Profile manager: b Weitz [send private message]

This profile is part of the Burke Name Study.

The goal of this project is to find every non-living person with the surname Burke who ever lived in Ballyoughtra, County Cork, Ireland.

We have found many of these people already, as I knew many of their descendants and still have living cousins in the area.

But I want to find out who their ancestors were, especially in the 1700s and then in the 1600s. The Burkes who live in Ballyoughtra townland and have spread out to other areas of Ireland and even to America, are descended from fishmen who came down to Loughine from Galway Bay when Cromwell was chasing the Irish to "Hell or Connaught". The fact that they were fishermen helped them survive the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s, because when they ran out of food, they could just go fishing! This family is a branch of the famous Burke family of Ireland and I particularly interested in them because they are my ancestors too!

Here are some of the tasks that I think need to be done. I'll be working on them, and could use your help.

• Finding records predating 1800 for this family.
• Adding sources
• Adding categories
• Adding relevant templates
• Connecting family members to the global family tree.

Will you join me? Please post a comment here on this page, in G2G using the project tag, or send me a private message. Thanks!

BURKE FAMILY of Ballyoughtra - What we know so far and what we still want to know

History Notes for Ballyoughtera and surrounding townlands

1. Fineen O'Driscoll the Rover controlled Lough Hyne until his death in 1629. His lands were confiscated and given to Cromwell's men between 1641 and 1660. This ia about the time the Burke's arrived as fishermen from County Galway, perhaps after the Siege of Galway in 1652.
2. in 1690, the British finished conquering Ireland, and enacted strict Penal Laws on Roman Catholics, who were no longer allowed to own land, large animals or live near town. The British were also receiving income by controlling the local fishing indursty. The Burke family had to endure the Penal Laws throughout from 1690-1829.
3. In 1703, Percy Freke bought an estate which included the east coast of Lough Hyne, from David Barry a Baronet. The Freke family owned Ballyoughtera and surrounding townlands until 1919.
4. After 1728, Grace Freke inherited the Freke estate and castle, and married John Evans in 1741. The Evan-Freke family were the overlords ruling a large section of West Cork from Castlefreke in Rathbarry, a few miles east of Lough Hyne.
5. In the 1760s, the fishing industry was still important in west Cork as a major source of food and employment. The Burkes were likely involved in some way in the catching or processing of fish, especially herring and pilchard. Terri Kearney's book "Lough Hyne: from Pre-History to the Present" describes how fishing played a large part in the lives of those who lived near Lough Hyne and talks about the "fishing palaces" where fish was processed. There is also an interesting article on the facebook group West Cork Deep Maps.
6. By 1788, the area around Lough Hyne was surveyed to be leased to tenant farmers by the John Evans-Freke estate, who owned vast acreage on the east side of the lake. The large townland of Ballyisland was subsequently divided into six townland, and the townland at the upper end of the lake was entitled "Ballyoughtera" or Upper Townland. Most of the Burke Family we are tracing lived in the area of Ballyoughtera but interacted often with those in nearby townland, both on and off the Freke estate. The west side of Lough Hyne was part of the Wrixon-Becher estate.
7. Large amounts of flax were grown in West Cork, and the landlords had plenty of sheep. Some of the Burkes who lived in the area were weavers in the 1700s and 1800s, but the industry declined by the mid-1800s.
8. By 1800, Ireland lost it's Parliment, and became part of the United Kingdom. Local overlords were disenfranchised, but some went on to serve in the British Parliment.
9. Only 29 years later, in 1829, the Catholic Emancipation Act was passed, removing the Penal Laws which had put sever restrictions on the Roman Catholics in Ireland. Catholic parish records for the Parish of Skibbereen and Rath begin in 1813 for births, and 1837 for marriages. By examining these records for adults mentioned therein as sponsors as well as participants, we can find the names of people who lived in Ballyoughtera before 1813.
10. Most of the land valuations for the 1800s show the Burkes as tenant farmers, but the loan records of the 1840s show that some of them also were fishermen and weavers, and during the potato famine, they probably did any kind of work they could find. Many may have worked for Daniel McCarthy the brewer, improving his estate, or even worked on road construction or rebuilding the seawall at Lough Hyne. More research is necessary.

