The Dennigans of Tomiskey

A search for the marriage of Bernard Clyne and Mary Yorke reveals they were married in 1828.²²

No attempt is made in the course of this study to research Mary Yorke’s background. Griffith’s Valuation shows that there were 29 holdings in the surname Yorke in County Longford in 1856. Two of these were in Killashee Civil Parish, and one of them in Slieve townland. It seems likely that one, probably that of Francis York in Slieve, was in some way connected to Mary. It should be noted, however, that there are memorials to Yorkes in Abbeyshrule graveyard.

Mention was made above of the man named on Griffith’s Valuation as Thomas Donegan, the holder of over 45 acres of land in Curragarrow. While on the one hand, we have speculated that the Dennigans may have been agricultural labourers in Middleton, from a social perspective, it seems more likely that Anne Clyne, as the daughter of a holder of over 76 acres, would have married somebody with some land holdings to his name. Thus the possibility that the Donegan of Curragarrow was a mis-named Dennigan must be kept in mind.  

Following their marriage, it seems Laurence Dennigan and Anne Clyne lived in Middleton. Their family increased steadily in the years after 1877. Their eldest son was Thomas John Dennigan, who baptismal record was:

22 IFHF Marriage Details