Catherine4 (Kate) O’Connell born in Scort on April 4th, 1881 – 1954 (Scort which is the local name for that part of Glenagragra and is listed as such on the marriage cert) daughter of Patrick Connell. Catherine married on November 15th, 1902 to a John (Jack) Ahern 1880-1955 from Dirreen, Athea, son of Patrick (Patsy) Ahern, farmer and Julia O’Sullivan. The witnesses for the wedding were John Mullane and Mary Connors. (Patsy Ahern was from Knockfinnisk, Athea, married into the O’Sullivan farm in Dirreen). Catherine gave birth to twins Mary Ahern & Julia Ahern on November 19th, 1902 at Dromreask, Glin, informant was Patrick Connell, occupier. Mary was born at 2pm and Julie was born at 2.30pm. (Scort & Dromreask are adjoining townlands, registrar may have mixed up the two townlands) Julia died on Feb 17th, 1903 at Scort, Glin, cause, debility from birth, 3 months, no medical attendant; her mother Kate present at her death. It is thought that John may have been to the US in 1895 before returning to Ireland sometime around 1901. John is thought to have gone back to the US sometime after the birth of the twins. John was a policeman for the City of New Haven According to the Ellis Island records Catherine went to the US to her husband John (Jack) Ahern in New Haven, Connecticut for the first time in 1904. Catherine left her daughter Mary to live with her grandparents Patrick & Mary Connell in Glenagragra and is recorded on the 1911 census as a boarder. The 1910 US Census records that John and Catherine are married 8 years (1902) and have one son John Ahern born in 1905. Catherine’s brother, Daniel O’Connell is living with them. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MK2V-HW9 On May 1st, 1914, Catherine and John returned to New York on the SS Adriatic with three children William Ahern, Catherine Ahern & Cornelius Ahern. John is recorded as a general labourer. Kate must have returned to Ireland as she is recorded on the manifest ( I haven’t got the year suffice to say it must be 1916) that she is travelling with her daughter Christine Ahern aged 14 years old. Kate is claiming U.S Citizenship and Christine is recorded as U.S born. In the 1930 Census Mary Ahern has emigrated to the US and is living with her parents in New Haven. The census states that Mary was born in Connecticut but in fact she was born in Ireland as follows – Mary Ahern b 11/2/1902 in Glenagragra, Co.Limerick. married Thomas J. Keegan. Thomas was born circa 1903, died on Jan 11th, 1965, North Branford, New Haven, Connecticut, United States aged 62 years. Mary died on Aug 27th, 1976 at North Branford, Connecticut, aged 73 years.
Family in full as follows –
Mary Ahern born on November 19th, 1902 as listed above.
Julia Ahern born on November 19th, 1902 as listed above.
John Patrick Ahern born 18 September 1905 in New Haven and died 18 May 1987 in Middleton, Connecticut aged 81 years. According to his death certificate he never married and was never employed. According to the 1920 census he was a salesman, dry goods store.
James Ahern, born on Mar 23rd, 1907 – New Haven, Connecticut, died Jun 17th, 1984 – Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut. James was an auto parts salesman James married Penny Lenore.
William Ahern, born on September 19th, 1909, married Marie Mellilo.
Catherine Ahern, born on March 4th, 1911, died Aug 9th, 1996, aged 86 years, married Norman Reid. Catherine worked as a switchboard operator for Seamless Rubber Company.
Daniel Ahern, born 1912, died Jan 2nd, 2001 aged 88 years, married. Helen Wilson. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZPW-RZ1
Cornelius Ahern b.10 February 1913 who is on the Ellis Island manifest in 1914.
Thomas Ahern b. 1914, died May 25th, 1987 aged 73 years, worked as a Tyre marker at Armstrong Rubber Co. buried at Saint Mary’s Cemetery Portland, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA. Thomas remained single in life.
Rita Ahern 1916-2001, registered nurse in WWIl, never married. Rita was born on July 3rd, 1916 and died at Connecticut on Dec 27th, 2001, aged 85 years, buried in West Haven cemetery. Resided at Simsbury, Connecticut.