Biography of Daniel BURKE of about 1760

Daniel Burke was likely born in Ballyisland, later Ballyoughtera about 1760. Two children in Ballyoughtera are maybe named for him in the early 1800s, Daniel Burke of 1815 and Daniel Burke of 1817, the son of Timothy Burke, Sr.. Daniel Burke of 1760 may be a brother or cousin of Timothy Burke born about 1768, and those Daniel Burke's could be his grandsons.

Daniel Burke's parents would have been the fifth generation, born in the 1730s and 1740s, and the family was likely involved in the fishing industry because the Burke family history of working as fishermen. We are not sure what his father's name might be, but Timothy and Patrick and Daniel are all possibliities for the fourth generation.

Biography of John BURKE of about 1760

John Burke is the father of Patrick Burke, and the grandfather of John Patrick Burke. Patrick Burke,, who married Catherine Leahy, is the father of John Patrick Burke who married Margaret Unknown, and the grandfather of Daniel Burke, Sr. We think this line of Burkes might be weavers of linen and wool and may have lived in the northern parts of Ballyisland townland which became Highfield, Munig North, Munig South, and Lathernathee and Gortnaclohy townlands. They might be cousins of the Burkes of Ballyoughtera and also of the Whooley family who is said to be relatives of the Burkes. The Whooley name could come from a branch of the Burkes working with wool, but we don't know for sure.

John Burke's parents would have been the fifth generation, born in the 1730s and 1740s, He might have a father named Patrick, who would be fourth generation, as that is what he named his son, and it is his grandson's middle name. He could also have a grandfather named John, who would be third generation and born in the early 1700s, but we don't know if that would be from his Burke grandfather. More research is necessary.

Biography of Timothy BURKE of about 1768

Timothy Burke is the likely first name of the father of the Randal Burke who was born about 1795. Timothy? Burke would have been born about 1768 in Ballyoughtra, Creagh, Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland to unknown parents Mr. and Mrs. Burke. A grandson named Timothy "Tim" Burke is born in 1820 to Randal Burke and his wife Ellena Collins.

Timothy's parents would have been the fifth generation born in the 1730s and 1740s, and the family was likely also involved in the fishing industry because the Burke family history of working as fishermen. Timothy's father might be named Randal but we don't know for sure. One of his grandfather's from the fourth generation, was likely named Timothy, and would have been born in the early 1700s, not long after the lands around his home were purchased by the Freke family in 1703. We don't know how long the name Timothy has been in the family, but it has been repeated for generations down to the present day.

Research Notes

Randal Burke's father was likely named Timothy. However, his name may have been Daniel, Randal, John, James or Denis. More research is necessary.

Michael Burke, who lived in Ballyoughtra, Lough Hyne, Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland, told the family in 1980 or 1990 that the Burkes had been in West Cork for ten generations. Two more generations have farmed at Ballyoughtra by 2019, which could mean 12 generations of Burkes have lived in West Cork since the first Burkes came south from Galway Bay as fishermen in the 1600s.

Working backwards from Michael Burke, if he is the tenth generation, then his father Randal Burke, born April 1860 would be the ninth generation. Four Burke families have farms in Ballyoughtra on the 1901 and 1911 Censuses of Ireland, and perhaps all these families are cousins. The British insisted all members of the family inherit land and not just the oldest son, so it is likely cousins ended up farming the divided farms of their ancestors.

Randal Burke of 1860 had a father we know about whose name was Timothy Randal Burke, born December 1825. Timothy also had a brother that was named Timothy, born 1820, who may have died in childbirth. These brothers would be the eighth generation of Burkes in West Cork. And there was a Randal Burke born in 1822 to a Timothy Burke and Margaret Minihane.

Timothy Randal Burke's father might be Randal Burke, born between 1790 and 1800, would be the seventh generation. Another brother or cousin, named Timothy is also around the same age and living in Ballyoughtra should also be in the seventh generation, and this is probably the Timothy who married Margaret Minihane. .

Randal Burke's father is likely Timothy? Burke, and likely born about 1768. He would be the sixth generation of the family to live in West Cork.

The fifth generation would be Randal Burke of 1800s grandfather, born in the 1740s, who may or may not be named Randal.

The pattern of alternating the names of Timothy and Randal each generation continues in the family even to this day, in the family of Timothy John Burke, born December 1896, brother of Michael Burke born 1890. This Timothy John Burke and his family migrated to the USA in 1921 , eventually ending up in California, while his older brother Michael Burke returned to Ireland by 1922, and inherited the Burke farm at Lough Hyne between 1922 and 1939.

The fourth generation of Burkes would be born in the early 1700s, and the third generation would be born in the late 1600s. These second generation would be born in the mid-1600s and the first generation, said to be fishermen from Galway Bay, would have been born in the early 1600s.

We are not sure exactly why the Burke's left Galway Bay, but the Reformation is a strong possibility. In the 1640s, Cromwell was executing Catholics and sending them to "Hell or Connaught", and Catholic members of the family may have been evicted, lost fishing rights or just decided to get out of harm's way. Perhaps they escaped to go find food during the Seige of Galway, and never came back. An important Mr. Burke, Ulick Burke, the Earl of Clanricharde, was a commander for the Royalist forces fighting Cromwell, but we do not know if our Burkes are his blood relatives or just share the same surname.

The City of Galway surrendered to Cromwell's generals in 1652. The Catholic Burkes ended up in West Cork where fishing is excellent in Lough Hyne and along the waters off the southwest coast of County Cork. The Burkes have flourished in West Cork for about 12 generations, surviving even the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s.

The mid-1600s in County Cork also saw the death of Fineen O'Driscoll the Rover, a seadog for Queen Elizabeth, with a stronghold castle on Castle Island in Lough Hyne. Fineen O'Driscoll passed away on the island in his Clogheen Castle in 1629, and perhaps Lough Hyne was less guarded than it had been when the British took over the area in the early 1600s after the Battle of Kinsale (October 1601), the Battle of Castlehaven (December 1601) and the Sack of Baltimore ( June 1631).

Or perhaps the Burkes just got along well with the O'Driscolls. The families were both involved in the local fishing industry, and wereintermarrying in the 1800s and perhaps earlier. Both families remained powerful locally, as their names are found among the Workhouse Managers ("Occupiers") of Skibbereen, Dunmanway, Middleton, and other town workhouses.

Understanding this historical framework may help us determine the details of the Burke families who lived in West Cork and especially in Ballyoughtra along the shores of Lough Hyne in the 1600s and 1700s.

Sources

• Family stories from Michael Burke, as told to his nephews visiting from the USA in 1980 and 1990.

• Historical research on the Battles of Kinsale, and Castlehaven along the southern coast of County Cork:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Castlehaven

1. http://www.odriscolls.me.uk/battle_of_castlehaven.htm
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Kinsale

• Historical research on the Sack of Baltimore in June 1631 - https://www.historyireland.com/…/from-baltimore-to-barbary…/

• Historical research on the life and death of Fineen O'Driscoll the Rover, seadog for Queen Elizabeth I of England.

• 2012 Article about the surrender of Galway to Cromwell in 1652: http://www.advertiser.ie/…/city-surrendered-to-cromwell-thr…

• Genealogy of Ulick Burke, the 3rd Earl of Clanricharde, and leader of the Burke clan in Galway - https://www.geni.com/…/Ulrick-Bourke-3r…/6000000002821251509

Industry Common in West Cork before the Famine

• Linen Manufacture - West Cork - http://www.deepmapscork.ie/past-to-present/pollution-history/linen-manufacture/

• Fish Palaces and How They Worked - Roaring Water Journal - https://roaringwaterjournal.com/2019/02/17/fish-palaces-and-how-they-worked/?fbclid=IwAR2n1b84tuitCPlQoVORwuiL0KIt2Q1TUR9mWjTLdfMuGFsl4g8wsSDqIss

• Pilchards and Palaces - https://roaringwaterjournal.com/2015/01/18/pilchards-and-palaces/

Sources for further research

1. Church parish and Civil Registration online from irishgneealogy.ie - https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/irish-records-what-is-available/church-records
2. Church parish records from the National Library of Ireland - https://registers.nli.ie/about#about_background_header
3. Griffith's Valuation of Ireland from the 1850s - http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
4. Valuations Office records from the late 1840s - http://census.nationalarchives.ie/search/vob/home.jsp
5. Tithe Applotment Records of Ireland from the 1820s and 1830s - http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/index.jsp
6. 1901 and 1911 Census of Ireland from the National Library of Ireland
7. Skibbereen Heritage Centre in Skibbereen - https://skibbheritage.com/
8. West Cork Graveyard database - https://skibbheritage.com/graveyards/
9. Cobh Heritage Museum in Cobh, Ireland where the Titanic had it's last port of call in 1912, and where the bodies from the Lusitania were washing up on the shores in 1915. Cobh is also known as Queenstown because it was visited by Queen Victoria about 1850.