Sandy,

I can give you some information. My grandfather (Timothy - Edward) was Archbishop Duhig's eldest brother. There were 4 boys and 4 girls in the family - Timothy (Edward - the name changed when he came to Australia.), Elizabeth, Martin, Patrick, Mary, James and Ellen. Mary, Ellen and James never married. Martin and Patrick went to Chicago and have many descendents. Timothy (Edward) came to Brisbane, Australia and had 12 children - you are not a descendent of any of them. I have a fairly accurate family tree of the descendants of Timothy-Edward and his siblings.

This Duhig family came from Killilagh, near Broadford, County Limerick - townland probably Dromdeeven. This is almost on the Cork border. It was on the Mt Plummer estate. The family left about 1883 although my grandfather had worked in Middlesborough for a couple of years before that to earn enough money to bring the family to Australia.

The father John (born 1835 and baptised in Broadford) married Margaret Barry probably from Tullylease across the Cork border in 1858. He died in 1876 probably from typhus in the Newcastle West Poor House / Hospital and is burried in the Killeedy Cemetry between Broadford and Newcastle West. John's parents were Timothy Duhig and Elizabeth Daly. On a recent visit to Ireland I met a Michael Murphy in Newcastle West who said his great-grandfather, Michael Duhig was a brother of John. Michael Duhig had one daughter, Mary who was Michael Murphy's grandmother. He said his Duhig ancestors also came from Killilagh. He said according to family tradition John and Michael had 2 sisters who emigrated to where? This ancestry was never mentioned in my family. I did not see a baptismal record of Michael Duhig in the Drumcolligher - Broadford Parish registry but I could have missed it. Michael Muphy is trying to get more information.

In the Monagay Catholic parish records (the next parish to Broadford and Drumcolligher) I found a record of the marriage on 28 January 1788 of Timothy Duhig and Maria Doolan. There are baptismal records of two of their children - Thomas baptised 18 January 1789 and a second child whose first name was indecipherable baptised on 5 April 1791. I wonder if that child could have been called John and therefore the grandfather of the John born in 1835. It was an Irish tradition to call the eldest son after the paternal grandfather. My grandfather's eldest son was John.

In the Griffith valuations - a list of all rent payers in Ireland and compiled between about 1845 and 1860 a John Duhig is recorded as being a tenant of Eyre Massey in the townland of Dromdeeven. As the Limerick valuations were completed about 1848 this is unlikely to be my greatgrandfather - a lad of 13 at the time but perhaps it was his grandfather.

If you are related to this part of the Duhig family and my speculation about the baby christined in 1791 is correct, you would have to be a descendent of Thomas bron in 1789 or another child of Timothy and Maria Doolan. I could not see any others in the Monagay baptismal register but it was incomplete and nothing at all between about 1812 and 1823.

As you probably know Duhig is an uncommon Irish name. There are fewer than about 20 in the Republic of Ireland telephone books and most in the Limerick, Kerry, Clare area. Interestingly the current parish priest of Newcastle West and previously the PP in Drumcolligher - Broadford is Frank Duhig. He told me his family came from about 25 miles east of Broadford and does not think there is any close relationship.

If you want any further information, contact me directly on phelan@hcn.net.au.

Peter Phelan

PS Jo Dique is a great-grandaughter of Timothy-Edward and a daughter of a first cousin.