There were two families of the O’Sullivan’s in Dirreen, Tadhg O’Sullivan and Jackie O’Sullivan.

What I know of as follows – ,Tadhg had a son (could have been other children) called Sean Tadhg O’Sullivan and Jackie had a son (could have been other children) called Patsy Jackie O’Sullivan.

Sean Tadhg married  Maire Og Liston, Dirreen, Athea. Maire Og was a sister to Padden Liston, Patjoe Liston’s grandfather. Dont know who Maire Og or Padden’s father was.  There was a Nicholas Liston and Mary Hanley who had a son named Patrick (Padden) (born circa 1833 )  who seems to be the same person as Padden. Can’t find a link to Mary Liston (Maire Og) who would have been born around 1830s also. Padden’s wife was Nell Aherne from Kyle. (Kyle explained further on) Padden Liston and Nell Aherne had three sons and two daughters as follows –

i.Margaret (Maggie) Liston, daughter of Patrick Padden Liston who on November 27th, 1897 at Listowel church, aged 31, married Thomas Colohan aged 36, an R.I.C. constable from Knocktagle, the son of Edmond Colohan, deceased, the witnesses being Bartholomew Waters and Annie Liston. Maggie’s address given as Listowel, profession, shopkeeper.

ii.Annie Liston married John McEnery from Tubbertoureen, Moyvane. The marriage took place on February 14 th 1904 at Athea, John aged 37, the son of Denis McEnery, deceased, Annie aged 30, daughter of Patrick Padden Liston, the witnesses being Denis McEnery and Ellon Liston.

iii.Dan Liston emigrated to the U.S.

iv.Tom Liston emigrated to the U.S.

v.Denis (Denny) Liston (Patjoe’s father) settled in the home place and married Maria Hanrahan from Kilbaha, Moyvane. Cant find a marriage cert for Denis, I wonder did they get married in the U.K. or the U.S.? Denny and Maria had three daughters and two sons as follows –
i.Nellie Liston emigrated
ii.Mary Anne Liston emigrated,
iii.Maggie Liston married a Woods from Co. Clare and settled in Kildimo.
iv.John Liston married Pixie Liston in Athea (they lived at Dalton St)
v.Patjoe Liston settled at home and married Bridget Sheahan from Tarbert. They had one son Denis Liston who married Kathleen Braddish from Barnigue, Carrickerryand they have five sons.

Nell Ahern (1833-1920) siblings as follows -, Catherine, William, Daniel , Margaret, John & Mary. I believe her mother was Johanne Shine . (George Langan/Gerardine Walsh Chapman)

Sean Tadgh O’Sullivan and Maire Og Liston had three sons and five daughters that I know of as follows –

i.Kate Sullivan emigrated and married Collins from Ballylongford.

ii.Nell Sullivan emigrated.

( We have a Patrick Sullivan, Athea, age 40yrs who was a passenger on the Adriatic going to his nephew John Ahern in Conn, June 9^th 1911. Patrick paid his own passage out and was in possession of 20$ on his arrival.)

iii.Mary Sullivan married William Glasheen on August 30 th, 1879, Mary’s age given as 27 yrs and William’s 28 years. William was given as a baker from Athea the son of William Glasheen, deceased publican. They had a son William Glasheen born Dec 8 th,1879. Never heard of that name in Athea after that. Mary’s father given as John O’Sullivan, (Sean Tadgh) a farmer, who was alive. The witnesses for the wedding were Patrick Liston and Johanna O’Sullivan.

