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Keane of
Kilnamona
Johnnie
Matthew
The
Keane family farm, Ballyashea, was passed on to John
known locally as Johnie Matthew and referred to as
John Junior in the 1901 census. John was born in
July 1852 and was married twice. The first
marriage in 1890 was to Susan McMahon from Dysart
but she died in May 1891 at the birth of her first
child, Matt. Ten months later he married
Margaret
Morgan (widowed Mrs Quinn, no children),
born 1854*, of Knocknagraga, Ennistymon.
They had 6 sons and 3 daughters.
While both Johnie Matthew and Margaret knew Irish
they did not speak it. Their youngest son,
Brother Thomas, remembers that Johnnie Matthew
wore a nice trimmed beard and was skilled at killing
pigs. He loved to play cards - 'the auld game of
nap' - with his neighbours who appeared to have 'a
poor view of the state of the country because of the
high rates'!
Brother Thomas also remembers the American wakes in
1914 and 1915 when sons and daughters emigrated to
the United States (see
Ellis Island extracts). The dance lasted until
daybreak when they set off for Ennis station to take
the train to Queenstown (now Cobh), County Cork to
catch the ocean liner to New York. What
worried Thomas (who was only 6/7 years at the time)
most was not the parting with his brothers and
sisters, but to see his mother crying all day,
unlikely to ever see them again.
Margaret died in 1920 aged
61(but see below*) and Johnnie Matthew
died in July 1930 aged 77 years.
The following were their
family:
Matt:-
Matt was born 3 May 1891 to
John's first wife, Susan (nee McMahon).
See more on
Matt's family.
There
were nine children born to Margaret (nee Morgan):
-
Delia:-
6 December 1892,
emigrated to USA and married Bill Carey, of
Kilmurrymcmahon, Co Clare.
-
Pat:-
6 April 1894, after
playing a senior role as a Volunteer in the Old
IRA and independence movement; married
locally to Bridget O'Dea of Ahasla, and later
lived at Ballymongaun, Kilnamona (see more on
Pat).
-
Mary:- born
13 May 1895, married locally to Johnsie Brody,
Caherbannagh, Kilnamona.
-
Micho:-
born 2 October 1896,
died of TB in USA about 1950? Married he had
four in family and lived in the mid-west of the
US (Cook, Chicago??).
-
Greta:-
born 31 March 1898, to
USA; married Bill Hegarty also late of Kilnamona.
They had 3 surviving in family and lived in New
Jersey. (see more on
Greta).
-
Andrew:-
born 6 March 1900, after
a year in the USA in 1921, he returned to the
home farm in Ballyashea within one year.
Visit
here for the 1901 census details of family up to
then:-
7. Martin:-
born 28 October 1902,
unmarried, died of TB in USA about 1949!.
8.
John:-
born 10 May 1905 and
emigrated to USA. He was a labourer and married to
a girl from Galway. They had
no family. He paid a return visit to Ireland in
the
mid-60's and died in the
late 60's or early 70's.
9.
Thomas:-
born
20 July 1908, joined Irish Christian Brothers and
died on
November5th,
1989.
See more on
Brother Thomas
  Six Keane brothers during the 'Americans' visit to
Ireland in 1927. Left to right, back row:-
Andrew, Brother Thomas and John (US). Front
row Matt (US) and Pat, and shown separately
Martin (US)(similar year).
The Keane Sisters
Gretta, Delia and Mary with Brother Thomas
about 1958.
Over: Micko, and wife
Loretta with daughter in 1930's. Micho's
daughter in turn married ? de Roche and they
had a least two children, Dorothy and Paul.
Uncertainty in Margaret (Morgan)
Keane's age: According to the (April 1st/6th)
1901 Census her age is given as 38 years (i.e. born
1862/3); in the 1911 Census her age is given as 52
(i.e. born 1859); Morgan's
genealogy gives 1854 as year of birth; Family lore
has it that she was (only) 57 when she died in 1920
thus born 1863. Each of the above would give
her age when her last child, Brother Thomas, was
born in 1908 respectively as 45 yrs (1901), 49 yrs
(1911), 52 yrs (Morgan genealogy), and 45 yrs
(family lore).
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Last updated
March4, 2014
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