A Helping Hand

Helping Hand: Someone who has helped to part the tangle of leaves and branches and point in the right direction to find our family tree.

Thank you to Eammon.

My Mullane family came from Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland. Although Daniel Mullane was born in County Cork, he and his wife Brigid English lived in Clonmel when they married and raised their children. They lived in various locations within Clonmel:

1866 married at St. Mary’s Church; 1869 living on Mary street; 1870 living on Johnson Street; 1872 – 1880 members of Saints Peter and Paul Church; 1874 – 1880 living on Queen street; 1907 – 1952 the family on Upper Gladstone Street.

I discovered the websites, Clonmel Graveyards, which gives information on the Clonmel cemeteries and My Clonmel Scrapbook, which has many photographs of the Irish town, both present and past, including streets and shops. Daniel Mullane was a carriage builder. A business card tells us his business was on Upper Gladstone Street. It was a long shot but I decided to contact Eammon to discover if he had information on the business or the family.

Eammon responded the same day:

Clonmel Directory

I’m afraid I haven’t been investigating Upper Gladstone Street, only Gladstone Street, so I don’t have anything much for you. I have attached a page from Thoms Directory 1935 in the form of an image, which shows the firm still trading at Upr. Gladstone St. I’m pretty sure the directory is indeed the 1935 one, so someone must have bought out the name, or else another family member took over the business.

If I come upon anything about him, I’ll let you know. Regards, Eamonn.

He sent me an image of the Directory which showed Daniel Mullane Coachbuilders! I had not seen this before. A couple days later he contacted me again:

I forgot to mention that quite a good place to inquire about your ancestor is through a forum board, specifically http://www.boards.ie/

There are 2 areas where you could pose a question:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=943  which is the forum for County Tipperary,

and http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1288 the genealogy section.

I have become a member of the Ireland Message board and hooked up with many helpful people there.

Eammon, thank you for the wonderful website that has given me a first look at the place my ancestors once lived and for the helping hand. I am in my beginning steps in researching in Ireland and planning a trip there next year. You’ve taken the time and helped point me in the right direction!