Vincent Joseph “Duke” Ahern 1918 – 2005, married Teresa Mary Murphy. born Aug 1st, 1918 and died on Oct 23rd, 2007 aged 89 years. Vincent was born on Feb 6th, 1918 at new Haven and died on May 13th, 2005 at Branford, New Haven aged aged 87 years, buried at St. Agnes Cemetery, Branford. ‘Vincent spent 25 years at Brock Hall Dairy in Hamden, investigator for Connecticut State Welfare Dept. Established Ahern Realty in Branford’. My thanks to Kathleen Doczy, Orland Park, Illinois for that piece of information.
Anna Ahern born Oct 11th, 1919, died Sept 27th, 2003 at Branford, Connecticut aged 84 years and buried at West Hacen cemetery. Married Andrew Koloski. born Aug 24th, 1920 at Connecticut and died at Branford on Feb 18th, 1998 aged 77 years.
Timothy J. Ahern, born on April 21st 1922 and died at Branford, New Haven on Nov 28th, 1990. Occupation, Fireman at New Haven. I have Timothy as a Major General Timothy I. US Army WWll. who married Kathryn Teague.
They lost at least 2 other children in infancy. Possibly Elizabeth Ahern and Edward (Teddy) Ahern.
(Mike Connolly, George Langan, Patrick N.O’Neill, Kathleen Doczy & Gerardine Walsh Chapman)
More on the Ahern family.
Patrick (Patsy) Ahern from Knockfinnisk, Athea married Julia O’Sullivan from Dirreen, Athea. Family from that union as follows –
Michael Ahern, John Ahern, (as in above article married to Catherine (Kate) O’Connell) Mary C. Ahern, Nellie Ahern, Margaret Ahern, Catherine Ahern, Anne Ahern, Patrick Ahern (who died as a baby), Stephen Ahern, James Ahern, William Ahern, Patrick ”The Jobber” Ahern (second Patrick to be born) Julie Ahern, Ann Ahern & Bridget Ahern. See also hereunder –
Julie Sullivan, daughter of Sean Tadhg Sullivan inherited the home place in Dirreen and on April 30th, 1876 at the age of 18 years, at Athea church, married Patrick (Patsy) Ahern aged 25 years from Knockfinisk, Athea, son of Michael Ahern, farmer. The witnesses for the wedding were James Ahern and Mary O’Sullivan. (Mary must have been her sister) They had 14 children and I believe most of them emigrated. Patsy was killed in the quarry below the house, it seems he was raising stones when the stripping of the quarry came lose and fell on top of him. Patsy and his father-in-law, Sean Tadhg never got on and on the day of his death one of the neighbours who found him asked Sean to convey the news to his wife Julie and to break it to her gently. Sean went up and stuck his head in over the half-door and says – ‘Patsy is stone dead below in the quarry with half of Ireland down on top of him’, so much for breaking it gently.
Bridget Ahern, daughter of Patrick & Julie married locally to John (Jack) Ahern from Dirreen (Lug Road), don’t know if they were related or not. The wedding took place in Athea on Sept 3rd, 1922, the witnesses were James Ahern and Annie Shanahan. Jack’s father given as John Ahern. Maudie Ahern, Lug, was a sister to Jack. Jack and Bridget lived in Glasha for a time in a cottage across the road from Thady Sullivan which is now Scanlon’s. The cottage was built by Con Shaughnessy, who lived there for awhile before moving to another cottage in Knockdown. Tom Scanlon bought the house from Jack. Jack and his wife Bridget ‘Bridgie’ Aherne went to live in Killarney. Bridgie was a sister to Paddy ‘The Jobber’ Aherne in Dirreen. Lately, I’ve been told that Jack & Bridgie emigrated to America. They had one son John Aherne whom they left behind when they emigrated. John, who was reared by his aunt Maudie and uncle Thady in Lug, died tragically when he was in his early twenties. Jack & Bridgie had other children born in the U.S. At some stage or other Jack & Bridget returned from the U.S. as he died on April 21st, 1973 and is buried in Templeathea, address given as Park Rd, Killarney, Co. Kerry. His wife Bridget died on March 6th, 1979. Jack had been a member of the R.I.C. prior to emigrating. (In places the name of this family is spelt Ahern)
Margaret Maigue Ahern, daughter of Patrick & Julie married Joe Vaughan Dirreen and they lived there at the bounds of Co. Limerick and Co. Kerry.
