Mary Ellen “Lil” Walsh née Linegar (1892-1968)

On 22 February 1971 Danny Dowling (1927-2021) interviewed Tom Freyne and his sister Mrs. Mai Vereker, natives of Ballyfacey, Glenmore. The information from their 1971 interview is provided below and additional information gleaned from headstones and newspapers etc. has also been provided in [square brackets]. This interview provides some interesting insights into what Danny called “extinct families” whose surnames disappeared in their townland or from Glenmore Parish.

The interviewees Tom Freyne and Mary “Mai” Vereker née Freyne were the children of Michael Freyne and his wife Mary Farrell of Ballyfacey, Glenmore. Michael Freyne, of Kilbride, Glenmore, married Mary Farrell, of Ballyfoyle, Rosbercon on 1 February 1894 at Rosbercon. Michael was a 30-year old farmer, and the son of James Frehne of Kilbride. The bride, Mary Farrell, was 25 years of age and the daughter of Edmond Farrell (farmer). 

The Freyne Family of Ballyfacey, Glenmore

Michael Freyne (c. 1853-1925) and his wife Mary Farrell (c. 1866-1943), had at least 7 known children.
[1] James Frehne (b. 1894) never married.
[2] Bridget Freney (sic) (1896-1974) married Bill Doherty of Ballinlammy on 21 Nov. 1928. They had a family. It is believed that Bridie was the only Freyne sibling to marry and have children.
[3] Thomas Freyne (1897-1971) never married and farmed in Ballyfacey and Ballyfoyle. He died just 8 months after Danny Dowling interviewed him.
[4] Edmund/Edward “Ned” Freyne (1899-1985) never married. He spent several years in New Zealand and returned to Ballyfacey.
[5] Mary “Mai” Freyne (1900-1987) married Patrick “Patsey” Vereker of Davidstown in 1947 (Munster Express, Fri. 14 Feb. 1947, p. 8). Patsey Vereker (c. 1901-1961) was the son of John and Catherine Vereker of Davidstown.
[6] Johanna Freyne (c. 1903-1972) never married.
[7] Margaret Freyne (c. 1909-1993) never married.

My resident expert believes that when Ned Freyne came home from New Zealand he farmed the home place at Ballyfacey and his brother Tom moved to Ballyfoyle and farmed his mother’s home place. Today, Andy and Fidelis Doherty reside on the Freyne homeplace in Ballyfacey where Andy’s grandmother Bridie was born and raised.

The Interview

Mickey McGrath (c. 1864-1936) of Newtown, Glenmore

Mickey McGrath (c. 1864 -1936) of Newtown, was said to have been born in a little house located in the Cruckuck’s haggard which bounced Jack Dollard’s yard in Ballyfacey. Tom Freyne said that Mickie used to often go up to Ballyfacey to see where he was born and where his people came from. [Mickey McGrath was a thatcher who lived in Newtown. His little house was located near where Michael Hoynes’s gate is located (next to Martin Cass’s home). It was reported that Mickey often joked that he went to bed in Aylwardstown and had his breakfast in Newtown as his house straddled the two townlands.]

[Danny Dowling recorded in another notebook that Mickie’s son, John McGrath, worked for Kelly’s of Aylwardstown and he died as a result of an accident which he sustained while working. John McGrath, of Newtown. died on 4 August 1942 at the age of 39 of colitis. Patrick McGrath was present at his death.]

[In the 1926 Census Michael McGrath was 67 and his wife Kate was 65. He declared that he was born in Kilmakevogue and Kate stated she was born in Ballinlammy. They were married for 26 years and had one child. Unfortunately a marriage record could not be located.]   

Darbystown, Tullogher

A family called Cleary had a farm in Darbystown, now [in 1971] owned by Martin Woods of Ballymartin. Martin Woods’s father acquired it.

The Harte’s of Darbystown were substantial farmers in their time. They used to milk 40 cows at one period. The Harte’s had the land in Haggard that Mary Statia Ivory now has [in 1971]. The Harte’s lived up the lane from the stream in Darbystown. The Doherty’s of Moulerstown [acquired] this farm.

Ballyfacey, Glenmore

The Walsh Family of Ballyfacey, Glenmore

[Jimmy Walsh of Ballyfacey and his wife Margaret Browner had the following family:]

[1] Kitty Walsh [Catherine b. 1839] never married and spent her life in Ballyfacey.
[2] Paddy Walsh [b. (1841)] never married. He had a bad leg and spent his life in Ballyfacey.
[3] Jimmy Walsh (1845) married Mary Dermody of Crowbally, Ballyhale. [They were married on 4 November 1875 at Knocktopher. Their fathers were James Walsh (famer) and James Dermody (farmer).] The Walsh farm in Ballyfacey had 22 Irish acres.