It seems that Mary and William Glasheen left Athea and settled in Charleville where they had 8 children including the said William. This William who was also a baker, married Anastasia Barry in Charleville and they had a family one of which was also a baker. They also had a son William Glasheen who was a teacher  in Limerick and married Josephine Dineen from Limerick , a dressmaker and daughter of a tailor. (George Langan/Gerardine Walsh Chapman)

iv.Bridget Sullivan married Paddy Shanahan, Dirreen as follows – Bridget O’Sullivan, servant, daughter of John O’Sullivan, (Sean Tadgh) farmer, marriage on April 29th, 1899 to Patrick Shanahan, labourer, son of Patrick Shanahan, labourer. The witnesses were Daniel Vaughan and Ellon Liston. The Vaughan’s came from Kyle which was a pet name for that part of Dirreen around where Jackie Mullane lived (Jackie Mullane’s now sold) and where Donal Vaughan lives today. (Feb 2021) In fact the original Vaughan home was where Donal now resides, maybe not the same house but on the same plot of ground anyway. Donal’s sister was married to Paddy Hanlon. Something not right with the Shanahan information, I thought the Shanahan’s were farmers. So I made enquiries and was told the Shanahan’s had no land back then except for about an acre but bought bits and pieces through the years, hence the reason labourer is listed on the marriage and birth certs from that era. However, going back another generation to Cornelius Shanahan he’s listed as being a farmer, see hereunder. (a very small farmer) I have John Shanahan born Aug 14 th, 1914 to Paddy and Bridget and Paddy down as a labourer. I have a Patrick Shanahan, widower, son of Cornelius Shanahan, farmer, who on Feb 28 th, 1865 at the age of 44yrs married Margaret Kennelly, Dirreen, aged 32 yrs, daughter of Martin Kennelly, Dirreen, can’t make out what profession Martin was. The witnesses were Michael Mulvihill and Thomas McGrath. From what I was told there were no Kennelly’s in Upper Dirreen but they had a farm of land in Lr. Dirreen, across the road from Danny Mulvihill’s cottage on the Glin/Athea road and stretching down at the rear of Patjoe Mullane’s, in between Patjoe’s and Jimmy Brouder’s. Going by the witnesses to Margaret’s wedding, there was a McGrath living down in Lr. Athea quite close to where the Lower Dirreen road intersects with the Lower Athea road. Paddy Hurley in Athea bought the Kennelly farm who in turn sold it on to a son of Edsie Connors, (Edsie and his wife Peg Griffin from Glenagragra had the Post Office in Athea from circa 1969 to 2008). Margaret (Peg) Shanahan died on August 6th, 1922 aged 84 years, her grand-daughter Katie Shanahan present at her death in Dirreen. Patrick died on May 9th, 1898 aged 77 years, his son Patrick Shanahan present at his death in Dirreen.

v.Thade Sullivan married Maige Histon daughter of Jeremiah Histon, Dirreen on Feb 23 rd, 1890 at Athea church, the witnesses being Denis (Denny) Liston and Mary Ahern. Denis (Denny) Liston was Patjoe’s father. In fact Denny and Thade were 1 st cousins, Thade’s mother Maire Og being Denny’s aunt. Thade and Maige lived in a sheltered spot in the quarry.
They had four sons and two daughters as follows –

i.Mollie O’Sullivan who remained single.

ii.Nell O’Sullivan who on January 29 th, 1927 married Ned O’Grady, Blaine, the witnesses being Stephen Dalton, Glasha and Margaret Vaughan, Dirreen. Ned was a carter for Limerick County Council roads. They lived at the top of Blaine hill looking down on the Kerryline roadway. Their address was Dromreask. The house was built there by Ned’s father Michael O’Grady who got the site from the Griffin’s of Blaine. The Griffin’s and O’Grady’s were someway related. The O’Grady’s came from over around Glenastar, Ardagh. Nell and Ned had one daughter Mary O’Grady, who married Ken Hayes and they lived outside Limerick city in a place called Boher, out the Tipperary road. Mary was confined to a wheelchair, don’t know what her ailment was.
The four sons as follows – iii.Jack, iv.Tim, and v.Jerry O’Sullivan remained bachelors.  vi.Paddy O’Sullivan married Lizzie Lynch as referred to earlier.  Jerry and Mollie lived in a little house next to Jimeen Carroll’s of Blaine. Mollie finished up in St. Ita’s Hospital (Home). Newcastle West and was alive in 1989 although into her 90 years by then, but hale and hearty by all accounts. Don’t know when she died. Jack lived in the home place there in the shelter of the quarry; you could see his humble abode from the Athea road. The road through the quarry was frequently used as a short cut by those from Kilbaha and Dirreen going to Athea. There was a large flagstone on the river bed that acted as a way of crossing. It seems there was a very large flood back on August 6th 1922, so strong was the current that it moved the stone, broke it in two and moved it back the river. For years thereafter it was known as the Peg Shanahan flood as Peg died on the night of the flood. (that is Margaret (Peg) as mentioned above)

