Family Tree: The O'Donnells of Loughanure

John O'Donnell, born c. 1820

John O'Donnell was born about 1820 in the lakeside farming community of Loughanure near Annagry, County Donegal. This was the first - and at that time the only - O'Donnell family in Loughanure (see below). His mother Kathleen (born about 1790?) lived with him for many years as a widow in the family home in Marahai, Loughanure. The O'Donnells were all Catholic and the older generations were buried at the old church in Kincasslagh while the younger ones were buried at St. Mary Star of The Sea, the new church in Annagry which was built around 1900.

O'Donnells recorded in Loughanure in the 1800's:

Tithe Applotment Book for the Parish of Templecrone, signed 22 Oct 1828
This records only one O'Donnell family in Loughanure, with Manus O'Donnell as the head of the family. We can only presume that Manus was John's father (or possibly an uncle or older brother).

Griffith's Valuation of Loughanure, 1857
There were two O'Donnell households recorded in Loughanure. John O'Donnell was the head of one family and Catherine O'Donnell (his mother?) was head of the other.

Descendants of John O'Donnell

John O'Donnell of Loughanure had two families. He married Gracie Friel of Gweedore about 1845. After her death he remarried in about 1860 to Frances McPaul of Bunnawack.

Family of John O'Donnell by his first wife, Gracie Friel: Charles, born 1846. Kit Grace Maeve Biddy

Family of John O'Donnell by his second wife, Frances McPaul: Barney, born about 1867 Dan (never married) Neil (never married) Paddy Con Frances (never married)

First Family of John O'Donnell: Children of Gracie Friel

Charles O'Donnell, born 1846

In 1884 Charles O'Donnell married Bridget McCole of Bunnawack (born 1849). They raised four children, and all were still living at home with their parents in Loughanure at the time of the 1911 census. John O'Donnell, born 1887. Madge O'Donnell, born 1890. Neil O'Donnell, born 1892, lived in Loughanure, d. 16 Jan 1969. Grace O'Donnell, born 1897, emigrated to Bayonne, NJ about 1915, died there c. 1950. Charles and Bridget could not read or write, nor could their eldest son John, but the three younger children all could.

Neil O'Donnell of Loughanure, Annagry died 16 Jan 1969 age 76

Grace O'Donnell

Grace left home as a teenager to work as a domestic servant, but returned home pregnant. She had one daughter, Kit O'Donnell, never married or had more children.

Maeve O'Donnell

Maeve married a McElvogue from County Tyrone and had four children: Josephine McElvogue, married a Fohaner Patrick McElvogue Phelomena McElvogue Arthur McElvogue, married Moira Green - daughter of Johny Frank Green

Arthur McElvogue of 20 Kilmartin Place, Glasgow d. 7 May 1986 age 65 buried in Annagry at St. Mary, Star of The Sea

Biddy O'Donnell

Biddy married a McLaughlin and had a son Francie McLaughlin.

Second Family of John O'Donnell: Children of Frances McPaul

Frances O'Donnell, born c. 1885

Frances became a cook and worked aboard the HMS Queen Mary. She served the King and Queen (George & Mary) and was awarded a watch and medals for her cooking. She was engaged to a young man from Loughanure but when she gave up work and returned home to get married he jilted her and married another woman. Frances never fully recovered and became an eccentric old spinster aunt to her brother Barney's children.

Dan O'Donnell, born c. 1880

Dan O'Donnell was a soldier in World War I, and had the back of his head blown off in a trench in the Dardonelles. He was still alive when they pulled him out of the trench several days later, so a surgeon put a metal plate in to close his head and he returned to Loughanure where he lived for a short while longer. He lies buried in St. Mary Star of The Sea, Annagry. He never married or had children.

