1. John SHANAHAN was born about 1820 in poss Kilbaha, Newtownsandes (Moyvane), Co. Kerry. He died in prob. Kilbaha.

A BIG "THANK YOU" GOES TO TOM STACK FROM ENNIS FOR PROVIDING SO MUCH OF THE INFORMATION BELOW ON THE SHANAHANS.

Not much is known about John, or if he had siblings, although it's thought his family came from the townland of Kilbaha in the parish of Newtownsandes (renamed Moyvane in 1939), Co. Kerry. There's a possibility that John had a brother called James because there's a 1901 census return for a James Shanahan of Kilbaha West, (where John's son, Richard, farmed). James was aged 80 and was a widower. There's also a Griffiths Valuation entry (December 1851) for a James and a John Shanahan in Kilbaha West who jointly leased about 56 acres from Charles L. Sandes.

In the course of my research I have come across references to an Edmund Shanahan who was born in Kilbaha, Newtownsandes 1841. Given Edmund's year of birth and the year of birth of the wife of John Shanahan above (about 1830), it's unlikely Edmund was a son of John, but it is possible they were related given the common surname and townland of birth. Edmund's story is therefore worth noting here:

Edmund became a Presentation brother, entering the novitiate at the South Monastery, Cork, in 1860 and taking Austin as his name in religion. Br. Austin became principal teacher in the South Monastery and in 1871 he was elected Superior of the South Monastery. From 1871 to 1874 he was very involved in the building of St. Joseph's Industrial School in Greenmount in Cork, and in 1880 he took charge of St.Vincent's School in Dartford, Kent and turned around its fortunes. Returning to Cork in 1882, he was once again elected Superior of the South Monastery. In 1889 Br. Austin was elected one of the four Assistants to the first Superior General of the Presentation order. In the late 1880s and early 1890s he travelled extensively in the USA, Australia and New Zealand collecting money to build a new novitiate at Mount St. Joseph in Cork. Br. Austin died on 24 October 1902 and is buried in the vault in the South Monastery.

Note: The Shanahan surname is common throughout Munster and the south-east. The Shanahans were a sept of Thomond, an area which covered much of north Munster, but in 1318 they were expelled from the Sixmilebridge area of Co. Clare by Turlough O'Brien and the McNamaras. They were scattered throughout Munster, especially in counties Limerick, Cork and Waterford.

John married Catherine WOULFE. Catherine was born about 1830. She died in prob. Kilbaha, Newtownsandes (Moyvane), Co. Kerry.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to come up with any information on the Woulfe family. Presumably, given that rural people tended to marry into local families in 19th century Ireland, the Woulfes may have came from the general area of Newtownsandes (now Moyvane), Co. Kerry. I have come across an Ellis Island record (on www.ellisisland.org) for a Mary Woulfe of Newtownsandes who arrived in New York, aged 24, in May 1912. Perhaps Catherine was connected to Mary's family. On the ship manifest, Mary's father's name is given as Pat Woulfe of Newtownsandes. Travelling with Mary was her brother, Thomas, aged 24. Both were headed for Pittsburg where an aunt, a "Mrs. Sheehan" was living.

Another possibility is that our Woulfe family might have come from the Athea area of west Limerick where the Woulfe name is common. Athea is only a few miles from Moyvane/Newtownsandes.   

Note: The Woulfe surname is generally quite common in west Limerick and in Kerry, Clare and Cork. The name is an anglicised form of 'de Bhulbh', the name of an Anglo-Norman family that settled in counties Limerick and Kildare.