My father and I are going to set aside some time soon to explore his mother’s Irish bloodline. He apparently has a book published in 1870 with the names of all family members, cousins, extended family, and apparently the address from which they left behind two brothers written on the interior cover. From what I can tell, the Concannon clan originated some time in the 10th century. A man named ‘Cuceanna’ was a tribal chieftan of some sort who ruled an area “bordering Roscommon and Galway in the baronies of Roscommon and Ballymoe”*
The ultimate goal, if at all possible, will be to connect myself to Cuceanna. Given he died in 991 AD, it may seem crazy, but I recently followed a branch of my mother’s family tree to 1025 in pre-Norman England. So anything seems possible at this point.
I have a feeling this portion of my research will be interesting. My first google search brought me to a page with a list of every single Concannon in this region by the name, with some details regarding where they lived, as a result of a census in 1855 — including a google map with the location of every person documented. Given the notes my father has, I think we’ll be able to match things up and find our way along pretty quickly.
One potentially interesting road we may find ourselves on will be the possible discovery of Spanish blood. Patrick Concannon, husband of Catherine O’Brien, the parents of my grandmother, was a man with a rather dark complexion. My father has a picture of him on display in his home and the man appears to look like a Spaniard. When my mother met my father, she thought he was perhaps of Italian decent, given the dark features my father apparently inherited from him. The German Swiss side is nothing but “German” “Swiss” going back to 1645 so it definitely comes from Patrick Concannon. I know plenty of dark-haired, pasty white Irish folks, but this look is somewhat out of place, even compared to my black haired Irish friends. Oddly enough, a potential clue regarding the dark features may be held in a mole my sister once had removed. The doctor told her it was a very particular growth that he has never seen anyone have that didn’t have Spanish blood. She laughed, and told him her background of Scotch, Irish, and German. He was adamant. No one gets this mole this isn’t of Spanish blood. Given the features of my father and his grandfather, I suspect we might find a Spaniard somewhere not too far back, assuming the records are as complete as I think that may be.
I’ve grown up with the knowledge that I’ve have German, Irish, and Scotch blood, but no mention of anything else, nor any indication of such from my research so far. The investigation of the Concannon clan may hold the best possibility for a surprise.
*The book of Irish families, Great & Small By Michael C. O’Laughlin