Jimmy Walsh and his wife Mary Dermody lived in the Ballyfacey home place and had four children:
[3a] James Walsh (1876-1946) married Lil Linegar (1892-1968). [On 18 Sept. 1918 James Walsh (carpenter) of Graiguenakill, Glenmore, and his wife, Mary Ellen Linegar, had a son they named James. Glenmore will forever remember him as Jim B. See our post of 12 Oct. 2025 regarding Jim B. (1918-1988)].
[3b] Margaret Walsh (b. 1878) married Mike Maher. They had no children.
[3c] Hannie Walsh (Johanna b. 1883) never married and
[3d] Mary Walsh (b. 1884) married a man named Whelan from Kilmacow.

The Walsh family members were great musicians. Old Jimmy Walsh, the father of the last generation, played the flute. All his children played the fiddle and the melodeon. Victor Power, the writer, visited the Walsh homestead regularly. [For further information on Victor O’Donovan Power (1858-1933) see our post of 12 Oct. 2026 and 27 Oct. 2020. ]

Old Jimmy Walsh told Tom Frehne that in the Walsh field at the head of the lane on the Haggard side a fair was held there in olden times. He also told Tom that there was a crock of gold buried in this field near the ditch of the road going over toward Aylward’s gate, and that a life had to be lost to get it.

Anty Walsh (c. 1851-1925) of Parkstown, Glenmore

Anty Walsh, of Parkstown, lived down near to the Mullinahone Stream. She had 7 acres of land, which Mullally’s now have. She died about 53 years ago at Mullally’s of Parkstown. [Further information was found in Notebook 13 with an undated entry. Anty Walsh died at the Mullaly home. And they got her land. Anastasia Walsh died at Parkstown on 5 Feb. 1925. She was a 74 year-old spinster. The informant for the death registrar was “Thomas Mullally, Davidstown, who caused the body to be buried.”]

Thomas Laherty (c. 1814-1892) of Ballyfacey, Glenmore

A man named Tom Laherty lived down near Frehne’s. He had a sister named Nell. [Thomas Laherty (c. 1814-1892) died on 22 November 1892 at his home in Ballyfacey. He was 78 years of age, employed as a farm labourer and married. His widow Ellen Laherty was present at his death. Ellen Flaherty (sic) of Ballyfacey died at the age of 80 on 6 April 1920 of pernicious anaemia. She was the widow of a labourer. It appears likely that Tom Frehne and his sister Mai Vereker thought Ellen Laherty was Tom Laherty’s sister rather than his widow.]

The Greene Family of Ballyfacey, Glenmore

The Greene’s of Ballyfacey were related to the Tobin’s of Ballyogreek, Mullinavat.

[The parents were Thomas Green (c. 1832-1896) and his wife Mary Delahunty (c. 1836-1922) who were married at Glenmore on 9 February 1869.  Thomas Greene was a native of Jamestown, Glenmore, and his father was Patrick Greene. Mary was the daughter of Michael Delahunty of Ballyfacey, Glenmore.]

There were five members of the Greene family of Ballyfacey:
[Patrick Green b. 13 Dec. 1869 died prior to the birth of the twins in 1875.]
[1] Mick Green (b. 1873);
[2] Pat Greene (b. 1875); [Pat and Tom Greene were twins.]
[3] Tom Greene (b. 1875) emigrated to the United States, and there was never any account of him afterwards.
[4] Briget Greene (b. 1871) and
[5] another girl. [Margaret Greene (17 Feb. 1877-1945).]

[Per the 1901 Census their mother was Mary Greene and aged 65. Mary was still alive in 1911. Her son Patrick Green (sic) was 40; Michael was 38 and Margaret 36. Per the Death Register Mary died in 1922 at the age of 86.]

[In the 1926 Census Patrick Green was the Head of the house, and aged 52. His brother Michael (48) was still in the home as was his sister Margaret (aged 42). They were farming 38 statute acres.)]

Please send any corrections, additional information or photographs to glenmore.history@gmail.com  .

Please see our surnames and obituary pages for further information on Glenmore natives and residents. From our main blog page surname pages are under the Glenmore Families tab and the obituaries page is found under the Roots tab.

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh