activities in County Galway. The iCan pages War of Independence in Galway and Galway County’s Easter Rising, 1916 — Digital Heritage Project provide a wealth of information.

If you’d like to learn more about William Joseph Quinn, his service, and his family’s history, I’ve written several posts detailing his story and listed them below for easy access.

The Family of William Quinn and Bridget Brannelly

The Irish Uprising

The Irish Uprising: Obtaining the Records

The Irish Uprising: 1914 and 1915

The Irish Uprising: 1916

The Irish Uprising: 1917 to 1919

The Irish Uprising: 1920

The Irish Uprising: 1921

The Irish Uprising: The Quinn Home

The Irish Uprising: Michael Fahey

Friday's Photo: In Remembrance of the Kinvara Company Irish Volunteers 1916 - 2016

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2025

Drumharsna Castle, 2016, digital image, from the privately held photo collection of Diana Quinn, Virginia Beach, VA, 2025.

William Joseph Quinn, photograph, ca.1927; digital image, original in the privately held photo collection of D.B. Quinn, 2025.

Friday's Photo: Helen Driscoll Staubach

Doris typed the following on the back of this photo:
"Easter Sunday, March 25, 1951 Kay, mother, and I" 
Pictured: Doris Staubach, Helen Driscoll, and cousin, Kathleen Caccavo

Helen Driscoll was born in Cohoes, New York on March 7, 1887 - 138 years ago today. She was the daughter of mill workers and one of at least eleven children. Helen worked in the mills until about 1924 when she and some of her sisters left for New York City. In 1933, she married Charles Staubach Jr., and together they raised a daughter, Doris—my beautiful mother-in-law.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Church records clearly state that Helen was born in 1887, yet over the course of 50 years, various documents record her age differently.

Consider the following:

1900: Helen was 13 years old

1910: Listed as 21

1915: Recorded as 23

1920: Just 27

1933: She was 39

1940: Now 47

1950: Marked as 60

Helen’s records show a woman who may not have aged by the calendar but instead by the circumstances of her life, making her story all the more compelling. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2025

Diana Quinn, #1 Diana's Bryan-Quinn Family, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/45260559?cfpid=6334928766: accessed 7 March 2025). 

Easter, photograph, ca.1951; digital image, from the privately held photo collection of D.B. Quinn, 2025.

Friday's Photo: Happy Birthday to my Mother and her Sister

It's June again, and we are celebrating the birthdays of my mother and her sister, who were born in 1932 and 1933, respectively. I hope that I have received that longevity trait!

Happy Birthday Mom, and Aunt Janet! I love this photo of both of you. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2024 

Friday's Photo: Happy Birthday!

Bill, at age 4, with his mother

Happy Birthday to my wonderful, supportive husband! 

Bill at a cemetery in Ireland. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

.

Diana

© 2023 

Friday's Photo: Helen Driscoll of Cohoes, New York

Helen Driscoll Staubach and her daughter, Doris
January 3, 1953

Helen Driscoll was born in Cohoes, New York in 1887. She was the daughter of mill workers and one of at least eleven children. Helen worked in the mills until about 1924 when she and two of her sisters left for New York City. Helen married Charles Staubach Jr. in 1933. Their daughter, Doris, was my beautiful mother-in-law. 

This is a family I researched when just starting this life-long endeavor in the late 1990s. An increase in available online genealogical resources is allowing me to find much more about this family than in my earlier attempt. 

Watch for new posts about Helen and her family in the next few months. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2023 

Helen and Doris Staubach, photograph, 3 Jan 1953; scanned image, original photograph from the privately-held collection of Diana Bryan Quinn, Virginia Beach, VA, 2023. 

Clippings from The Baylor County Banner - Seymour, Texas - November 1, 1923

Sadly, this is the only photo I took of the 1 November 1923 issue of the Banner. If I didn't
find family information in an issue, I would take a photo of the title and date on the front page 
to confirm that I checked that issue. However, there is part of an article in this issue about  Knight's Garage that may interest others, so I decided to clip and post it. Please know that the issues from 1923 have not been digitized and are available to view in the original paper format at the Texas State Library and Archives in Austin, Texas.

My grandparents, Redic E. Bryan and Myrtie Hairston, and my great-grandparents, Phillip A. Hairston and Lodema Criswell, moved to Baylor County in 1905. My father, Whit Criswell Bryan, was born in Seymour in 1920. He was the youngest of seven children born to Redic and Myrtie. 

In April 2019, I visited the Texas State Library and Archives to read Baylor County Banner issues that could not be found online or on microfilm. I photographed articles with information about my father's family who lived in Seymour. While sorting through my family finds, I realized I had photos of articles that might interest others looking for family. I have pictures of numerous articles from 1923 and a few from other years. I will post as time allows. 

