On 1 October 1872 John had visited Aughness to collect rents and then dined and stayed the night at Lagduff House. The next day he paid the waterkeepers before returning home. He was shot at a mile beyond Dooghill, as he was approaching Mallaranny.
Transcription of Newspaper Article:
Handwritten note: from Ballina Herald Oct 1872
We have much pleasure in placing the subjoined manifesto, readily and unanimously signed by the tenants on Mrs. Grant’s estate in Ballycroy before our readers and the public. This is something new in Mayo, and is an omen of good. The outspoken and manly conduct of Mrs. Grant’s tenants deserves to be held up to the emulation of the tenantry in all districts where agrarian crime is rife. We should much like to see a similar manifesto signed by the people in Mr. Atkinson’s neighbourhood, at Crossmolina, the repeated outrages on whose property we notice elsewhere. Mr. Oram is agent for Mrs. Grant’s estate and other neighbouring estates, including, we believe, the scene of the outrage upon him :-
We, the undersigned tenant-farmers on Mrs. Grant’s estate in Ballycroy, desire to express our abhorence of the atrocious and dastardly attempt lately made to assassinate her excellent agent, Mr. John Oram of Burrishoole ; and we hereby pledge ourselves severally and collectively, to lose no opportunity of bringing the would be murderer to public justice. (signed)
- Joseph Leneghan
- Edward Monaghan
- Owen Cafferky
- Hugh McManmon
- Pat Calpin
- James Cleary
- Patt Sweeny
- Patt Cafferky
- John Conemee
- Thomas Ginty
- Peter Cafferky
- Patt Ginty
- John Gallagher
- Patt Monaghan
- Peter O’Donell
- Conar Ginty
- John Lenaghan
- Frank Lenaghan
- Mary Lenagham
- John Cafferky
- Peter Cafferky
- Henry O’Hara
- Jerry McManmon
- Anthony Cafferky
- Anthony Reilly
- Pat Cafferky
- James Sweeny
- Patt McGowan
- Hugh McGowan
- John Cormack
- Patt Conway
- Thomas Sweeny
- Patt Sweeny
- John Lenaghan
- Martin Conway
- Peter Conway
- John Conway
- Laughlin Sweeny
- Patt Conway
- James McHue
- Anthony Barrett
- Michael Gallagher
- Hugh Conway
Did they ever find out who the culprit was?
Our family history does not tell us that the culprit was found, so I think the answer is no.
Chris Oram
I am looking into my family history, and find things like this fascinating. Would the owner of this site be able to send me a copy of this for my scrap album of family history? And if anyone has anything further from John Cormack, please let me know! Thank you!
Hi Tina,
My name is Ian Francis Cormack and my great grandfather was born in Knockmoyleen, Ballycroy in 1874. His parents were Francis and Mary Cormack (nee Sweeney). My great grandfather moved to Northumberland in the late 1800s and our branch of the Cormacks have been in England ever since.
Kind regards,
Ian
My grandfather Thomas Sweeney born 1881 had a sister Mary (2nd child of family) who married a William Walby who was gatekeeper to Lord Ridley of Northumberland. They had 3 sons and daughter Dorothy.
Could this Mary be your relative.
My great grandfather Peter Sweeney married a Susan Bilson a Vicar’s daughter from Leictershire and they lived on his farm in Shrananomonrach. She came to Co Mayo to be a Governess and I am trying to find info on her.
My grand mother was Ellen Leneghhan from Knockmoyleen, Ballycroy, born 1886 and married Tom Sweeney in 1907 aat Ballycroy Church. They went to Newcastle first,back to Mayo and then to Leigh,Lancashire where my mother (5th child ) was born. The older ones born in Ireland, I think.
One of Ellen’s brothers (John) was born in 1874 at Knockmoyleen.This into may be sketchy as it came from my mother many years ago.
My name is Kathleen Gordon and I live in England
Hey Kathleen,
I’m also interested in finding info on Susan Sweeney (nee Bilson) from Shrananomonrach, Mayo, especially her family in England. Let’s collaborate!
I too am looking into my family history. I believe that my Great Great Grandfather was John Conemee (one of the tenant signers of the Manifesto). Is there any way to find out more about the men were who were listed on the Tenants Manifesto?
Thank for the message, Kerry. John Conemee and the other signatories were brave when they signed the manifesto so we would like to know more about them too. I notice that the surname Conemee is not recorded in the mid 1850s Griffith’s Valuation, or the 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses so I wonder if the name is spelt correctly. All I have found out about Mrs Grant’s estate is on page http://familyhistory.oram.ca/burrishoole/?page_id=442
Carolyn
Hi Carolyn: Thank you so much for your reply! I did not realize that anyone would see my comment and be answering this page. My ancestor emigrated to the United States and is recorded on the 1880 census in Pennsylvania. His name on the census was spelled: John Conmee. He married and lived in Aughness and was a tenant farmer. By the turn of the 20th century his last name was spelled “Conomy.” All his children were born in Ballycroy. I could not find him in Griffith’s Valuation either. The only thing I can find is a baptism record for his son, my great grandfather, being born in 1865 in Aughness.
My husband and I are going to the Ballycroy area in the summer and we would love to find some records of the men who signed the “Manifesto.” Do you know of anywhere that I could actually find the original documents in Ireland? Thanks, Kerry
It could be spelled Conmy. There were Conmy diaspora from Bangor Erris living in Cambridge, England, when I was growing up.
Dear Kerry,
Hello! If you’re a McGuire of Ballycroy, then we’re related. You might like to pick up a copy of Patrick Mullarkey’s book Ballycroy and Beyond as it does contain some useful background info on the Ballycroy population of the nineteenth century:
http://ballycroyandbeyond.com/
Carolyn: I recently rechecked the Griffith’s Valuation pages and I could not find someone who fit the details of my great great grandfather, John Conmee. Even though I found many men with this name, they did not have the correct wife’s name of Mary Corrigan. They would have married around 1850 and then had about 8 children, all born in Ireland, before they left in about 1874 for the US.