19. Thomas Joseph TREACY (Thomas , John , 'unknown' ) was born on 13 Apr 1881 in Murgasty, Co. Tipperary. He was christened about 13 Apr 1881 in Tipperary. He died on 13 Apr 1969 in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary. He was buried in New Cemetery, Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary.

The sponsors at Thomas's baptism was Sarah Carew, probably his aunt. There was no other sponsor listed on the baptismal record.

Thomas began his career working at the gasworks in Tipperary town; according to the 1911 census he was a "gas account collector". On 28 September 1914 he took over the management of the gasworks in Carrick-on-Suir (located on the Quay), eventually buying the Carrick gasworks from the owner, Mr. Anderson. I am unsure as to the year of purchase but it would probably have been during the mid- or late 1930s as it is known that Mr. Anderson still owned the Carrick gasworks in 1933.

Difficulties in getting parts from England for gasworks repairs during World War II led to problems in manufacturing gas at the Carrick works so Thomas decided to switch to the making of charcoal and in 1942 the large gasometers were dismantled. The business eventually concentrated on the sales of coal, coke and briquettes, and subsequently incorporated sales of gas stoves and heaters.

Thomas married Ellen O'SULLIVAN, daughter of James (Big Jim) SULLIVAN and Julia DOODY, on 12 Jan 1915 in Church of S.S. Peter And Paul, Cork. Ellen was born on 24 Oct 1887 in Glynn, Mourneabbey, Co. Cork. She was christened on 25 Oct 1887 in Analeentha Church, Mourneabbey, Co. Cork. She died on 18 Sep 1972 in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary. She was buried in New Cemetery, Carrick-on-Suir.

According to information from the Mallow Heritage Centre, the sponsors at Ellen's baptism were Cornelius Sweeney and Julia Curtin. It is believed Cornelius Sweeney was a neighbour of the Sullivans and it is thought he was married to one of Caheraveelane Sullivans who were related to Ellen. A granddaughter of Cornelius would later marry Ellen's brother Denis. Julia Curtin, the second sponsor, had been a neighbour of the Sullivans when they lived in Ballyknockane. Julia would later marry Sean O'Looney; they emigrated to the United States and had 12 children. Valuable information on the Sullivan family, for which I am very grateful, came in November 2003 from 96-year-old Patrick, known as Pats, Curtin, a nephew of Julia's who lived in Ballyknockane with one of his daughters. Sadly, Pats died in September 2004.

It is thought that Ellen, who was also known as Nellie, had some domestic training and subsequently became a parlour maid. I am told that she met her husband, Thomas Treacy, in Tipperary town where they were both working (Thomas worked at the gasworks in the town). Based on this information I believe I have located a 1911 census record for Ellen. An Ellen Sullivan, aged 24 (although our Ellen was actually 23 years of age at the time of the census) and born in Co. Cork, was working as a parlour maid at the home of law agent George Hugh Chetwood Townsend in Cordangan, just a couple of miles south of Tipperary town. It was a large house and, along with Ellen, six other servants are listed.

However, according to Ellen's marriage certificate, her residence at the time (January 1915) was Lavitt's Quay, Cork but it is not known how she came to live in Cork after apparently having met Thomas. She did have an uncle, Mike Doody, who was living on Lavitt's Quay at the time of the 1911 census. Perhaps he was still there in 1915 and she was staying with him or working for him? Or perhaps she wanted to get married in Cork and therefore used her uncle's address to fulfil a possible residency requirement.

It is thought that Ellen - or perhaps Thomas, her husband - may have been related to a Hewitt family which included Patrick (1897-1979), a Holy Ghost priest who did missionary work in Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania), his brother James (1900-1974), a Holy Ghost brother who worked at Blackrock College in Dublin as a ground staff supervisor, and their sister Biddy who married a J.J. Healy and lived in Carrick-on-Suir. Other relatives of Ellen or Thomas included a couple who lived near Flamborough Head in Yorkshire in the 1940s. All we know of this couple is that the husband was in the Merchant Navy. Could they have been Ellen's aunt Hannah (O'Sullivan) and her husband Harry Williams, who was in the Merchant Navy? Further information would be most welcome.   

22. Nicholas TREACY (Thomas , Nicholas , 'unknown' ) was born about 20 Sep 1875 in Gortnakeare, Cordangan, Co. Tipperary. He was christened on 22 Sep 1875 in Solohead, Co. Tipperary. He died on 26 Apr 1959 in Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary. He was buried on 28 Apr 1959 in Kilfeacle Cemetery, Co. Tipperary.

A Margaret Treacy of Soloheadbeg was the informant named on Nicholas's birth certificate. This was presumably Nicholas's paternal grandmother. Sponsors at Nicholas's baptism were Thomas McGrath and Johanna Treacy.

It is known that Nicholas was related to our Treacys although the exact relationship isn't certain. What is certain is that Thomas Treacy (1881-1969) had a cousin named Nicholas Treacy and that he was NOT a first cousin. It is also known that Thomas's first cousin Seán Treacy (1895-1920) had a cousin named Nicholas Treacy (see next paragraph), who is definitely our Nicolas above, but it is not known what type of cousin he was. It is possible that Nicholas was a second cousin of Thomas and Seán, i.e., it is possible that Nicholas's Treacy grandfather, also named Nicholas, and John, the grandfather of Thomas and Seán, were brothers.

In Desmond Ryan's book, "Seán Treacy and the Third Tipperary Brigade IRA" (1945), there is mention of "Seán's cousin, Nicholas Treacy", who was involved in plans to rescue Seán from jail in Dundalk in 1918. Seán and two other IRA prisoners were on hunger strike but called it off when their demands were met. As a result the rescue mission was called off.

According to a family source, Thomas Treacy's cousin Nicholas (who may be Nicholas above) lived on a small farm next to the Carey farm in Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary.

Nicholas married Joanna (Josie) RYAN, daughter of Joseph RYAN and Maria (Mary) COUGHLAN, on 27 Feb 1922 in Annacarty Church, Co. Tipperary. Joanna was born about 1892 in probably Carhue, Dundrum, Co. Tipperary. She died on 13 Apr 1933 in probably Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary. She was buried in Kilfeacle Cemetery, Co. Tipperary.

Helen Stapleton from Australia has provided us with some information on Josie's family as Helen's husband's grandmother Hanorah Ryan (born in Co. Tipperary in 1872) was a cousin of Josie's. Helen tells us that Josie's father's name was Joseph and that Joseph's father's name was John whose father was Lawrence whose mother was Sarah Dwyer. Sarah's father was Edmond Dwyer who was possibly from Carhue, near Dundrum, in Co. Tipperary. Sarah had a sister named Alice who also married a Ryan. A great-grandson of Alice's was Brendan Bracken (1901-1958) who was a close friend of Winston Churchill and who was appointed Minister of Information during World War II.

Marriage Notes:

Witnesses were James Walsh and Mary O'Mahony (probably Josie's sister).