Individual Details
James (Seamus) SULLIVAN
(Abt 1812 - 6 Nov 1882)
It is believed Seamus was born in the townland of Caheraveelane in the civil parish of Kilshannig and in the Catholic parish of Glantane (near the village of Nad or Nadd) in Co. Cork. The Sullivans from Caheraveelane were known as the 'Caher' or 'Cahera' (pronounced 'kawra') Sullivans, presumably to distinguish them from the other Sullivan families in the area. They used the surname 'Sullivan' prior to the early 20th century when they started using the name 'O'Sullivan which would have been their ancestors' original name. Note that Caheraveelane seems to be spelled nowadays as Caheravellane.
Apparently Lyre church is much nearer to Caherveelane than Glantane church so it is possible Seamus and perhaps his children were baptised in Lyre rather than Glantane. It is also possible they were baptised in Donoughmore church.
At some point Seamus moved a few miles east to the townland of Glynn in the parish of Mourneabbey (also spelled Mourne Abbey), although it is not known exactly when. Griffith's Valuation, which was carried out in 1851 for Mourneabbey, does not show any record of land in Glynn being occupied at that time by a Seamus or James Sullivan, although it seems likely he had left Caheraveelane by then. Griffith's Valuation was carried out for the Glantane/Kilshannig area in 1852 and shows that the only Sullivan to occupy land in Caheraveelane was a Johanna Sullivan who rented 234 acres along with a "turbary" (bog or right to dig turf).
Seamus died aged 70 of paralysis and dropsy from which he had been suffering for two years. The informant on his death record was his son Daniel.
Seamus was related in some way to another Sullivan family from Caheraveelane . A descendant of a Daniel Sullivan of Caheraveelane (born about 1800), who still lives in Caheraveelane, recalls his father talking about Sullivan relatives in Mourneabbey. It is possible that Seamus was a son of this Daniel. Any assistance in establishing a definite link between the two families would be much appreciated.
Note: The Mallow Heritage Centre found baptism records for two James Sullivans in Donoughmore parish which seems to be the Catholic parish (as opposed to the civil parish) for Caheraveelane:
Date Parents Sponsors
31 May 1806 Timothy Sullivan Daniel Shea
Joan Reagan Elizabeth Reagan
17 January 1814 Thomas Sullivan Daniel O'Keeffe
Mary McCarthy Mary Sexton
But there is nothing to suggest that either of these baptisms relate to our Séamus.
Caheraveelane comprises about 234 acres of mostly mountainy land. As evidenced by summaries from the 1841 to 1891 censuses of Ireland it was a very sparsely populated townland in those years. Details - from www.eppi.ac.uk, the EPPI (Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland, 1801-1922) website - are as follows:
Year Inhabited Population
Houses
1841 2 15
1851 3 16
1861 2 15 (8 male, 7 female)
1871 2 10 (7 male, 3 female)
1881 2 14 (10 male, 4 female)
1891 3 23 (17 male, 6 female)
No details by household are available as the census returns from these years no longer exist. It seems likely that Seamus left Caheraveelane in the 1830s or 1840s, probably because there was no living to be made on its poor land. Other Sullivans, whose numbers contribute to the population figures given above and of whom I have some information, remained and these are probably related to our Sullivan family but I haven't yet been able to establish a definite link.
I have been told that Sonia O'Sullivan, the well-known Irish athlete, is a descendant of the Caher Sullivans (although her O'Sullivan grandfather was apparently a native of Dublin) but I have been unable to verify this. I suspect there is no connection but would love to come across information that would indicate that there is in fact a link. Interestingly, several other descendants of the Caher Sullivans have been talented sportspeople, e.g., Jerry O'Sullivan who enjoyed success in boxing in Britain prior to emigrating to Australia; his brother Eugene (1927-1967), a distance runner who was selected to represent Australia at the 1956 Olympics; and Arthur Sullivan (born in 1884 in Caheraveelane), another fine distance runner.
The O'Sullivan surname is the third most common surname in Ireland, with four out of five O'Sullivan families in the country living in counties Cork and Kerry where O'Sullivan is the most common surname. The original Irish surname was 'O Suileabháin', deriving possibly from 'suil dubh án' meaning 'dark-eyed'. It is possible that the O Suileabháin families originated in South Tipperary from where they were driven out in the 13th century by the O'Briens and the Normans. Most settled in west Cork and Kerry. By the end of the 14th century, the O Suileabháins had split into at least seven different groupings, the most impportant of which were (i) Clann Gilla Mochuda of south Kerry, who in the 16th century, changed their name completely to McGillycuddy, (ii) the O'Sullivan Mór, based on the shores of Kenmare Bay, and (iii) the O'Sullivan Beare, rulers of the area around Bantry and of the Beara peninsula of Co. Cork. I am presuming therefore that my O'Sullivan family is descended from the O'Sullivan Beare.