Thank you to Matt Gwinn at the Baylor County Banner for giving me permission to post these clippings.  If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Note that in the article, old and new photos of the garage can be
found in the previous issue (25 October 1923). 

Diana

© 2022 

O. C. Harrison, The Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), 1 November 1923, Vol. 6, print; Texas State Library and Archives, Austin, Texas, 2019. 

Andrew Quinn and Margaret Flanagan of Caherawoneen Near Kinvara in County Galway

Caherawoneen - 2016 [1]

Andrew Quinn, the son of James Quinn and Catherine Fahey (also seen as Fahy), was born around 1846 in the Parish of Kinvara, Townland of Caherawoneen (also seen as Caheravoneen) in County Galway, Ireland. Andrew married Margaret Flanagan on 28 November 1883 in Kinvara. Margaret, daughter of Patrick Flanagan, is said to have lived in nearby Moy. Andrew Quinn was a farmer.  At the time of the 1901 Census, Andrew Quinn was 55 years old.  He was living with his wife, Margaret, and seven children of their children. Andrew Quinn died on November 21, 1901. His burial place is unknown. [2]

For family reading this, Andrew was the brother of my husband's great-grandfather, William Quinn (1851-1903). The brothers were born in Caherawoneen along with many other Quinn family members, but by 1901, the only Quinns living in Caherawoneen were the families of Andrew and William Quinn. [3]

 

The Children of Andrew Quinn and Margaret Flanagan   

  

Mary Quinn was born on 19 October 1884. She immigrated to New York City in 1901 and by 1908 was married to James Sarsfield. They had at least five known children; Frances (Frank), Margaret, Katherine, James, and Mary. Mary died on 2 August 1970 and is buried with her husband and at least two children in Mount St. Mary’s in Flushing, Queens, NY. [4]

James Quinn was born on 11 November 1885. [5]

Bridget “Delia” Quinn was born on 4 January 1887. Delia arrived in New York City on 14 February 1910. She did not marry and lived with her sister Nora. Delia died in May of 1977 and is buried in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Westchester County, New York.[6]

Patrick Quinn was born on 08 February 1888. He married Mary Conroy in New Quay Church on 28 February 1927. According to Owen Quinn, Patrick and Mary had five children. Daughter, Teresa, wrote in 2001 that she was born in New Quay, County Clare, but that her father was born in Caherawoneen, next door to Bid and Mick Fahy.[7]

Friday's Photo: A Genealogist's Holiday

My daughter sent this picture in response to a friend's text asking, "What are you doing?" I know that she thought it funny and I'm sure it was. She was watching us as we tried to read the letters on this cemetery stone. Genealogy is never her favorite part of a trip, but she knew there would be at least a few genealogical activities. 

This trip to Ireland was planned for our 40th wedding anniversary in 2020, which was postponed due to COVID closures. I only planned a few genealogy activities. We met a some of my husband's cousins and looked for family townlands, but most of the trip was spent admiring the beautiful country of Ireland, learning more about Ireland's history, and enjoying family time. 

This cemetery is the Killeen Cemetery, also known as the Cillin Graveyard, in New Quay, County Clare. What my husband did not know, as he was trying to read the letters by feeling them, was that this was the grave of his second great-grandfather, Patrick Murray. I wanted to know if there could be more than one name on the stone. There was not, but it is said that my husband's great-grandparents, James Murray and Cecelia Linnane are also buried in this plot. 

Genealogical Tidbits From Our Trip

Julia Murray Moylan's home has been sold. Her home on the Flaggy Shore in New Quay was also a store where she sold numerous items, including ice cream, candy, and cigarettes. Julia was the sister of my husband's grandmother, Susan Murray Quinn. 

My second-great-grandmother, Julia Halvey (also seen as Harvey), was born in Quinpool, County Clare - about a one-minute drive from Quinville House.  We could not find Quinpool but suspect it may have been on a portion of the land behind the Quinville House Gates. 

We found my husband's grandfather's name, William Quinn, on a wall at the Galway City Museum as one of 322 from Galway imprisoned in Frongoch Internment Camp following the Easter Rising in 1916. 

This is not a genealogy tidbit, but aside from visiting my husband's Murray and Quinn cousins and our friends, the Fordes, visiting Connemara was the best part of our trip. The scenery was breathtaking, and we enjoyed the gardens and small towns. 

Everyone liked Linnane's in New Quay. It wasn't our first dinner at this restaurant. I've always wondered if this Linnane family of New Quay was connected to my husband's great-grandmother, Cecelia Linnane. I will never know until I do some digging. 

