Updated 17^th November 2006. See addition after Gus Claffey

During the week a Mannion girl from America called in seeking information on her forefather Kieran Manion, Half Way House, Shannonbridge, County Offaly. This was her second visit in a couple of years.

Kieran was born in 1846 and went to the USA in 1853 when he was seven years old. It appears that the spelling of his name lost an ‘n’ somewhere along the way.

Father Hanlon kindly looked up the baptismal records and the first Kieran Mannion he found around that period was in 1861. Six other Kieran Mannions followed in the next few years.

The Half Way House bit was unknown to anyone I asked. Then we wondered if Mannions who lived at the butt of Mannions Hill half way to Clonmacnois might once have been known as the Half Way House.

That Mannion Family had four children who would all be over 100 years old. There was Joseph, James, Mary Kate and Brigid and all were single. Mary Kate was in America for a long time.

The family were related to Nellie O Grady or Mrs Larkin and she also was in America for a time.

There house was a thatched house at the bottom of Clerhane Hill and known locally as Mannions Hill.

Michael Mannion of Aughnacabe and now Banagher told me that his father Mike Mannion, 102 years if alive, was a first cousin of the four Mannions mentioned above.

Mike Mann ion’s father was Martin Mannion and he lived in the 1800s.

If anybody can throw any light on this please let me know and I will post it.

Sorry but I have mislaid the Mannion ladies e-mail. What’s new says you.

Gus Claffey has come up with some interesting news.

When he asked his Aunt Rosie Curley if she had ever heard of a Half Way House anywhere around, she immediately said that Jimmy Mannions was always known as the Half Way House. Jimmy was father of Joseph, James, Mary Kate and Brigid.

He had a brother Martin Mannion, as above. He also had a brother Kieran who went to America.