Apparently Lyre church is much nearer to Caherveelane than Glantane church so it is possible Seamus and perhaps his children were baptised in Lyre rather than Glantane. It is also possible they were baptised in Donoughmore church.
At some point Seamus moved a few miles east to the townland of Glynn in the parish of Mourneabbey (also spelled Mourne Abbey), although it is not known exactly when. Griffith's Valuation, which was carried out in 1851 for Mourneabbey, does not show any record of land in Glynn being occupied at that time by a Seamus or James Sullivan, although it seems likely he had left Caheraveelane by then. Griffith's Valuation was carried out for the Glantane/Kilshannig area in 1852 and shows that the only Sullivan to occupy land in Caheraveelane was a Johanna Sullivan who rented 234 acres along with a "turbary" (bog or right to dig turf).
Seamus died aged 70 of paralysis and dropsy from which he had been suffering for two years. The informant on his death record was his son Daniel.
Seamus was related in some way to another Sullivan family from Caheraveelane . A descendant of a Daniel Sullivan of Caheraveelane (born about 1800), who still lives in Caheraveelane, recalls his father talking about Sullivan relatives in Mourneabbey. It is possible that Seamus was a son of this Daniel. Any assistance in establishing a definite link between the two families would be much appreciated.
Note: The Mallow Heritage Centre found baptism records for two James Sullivans in Donoughmore parish which seems to be the Catholic parish (as opposed to the civil parish) for Caheraveelane:
Date Parents Sponsors
31 May 1806 Timothy Sullivan Daniel Shea
Joan Reagan Elizabeth Reagan
17 January 1814 Thomas Sullivan Daniel O'Keeffe
Mary McCarthy Mary Sexton
But there is nothing to suggest that either of these baptisms relate to our Séamus.
Caheraveelane comprises about 234 acres of mostly mountainy land. As evidenced by summaries from the 1841 to 1891 censuses of Ireland it was a very sparsely populated townland in those years. Details - from www.eppi.ac.uk, the EPPI (Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland, 1801-1922) website - are as follows:
Year Inhabited Population
Houses
1841 2 15
1851 3 16
1861 2 15 (8 male, 7 female)
1871 2 10 (7 male, 3 female)
1881 2 14 (10 male, 4 female)
1891 3 23 (17 male, 6 female)
No details by household are available as the census returns from these years no longer exist. It seems likely that Seamus left Caheraveelane in the 1830s or 1840s, probably because there was no living to be made on its poor land. Other Sullivans, whose numbers contribute to the population figures given above and of whom I have some information, remained and these are probably related to our Sullivan family but I haven't yet been able to establish a definite link.
I have been told that Sonia O'Sullivan, the well-known Irish athlete, is a descendant of the Caher Sullivans (although her O'Sullivan grandfather was apparently a native of Dublin) but I have been unable to verify this. I suspect there is no connection but would love to come across information that would indicate that there is in fact a link. Interestingly, several other descendants of the Caher Sullivans have been talented sportspeople, e.g., Jerry O'Sullivan who enjoyed success in boxing in Britain prior to emigrating to Australia; his brother Eugene (1927-1967), a distance runner who was selected to represent Australia at the 1956 Olympics; and Arthur Sullivan (born in 1884 in Caheraveelane), another fine distance runner.
The O'Sullivan surname is the third most common surname in Ireland, with four out of five O'Sullivan families in the country living in counties Cork and Kerry where O'Sullivan is the most common surname. The original Irish surname was 'O Suileabháin', deriving possibly from 'suil dubh án' meaning 'dark-eyed'. It is possible that the O Suileabháin families originated in South Tipperary from where they were driven out in the 13th century by the O'Briens and the Normans. Most settled in west Cork and Kerry. By the end of the 14th century, the O Suileabháins had split into at least seven different groupings, the most impportant of which were (i) Clann Gilla Mochuda of south Kerry, who in the 16th century, changed their name completely to McGillycuddy, (ii) the O'Sullivan Mór, based on the shores of Kenmare Bay, and (iii) the O'Sullivan Beare, rulers of the area around Bantry and of the Beara peninsula of Co. Cork. I am presuming therefore that my O'Sullivan family is descended from the O'Sullivan Beare.
Events
| Birth | Abt 1812 | probably Caheraveelane, Glantane, Co. Cork | |||
| Marriage | 'UNKNOWN' | ||||
| Death | 6 Nov 1882 | Glynn, Mourneabbey, Co. Cork |
Families
| Spouse | 'UNKNOWN' ( - 1882) |
| Child | Michael SULLIVAN (caution: not verified) (1838 - ) |
| Child | Daniel (Dan) SULLIVAN (1840 - 1911) |
| Child | Mary (Big Mary) SULLIVAN ( - 1911) |
| Child | James (Big Jim) SULLIVAN ( - 1903) |
| Child | Hanora (Nora) SULLIVAN (1848 - 1902) |