Thade & Maige Sullivan’s home in the quarry.

Photo Caoimhín Ó Danachair.

vi.Johnny Sullivan who on Sept 19 th, 1905 aged 27 years married Kate Shanahan aged 40 years, from Athea according to marriage cert, daughter of Con Shanahan, shop-keeper, Witnesses to the wedding Michael Ahern and Mary Hunt. Johnny and Kate lived in Athea. (Don’t know where in Athea they lived) The late Paddy Faley said Kate Shanahan was from Newtownsandes. Just found Catherine Shanahan born on April 24 th,1886 at Newtown, daughter of Cornelius Shanahan, shopkeeper, so Paddy Faley was correct.

vii.Patcheen Sullivan remained a bachelor and lived in Newcastle West.

viii.Julie Sullivan referred earlier under Patrick (Patsy) Ahern.

Patsy Jackie O’Sullivan married Ellie O’Sullivan from Knocknagorna, Athea and had a son (could have other children) called Tom ‘Tomeen’ O’Sullivan. Tomeen O’Sullivan and his wife were related as follows – Two O’Sullivan women came from Knocknagorna, where Mary B. Sullivan who married Conor Mullane came from. (Mary B. Sullivan as in our generation of the 1950’s) One was Ellie O’Sullivan who came to Dirreen and married Patsy ‘Jackie’ O’Sullivan father of Tomeen O’Sullivan. The other lady was her niece Mary O’Sullivan who married John Dalton of Park, Kilcolman. This John Dalton and Mary had a daughter Nell Dalton who married the said Tomeen O’Sullivan which means Nell Dalton and Tomeen were 1 st cousin once removed. I found the marriage cert for John and Mary as follows – Marriage on February 13th, 1879 at Athea church, John Dalton, Park, Kilcolman aged 30 years, son of William Dalton, a farmer, to Mary O’Sullivan aged 20 years, daughter of Patrick O’Sullivan, Knocknagorna, a farmer. The witnesses were John Morgan and Mary T Sullivan.

Thade O’Sullivan and Tomin were 2nd, cousins, their fathers Sean Tadgh and Patsy ‘Jackie’ were 1 st, cousins.

Tom ‘Tomeen’ Sullivan and Nell Dalton had three daughters Mary, Nell and Peg.  Nell  and  Peg joined the nuns, Nell, Sr. Liam and Peg, Sr. Rossario. Nell, (Sr, Liam) was born in 1917, went to Knocknagorna national school, secondary school in Rathkeale and Presentation Convent in Tuam. Co. Galway before joining the nuns. She died on June 17 th, 1981. Peg (Sr. Rosarie) who was born March 23 rd, 1920 and who is still alive today (Feb24th 2020) down in Cork. Peg was dating my uncle Tom Lynch, Glasha prior to taking up her religious vows. Mary then married Martin Dalton from Glasha, Martin from the same avenue and yard where my mother Delia Lynch was born.

Martin Dalton, b. 1909 in Glasha, Athea married Mary O’Sullivan, daughter of Tom ‘Tomeen’ O’Sullivan, Dirreen and Nell Dalton, Park, Kilcolman (Nell R.I.P. March 7 th, 1957 aged 75yrs) in 1941 and had the following family – Paddy, Jimmy and Marian Dalton. Martin did a ‘cliamhain isteach’. (Married into the place) Martin died August 10 th, 1983.