Epitaph reads as follows.
In loving memory of John Ahern.
Park Rd, Killarney. Late of Athea.
Died April 21, 1979.
Bridget Ahern died March 6th, 1973.
Sheila Ahern died Oct 13th, 1945.
Margaret Ahern died June 30th, 1990.
His brother Timothy (Thade) Ahern,
Athea,
Died 1 July 1966.
R.I.P.
Erected by his wife and family.
Hannah Ahern, daughter of Patrick & Julie married Jim Ahern, Lug. Jim was a brother to Maudie, Jack etc and became the parents of Rev Fr. John Ahern.
Rev Fr. John Ahern.
Another daughter, Mary C. Ahern, married Patrick Shanahan (b. Aug 22nd, 1888 at Dromreask, Glin. (Dromreask, Glin and Dirreen, Athea are neighbouring townlands, I dont believe Patrick was born in Dromreask, Ancestry gives Dromreask for some townlands within three or four miles radius of each other) They married in New York around 1912 and they had three sons: John Shanahan b 1915, Joseph Shanahan b 1916 and Patrick Shanahan b 1924 – all deceased now. Patrick Shanahan was the son of Gerardine Walsh Chapman’s great great uncle John Shanahan and Hanora Scanlan. (John was the brother of Paddy Shanahan in Dirreen). Patrick Shanahan b 1888 had a brother Michael Shanahan who was also born in Dromreask. Michael emigrated to New York along with Patrick in 1895.
John Shanahan’s brother James Shanahan, also married a Scanlon of Ballyguiltenane – Johanna was her name. Think that marriage must have been in the US as Johanna was there before James. Oddly, both women’s fathers were Michael Scanlon. And I know that Johanna’s mother was Mary nee Moore. Seems that wife Mary also left for America in 1895 (with John and Nora and the boys?) and she lived with Johanna and James Shanahan, so I’m wondering if the two Scanlon girls were sisters. Johanna had a brother James already settled in NY by 1895.
Another peculiar thing is that James Shanahan and his brother-in-law, James Scanlon came back to Ireland in August 1912. Why would they do that? James died in NY in 1917. His nephew Micheal (b. 1891 Drumreask) also died 1917 aged 28, his mother Nora Scanlon died 1918. Could it be the flu of 1917-18?(Gerardine Walsh Chapman)
(Mike Connolly, George Langan, Sarah Mignogna McBride, Gerardine Walsh Chapman)
Patsy and Julie’s son Patrick (Paddy) Ahern was born April 23rd, 1894, died April 3rd, 1971 known as Paddy ‘The Jobber’. I remember his death well as I drove my father back there to the removal. On Jan 16th, 1926 at Glin church, Paddy married Sarah McElligott 1894-1969, daughter of John McElligott from Glin, the witnesses being Stephen Ahern and Bridget McElligott. Patrick and Sarah had six daughters and one son as follows –
i.Julia Ahern 1926-2012 married Jack Vaughan and they emigrated to the U.S. I saw on the headstone a Sheila Teresa Aherne Vaughan 1926-2012, must be Julia.
ii.Eileen Ahern married Jimmy Danaher in Glin. Jimmy was an insurance agent.
iii.Mary Agnes Ahern emigrated and married a Wierman.
iv.Bridie Ahern married an O’Donnell.
v.Madge Ahern joined the nuns.
vi.Patricia Ahern 1937-1950.
vii.Pa Ahern married a Keane from Ballygrennan, Listowel. They had one daughter Mary as referred to hereunder.
The original Ahern home was situated on the left hand side of the road as you head west, between Patjoe Liston’s and Paddy Dalton’s. Pa Ahern had one daughter Mary who married Matt Kennelly, Knockanure, a brother in law to my brother Eddie. Declan Dalton, a son of Paddy owns all the Ahern place now, he bought it from Mary. (George Langan)
Epitaph reads as follows –
In Loving memory of
Patrick (The Jobber) Ahern
Died 3 April 1971
His wife Sarah
Died 9 Oct 1969
Their daughter Patricia
Died 11 March 1950
R.I.P.
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