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Dúchas Thír Chonaill 
March 1, 2016 at 4:38 pm
I would love to be able to trace my past as I have been told down the years that my ancestors came from the Rosses. My great grandfather was born to a Helen Kelly
Who came from the Rosses with her partner who was my great great grandfather Hugh O’Donnell who also came from the Rosses and both are named in thr marriage certificate in 1882 . They both worked on the farms in Lennoxtown and later moved to Carfin to get work in the pits. Any information would be great.
Best regards
John O’Donnell
Ml14sh
Motherwell
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March 12, 2016 at 10:37 am
Hi John,
Sorry for taking so long to reply to your letter. I think it could be difficult to trace your Rosses ancestry. your ancestor’s name Hugh would be have been a popular one in the O’Donnell clans of the Rosses. Most of the O’Donnells who settle on the Rosses mainland in the early to mid 1700s originated in the small islands between Arranmore and the mainland. The names of Hugh’s children may indicate the likely names of his parents, as it was the tradition to name the first born after one of the father’s parents depending on the sex of the child and then the next born after one of wife/mother’s parent and so on until they ran out of names; this system could be flawed if the first child was called after an aunt or uncle who had recently died. When Hugh emigrated, the population of the Rosses was about 10,000, so you can see the difficulty pinpointing his exact birthplace. Interesting the priest in Carfin is Fr.Brian Logue, a native of Kincasslagh in the Rosses and is a descendant of Rosses O’Donnell. Have you ever visited the Rosses?
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March 22, 2016 at 12:02 pm
We’re planning a trip to this area sometime this year. We will camp at Dungloe and I will be looking for traces of my Harley family (also Houston, McLachlan, Campbell). They emigrated to Scotland (Dalry in Ayrshire) in the 1840s (where they were miners); the next generation went to the US and Australia. Obituaries from various Harley’s say they are from Donegal and the few 19th century records I can find place Harley’s around Braade, Annagary and some other local names within a short distance. Am currently reading An Historical, Environmental and Cultural Atlas of County Donegal and it is fascinating. Just learned the term ‘The Rosses’. I would be very grateful for any suggestions about where to locate genealogical information. Otherwise I shall wander around and take lots of photos to share with distant cousins in Perth (AU), California and Michigan. Looking forward to our visit!
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March 25, 2016 at 9:36 pm
Thanks for your message and sorry for taking so long to reply. I live only a mile away from Braade. The Harley clan originate in Braade. The earliest known person of this clan name was a man called Tarlach Úa Árlaigh or later changed to the english Charles Harley who was an adult, possibly about 40 years in the 1690s. His offsprings are still living in Braade and surrounding areas. Email me at rossesheritage@gmail.com.
Kind regards,
Jimmy Duffy
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