This is me in front of EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. I can't say enough good things about it! If you go to Dublin, visit this museum. Note that only I went to the EPIC. Everyone else went to the Guinness Storehouse. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

.

Diana

© 2022 

"That's okay. If we don't know, we just put down John." A Not so Funny Story of Contradictory Evidence

There were three records naming Cecelia Quinn Costello's husband. A marriage record in 1895, a ship's manifest in 1898, and Cecelia's death record in 1946. The first two records show him as Thomas Costello while the death record shows him as John.

This death record appeared to be without flaws. It was thoroughly completed and, except for a husband named John, facts matched the information I knew. Generally, I could not ignore this contradictory evidence. I would locate all possible records and analyze these records and their sources in an attempt to determine the correct name. However, in this case, I did not do any of that. I knew the backstory. 

〰〰〰〰〰

On 22 December 1946, Helen, my husband's cousin, accompanied her father and
sister to a nursing home where her father's Aunt Cecelia had died earlier that day. The woman completing the death record asked the name of Cecelia's late husband but, her father did not remember it. The woman said, "That's okay. If we don't know, we just put down John." Helen and her sister found this extremely funny as their father's name was John. 

Helen was laughing as she told me this story. I couldn't laugh. All I could think about were the genealogists looking for all of those men named John.

 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

.

Diana

© 2022 

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie (https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1895/10519/5831616.pdf : accessed 15 July 2021); digital image, Thomas Costello-Celia Quinn, marriage, 31 January 1895; citing Group Registration ID 2200685; filed 14 March 1895 by W. J. Nally, registrar. 

New York, Bureau of Records and Statistics, Department of Health, New York County, death certificate number 27230 (22 December 1946), Cecelia Costello; Bureau of Records and Statistics, New York City. 

Telephone conversations between H. Quinn (NY) and D. B. Quinn (VA), between 18 September 2020 and 29 December 2020. Transcript held in 2022 by D.B. Quinn (VA). 

UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960, database with images, Ancestry.com (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll? : accessed 14 November 2021); 17 November 1898, Teutonic, ticket number 35103, entry for Thomas Costello and Celia Costello; The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; BT27 Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Outwards Passenger Lists; Reference Number: Series BT27.

Friday's Photo: The John Quinn and Ann Hawkins Family of Labane, County Galway - 1929

Andrew, Frank, John Senior, an unidentified visitor, Maura, Ann, Joe, Jack, and William
Update: The unidentified visitor is William Joseph Quinn who left Ireland for the U.S. in 1921. His mother, Bridget Brannelly, died in 1929 and his passport shows he visited near that time.

This is the family of John Quinn and his wife, Ann Hawkins of Labane in Ardrahan, County Galway. I copied this when visiting John's grandson, Owen, in County Galway.[1]

This family is one of my brick walls. DNA, family stories, and a family photo tell that this Quinn family, of Labane, is connected to my husband's Quinn family who lived in the townland of Caherawoneen, near Kinvara in County Galway. However, records don't yet tell us how they are connected. 

John and Ann Quinn, with daughter Maura

John Quinn's parents were John Quinn and Sarah Burke. This is the earliest known generation of Quinns living in Labane.[2] 

The John Quinn, pictured above, had two sisters, Cecelia and Josephine, who came to the United States and lived in Boston.[3] In my husband's collection of family photos, there is a photo of Cecelia and her son John taken in Boston. My husband's Aunt Kitty identified Cecelia as her father's cousin.[4]

Andrew and Frank

My husband's cousin, Helen, told me about her parents' visit to the Frank Quinn family on a trip to Ireland in the 1950s. At the time, Frank and his wife, Maureen, had 17 well-behaved children. Two more children were born after the visit.[5] 

Joe

Joe lived for a while with my husband's grandfather, William Quinn, in New York City. Cousin Helen remembered Joe, his time in the Army, and even the name of his girlfriend.[6]  

Jack and William

William Joseph Quinn (1894-1959)

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2022 

    1. Quinn-Hawkins Family, photograph, 1929; scanned image held by D.B. Quinn, 2022, from the privately held photo collection of Owen Quinn, Ireland, 2016.

    2. Photographed family trees drawn by Owen Quinn (Ireland), n.d.; photographs held by D. B. Quinn (VA), 2022. 

    3. Ibid.

    4. Cecilia Quinn Foley and John Foley, photograph, ca. 1943; scanned image held by D.B. Quinn, 2022, from the privately held photo collection of William Quinn, Virginia, 2022.

    5. Telephone conversations between H. Quinn (NY) and D. B. Quinn (VA), between 18 September 2020 and 29 December 2020. Transcript held in 2021 by D.B. Quinn (VA).

    6. Ibid.