Daniel Ryan

Emigrated to AUSTRALIA 1841 - Glenswilly

Daniel Ryan was born in 1793. He married Mary Connor in Tipperary in 1822. (Mary’s surname is also recorded as O’Connor and Connors.) Daniel and Mary arrived in Australia on 11 March 1841 aboard the “Glenswilly”. The ship’s records show that they were from Bansha or Bunchurn in Co Tipperary and were respectively aged 37 and 36. They were accompanied by their children Michael (aged 10), Margaret 7, Catherine 5 and Honora 3.

They settled at Kiah, south of Eden on the NSW south coast. Kiah was inhabited by several Irish families from the 1840s some of whom some had gone there originally to work for Ben Boyd at nearby Boyd Town.

Both Daniel and Mary are buried in the tiny Corcorans Flat Cemetery at Kiah near the south bank of the Towamba River. Their impressive sandstone headstones are inscribed:

   Kiah Cemerty, Eden. NSW

   Erected by Mary in Memory of her beloved husband Daniel Ryan native of Tipperary,Ireland Died 20th Sept. 1861 aged 68 years - 5 lines on the tombstone are unreadable

NSW Bdm's

Death- 2880/1861 RYAN DANIEL THOMAS MARY EDEN

Witnesses on Death Cert.: Thomas Doyle & Alexander Davidson informant of death : Patrick Whelan (son in law) Sep 21 1861 Paddy's Point, Eden NSW Australia Asthma 4 years duration, religion Catholic

RYAN Daniel 1841 37 Bansha "both dead" xx {husb of Mary,36 + 4 children} Ship = Glenswilly

RYAN Mary 1841 36 Bansha (not given) --- / Judy CONNOR Mother in Tipp. {w/o Daniel,37 & Children Richard,10;Margaret,71/2;Honorah ,2;Catherine,3.} Ship = Glenswilly.

RYAN Thomas 1841 18 Bansha (not given) "Parents on board" -probably Daniel / Mary xx Ship = Glenswilly

The Twofold Bay Magnet : and South Coast and Southern Monaro Advertiser (NSW : 1909 - 1920) Monday 12 April 1909 Page 2

From connorsgenealogy.com -

Marriages - 1823

12-Jul Ryan Daniel, Connors Mary, witnesses - Michael Connors, John Dwyer.

GOD'S ACRE.

By The MAGNET'S Itinerant,

And in verity " God's Acre," because reference in made to a Cemetery, an acre in area that is to be seen on the Messrs J. D. and W, Whelan'sEstate, Lower Kiah.

It is a striking sight to come upon in the bush, and brings strong reflections to the observer, whose thoughts in a case of this kind certainly must dwell on the character of the pioneers who found "their last resting place" in the area in view. Could they but return now .. what a change they would see; but what about the narratives they could entertain one with, of the early days " on the river," when " blacks" were more numerous here than whites are now. Their experiences it would be impossible to adequately imagine, and of course they will never be cited again if they ever in fullity were. .

The grave-yard is situated on the slope of a hill overlooking a great portion of the beautiful crop growing flat- lands that form this and Mr Bruce's adjoining estate, and which have the river— with the lovely display of brush growth here and there buttressing up its banks— meandering through them as it neareth its contact with mother ocean, to which a peep is here afforded. But this sight is not for the " dear departed " (although they did much, a number of them, to create it) lest there is that in the Great Beyond, and there is, no doubt, that we know not of. Many years ago— the date I have been unable to obtain — the late Archbishop Polding consecrated this sacred spot, and it will be therefore seen that it is a Roman Catholic burial ground. .

Amongst the names of those buried therein, guided by tombstones, I found the following: —

Andrew O'Neil, died January 11th, 1862 ; aged 60 years. Stone erec ted to his memory by Patrick Pendergast. (The above tombstone, years ago, was brought to its flat position owing to the force of flood waters, and got fractured across where the inscription is. (I had to clear a crop of grass from it, scrape off earth and dislodge earth from the cavity of the letters forming the Inscription before I could decipher the wording.)

Michael Powers, died February 10th, 1863 ; aged 70 years. A native of Ireland.

Daniel. Ryan, died 20th Sept., 1861 ; aged 68-years. A native of County Tipperary, Ireland. Stone erected by his widow.

Mary.Ryan, wife of above, died 9th June, 1889; aged 85 years. Native of same County.

Elizabeth Mary Ryan, died 6th February, 1886 ; aged 20 years.

Patrick Pendergast, died 23rd July, 1881 ; aged 68 years. Native of County Tipperary. Stone erected by his widow, Mary Pendergast.

Michael Pendergast, born at Mowara.; died 25th July, 1885; aged 17 years 7 months.

Thomas McMahon, died 3rd August, 1883; aged 52 years. Native of County Tipperary. 8tone erected by his widow, Francis McMahon.

John McMahon, son of above, aged 2 years and 6 months.

John McMahon, died 28th August, 1865; aged 28 years, native of County Tipperary. Stone erected by his brother Thomas.

Patrick Whelan, died 3rd June, 1878 ; aged 74 years. Stone erected by his widow, Mary Whelan,

Mary Whelan, wife of above ; died 16th December, 1892 : aged 64 years.

There are some beautiful tombstones   marking where the remains of many of these dear departed lie. The best are those of Patrick Whelan, Mary Whelan (marble), Patrick Pendergast, Thomas McMahon, Francis McMahon, John McMahon, Daniel Ryan, Mary Ryan (marble), and others. 

There are a number of persons buried, over whom stones have not been raised, and the last to be placed in his " silent tomb " within the enclosure was the late Samuel Maxwell.

Messrs Whelan, Pendergast and McMahon were the earliest pioneers of the River. They left much to those behind them. Such character of men, such indomitable toilers who laughed at privations, and subdued the forest— such as these surely deserve "Peace, perfect peace," and  their memory remains as an enduring tombstone.    

However, no matter how difficult things may have been, their plight was nothing compared with that of their family members and friends in Ireland who were experiencing the terrible misery of the potato famines. As well, Michael was now free of the terrors of the convict system and before long he was surrounded by other Irishmen determined to draw a living from the fertile soils along the Kiah River. The McCloys, McMahons, Whelans, Ryans, Doyles, Pendergasts and Donnelys, together with the Powers, created an Irish enclave along the river described to me once by a Whelan descendant as a “nest of Irish rebels”. What stories of cruelty and injustice they would have told!