1. Margaret FINUCANE was born about 1793 in possibly Ardmore, Carhoonakineely, Tarbert, Co. Kerry. She died 20 May 1877 in Kilbaha, Moyvane, Co. Kerry and was buried in probably Murhur Cemetery, Moyvane, Co. Kerry.

It's possible Margaret was a daughter of John Finucane and Kate Lynch of Ardmore, Carhoonakineely, Tarbert. One source tells us she was but another says she was a daughter of a John Finucane of Ardmore who had sons named John - who emigrated to the United States - and possibly Frank. Because the John who married Kate Lynch had a son named John who didn't emigrate, it seems there may have been two John Finucanes living in Ardmore around the same time resulting in the uncertainty regarding Margaret's parents.    

Margaret and her husband, Richard Hudson, seemed to have moved around quite a bit after their marriage. It's probable they lived in Duagh around 1830 because their daughter, Johanna, was baptised there in that year. It's also believed they lived for a time in Ballyeagh (sometimes spelled Ballyeigh), near Ballybunion, and at another point they seem to have moved to Tralee where it's thought their youngest child, Patrick Robert, was born in 1838 (although there's no documentation to support this) and where it's known their daughter, Johanna, was married in 1847. By 1850 it seems they had left Tralee and settled in Kilbaha where thry had connections through Edward Hudson, a relative of Richard's from Tralee who owned more than 400 acres in Kilbaha at the time. Information on the Hudson family of Tralee is available in William Hudson's volume "The Hudsons of Tralee", a copy of which may be studied in Tralee and Listowel libraries. Unfortunately, when I visited Tralee library in 2005, I ran out of time before I had a chance to take a look at this particular book.

An indication of what life was like for Margaret and Richard back then comes from stories told by family members. For example, Richard and Margaret's son, William, once told a relative that he remembered that while a mass was being said at the house when he was a child, people were put on guard duty outside to see to it that no British police would bother those inside. He also remembered there being firearms in the house at the time. And William's brother, Patrick, told his own son, William, that his (Patrick's) mother, Margaret Hudson, was often "beaten up" by local Whiteboys, agrarian agitators who operated in Ireland at the time.

It's thought Richard and Margaret may have had a second daughter, but no further information is available.

Margaret married Richard HUDSON, son of William? HUDSON and 'UNKNOWN', about 1815 in north Kerry. Richard was born abt 1780s in north Kerry. He died about 1850 in probably Kilbaha, Moyvane, Co. Kerry and was buried in probably Murhur Cemetery, Moyvane, Co. Kerry.

We don't know where exactly Richard was born but we're presuming it was in north Kerry. We do know he was baptised into the Protestant faith although his children were raised as Catholics owing to his marriage to a Catholic. We also know Richard was related to Edward Hudson of Strand St. in Tralee, Co. Kerry who owned over 400 acres of land in Kilbaha, Newtownsandes (now called Moyvane), Co. Kerry. Richard and his wife, Catherine, would eventually settle in Kilbaha where descendants of theirs still live.