Barney O'Donnell, born 1867

Barney O'Donnell was a farmer like his father John and inherited the family homestead in Marahai, Loughanure. He married Mary Sweeney, a local farmer's daughter from Meenaweal, in about 1897. Barney was six years older than Mary: in the 1901 census they are recorded as 34 and 28 years old respectively, living in Loughanure (Marahai) with their only child Mary, a one year old baby. They could both read and write and spoke Gaelic and English.
Mary Sweeney born c. 1873, died 11 March 1937	Barney O'Donnell born c. 1867, died 29 Sep 1940
After losing several babies (including little Mary who only lived to be a year old) they had seven children who reached adulthood. For the first two, Fannie and Annie, Mary returned to her mother Nellie (Coyle) Sweeney's house in Meenaweal where she herself had been born - the little stone house in front of the quarry, now derelict. Below: list of Barney and Mary O'Donnell's children's birthdays, probably written by Barney O'Donnell.
	Fannie O'Donnell - born 12th January 1902 Annie O'Donnell - born 14th August 1903 Joseph O'Donnell - born 25th September 1905 Mary O'Donnell - born 9th July 1906 Barney O'Donnell - born 9th August 1908 Ellen "Nellie" O'Donnell - born 11th February 1910 Dan O'Donnell - born 29th January 1913
Fannie had a nasty accident as a child. Although she recovered, she was left partially crippled and her shoulder blade stuck out of her back for the rest of her life. She lived with her parents her whole life, never married or had children, and lies buried with her parents in the O'Donnell family plot at St. Mary, Star of The Sea in Annagry, County Donegal. "Red" Annie had bright red hair and a temper to match. As a young woman in about 1922 she emigrated to the USA in search of work. Arriving in New Jersey she found work as a housemaid and became engaged to a young man - but jilted him: see Red Annie's story. Joseph J. O'Donnell emigrated to Bayonne, New Jersey (USA) where he married Annie Breslin and had two sons, John and Patrick, and six grandchildren. He was a welder for the Exxon oil company for 38 years at their Bayway refinery and after retiring worked as a watchman at Bayonne Hospital. He died in the same hospital on 7th February, 1981 aged 75. Mary O'Donnell married Michael Kilbane and they raised eight children in Scotland: Annie, Molly, Eamonn, Frances, Evelyn, Margaret Rose, Brian and Michael. Annie married Jack McCaffrey and moved to Montreal, Canada where they raised their daughter Ann. After Annie's untimely death of cancer in 1973 Jack and his daughter Ann moved to Vancouver in 1974 where Ann still lives - and became Mrs Bill Caulfield in 2001. Congratulations Ann! Barney O'Donnell and his wife Bridget raised six children in Scotland: Moira, Josephine ("Josie", lives in Long Island, NY), Tricia, Michael, Brian and Danny. Michael died of a blood clot on 14 July 1983 aged 30 years old and leaving behind a young widow, Angela. Brian O'Donnell emigrated to Edmonton, Canada where he lives with his wife, two boys and a girl. Ellen was known as Nellie. She married Bobby McMillan and they lived in Scotland for many years before returning to Loughanure. There they lived in the old family home in Marahai. They never had children. Dan O'Donnell suffered ill health for most of his life and lived with his parents until their death, and later with his sisters. In September 1945 he died of an epileptic seizure at the age of 32. Dan was buried with his parents and sister Fannie in the family plot in St. Mary Star of The Sea, Annagry. He had never married or had children.
N.B. "Anne McCafferty" is in fact Annie (Kilbane) McCaffrey, daughter of Mary O'Donnell.	Annie and Mary O'Donnell, Sep 1959
	The O'Donnell sisters Nellie (Ellen), Annie and Mary

More Family Trees & Stories

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More of Pat's family, all originally from County Donegal:

• "Red Annie" O'Donnell of Loughanure.
• Hugh Sweeney and Nellie Coyle of Meenaweal, Crolly: Mary Sweeney's parents.
• Daniel, Annie and Nora Sweeney of Butte, Montana: Mary Sweeney's brother and sisters were US pioneers in the 1880's.
• Descendants of Annie Sweeney in Butte, Montana.
• The Hanlons of Donegal.

Annemarie's family:

• The McDonalds descend of John McDonald of Argylshire, Scotland who emigrated to the USA c. 1752.
• The Bruinsma, De Vet and De Leeuw families of Friesland, The Netherlands.