Thursday, January 3, 2019

102. Carlow Quaker Details From Niall Green


Clonmore O’Neills and Quakerism



I was interested in the contribution about Quaker O’Neills from Dermott O’Neill, and can offer the following comments:

All the O’Neill’s listed in the undated document with the page header ‘Carlow Monthly Meeting’ have an asterisk beside their name, which today means that they were attenders at Quaker Meeting, but not Quaker members. (Quakers were also known as The Religious Society of Friends).

As James (see 3 below), John and Samuel are all of ‘Ballykillane (usually spelled Ballycullane), Athy’,  John (born 1840) and Samuel (born 1846) must be the James’ sons.  The family would have attended the Quaker meeting in Ballitore, County Kildare which was built about 1770. (There was a meeting house built near Leinster Street in Athy about 1780, but meetings ceased about 1812).

Without a date or address, it is difficult to know the identity of William, James and Henry ‘of Athy’:

- At a guess I would think William of Athy (see 4 below) was the eldest son of James of Ballycullane.  

- James of Athy may have been the Watchmaker of Leinster Steet, Athy who married Eliza Bailey in 1849 in St. Michael’s Church of Ireland, Athy.  (I cannot establish a link between James of Athy, his brother Luke and their father John O’Neill with the O’Neill’s of Clonmore, though certain information suggests a link.)

- I do not know of any Henry O’Neill of Athy, unless he is the same as listed below at 2 or 6.



The few O’Neill’s of Clonmore who adopted Quakerism did so after marriage, as they were baptised or married in the Church of Ireland. The following family members were involved with Quakerism, and were probably full members of the church at the time of their deaths:

1.       William O’Neill (1794-1879) of Ballycullane, Athy, son of Luke O’Neill (6th son of John O’Neill and Ness Ashmore), was buried in the Friends burial ground in Ballitore, County Kildare.

2.       Henry O’Neill (1798-1888), son of Luke O’Neill, married Abigail Wright in 1839 in Mountrath, Queen’s County (now County Laois). Abigail was a Quaker ‘Minister’. Henry and Abigail are buried in the Friends burial ground in Ballitore, County Kildare.

3.       James O’Neill (about 1800–1876) of Ballycullane, Athy, son of Luke O’Neill, married Rebecca Budds in 1828 in St. Michael’s Church of Ireland, Athy. James and Rebecca were buried in the Friends burial ground in Ballitore, County Kildare.

4.       William O’Neill (born 1832), eldest son of James O’Neill and Rebecca Budds of Ballycullane, Athy, married Frances Budds in the Church of Ireland Parish of St. Peter, Dublin in 1863. He worked as an agricultural engineer and iron founder in Athy. I have found no records for the death of William or Frances.

5.       John O’Neill (1840-1914), son of James O’Neill and Rebecca Budds of Ballycullane, Athy

6.       Henry O’Neill (1844-1878), son of James O’Neill and Rebecca Budds of Ballycullane, Athy. Died in Waterford city.

7.       Samuel O’Neill (1846-1887), son of James O’Neill and Rebecca Budds of Ballycullane, Athy, married Gertrude Warren. Died County Kildare.

8.       Charlotte O’Neill (1837-1931), daughter of James O’Neill and Rebecca Budds married Joshua Green in 1869 in St. Michael’s Church of Ireland, Athy. Their family were all Quakers.

9.       Rebecca O’Neill (1852-1938), daughter of James O’Neill and Rebecca Budds married Isaac Green in 1882 at Liss, Church of Ireland, King’s County (now County Offaly). Their family were all Quakers. (Joshua and Isaac are half-brothers.)

I would welcome any comments or additional information.

Niall Green

26th November 2018

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